You Can't Keep Running

Chapter 5: Just My Luck

"I never knew relationships made you boring." Celia teased Matt. I was still deciding on whether or not I should go out on the dancefloor by myself or to just sit here and feel left out. "Fuck it. Let's go." She grabbed my wrist and shoved past everyone in our way. We ran down the stairs-- which was hard to do in heels and began dancing like maniacs. "They're being such losers!" She yelled over the music.
"I thought they would be more energetic than me! They do this more often!" I saw Celia roll her eyes as the words left my mouth.
She pointed up at the ceiling and as I tilted my head back, I could see their heads popping over the railings. "Speak of the devils." We began laughing and waving at them as they laughed back at us. "Join us!" I wasn't sure if they'd be able to hear us over the roaring cheers but they did.
"We'll just finish off our drinks, hold on!" Neal yelled back.
Their heads ducked back as Celia and I continued to dance. We were laughing and giggling at other people who looked just as freaky as we did. Around 3 songs had gone by and we hadn't stopped even once. It actually felt like the sugar was pumping even harder in my blood now.
I didn't understand why but there were so many disgusting guys in the club that tried to dance with me. I don't wanna sound like a prissy little drama queen because I would have been fine with it if they had just asked but instead they tried grinding on me! Some guys even tried to simply pull me away from Celia. Yelling and shoving them aside seemed to do the trick but there were so many of them who thought they had a chance.
"Is this why people never go to clubs alone?" I yelled out. I waited for a response but when I didn't get any I looked up. "Celia?" I bobbed my head around trying to find her bright red hair but everyone looked the same in the dim lighting.
I continued to look for any hint of Celia but so far I didn't see a trace of her. My legs were aching from stretching out so much just so I could see above the flood of people and I was about to give up and head upstairs when someone caught my eye. It wasn't Celia but I was still interested. I saw a guy dancing ahead of me. He didn't look like everyone else here, he actually looked pretty cool when he danced. I could say much worse about all the other guys in here. I hadn't realised that I had stopped dancing and was just smiling and watching him as he danced. He must have seen me because he smiled back and motioned for me to join him. I looked around me and nobody else was paying attention. I shook my head at him, scared because I didn't even know him. He motioned one more time and I ended up laughing at how stupid this was. It seemed like something you'd only see in a corny romance movie. I shrugged and laughed my way towards him.
We began dancing shamelessly. No, we weren't grinding on each other. We were just dancing like two friends who had gone insane just a few minutes earlier. When the song finished the DJ played a mellow beat and we stopped dancing.
"Do you wanna get a drink?" He asked me, pointing towards the bar behind us.
I hesistated for a while. "I-- I, uh, I don't drink."
"Oh, that's ok. Thanks for the dan--" He was about to turn away and for some reason I didn't want him to.
"But, I'd still go with you to get one." I smiled and so did he. "If you still want me to, I mean."
"Why wouldn't I?" He laughed and we headed to the bar.
There wasn't really any proper lighting in the club so I couldn't see him properly. I could only hear the tone of his voice and a rough silhouette of his body. It didn't really matter whether or not he was cute because I wasn't there to hook up with somebody. I just wanted to have fun. And since Celia disappeared into thin air, he would have to do.
"So, what brings you here?" He asked me as we took our seat by the bar. "Can I have The Usual please?"
"You come here often?" I was repelled by the thought of alcoholics.
"What? No, why would you think that?" I opened my mouth to explain but he reached the point before me. "Oh! No." He laughed. "The Usual is a drink. The drink is really called 'The Usual'. It's not even alcohol." I gaped at him, shocked that he wasn't drinking alcohol like everyone else here. "Pretty lame isn't it?"
"Not at all." I was unconsciously smilling at him and I knew I looked like a dork.
"Anyways, you didn't tell me why you're here." His drink came and he thanked the bartender.
"I'm here with some friends." I smiled and glanced at the dancefloor.
