How To Rule Your High School

Chapter 13: Damage Control

I wandered into Deanna's house in a considerably foul mood.  Thankfully, whatever mascara they'd used at the salon had been waterproof and the only evidence of my traumatic night was the redness in my eyes. At a party at Deanna's, red eyes were dreadfully common, so I'd fit right in on that account. My dress, however, was an entirely different story.

The second I'd walked through the front door, some guy I didn't recognize dropped his drink as all eyes in the foyer turned to me. I plowed through the crowd that practically parted before me as I cast my eyes around for a familiar face.  Usually at a party I'd be checked out in passing, but now, my heels clicking on Deanna's marble floor, I was drawing the attention of the entire room. Not that it surprised me, everyone here was in jeans and t-shirts while I was sporting a dress that could've been a downpayment on a car.

I'd just spotted Brandon ensconced in a rowdy game of beer pong across the open-concept living room-dining room-kitchen when Deanna swooped down upon me, literally pushing some drunk college guy whistling at me into the wall and out of her way.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded, taking in my attire, styled hair, and excesses of makeup in one up-down.

"Can we talk upstairs?" I asked, eyeing the crowd around us. They were all staring and it wasn't that I didn't like the attention - in any other situation I'd probably be soaking it up - but I had a mission to accomplish. I needed to convince Deanna to believe me over one of her fellow evil-minded minions, Will.

"Okay..." she said hesitantly. I must've sounded pretty stressed out for her to allow me to delay the explanation as to why I was at her party and not Will's.

On our way upstairs, I caught a glimpse of Tyler standing across the beer pong table from Brandon. I leaned over the rail to try to see who his partner was, but I was cued in almost immediately as excessive amounts of cleavage bounced up and down as Tyler got his ball into a cup. Jealousy seethed through me as Katie wrapped her arms around Tyler to congratulate him. I heard Deanna yelling from behind me for someone to get out of the way, her small hands pushing me up the stairs, so I vowed to find Tyler later.

"So what the hell happened?!" Deanna finally asked when she'd flushed a couple out of her room and shut the door when they'd vacated it.

"Will Dawson is a fucking crackhead bastard," I said, plunking myself on one of the squishy chairs by the window. Deanna straddled the back of her desk chair, leaning her forearms on the back as she looked at me with a frown.

"Yeah, I probably should have warned you about that..." she muttered, avoiding my eyes and looking away.

"You knew?" I practically exploded, flying to my feet. Ethan's words echoed in my mind, but I was too pissed at Deanna to actually understand what that could possibly mean.

"Well yeah...I mean, I'm the one that hosts the parties and finds him pouring lines onto my basement coffee table," she shrugged.

"Thanks, buddy," I snapped, adding some harsh sarcasm to the last word as I crossed my arms.

"Look, whatever, okay? He's rich, he's powerful, and he's looking for a good time, so what did you expect?" Deanna shot back, attempting to regain the upper hand. That's the thing about her, she always has to have control of the situation or she falls apart faster than a house of cards in the wind.

"I expected him to be a gentleman! But oh wait, he's already spread a vicious rumor about me and chances are since I dissed him and left his party early there will be hell to pay come Monday!" I vented. Then I started to cry. I'm not quite sure why the tears started in the first place, but as soon as my eyes prickled I decided that maybe falling apart in front of Deanna would make her side with me.