You Look So Cool (M.C)

chapter 1

Graduation. Everything that I had worked so hard to accomplish in high school was all coming to a close in exactly one week. I honestly have no clue what I plan on doing when it’s all over.

“Hurry up and get ready so we can go,” my best friend, Molly, stumbles out of my bathroom pulling her heels onto her feet. “Being fashionably late does not mean showing up two hours after the party starts. Get off your bed and go fix your hair!”

I had been sitting on my bed pondering life after graduation instead of getting ready for the biggest party I had ever attended. Molly goes to parties like this all the time, but I usually prefer to stay at home. I’m not much of a social butterfly, but Molly is dragging me to this one since it’s “the last one of our high school careers”.

“Molls, don’t fucking rush me. I don’t even want to go to this party in the first place.” I said as I walked to the bathroom to brush through my long blonde hair.

Molly was going all out for this party; she was wearing a tight black dress that showed off her perfect little body and red heels that I wouldn’t dare try to walk in. After much debate, I decided to just go with my classic high wasted blue jean cut-off shorts, a crop top, and my black high-top Converse.

We left for the party in my car, since I was probably going to end up driving Molly home after she gets wasted at the party. We got to the party about half an hour late, which according to Molly was “perfect timing”. We walked up to the door and were greeted by our friend, Jack, who was throwing the party.

“The booze is in the kitchen, the weed’s out back, and if you want anything harder than that you know where to find it, Molly.” Jack said as he walked through the house toward the back door.

Molly led me to the kitchen and handed me a beer after mixing a drink for herself.

“What the hell did he mean when he said ‘If you want anything harder than that’?” I asked Molly in between sips of my beer.

“He means the hard drugs – mainly cocaine. It’s upstairs in the bathroom.”

I was shocked that there was that kind of stuff at this party. I didn’t know anyone at my school did cocaine.

“Who from our school is into cocaine?” I asked Molly, who just looked at me like I didn’t know anything.

“Not many people, it’s mainly the older kids that are out of high school. Do you remember that guy, Michael Clifford? He’s the one that does most of the dealing.”

“Oh, didn’t he drop out in the middle of his senior year?”

“That’s the one,” she grinned at me as she walked out of the kitchen and to the back of the house. She was going to smoke weed, and although I wasn’t into any of that stuff, I followed her out there so I wouldn’t be alone.

 

When we got outside there was a huge deck and everyone was sitting in chairs and smoking. There was one guy that was already passed out in one of the chairs. I scanned over everyone sitting out there, looking for a place for Molly and I to sit. The only open spot was next to a guy I had only seen a few times, the drug dealer himself, Michael Clifford. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a Metallica t-shirt, and was inhaling smoke out of a glass pipe that he held in his hand. I never thought that doing drugs was attractive, but something about the way that he grinned as he slowly exhaled the thick smoke from his mouth made him look so cool

We made our way over to sit next to Michael. As I sat down, he looked over at me and offered me the pipe.

 

“No thanks, I don’t really smoke anything but cigarettes,” a habit I had started when I was fifteen and couldn’t seem to shake.

“Oh. Well suit yourself. I’ve never seen you around here, what’s your name?” Michael asked in a slurred, raspy voice. I noticed that even though his eyes were red from being high, they were still a shockingly vivid green.

 

“I’m Alaina, and yeah I don’t usually come to these parties. I was kinda dragged here by Molly.”

“Gotchaaaaa.” He dragged out the word and went back to puffing on the pipe. I wondered how much weed he had already smoked. He seemed like he was already stoned out of his mind.

For the next hour, I sat and watched everyone, including Molly, smoke a hell of a lot of weed. I was feeling a little out of it from breathing in all the smoke, but I don’t think I was completely high. I had already gone through four beers though, so when Molly decided she was ready to leave I didn’t think it was safe for me to drive home.

 

Molly and I went into the house searching for Jack. She went upstairs to look, and I went into the living room downstairs. I found Jack passed out on his couch, and as I was about to try to wake him up, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Leave him alone, he probably wouldn’t wake up even if you tried.” It was Michael. I turned around to face him and had to catch his arm as he swayed to the side. Jesus Christ he’s fucked up.

“If you’re wanting to stay the night, it’s fine. I know neither of you are up for driving. I basically live here, so I can show you a place to sleep if you’d like.” He smiled at me and then his phone started ringing.

“Go tell Molly that you guys are staying the night, I have to take this call and then I’ll be back.” He said as he walked off and answered his phone in a very annoying tone.

He came back a few minutes later. “Sorry, that was my girl friend. She’s so fucking annoying. Come upstairs and I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

Molly and I followed him upstairs, having to steady him a few times so he didn’t fall. We walked down to the hallway and he opened a door.

“This is the room I usually stay in. All of my shit’s in here, so you can wear some of my clothes if you want to or whatever. I have to go meet up with my girl friend so I won’t be staying here tonight.” He started to walk out of the door, but he paused and looked at me. “Oh and Alaina, I hope you had fun at your first party. It was nice meeting you.” With that, he shut the door and left.

 

 

Molly fell asleep in what seemed like only a matter of seconds, and I was left there to think about why it bothered me so much that Michael had a girl friend. I barely even knew the guy, and he was on drugs. I shouldn’t be attracted to him. No – I can’t be attracted to him. He would cause me nothing but trouble.