of planets and playlists

chapter one: bad romance

"I want your love and
All your lovers revenge
You and me could write a bad romance."

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     chapter one: bad romance

     The light, airy beat of 2000s pop pulsed through the house. The room was heavy with the stench of sweat and alcohol- so much that it burnt Dresden's lungs every time she breathed in. She didn't let it bother her; she'd consumed so many shots herself that she was sure that there was no longer blood flowing through her veins but sweet, hard, vodka.

     The first week had been long and tenuous. It was far more work than she had ever imagined, no matter the college horror stories that had been repeated to her the minute she stepped foot into her first high school class, but Dresden had always assumed that they must have been exaggerating, even just a little bit.

     They were not.

     In fact, she had been so close to skipping the house party altogether for the sake of a good night's sleep. That was before Leah had promptly barged into her room demanding a designated driver for the night. Leah was definitely not getting that judging by the fact that Dresden could barely walk in a straight line (and didn't know how to drive), but at least she had made her come.

     The hangover tomorrow would be killer.

     Slightly blurry-eyed, Dresden watched as her friend stumbled through the crowd. Juggernaut at the least, she felled everything in her path, whether it be person or drink. Rude remarks were thrown at Leah from every angle, but she didn't seem to care.

     "Dree!" she screeched, finally reaching Dresden. Not a moment after her name left the perfectly puckered red lips, did she fall into her friend. Dresden only barely managed to catch her. "Bonjour, ma cherie!"

     "Hey," she laughed. Dresden was drunk, but not this drunk. She looked down at her best friend in amusement. "How are you feeling?"

     "On top of the world!" Leah sang, attempting to dance and nearly toppling the both of them over. Dree nearly tripped on her three inch heels as she struggled to stand under Leah's weight. "In fact, I think I need another drink. Let me go— "

     Dresden widened her eyes. "Definitely not. Go sit down, I'll get you some water."

     Ignoring her adamant protests, Dresden managed to force Leah into a stool by the side of the bar. Making sure she was safe talking to a girl who clearly did not want to be there, Dresden made her way across the bar to grab Leah a glass of water. Perhaps she needed one herself.

     She fought her way through the masses of people, a desperate attempt to find an inch of space she could squeeze through and make an order. Finally, head beginning to pound nails into her skull, she emerged on the other side of the bar.

     Leaning against the counter in utter exhaustion, she ordered some water. She was greeted with the bartender's hand signalling for her to wait, clearly swamped with other requests. Sighing, she managed to grab a stool. Hands pressed against her forehead, she tried to nurse the killer migraine that was beginning to make an appearance.

     It wasn't working.

     Turning around, she sought to occupy her mind with something else while she waited for Leah's drink. It certainly didn't help that when bent her neck to look away from the counter the only thing she could see were sweaty bodies far too close to her. She wondered when the night had jumped from the brink of fun to completely draining.