Juliana Woodland and Nate Jacobs have been best friends for as long as they can remember.
They are now in their junior year at East Highland High School and things are starting to get complicated.
*Had this story up on my old account and it got dele...
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When Juliana, Maddy and Cassie arrived at Hailey's party, it was already crowded, a cacophony of laughter and chatter melding with the bass that thumped through the walls, the lights from inside spilling out onto the sidewalk.
The warmth of the house enveloped them as they entered. The smell of cheap beer and body spray lingered in the air. The living room was packed with bodies, each one moving to the beat of the music.
Juliana felt a twinge of nervousness about seeing Nate there, but she knew Maddy and Cassie had her back and would be on the lookout for him with her.
Maddy leaned in, linking arms with her as they made their way down the hallway. "Are you good?"
She nodded. "I need a drink."
They found the kitchen and she went straight for the counter that was littered with bottles of alcohol. She found some shot glasses and started sloppily filling them with tequila. "I can drink as much as I want tonight, that's the number one breakup rule."
Maddy took one of the overfilled glasses from her. "That's the best thing to do after a break up, that and catch a new dick."
The thought of having sex with someone else besides Nate honestly turned her stomach, so she didn't reply. Instead, she downed her shot and mixed herself a strong drink of vodka and 7-up. She wanted to get drunk enough to be able to get him out of her head.
A couple of girls from cheerleading walked into the kitchen and joined them by the counter, chatting with them as they got drinks.
"You all look so good!" One of them said. She looked at Juliana with a sympathetic expression on her face. "I heard about you and Nate, sorry to hear, girl."
"Oh, thanks," she mumbled and smiled stiffly before turning to Maddy. "I think I need something stronger than alcohol tonight."
"You're in luck, bitch, look what I got from Fez." Maddy stuck her hand in her purse and pulled out a little baggy of white powder.
They huddled in the corner to snort it, not too concerned if anyone saw what they were doing. They knew there were other people there doing the same thing, or worse.
After they took the molly, the night blurred together. Juliana danced with wild abandon with Maddy and Cassie for what felt like hours, with frequent trips to the kitchen for more drinks.
The more she drank, the less she thought about Nate, and the better she felt. At some point, she lost count of how many she had consumed. The edges of the room grew fuzzy, the faces around her blurring into a sea of colors and smiles.
"Oh my god, look who it is!" Maddy yelled over the music.
Juliana looked at the front door where Maddy was gesturing, expecting to see Nate, but instead it was Liam and Alex.
"I didn't think he'd actually show up, and I didn't know he was bringing Alex!" Maddy waved them over.
"How's it going?" Liam asked them when he and Alex approached them.
