After almost getting thrown into a fight with one of the jocks and potentially becoming high by reaching out for a brownie, (thank God my anxious mind told me otherwise), I decided I was going to find a room that was empty and take some time to breathe.
I entered a room with blush pink walls and posters of bands I enjoy hung up. It smelled of perfume and liquor. I lead myself to the black bed with rose print on the comforter with as many pillows as you could ever need and sat down. I took my phone out of my front pocket and scrolled through my contacts. I knew if I called Michael he wouldn’t answer and he would probably be too drunk to bring me home I called my mom. With each ring I grew anxious.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Who’s… this?” she asked as she slurred. She’s drunk again.
“It’s Luke. I’m, uh, staying at Michaels’ house tonight. I mean if it’s okay with you…” I dragged out my words to make sure she could process all of it.
“What? No you have to come home and clean up this fucking mess you left in the kitchen!” She screamed.
“I didn’t-”
“Don’t sass me mister!! You know damn well you leave messes everywhere you go! You get your ass home and clean this shit up!!”
“I’ll be home early in the morning and clean it. I promise. I love you goodbye.” And with that I hung up. I knew I was going to get hell when I get home tomorrow but for now I was too distracted. I was trying to talk myself out from a panic attack when the door flew open and a girl walked in.
An unearthly chill fell upon the room as she entered. The blaring music hushed and movement paused, as if time itself did not dare continue its incessant journey in the presence of such a creature. She walked so gracefully that she appeared to float; seemingly unaware of the effect her presence had on me she headed for the closet to take off her jacket. Her perfect lips curved into a smile, but her porcelain white cheeks showed no hint of color to support the gesture as she turned and faced me.
My mouth opened, but no words issued forth as she pinned me with a look from her coal-black eyes. She quickly ran to me and leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my lips leaving me feeling simultaneously elated and disappointed of the smell of alcohol on her breath. I pulled back, but not until after she started to giggle. Though she struck the fear of God into me, the feeling would die for a moment drowning in those bottomless pools of darkness until long after her attention had dwindled.
Her beauty was both unnatural and breathtaking – a nightmare in motion, yet poetry personified – and nothing could tear my eyes away from her. Yet there wasn’t something right here. Then it happened, with a hiccup she ran to the bathroom and I quickly followed. I held her light brown hair and she threw up all the contents in her stomach. After she was done she quickly brushed her teeth and apologized to me. I her told it was fine.
“My name’s April. I swear this isn’t how I normally act. I’m new here and I figured I had to make a bang so people would know me but I kind of regret that now.” she awkwardly laughed.
“No, I get it. We all would like to be known. My name’s Luke, by the way.” I shyly replied.
“Luke?" She repeated as if she was tasting the words and savoring it, "I like that name."
“Oh, thanks. So this is your house?”
“Yeah. My dad is going to kill me.” she laughed. “Wanna sit down?” as she gestured to the bed suddenly realizing we were still in the bathroom.
“Oh, uh, yeah. When do your parents get home?”
“Saturday. Which is tomorrow, right? So that means I should enjoy this night.”
“Yeah. I need to go look for my friend. Thanks for the party. I’ll see you later.” And with that I ran out of her room and into the living room filled by people. I got myself a soda and held my fingers up to my lips. I traced my upper lip hundreds of times replaying the kiss in my mind as I aimlessly wandered around looking for Michael.
✿
After hours the party started to die down. I checked my phone for the time. Oh, only two in the morning, I thought. I finally found Michael passed out in a bath tub. I sighed as I leaned over and threw his arm over my shoulders and walked, well more like limped, over to the couch and laid him down. I knew he couldn’t drive and I was too tired to care. I looked around the living room and felt bad for the mess everywhere. So, I decided to start cleaning up. Where would I start though? I could just go room to room or I could make a path starting from the upstairs bathroom and ending in the living room then sleeping. Yeah, I’ll start upstairs. I headed up the long and now off-white stairs until suddenly stopping and finding April on the stairs asleep. I picked her up with one arm under the small of her back and the other under her knees and carried her up the rest of the stairs. She rested her head on my chest and I didn’t want to let her go, but I knew I had to put her on her bed. I pulled the covers over her legs and turned off her light. But then I went back to the original plan and started to clean the bathroom.
After cleaning up cup and stains of God knows what I was finally done. Several trash bags and two dirty rags all in the trash. I fell onto the couch and within seconds I was out.
