Wicked Game || EN

Chapter 1

A little party never killed nobody

[Saturday, September 10th / 6:58pm]

_ But it's going to be cool, Thomas insists over the phone.

_ I won't know anyone at this party, I don't want to be alone in a corner surrounded by strangers! I'd rather spend the evening alone at home. 

He's been arguing for about twenty minutes now, trying to convince me to go to a party organized by a guy named Luke, probably one of the rich, popular guys at school. But tonight I'm really not in the mood, especially if I'm going to rot away at a table waiting for this nightmare to end. I've always been a bit of a homebody, rarely doing anything outside the house except when my best friend forces me to go out somewhere. It's always been just the two of us, we met at nursery school and we've been together ever since. 

_ Come on, Lola, we'll stay together, I promise! It's a party, everyone's having fun.

_ But why do you want to go in the first place? It's not usually your style, and you should give a damn. 

We've only done a few parties so far. We're not really popular at school and we don't have many friends, so invitations don't flow freely. But it's not necessarily a bad thing if you don't like it. 

_ Yes, I know, but this one looks really great! he says, grotesquely emphasizing the word "great".

_ Are you sure it's the party that's great and not the girl who's probably over there? I'm beginning to understand where this enthusiasm comes from.

_ I have no idea what you're talking about, he replies sarcastically.

_ Oh, so Sam, or should I call her your soul mate, won't be at the party?

Sam is the captain of our high school cheerleaders. Thomas has had a crush on her since elementary school, but they've never spoken. After all these years of going to the same schools and being in the same class, he's never had the courage to go up to her even to say hello. He always chickens out in the end, and I'm sure that'll be the case again tonight, much to my delight. I don't like this girl, for whom image and popularity are the most important things in her life. Even her boyfriend, Harry Riggins, is just a prop to enhance her reputation since he's the captain of the soccer team. They're totally every high school's cliché couple, the two most popular people dating. The problem is that Thomas doesn't see all that, he's stuck on the cute, funny little girl she was when we were younger, and now she'd just be misunderstood. My theory is that love has totally blinded him and he can't see the real Sam anymore.

_ Well, maybe she'll be there, but not everything I do has to do with her, you know.

_ The time you decided to take the test to get on the soccer team had nothing to do with the fact that she likes soccer and you don't? Or that other time when you dyed your hair blond because she said she preferred bl...

_ Okay, you've won! cuts me off Thomas, but please come with me...

_ I don't know, it's not really the kind of evening I like, especially with these people.

_ Please do this for me, you're my best friend, you can't abandon me.

He knows I'm weak when he plays the pity card. It's small of him.

_ Are you really going?

_ Yes, and if you don't come you'll regret missing out on an incredible evening with me, I'm not so sure about that.