Superfluous

Chapter 1

What a pain!
I've always liked parties but there are times when I'd rather stay at home and count every single speck of dust on my room desk.

My friend Mia wanted to came here, where  that idiot Elijah was going to be, she has a crush on him, of course.

Did I fancy the plan?

Not even a little bit.

However, the alternative was to stay at home with my dear and beloved family.

Note the sarcasm.

To sum up, my parents are real sons of bitches, and my brothers too, the only difference is that they're younger.

In fact, the only person I'm comfortable with in that house is my little sister, Jude, who they bother as much as they bother me.

Back to the party and also why I'd rather drown myself in the drink than stay here, I'm looking for Mia's brown hair, it's the third time I've lost track of her.

It's not that I'm weird and have to stick to my friend every time I go out. I'm very sociable.

When you are interested.

And now I'm not. Mostly because I just found out that Elijah hooked up with a girl, specifically the one he kissed during the spin the bottle game a little over two hours ago. Apparently, they decided to continue what they started in one of the house's bedrooms. And Mia found out, of course.

I've spent all night trying to cheer her up. Nevertheless, now my duty as her best friend is to ensure she doesn't do anything stupid.

Like getting involved with an ugly guy or a stupid one. Or worse, with a short-brained Mordor orc.

It hasn't sounded superficial at all.

So I can't find her, and I have very little patience, seriously, very little.

Another ten minutes pass, and there's no sign of Mia. I'm starting to feel a bit dizzy; I'm not sure if it's the heat from the crowd, since it's so packed, or if it's the alcohol getting to me. Just in case, I head to the kitchen to get a glass of water. And of course, I end up bumping into someone because I'm that clumsy.

—Oh, sorry!—the girl apologizes, grabbing my arm to prevent us from falling—I don't even know where to go anymore, it's so packed.
—Don't worry—I play it down—I was a bit distracted.

She's a blonde with brown eyes, a flat nose, is a bit shorter than me, and has tanned skin. She brushes off her skirt and smiles.

—Good thing neither of us was carrying any drinks. By the way, I'm Ava.
—Taylor, nice to meet you—I return the smile.

Ava looks behind me and stretches her neck a bit.

—Have you seen a girl with wavy black hair cut roughly around here?—she asks, pointing to just above her shoulders—She has tanned skin and dark eyes. My friends and I have been looking for her for a while.
—Uh... no.

My response disappoints her, and I don't blame her, because if it weren't for Mia, I would have left already.

As soon as I remember Mia, a brilliant idea comes to mind, the best one of the entire night.

—I'm also looking for a friend. If you come with me to the kitchen, we can look together—and I can grab a glass of water.

That's right, looking for allies.

It must seem like a brilliant plan to her, as she hooks her arm with mine, and we push our way through almost elbowing people aside.

While I'm turning on the tap, Ava pours herself a beer and hands me a glass.