Irresistible

[4]

C a s s i e

The music blaring throughout Janet's massive house rings against my ears while I'm standing inside the dimly lit hallway surrounded by just about every teen in town when Nadia comes up to me carrying red cups, grinning from ear to ear. There's a couple beside me making out against the wall beside the half bathroom. They've been at it for fifteen minutes—not that I've been counting.

"Have you seen Jason?" I raise my voice over the loud rap music as she sways her hips towards me, giving me a red cup. Gosh, I can barely hear myself think in here and it seems like the family pictures nailed to the walls along the staircase are vibrating too.

Nadia, dressed in a white crop top, black skinny jeans and black high heels sips her drink and then says to me "No. But don't worry. He'll be here. Until then, drink up." She gestures towards the bottom of the cup I'm holding, encouraging me to gulp it down so I can let loose. I'm not going to lie I've been tense since I've gotten here—actually since I last sent a text to my boyfriend which is going on two and a half hours ago. He told me he would meet me here but he's nowhere to be found.

"Happy birthday," a girl from my gym class smiles at me as she walks by. I say thank you in a very polite way just in time before she rounds the corner.

I gulp down a small sip, nodding at the taste. "Hm, Nadia what's in here?" Whatever it is, it tastes pretty sweet with a little burn.

She darts her eyes back at me after staring at someone in the crowd, biting down on the rim of the cup. Hm, I wonder who she was just eyeballing a minute ago. I'm surprised she has her eyes on anyone at the moment because unlike me she doesn't involve in relationships. She's the one-night stand type of girl. No strings attached kind of person who hooks up with college guys mostly. Other than Ricky, a guy that graduated last year, she hasn't been messing with any boys from our school not that I know of.

"Rum and coke," she tells me, standing next to me with her back against the wall.

I look around the house after seeing the door open with more and more people coming in. "Geez, there's a lot of people here. Didn't know Janet was this popular,"

"I heard there's people here from Aaliyah's party. Apparently, her party on the yacht got shut down by the water police." Nadia smirks with a shrug, tipping the cup towards her lips.

Aaliyah's friends are at my party?

A smile tugs on my lips as I chuckle lightly. Take that Aaliyah.

A hand on my left shoulder startled me making me almost jump a foot in the air. I spin around and a smile instantly appears on my face when I see my boyfriend's best friend standing in front of me holding a wrapped gift.

"Hey," Isaac smiles widely.

I shyly smile back at him as he hands me the small gift. "Thanks. You didn't have to give me a gift." My own boyfriend haven't bought a gift.

Isaac shrugs nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets. "Well, it's your birthday. What kind of friend would I be showing up empty handed? Hm?"

I giggle, shaking the small box wrapped in white paper with a pink bow tie in the middle, by my left ear trying to guess what it could be. "So sweet of you. I'm gonna put this in the dining room with the rest." Nadia isn't beside me anymore when I look back over my shoulder to check.

"I'll come with you. I'm dying for a drink. I'm thirsty." We manage our way through the sea of bodies huddled up or flowing to the music throughout the long hall.

"Have you seen Jason? Thought he'll be with you." I ask, setting my gift down on the dining table around my pink and white square cake that has my name on it in white icing and somehow has the letter C smeared off as if someone took their finger and scooped it up to lick. "Son of a—"