Met Online

Chapter 9

Crashing a house party had never been on my bucket list, not that I've ever had one. But once Taylen starts begging there is really no way anyone can tell her no.

"Come on," Taylen groans. She's pulling me towards the enormous house where the party is already going strong. "They're probably all totally wasted and wont notice you," she tries to comfort me. I'm going into a full anxiety attack just thinking about facing my classmates willingly - well almost. Taylen drags me across the street to the other side and up the path that leads through the front lawn and all of the way up to the front door.

The front yard is littered with empty cups and cigarette buds. The bass is booming through the few open windows in the house, making the glass in them vibrate from the sound waves hitting it repeatedly.

We come to a halt in front of the front door. I can practically see Taylen internally debating on whether we should knock or just walk in. If I was the one deciding we would be turning on our heels and running as fast as our legs could carry us. But I'm not and soon enough Taylen has pushed the front door open and is dragging me inside the lion's cage. The stench of alcohol and sweat hits me like a hammer in the head.

We've barely stepped three feet inside the house before someone grabs a hold of Taylen and drags her towards the dance floor, leaving me alone in the entryway. I keep my eyes locked on Taylen, wishing the song will be over soon so I can reclaim my place at her side.

As the song reaches its peak I'm engulfed by the manly stench of sweat and cigarette smoke when someone locks their arm around my shoulders and pulls me to their side.

"Welcome to paradise baby," the guy slurs in my ear. All of my nerve endings stand to attention at the sound of his voice. I can feel the hair at the nape of my neck rise as I try to fight him off me as he puckers his lips and leans towards my cheek. I don't succeed before a girl, dressed in close to nothing, comes by to highjack him to the dance floor. I don't object.

I let my eyes wander back to the dance floor once I'm sure the guy is gone. I'm searching for the familiar head of brown curls, bopping up and down in the crowd of half-drunken teenagers that belongs to my best friend. My heart rate picks up as I realize that she's not where she was a few minutes ago. The crowd has swallowed her whole and I'm completely alone in the lion's cage. I stay in the living room for a little while longer, desperately searching the crowd for Taylen, before I give up on looking for her and try to find a quiet corner I can hide in until she comes and finds me.

After I have pushed my way through a sea of drunken teenagers I end up in the kitchen, which is, like everything else in the house: huge. If it weren't for the large amount of bottles and cups, littered across the tabletops and Kitchen Island, it would have looked as if it had been taken straight out of a magazine.

"Who's here?" I'm startled by a slurry voice; one which I can't quite pin point, until I turn around and find myself face to face with the second biggest asshole in town.

I'm standing paralyzed before him, as his forest green eyes meet my icy blue ones. I desperately fight the urge to squeeze my yes shut and wait for the first verbal blow that I know will soon hit me.

'Don't let them see how scared you are.' That's what Taylen always tells me. She's right; I can't let him see my fear.

With withheld breath I wait for Ryland's first verbal punch to hit me right in-between the armor I've built around my heart, like they always seem to do, but he doesn't say anything. He just stares at me, with his deep green eyes, as if he's studying my every move. It reminds me of a killer watching his prey. After several minutes of him watching me, I take a deep breath and find it within me to open my mouth and break the silence between us. "What are you doing in here alone?" I curse myself for sounding so concerned. I can't be concerned - not for him at least and certainly not while I'm standing in the deepest part of the lion's cage.