The Whisper Seekers

Piper's Party

Derek helps me out of his jeep while eyeing my party outfit. I hear his very vivid thoughts about my ass and I give him a sly smile back. We make our way to Piper's front door and see Liam, Lily and Harper file out of Liam's BMW. Harper is in a whole new mood, even while sporting a big brown Band-Aid on her knee.

Piper's house is the most amazing house most people have ever seen. Our houses look like trailers compared to her modern stone mansion. She is an only child that is showered with money rather than affection from her absent parents. She looks like she's much older than a junior in high school with her face caked in designer makeup and her wardrobe coming straight from New York, London, and Milan. She has endless acquaintances but can name her real friends on less than one hand. Piper is always nominated for her class's homecoming court and if she was our age, Harper would hate her.

We hear music coming from the back of the house and our whole senior class is pretty much here including the dirts. I'm handed a red cup full of cheap beer as we walk through the tall French doors that connect her living room to the outside patio. People playing beer pong or flip cup cover the entire stone patio and music is coming from somewhere. Everyone seems to be getting along, which also makes Piper's house so amazing- her parties are always the event of the year. A built-in bar sits to the side of the large, shimmering pool and Greek-like statues spit aqua water onto the students swimming around. Most have jumped in with their clothes on and boys are splashing squealing girls with cold water. Her hot tub is connected to the pool and people are shoulder-to-shoulder enjoying the scalding water.

I find a plush seat by the pool and sip on my nasty light-colored liquid that's passing for beer- all the money in the world and it's still Keystone Light.  Piper has canvas cabanas with plush circular pads around the backyard and couples are already laying in them, groping each other in the dim light. I frown, as I do not want Derek to get any ideas of PDA.

There are strings of tiny yellow lanterns connected to the trees around the patio adding to the party atmosphere, but it also gives the cabanas a romantic feel. I am glad when I spot Derek socializing with the rest of the football team because the more social he is, the less he'll be trying to get me upstairs. I refuse to have my first time be in a guest room at the van der Woods where anyone can just barge in.

I watch Harper and Liam sign up to play Ashley and Brittany in beer pong and as I continue to scan the yard, I spot some of the other cheerleaders dancing in the small stone gazebo and decide that is where I want to be. A fire pit sits in the middle of the gazebo and the people who aren't dancing, are making s'mores over the flames. A girl I recognize from my French class is passing out shots and I immediately reach out for one. I throw it back and feel the liquid burn down my throat. I cough and leave the shot glass on the stone railing.

I strut over to all the girls dancing and start moving to the poppy beat. I watch as Derek walks by and snarls at a guy wearing a flannel button-down that almost bumps into him. I roll my eyes at the pettiness. Everyone tonight is fine hanging with younger classmen, dirts, tories, whoever, but Derek. He has to always be on edge. I wave to him, begging for him to dance with me. When he finds me, he grabs my hips with his hands and I turn my back to him so we are up against each other. I start to grind against him and he pushes me out from him as he jokingly says, "Woah, finally someone wants to have fun." His hands slide down my arms as I laugh it off and push myself up against him again. I catch Liam watching us by the pong table and I move my hips slower. Derek must see him too because he starts sliding his hands all over me. See that asshole. She's mine. I suddenly don't like his hands moving lower down my body, so I spin around, peeling my shirt away from my chest to use it to fan myself.

"Okay I'm hot, let's go get another drink," I shout over the blaring Drake song that everyone is singing along to.

"Or we can go cool off upstairs? I bet we can find an empty room." He suggests and it took less than an hour for him to mention going upstairs. I reply with an eye roll and I watch as he deflates, but luckily he doesn't bring up the guest rooms again.