"Ohh." He took a sip of his drink. "You mean, the friends you were dancing with right before me?" We had just met and already he was teasing me.
I could see a cheeky smile spreading across his face as he put the glass to his lips. "Very funny." I mocked him. "They were actually right in front of me and then just disappeared."
"How could a whole gang of friends just disappear like that?" His smiled became less cheeky and more friendly now.
"I was actually only dancing with one person just before you got here because everyone else is sitting around upstairs." I motioned to the stairs.
"Was that person your boyfriend?" He looked down at his glass as he asked me.
"No." He looked back up at me. "I don't have a boyfriend. I was dancing with a friend."
"Well." He put down his glass and tapped the counter with his fingers. "Your friends, sound pretty lame." We both laughed.
"What about you? Why are you here?" I ran a hand through my hair which was still smooth as silk.
"I was supposed to ride over here with some of my buds but I had to take care of my little sister for a while. When I tried calling them up nobody answered so I guessed they were here."
He stared at me for a bit until I felt awkward. "So, where are they?"
I laughed at how he snapped out of it as if he were in a trance. "I saw a few of them hanging around with a couple other people. My friends are pretty lame too because they didn't wanna get back out on the dance floor again so I told them I'd meet them outside at 10." He nodded his head when he finished speaking.
"Well, looks like our lame friends helped us awesome people meet." I was kidding around with him. "Wanna know something interesting?"
"I always do." His smile brightened.
"You were the first guy to somehow ask me to dance instead of groping me." I shook my head.
"Well you know," He struck a sophisticated pose. "I'm classy like that." I bursted out laughing at him. I was shocked at how nice and funny he was. Any other guy I could've met in this club would've been a dirty sleazy asshole but he seemed really genuine. "Oh you think that's funny?" I nodded while still laughing uncontrollably. "You don't think I could be such a classy gentleman? Well I'll have you know..." His voiced trailed off as my laughter grew harder. I eventually stopped and looked up to see him smiling at me. "Oh! I never got your name." He wiped his hand on his pants and stuck it out for a handshake.
"I'm Karmen. With a 'K'." I smiled and shook his hand.
"I'm Ryan." He smiled. "With an 'R'." We let go of each others hands but kept eye contact. "I can't really see you properly in this lig-"
I felt my phone buzz in my clutch so I opened it. "Sorry. Just a minute." Tori was calling me and as I put the phone to my ear I answered the call.
I turned away from Ryan and covered my other ear with my other hand hoping to hear better. "Karm! Where are you?" Her voice sounded tipsy.
"I'm downstairs at the bar. Why?" I could barely hear her over the club.
"My sister and her friends have to leave in like 30 minutes. Do you need a ride home?" I checked my phone and saw it was already 9:24.
"Yeah, I'll get a ride with you guys." Tori ended the call and I tucked my phone back into my clutch.
I turned back to Ryan who had just finished off the rest of his drink. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah that was just my friend." I turned around to check the staircase and right then I saw my friends huddling around looking for me.
I waved at them and they waved back, smiling and laughing. "I love this song! Come on let's dance." He grabbed me by the wrist and I ran with him onto the dance floor.
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"That was so much fun!" Linda practically spit out the words as she leaned on Neal for support.
"How trashed are you?" I laughed at her.
"I didn't even drink. Calm down." She waved me off drunkenly.
"Sure you didn't babe." Neal had the same amount of drinks as her but he was keeping together pretty well.
"Karm!" I heard Matt yell from behind me.
I stopped where I was and waited for him to waddle towards me. "Jeez, is everyone trashed around here?"
"Don't change the subject. Who was that guy you were hanging out with?" He poked me in the arm.
"I met him on the dance floor." Matt began giving me a funny look-- or maybe that's how he looked when he was drunk. "He's actually pretty cool."
"Did you get his number?" One of the college kids came up to us and leaned on me.
Luckily she wasn't that heavy or I would've tumbled down the road. "No."
"Why not?" She began to get heavier so I moved her over to Matt who was still pretty stable for someone as wasted as him.
