DAYSLEEPER |

07| abandoned

"Take me home, home, home."

MELANIE MARTINEZ | NURSE'S OFFICE

• • •

Music pulsated through Eden's veins, it was so deafening that her chest thudded with the bass, her skin tingled, and her lungs felt as soft and fragile as mush.

Max's warehouse party was located in the middle of a forest, almost twenty minutes away from her neighborhood. Over the roar of the music was a distant hazy chatter. People scattered in and out, stumbling into the woods where lights wrapped around the trees to prevent any safety hazards. The smell of weed and other substances hung in the air as thick and evident as fog, but it didn't bother anyone who was bouncing up and down like Tic Tac's being shaken in its box.

Eden was floating, no where to call her safe spot as she wandered from the garage band performing to the weirdoes lurking around in the forest to the jocks playing beer pong in front of the rust storehouse.

"I can't believe I wore these," Sage whined, tugging at the zip of her thigh high black boots. She was perched on the ledge of the warehouse, carefully removing them to examine her sore feet. "Why'd you let me wear these?"

"What are you talking about? I told you not to wear boots here," Eden retorted.

"You guys want a drink?" Braeden offered. He held two red solo cups filled with a clear alcoholic liquid.

"No thanks. I'm not really feeling up for that tonight," Eden said to his dismay.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I will probably end up driving tonight since our designated driver is clearly not following protocol." She shot a look at Brady Novak, who was enveloped in a crowd of college girls.

Casting her eyes to the yellow lights of a vehicle pulling over at the curve, she spotted two figures and their voices echoing in the silhouette of the night. They stepped into the dim lighting under the red rusty warehouse and Caleb and Smith appeared before her. Two girls jumped to their entrance and handed them red solo cups.

"What're you guys doing out here? The party's inside!" Caleb yelled over the music,

"It's a little too loud!" Eden replied.

"But I'm going back in," Braeden said and took a drag of his drink. "Wanna dance?" He looked at Sage, who was on her third cup herself.

Sage wet her glossed lips. "Mm-hm."

Braeden's eyes widened as if he didn't expect her to say anything at all. Then he hesitantly extended his hand to which she urgently grabbed, and whisked her away.

"I knew it," Smith said with a proud nod. He raked his fingers through his hair and shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. "It's about time."

"Anyways, Nash is looking for me, so see you guys," Caleb said, he couldn't bring himself to look at Eden.

When he left, she looked at Smith with a small smile and grabbed a cup nearby to avoid having the pressure of starting a conversation. But as she rubbed her flushed neck, she couldn't help but talk to him anyway.

"Where are those promised dance moves, by the way?" Eden teased, biting the edge of her cup. "I take promises very seriously."

He sucked his teeth. "There was a technical malfunction, you know? Like bad wiring in my brain or something—it actually wants me to preserve my dignity," he said playfully, moving closer to her so he didn't have to yell.