F E A R

chapter two, almost

After almost an hour of brutal driving, I finally recognize the welcome sign coming up on the highway.

"Welcome to Winfield, we hope you enjoy your stay!" I groan while the other three are beyond excited. They don't pay attention though, too busy laughing over some stupid joke Grace told. I haven't really paid much attention to what they've said the whole ride here because I've been worrying. It's not that I'm afraid to socialize or anything, it's just a completely different environment here. I'm not really into all the "normal" things teenagers are into, and I'm not about to jump right into a huge ass party and get wasted, throwing myself at every hot guy I see. But for my friends, I force a smile onto my face and look back at them once we've parked.

"We're here. 632 Oakley Street." If it's even possible, their faces light up more and their smiles widen. I laugh. "Look, before we get out of this car, we need to set some things straight. I'll be the DD tonight, but I don't want any of you getting wasted. As your somewhat friend I sort of care about what you do to yourselves." I awkwardly grimace at what I said while Grace and Chris slap each others' backs in laughter. Ryan gives me a sympathetic smile and squeezes my arm, reassuring me he will stay safe.

"Alright, whatever. Stay out of trouble and stay close okay? I can't lose any of you or I'll be in deep trouble."

"Okay, okay mom. Can we go now? I really need to eat something," Grace whines and I oblige nervously.

"Sure, let's go."

We step out of the car and I lock it, shutting the door behind me. Chris and Grace take off in a sprint to the huge mansion while Ryan walks up with me.

"Hey, Layz, don't stress too much okay? I promise nothing bad will happen to you. You're smart, you know how to handle yourself. Loosen up and have fun okay? No ones going to kill you. Be cautious, but not scared. You're a badass, remember? And if anything goes wrong, find me and I promise I'll be your kick-ass back up. Now go!" He chuckles and gently pushes me forward through the door. I look back once we've stepped inside to thank him, but he's already gone. Nice.

When I look around, I notice just how enormous the mansion actually is. Everything is spotless and obviously expensive, well, except for the crushed beer bottles and broken vases littering the floor. There are teenagers everywhere, and I feel like I have no personal room to breathe.

I'm interrupted by my annoyed thoughts as someone's harshly bumps into my backside. They quickly turn around to apologize and I mutter a small "It's okay," before jogging away. I spot a long, brown, leather, sectional sofa nearby in the next room. I push past a large group of teens playing spin the bottle and take a seat on the couch. I notice Grace in the corner, giggling at a cute boy with a red cup in her hand. I'm immediately a bit worried for her, but I know she can take care of herself. I sigh, bored out of my mind and decide to focus on whatever is playing on this 4,737,283,183 inch flat screen TV.

Surprisingly, no one makes any advances to talk to me for the longest time, and for that I'm grateful. But after another 20 minutes, I realize I spoke too soon.

A tan boy, who looks no more than 20 takes a seat next to me nonchalantly. I sneak a quick glance over at him. Brown colored sweaty hair, casual attire yet seems to be a little covered in dirt. His face is tinted a light red, like he may have just got done running a marathon? I continue to focus my direction on the TV. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him glance at me. He sighs a loud, exasperated sigh, and then begins to watch the TV as well. My eyebrows pull together in curiosity. Does he not enjoy parties either? He looks just as bored and tired as I am, if not more. I turn slightly and open my mouth to say something, but someone else beats me to it.

"Gray! Where the hell have you been?" A boy who looks around the same age as him walks up behind us. His eyes are bloodshot. The boy sitting next to me turns and smirks when he takes notice of the other boys appearance. It's obvious that he is completely drunk. The poor guy can barely stand up straight without touching Gray's shoulders. Gray. That's his name? I try not to seem interested in their conversation, so I keep looking at the TV, occasionally glimpsing over at them.