Curious Stars

Chapter 3 - illuminations

"Dad didn't show up, so I'll stop by. See u". Sent. Ophelia wasn't in the mood for partying, but she really didn't want to be alone. That would be even worse than the crowd of people that would soon surround her.

The moon light shone through her window, illuminating the room. She had changed her clothes, now wearing a black lose silk top and a pair of straight jeans. Her body ached as she stood there, watching her reflection in the window, critisising everything. She felt insecure, even if she didn't wear anything revealing. Her brown waves were a mess, like always, her skin seemed sickly pale, and her blue eyes stared back at her. The slight brown piece in her left eye looking like it didn't belong there. She quickly put on mascara and let her hair fall down into her face, so the ugly cut the wine glass had left could not be seen.

Before the girl could reconsider what she was doing, she had dialed Jackson's number. "Hi, are you still home?", she asked as the call got accepted. "Yeah, I'm on my way to Lydia's party", Jackson answered. "Do you mind picking me up?" "Not at all, be there in 5." With that he ended the call. She quickly put on her converse's. They were dark root and matched the stone of her necklace which had been a gift from her mother. She never took it of, it helped Ophelia stay grounded, even in the most stressful situations. Opening her door, she stepped out of her room and left the house without making another noise.

As she spotted Jackson's car, she waved at him relieved. Ophelia didn't like being alone in the dark. As soon as his car came to a hold, she hopped in and put on her seatbelt. After her glaring at him for 10 seconds, he sighed exasperately and also buckled up. "Thank you", she whispered, referring to the lift. "No worries. Why aren't you with your dad?", he asked and shot her a quick glance. She flinched a little at the memory. "You okay?" She cursed herself for being so skittish. "Mmh", the girl replied, not trusting her voice. The ride went on without any futher conversation which she was completely fine with. When they reached Lydia's house she thanked Jackson once again and got out of the car.

"Wait!", he called out and followed her. "What happened to your arms?" Pointing at the small scratches the glass had left on her arms. The blood had dried and was nearly invisible. She inwardly cursed Jackson's attantiveness. "I... I fell down in the shower", she stuttered. Not mere seconds later she realised that it was one of the worst excuses she could have used. Since she practised ballet and literally never tripped, Jsckson would never believe her.

The girl never been a good liar which was getting more problematic over time. Actually she hated lying. Scratch that, she despited lying, but she knew it would have consequences if she told Jackson the truth. She wasn't scared for herself, she was scared for her dad. Nobody would even give him a chance to explain anything. He would be send away and Ophelia would be left alone. Like always.

Jackson didn't answer, but looked quite indecisive. "Really, I'm fine, Jay. Do not worry", she let my voice sound as innocent as possible and took his hand into hers, pressing it reasssuringly. "But... uhm. If you do need anything, you know I'm there, right?", his voice was soft as if he tried not to scare her away. "I know, I trust you." She let go of his hands and turned around. "But let's go partying right now, I think we both need to relax", she announced confidently, the both of them knowing very well that the party would stress her out even more.

—

Around half an hour later the girl found herself in the bathroom, soothing a boy that threw up into the toilet. She drew small circles on his back while he shook violently and whimpered quietly. "You will feel better soon", she promised him, reaching for a water bottle. "Drink a little bit, this will help."

Ophelia let him take a few sips and closed the water bottle. Why would anyone do something like this to himself? She just couldn't get why everyone seemed to enjoy drinking. "Do you think we can stand up and catch a bit of fresh air?", she asked him calmly.