All Bets Are Off

Chapter Two - Ella Fordman: The Girl Who Makes The Worst Decisions When Drunk

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Picture of Phoenix (played by Chad Michael Murray) to the side --->

Dedicated to BlueEnchanter for the amazing trailer! Check it out :) Thanks so much!

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~Chapter Two - Ella Fordman: The Girl Who Makes The Worst Mistakes When Drunk~

“How do I always get dragged into this?” I asked Leslie as we stepped through the large door of Trenton Manner’s mini-mansion and into a room filled with sweaty gyrating bodies and loud, thumping music that rattled every piece of china on the family’s display cabinet.

It was Friday night, and we had come here with an open invitation, seeking a way to relax from a highly-strung week of school. Parties were the best way to loosen up.

My best friend looked over at me with a sheepish smile. “Because I drag you into it,” she reminded me with a hundred-watt smile.

I gave her a look. “Oh, yeah. That’s right. Thanks for that, by the way.”

She shrugged. “That’s what best friends are for.”

As we walked further into the clumping mass, we headed straight for the makeshift bar, and got two beers. I watched the guy pour it into the cup suspiciously, making sure he didn’t slip anything into the drinks. When he handed them back without seeming the least bit distrustful, I took the drink and took a big swig. It tasted like natural beer, so I think I was safe.

We moved into the crowds, and started dancing. Soon Leslie got whisked away into the crowd, and I was left dancing with some boy whom I had never met before. Maybe he went to school and just stayed away from me before this day, or maybe he went to the Institute for Boys down the road. Either way he was unfamiliar.

He wasn’t the cutest guy I’d ever met, but his boyish features and long black hair made him very handsome. He introduced himself as Paul, and he seemed fairly open and sincere. Nothing about him raised any alarm bells.

The rest of the night was a swirling mess of images and blurs and echoes, as it normally was at a party. I remember more beers, some Jell-O shots, a little bit of vodka, and a glass of champagne. There was some outrageous dancing that would’ve made my parents want to vomit, some actual vomiting—not on my part…. At least, I hope not—and some talking and socializing. Loud music, laughing, pranking and fun. If it was relaxation and loosening up that I was after, then I had definitely found it.

There is one part of the night that I remember all too well, though.

It was the one encounter with Phoenix Adams that I had that night.

The one encounter that changed everything.

By the time we ran into each other, we were both quite drunk, and we couldn’t exactly be pinned down as being the most saintly and angelic people at that party. We had downed enough alcohol to forget our hatred towards each other, and by the end of the night we were laughing as loud as everyone else, falling all over each other, playing stupid bottle games like Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare, and just being normal teenagers, as well as acting like best buds.