Played.

17: "Something Fun."

"Girls, are you ready to go yet?" Marcus whined, sitting up from where he was lying on the bed.

"Wait, just a minute." Bailey dashed out of the room and across the hall.

"What do you think?" I asked, spinning around to face Marcus.

"You look gorgeous." He smiled, standing up. "Wait."

He paced over so that he was now standing in front of me. His arms stretched out, and he began straightening out the bottom of my dress.

"Thanks, cutie." I grinned, as he stepped back.

"Perfect." He nodded.

"Your shoe's undone." I laughed, looking down at his black and white high tops. "I got it." I bent down and started to tie it.

Just as I was getting up, Bailey walked back through the door.

"Am I interrupting something?" She winked, striding toward us. "I got the hairspray."

Confused, I stepped back from Marcus. Within seconds, it hit me what she meant. I looked up at Marcus, both of us laughing.

Bailey stood behind me and held my hair up, engulfing it in hairspray. The room filled with the strong stench of the hairspray, which tickled my nose.

"All done." She smiled, planting the hairspray on the vanity table.

"Good, can we go now?" Marcus pleaded, sliding on a leather jacket.

                                                                ****

From the top of the dark road, we could hear the thump of music. As we got closer, it got louder, until we reached the source of the noise, Raven's house, which was lit up with fairy lights, that were thrown over the front of it, as well as the strobe lights beaming through the windows, making it stand out on the dull street.

We pushed our way through the crowds of people and straight through the front door, which was wide open, into the house. The inside of the house was crammed wall-to-wall with people, all dancing, talking and laughing. By the smell in the air, it was obvious that most people were drunk and/or high.

"Let's get a drink." Bailey dragged us toward a table across the room, piled high with various drinks. She picked up three, not looking at what they were, opening them and handing them to us.

"Cheers." We clinked our glasses together and downed the drinks.

                                                                ****

We had been at the party for around two hours, and by now, most people had moved out to the backyard, because the main house got too hot and crowded. Bailey had disappeared halfway through, and Marcus and I hadn't seen her since. So it was just us two.

We stood by a wall in the back, mingling with a group of people, and dancing to the music that was blasting from inside the house. I'd never spoken to any of them before, even though they were in my grade at school.

"Hey."

I felt someone nudge my side. I stopped dancing, and followed the direction of the nudge.

"Let's go and do something." They continued.

"We are doing something." I laughed.

"No, like, something fun."

"Like?"

They bent down slightly and grabbed my waist, tipping me forward and downward at the same time. I was involuntarily picked up and carried over their shoulder.

"Marcus! Put me down!" I bashed my fists against his back, hoping to make him stop.

"That doesn't even hurt, sweetie." He laughed, and continued running.

"What are you doing? Put. Me. Down." I tried to wiggle my way out of his arms.

He was too strong for me. I gave up, and eventually, he stopped running. He slowly sat down, with me still over his shoulder. His hand moved to behind my knees, pulling them so they fell across his legs. His other hand remained on my back, and slowly slid me down backward at the same time, I was sitting across his lap.

I looked around. We were sitting on a swing set, that had more glistening fairy lights twisted all around it, that made it glow in the dark. We had our backs facing the party, and a full view of the open backyard.

I felt Marcus move one of his legs underneath me and kick off the ground. I jolted sideward and wrapped my arms around his neck to keep steady, my head falling to the side of his.

Everything looked so pretty and magical, from the lights that lit up the rest of the backyard, to the stars scattered across the misty sky. I couldn't help but feel like we had been taken away from the party and ended up somewhere enchanted.

The noises from the party seemed to have disappeared, and it was all quiet. All apart from Marcus softly humming a song: Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran. He sounded so beautiful and happy, I just wanted him to go on forever.

We swung for what felt like hours. Just the two of us, on the swing set, peacefully in the dark. The only noises from Marcus, humming songs, and the swing set, faintly shifting as we swung.

"Everyone get into the backyard! Get down! Now!" 

"What?" I panicked, lifting my head up and clinging onto Marcus.

He stopped the swing and swiftly picked me up as he stood, carrying me over the where a group of people were huddled on the ground behind a tree. He put me down gently, protectively throwing an arm around my back, pulling me in next to him, as we both crouched on the ground.

"What the fuck is going on?"