College Days [Elizabeth Olsen]

Part 31

Months passed and before long March had passed and that only meant one thing. Exam season. I had always hated this time of year due to it always being exam season, which is such as shame as it should be a favourite of mine. The longer days, the fresh spring air and the blossoming of flowers.

I had found the last few months even harder than before, constantly overthinking my relationship. A relationship to some would be so simple to leave but for some reason I couldn't. As if I was hypnotised by her.

We had been through a really good spell together for a fortnight and then the phones calls would start again. The rocky patch would start again, the pass. I kept holding out for when times would be better again.

I treated exam season as an excuse. My family and flatmates would see me feeling down and out of their caring nature ask me what the matter was. Everytime I would lie. I never have been good expressing my negative emotions.

Today was the 23rd of April, it marked the halfway point for exams and as university students we find any excuse to have a party. Alex had moved off campus into a terraced house since he found it cheaper. He had invited near enough everyone he had met in university and promised one of the best nights ever.

Jax Jones blared out of the terraced house where the party was already in full swing. The student house was easily identifiable by the overcrowded entrance, loud music and of course the slight smell of weed.

I ushered, Lizzie, Ed and my flatmates into the crowd house. The house stank of alcohol, weed and sweat. I was not drunk enough for this I thought to myself.
Nick was stood at the bottom of the stairs kissing a girl with long blonde streaky hair.
"Alright Nick?" I shouted over the music. "You seen Alex?"
Without breaking out his kiss, Nick pointed towards the kitchen. The rest of the gang had dispersed as they found course friends or people they know. So me and Lizzie wormed our way through the crowd until we reached the kitchen. I quickly poured myself and Lizzie a drink and we both took a big gulp.

"INDIIIIII!" Alex screeched when he saw me. I instantly knew he was drunk as this was the only time he called me by this.
"And LIZZZ...ARD?" Alex had come up with a nickname Lizzie to. He anticipated her reaction and luckily for him, she giggled. "That's what my mum called me when I was little" I smiled and pulled her in kissing her forehead.

"Let's dance!" Alex grabbed both of hand and pulled us into this living room.
"Woah. I don't think I'm drunk enough"
"Oh don't be such a bore!" Lizzie joked beginning to dance with Alex. I downed my drink and realised that no one was watching.
The three of us were throwing our hands around all laughing together.

As the night continued, a group of us formed in Alex's back garden. I was sat on an upside down bin, catching my breath from the singing and dancing. Lizzie was leant behind me, tapping her hands on my back to the song that was playing. A few feet away Cara, Naomi and Alex were sharing a spliff.

"You would never believe, I've never tried any drugs before this" Naomi squealed, the rest of us already pretty smashed found this comment hilarious. I watched Naomi taking another drag and then spluttered the smoke out.

"You haven't quite caught the hang of it yet have you" I joked at Naomi.
"Oh yeah like to see you try" she passed the spliff over. Little did she know I was no stranger to weed, I loved it occasionally, especially to calm me down. I inhaled the burnt weed and tobacco mixture, held my breath and waited for it to hit. A hand reached over me from behind taking the joint from my hands and Lizzie followed in suit. We closed our eyes at the same and enjoyed the initial hit.
As I opened my eyes, I again took the joint from Lizzie and again taking another hit before offering back to Naomi. As I opened my eyes for a second time I turned to look behind me, Lizzie's eyes blood shot and her smirk small. She moved to in front of me and sits on my lap.

"So you're telling me I've just been living with a load of weed heads?!" Naomi exclaimed as she had noticed everyone had taken a hit successfully bar her. Again we all let out a laugh.

Me and Lizzie balanced our foreheads together, we occasionally let out a giggle. Not because anything was particularly funny but because we were enjoying the high. We occasionally kissed as everyone was mingling with each other. I could see in the corner of my eye Cara eying me and Lizzie up. I ignored it not too sure if the hit was making me paranoid.

"She's staring at us" Lizzie broke the kiss and leant her head on my forehead.
"I thought so but didn't know if I was getting paranoid or not" I admitted. I know exactly why Cara is staring. The other night I was only crying to her in the rehearsal room about my relationship and here I am now flaunting around with her in front of everyone.

We began to have a conversation with Gerry and Fern, Ed occasionally pitched in as he was half talking to Alex but Fern would nudge him when she wanted him to input into our conversation.

"You guys really suit!" Lizzie slurred. "How long has it been now?"
"He's still not made it official!" Fern exclaimed, I make an overextended shocked noise which made Fern roll her eyes.
"Take it as a good thing" I whispered loud enough for Ed to hear.
"Ing, I can hear youuuu" I just smirked in his direction.

All of a sudden the music cut off as if someone had pulled out the aux and all of a sudden hips don't lie by Shakira began to burst through the speakers. Everyone immediately got to their feet dancing in the garden. Except for me. I watched still sat in the upside down bin. I smiled as I looked several long drags of what was left of the joint I was given.
I giggled at how Lizzie and Gerry were dancing and how Alex and Ed were taking the piss out of them making over exaggerated impressions of them, both looking extremely camp.

"I'm on tonight, you know my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel it's right" the speakers blasted as everyone sung along. Lizzie had walked back over to me and started to dance around me. Bobbing from one side of me to the other, occasionally leaning to kiss my check.
Before long she had me on my feet joining in with everyone else, we all started twirling each other around and basically screaming the chorus as it was the only part of the song we all knew. Whenever I was dancing close to Lizzie I could again feel Cara's eyes on me.

The song came to an end and I break from the group in order to make myself a drink. I got caught up in the kitchen by a lad that had come to on of the gigs and was asking a few questions about the guitar I play.

"No! Go on say it" I hear Lizzie shout from outside. I burst from the conversation back outside. I struggled to get through the crowd that had formed from hearing arguing but from over some shoulders I pieced together that Lizzie and Cara were arguing over something.
I tried to squeeze through the crowd but I struggled. Gerry and Fern positioned themselves in the middle trying to calm the situation down.

"Fucking say it to my face, don't try to hide behind Naomi" Lizzie repeated herself. I started to push through as I still had no idea what they were arguing about.

"Ok, I think you use Ingrid, you're in your own fucked up little head, picking her up and dropping when you want. Thinking your God's given gift! Well you're not!" Cara spilled out. At this point I didn't want to push to try and get through but instead I let the crowds push in front of me.
The crowds gasped at Cara's comment, first of all because people all presumed everything was great between me and Lizzie but second, someone had stood up to the famous Elizabeth Olsen.

I didn't know how to address this, nor did I want to. I sneaked further back into the crowd attempting to hide away in the living room until the crowd dispersed. However my exit was disrupted by the sound of a slap followed by gasps again.

"You really are a bitch" I heard Lizzie huff. I pushed my way back through the crowd this time successful to get to the front. By this point Alex and Ed had squared up like bouncers in a nightclub between the girls incase something else was to happen.

They both look at me sadly, Lizzie waited for me to sick up for her meanwhile, Cara waited for me to side with her and stand up for myself. The conflict is not something I can be part of right now especially due to my intake of weed.

"I'm going to go, I can't deal with this right now" I exhaled before turning around to leave. Both girls calling after me.