All Of Your Flaws

Part Thirteen

On the night of Molly Foster's party, Addison sat in Brigid's car as they drove towards Molly's house. Molly lived on the outskirts of town in a house that overlooked the large lake. It was the perfect party house and that was why Molly always threw some of the more legendary parties, the kind of parties that people would talk about for weeks, if not months afterwards.

"Can you promise me that I won't lose you after five minutes like last time? Well...like every time?" Brigid asked as they drew up towards the house. Most of the cars were parked up on the grassy embankment outside Molly's house. In year ten, Lisa had kicked a drunken sixth former in the balls on that embankment. Brigid parked up next to a beaten up Fiat and shot Addison a pleading look.

"No, but I'll try." Addison said shrugging her shoulders. Brigid muttered something under her breath and, with a shake of her head, climbed out the car. "Come on, you know you love me really Turner."

"That's debatable Addison, that's very debatable." Brigid said while the made their way up to the house and pushed open the door.

The hallway was busy with people standing around and talking to one another, drinks or phones in hand. The den, just like the hallway, was packed with people and swamped in a haze of smoke as Addison and Brigid made their way through. Brigid wrinkled her nose at the smell but didn't say anything, though she did shoot Addison a look of annoyance when she pulled her crumpled packet of cigarettes from her pocket. Like Aaron, Brigid had been trying to get her to quit for several months. Brigid hadn't pushed her too hard on the matter as she knew that would get make Addison more stubborn.

"I'm going to get a drink from the kitchen and find Lisa; do you want me to get you anything?" Brigid asked. Addison shook her head as she spotted Molly. She gave Molly a curt nod in reply to Molly's smirking smile. "I'll see you in a bit then. Don't get lost, text me if you go anywhere so I can find you. I always get lost in this damn house." Brigid said with a slight huff as she walked off towards to the kitchen. As Brigid walked off Molly waved Addison over to where she was sat, sprawled out on the worn but incredibly comfortable sofa.

"Well hey there Harper!" Molly drawled giving Addison a quick wink as she pulled her down onto the sofa next to her.

Molly languidly draped her legs, encased in dark jeans, across Addison's and gave her a blithe smile. Without saying another word, she pulled a hip flask out of her back pocket and handed it to Addison, her long fingernails, painted black just like her visible toenails, scraping against Addison's skin.

"There's no point wasting the good stuff on the riff-raff in the kitchen." Molly said. Molly always kept the strongest drinks back from most people; she preferred knowing that her best alcohol wasn't being 'wasted' on just anyone. Addison gave her a quick and rare smile as she brought the flask up to her lips. The sharp taste of expensive whiskey burnt the back of her throat but she really didn't care. She also didn't care how much her doctor would yell at her for mixing alcohol with her medication. She just wanted to feel something tonight instead of the empty void she felt most days. "So how's my favourite little troublemaker huh?" Molly asked leaning towards Addison to place a hand on her arm.

"Little? Really Molly?" Addison asked with a smirk seeing as she was several inches taller than Molly, even when she wore the towering heels she tended to wear.

"What can I say? You know I'm an affectionate drunk." Molly chuckled giving Addison a quick wink. "Speaking of affectionate drunks, and you being my favourite drunk of all, who exactly are you planning on seducing tonight? Because if I remember rightly, the last person was a very straight good little Christian boy whose sister still wants to kill you for sleeping with her brother." Molly added with a wicked grin. Stupid Sophie Jones.

"I'm being good tonight, no seducing of poor little Christian boys." Addison said. Molly rolled her eyes and huffed loudly.

"But where is the fun in that?" She asked with a huff. "Please tell that stick in the mud Brigid didn't put you up to your new found virtue." Molly added wrinkling her nose. "If I hear you not doing anything remotely deviant then I shall be very upset Harper, my dear. You're my favourite TV show after all." Molly then said as she pulled her legs off Addison's and standing up, patting Addison on the head as she did so.

"Stop living vicariously through me." Addison said. She said it with affection though. Once again, Molly winked.

"I need to be a fabulous hostess and talk to people even if they aren't as fun and fascinating as you. Guard my flask with your life Harper or I shall make up a spectacularly false rumour about you." Addison shook his head as she watched Molly saunter off but she kept hold of the flask.

Normally, the smell of smoke and the loud music blaring from the speakers would calm Addison. It would make her feel something at the very least, but tonight that just wasn't happening. It almost felt like the room was too small and far too crowded for her. She could feel a slow itch crawling up her arms as she scanned the room. Her lungs were searching for cleaner and colder air. After sending a text message to Brigid, Addison made sure she had Molly's flask clutched in her hand while she made her way towards the door for the outside.

---

Molly's hipflask was heavy in her hand even though it was pretty much empty now. With a sigh, Addison placed it down near her heel clad feet on the stone step. She looked out across the sprawling lawn that was sporadically bathed in light from the house. The loud music from inside could still be heard even outside with the light wind and for once, Addison was glad of the colder weather. She was drunker than she had intended to become tonight and she needed to sober up soon. She planned on actually going home after the party and her family would be furious if she came home drunk. Actually, Aaron wouldn't care in the slightest if Addison came home drunk as hell but their father, as well as Eric, would have a lot to say on the fact.

Addison realised that if she couldn't drink anymore then she could at least smoke, there was no one around such as Brigid to gripe at her for the habit for once and even if Eric smelt the smoke of her clothing she could pass it off as someone else smoking, like Molly, and not Addison. She lit a cigarette and watched the flicking flame of her lighter for a moment, watched the way the smoke from the cigarette curled upwards before being carried off by the light wind. Part of her wished that she had brought her sketch pad. The image of the curling smoke was almost begging to be drawn across a crisp white page but lugging a sketch pad with her to a house party would have convinced more people that she was weirder than they probably thought she was. Thankfully, being semi-friends with Molly meant that Addison wasn't bothered at her parties by Molly's more thuggish friends. There were some perks from being friends with Molly and they weren't all just alcohol-related.

Addison lungs soon began to fill up with the familiar burning sensation that came from smoking. It was strangely relaxing because this was feeling she recognised and understood. It was familiar and felt like home, not the shitty place that she tried to escape most days but like the homey feeling she felt whenever she was truly happy; when she was running, when she was spending time with Brigid and, most recently, when she was at the Willis's home. Though, the latter was one thing she was refusing to really admit to herself because it would no doubt cause problems down the line. Those problems would hopefully not appear as long as Addison continued to repress any emotion she felt whenever a Willis was involved.

She really was getting in over her head.