flannels

the party

" well i guess this might be the place, " nelia muttered under her breath. she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

she was about to turn to her heels and forget about going to some stupid party. mike appears at the doorway and his lips formed a smile and he pulled nelia into a hug. he messed her hair and tugged her into the party.

" how you doing? " mike shouts at her. the music was so loud, she bets that the speakers would be broken the next day. lights were playing around in different colours and bodies were swaying to the upbeat music.

nelia smelled something funny and concluded that it was either drugs or some vomit that must've been cleaned. " you know the usual, going around and buying flannel, " she answers his question. suddenly he bursts out laughing.

" you're still buying them? " he manages to say without laughing. nelia nods in approval. " oh nelia, you should stop your addiction with flannel. thank god you aren't wearing one right now, " he said and took her to the refreshments.

it wasn't loud in the refreshments since it was in the kitchen but it still wouldn't be okay since she saw one, making out at the archway. " you know what to pick, " mike says to nelia, she nods and leaves her in a crowd full of strangers. she took a can of coke from the refrigerator and somebody shouted at her, " hey! that's not yours, to be poking around and picking what you want! " and she dropped her can that clattered to the tile. it could've exploded just like her anger but the fall was quite short.

" oh for fuck's sake! are you following me now? " she says to him rolling her eyes and picking up the dented can. " no, i am not! i was invited, " he lowers his voice, since they were making a small commotion.

" ha, who "invited" you? " she asked him, making air quotations. " mike. " is this guy for real? " well, as long as we go our separate ways, we shouldn't be having a war, " she said, passing him by.

nelia went up to the attic because mike told everybody a story which he made up to scare the people partying to enter a sanctuary for the quiets. she heaved a sigh of relief when she took her first step inside the room.

everybody had a chosen area, they were either reading books, listening to music, watching the television or sleeping. the only noise you'd hear was the soft music trying to climb its way up to the attic.

nelia walked to the big red beanbag, slumped down and took a sip from the glass. everybody was doing something that entertained them while she was so bored, nelia had to stare at the ceiling. a girl beside her thought she was dead. " um, ar-are you d-dead? " the girl poked her arm but she wouldn't budge.

turns out she has slept, with her eyes open.