BEHIND HER SMILE

CHAPTER TWELVE

We enter the party and I could immediately say it was not my scene. The moment the strong smell of alcohol and smoke hit my nose with all the dim lights, it end up bringing bad memories and I turn around looking at Blake

" There are like multiple different kind of addictions happening here-" I blurt out the first excuse to him but Maddie drags me

" But you will still stay in your limit, so just stay enjoy and monitor me. And where is Christopher!? We NEED to tell him what happened in the cafe!" she said dragging me away from Blake who later joined George in the distance but he kept his eyes on us, or mostly me.

If I thought those kids were exhibiting PDA on school grounds then I have totally underestimated their skills within a party like this. I looked around, people making out wildly with each other, pretty sure I saw three people making out with each other, people dirty dancing around, drinking alcohol, playing some sort of games, smoking weed and drugs outside. What kind of horrible party is this!? What is happening to the youth of this generation!?

" Are all parties like this?" I asked Maddie and she shook her head.

" It's the basket ball winning party sponsored by George. George occasionally throws parties for Chris whenever he wins and his parties are always 18+ rated. You know since he has connections.. Its kind of legal within these walls. Its mafia rated party, isn't it cool!?" she happily shrieked but now that I know, I was even more on alert. Jeremy wasn't coming tonight either. He didn't say me any reason but he said he couldn't make it to the party. I have to be on alert so that Hailey and Maddie are safe. I keep my bundle of bad memories aside and focus on keeping Hailey and Maddie safe tonight.

" There he is!" Maddie exclaimed pointing to the other end of the room where Christopher was with his team mates, he was throwing ping balls in a cup and playing along. Now that he wasn't out, he looked so much more relaxed and younger than his age as he laughed with his friends. We made our way through the crowds and I tried my best to ignore everyone's look at me. I should have worn something less attractive outfit to his party or changed before coming here but fortunately only the basket ball team was here along with only few of my school mates.

Christopher momentarily froze when he spotted us, his smile faltering before he quickly recovered, excusing himself from the conversation he was in. As he made his way toward us, I couldn't shake the feeling that something about him had changed. His usual lighthearted demeanor seemed... different, almost too focused on me.

Maddie burst out, grabbing both his arms as she nearly exploded with excitement.
"You missed out on massive drama!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her feet.

We launched into the story, giving him every juicy detail. Christopher responded with his usual high energy, laughing and cursing in all the right places.
"Shit! No offense, but if I were in either of their shoes, your brother would've been done for," he said with a grin. "But since I'm not—your brother's great! Damn, I just hope they come clean and finally date."

His words sounded normal, but something was off. His eyes lingered on me in a way they hadn't before, and it wasn't the casual glance of a friend anymore. As I spoke, I noticed his arm slowly sliding around my waist, pulling me closer. A shiver of unease crawled down my spine, but I forced a smile, not wanting to make it obvious that it bothered me.

Christopher had always been touchy in a friendly way, but tonight, it was different—possessive almost. His grip around my waist tightened, his thumb brushing against my hip like it was second nature, but it made me uncomfortable in a way I couldn't quite explain. I glanced at Maddie, hoping she would notice something was off, but she was too wrapped up in her retelling of the drama to pay attention.