"Because I met him at a club and I don't think that's how relationships start?" I held onto my clutch with both my hands and exhaled deeply.
"This is so typical of you." I heard Matt grunt.
"What?" I looked down at the cement floor as we slowed down.
"You always have these lame plans about how you want your life to work out and you expect them to be so perfect that when something amazing happens you don't even care because it isn't as great as your dreams." Matt and the drunk college chick walked on without me.
I always did want things to be romantic. I never really thought about how I always want things to go a certain way, but hearing someone say it aloud finally helped me realize it. Was I being stupid? Should I have asked Ryan for his number? No. Don't be silly. I can take meeting the perfect guy anywhere in the world but not in a dirty and dark bar. Besides, it isn't bad to have expectations! It isn't bad never to settle for less.
"Karmen!" I heard a familiar voice call out from the club.
I turned around and saw someone looking around not really sure who to face. "I'm Karmen!" I yelled back raising my hand.
The guy noticed and jogged up to me. "Hey." He smiled at me which was followed by a long silence.
"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" I tucked my hair behind my ears and furrowed my eyebrows.
"It's me. Ryan." His smile brightened and I instantly felt my face go red.
"Oh my god! I am so sorry! I didn't recognize you without the shadows all over you." I felt so embarassed for not noticing the guy I was dancing with just a few minutes ago.
"Don't be embarassed! I couldn't even tell which one you were so I just yelled out your name on the street." We both laughed at how stupid we sounded.
"So, is there a reason why you're stalking me now?" I looked over my shoulder to check if my friends were still waiting by the limo. They were.
"I was wondering if I could maybe get your number?" He had his hands in his pockets and looked extremely shy.
I was half expecting Ryan to look... well... not hot. He was taller than me but not by much which made it perfect. He had tan skin and his arms were ripped. The kind where you can tell the muscles are there but not so much that you see every single vein popping out. He looked like he lived in a fitness center. His body seemed lean and so sculpted. His black hair shone under the street light. His eyes were as cute as his smile. Whenever he smiled you could tell it was geniune; the way his eyes squinted because his smile was so wide. I don't know about anyone else but a guy I with that kind of smile is cute in my book.
"I don't really g--" I was interrupted by yelling from the club.
"Hey! Guys! Look who finally made it!" Celia yelled out and pointed to Ryan.
I looked over his shoulder and pointed at Celia who was now running towards us with a couple of her buddies. Ryan turned around and was grabbed by Celia. "Didn't think you'd make it man!" She put an arm around him and glanced at me. "Oh! What am I in the middle of here?" She giggled and winked at me.
"Nothing." I smiled and began to back away.
"I guess I'l--" Ryan couldn't finish his sentence because the other college guys jumped on him and messed with him.
"Karm! We're going!" I heard Stacy call out.
I turned to see her holding the limo door open. "I'll be right there." I waved and smiled at Ryan then turned and walked off.
"Hey, I know her!" I heard Celia drunkenly blurt out behind me.
I walked towards the car biting my lip and trying to suffocate a smile. I looked down at the ground as I walked quickly to the car. Stacy slid in first and I followed after her. I shut the door and leaned against it with my hand covering my forehead. I was smiling foolishly at what had happened tonight. First of all I never even thought I'd meet someone in the club then I meet this guy who is wickedly funny and nice and it even turns out that he is gorgeous! If this is what it's like to go out then sign me up every night.
Tonight was amazing.
"I'm gonna puke." Stacey leaned over me and hurled out her dinner.
Well... It was amazing while it lasted.
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I slowly opened my front door with my house key in one hand and my clutch and shoes in the other. I left my shoes on the front steps, not wanting to bring in the smell of Stacy's stomach rejects. I shut the door as quiet as possible, so that only sounded a quiet click of the lock. I set my clutch down on the table nearby and stretched. My feet were aching and sore. I walked straight up the steps without looking if anyone was downstairs. I climbed up to my room and changed into a big oversized shirt and some shorts. After wearing an uptight dress and looking decent all night sometimes you need to wear huge mismatching clothes to stay grounded.
I headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water and just as I shut the fridge door the lights came on. I almost choked on the water out of shock. I turned around and Jackie was standing at the door with one hand on the light switch.
"Hey." My voice was still up beat considering the crazy night I just had.
"It's 11." No greeting, no questions, just that.
"I got home safely. Thanks for asking." I finished the remains of water in my glass and left it in the sink.
"I thought you'd be back later than midnight. You are such a loser." She started to smile as she said that.
"I love you too Jackie." I smiled at her.
"So you're too cool to give me a hug now just because you went to a club?" I rolled my eyes at her and gave her a tight hug.
I let go of her and saw the box of chocolates on the table. "Oh..." My voice filled with curiosity. "You brought them in?"
Jackie seemed discouraged about her spicy chocolates idea. "Oh, yeah, you don't have to play if you don't want." She was about to push the box aside but I grabbed them first.
"Are you scared now? You know your luck isn't gonna help you?" I covered my face with the box and leaned side to side.
"You're calling the woman who went sky diving in heels a coward?" She put her hands on her hips.
"If the shoes fits, wear it." I stuck my tongue out at her and walked to the opposite side of the table. "Or in your case, heels." I took a seat in the chair across Jackie and slid the box into the centre of the table.
"You first." Jackie's eyes held with mine as I grabbed one out of the box.
I smirked as I tasted the smooth milk chocolate crumble in my mouth. "Your turn."
The game went on for a few minutes until there were only two chocolates left. Not one of us flinched at single moment during the entire game. The pressure was on now. It was a fifty - fifty chance that I'd get the spicy one. I looked from the box to Jackie and saw her smiling mischievously at me. Why did she look like she knew something I didn't?
"Same time?" I rubbed my hands together, unsure of what would happen next.
Jackie nodded and we took one piece of chocolate each. I held it in my hand for a while not wanting a shot of fire in my mouth. I cringed and stuffed the chocolate in my mouth. For a moment I was looking forward to spitting it out but my brain decided against me and took a bite. I was paralysed for a few seconds waiting for the flames to burn up inside me but nothing happened. I opened my eyes and continued chewing as I watched Jackie. She had the same reaction as me.
"Nothing?" I picked up the cover of the box and read it carefully. "Maybe ours was faulty." Just then Jackie bursted into laughter. I stood up straight and narrowed my eyes as she smacked her hand against the table, not being able to control her laughter. "What did you do?"
"I-- I--" She only managed to say that as she kept laughing. "I ate the spicy one on like, the third try but I pretended like nothing happened because I wanted to see your reaction." She flung her head back laughing and gripped her stomach.
"You cheat!" I threw the box cover at her and smiled. "I can't believe you pulled it off! Such a cheat! Ugh! I can't believe I didn't notice! You suck so much!" I began laughing because Jackie had doing so well the entire time.
"Give me some credit." I could see the tears forming in her eyes from all the laughter. "That was pretty damn spicy and I still a managed to act as if nothing happened!" She smacked the table with her palm once more.
I rolled my eyes at her and walked over to her. "You are so dead." I messed up her hair and took her glass of water. "I don't think you should get a drink now."
"My mouth is on fire!" I could tell the spice was burning her mouth but the laughter was covering up the pain.
"Go get your Emmy first then I'll give you your damn glass of water!" I pointed out the door but she couldn't see me because her eyes were squeezed shut from her huge smile.
When the laughter and teasing subsided we were sitting beside each other, still at the dining table. "Tell me about your night." She rested her head on the backrest of her chair.
We were facing each other even though our chairs were facing to my right. "It was fun."
"Do I have to decode that or are you gonna tell me the full story?" She blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"I met a guy and we danced." I smiled hoping she would let me go but she just raised an eyebrow. "He was cool and funny and really nice."
"I'm gonna make you write down every single detail of this night if you don't tell me everything that happened." She pointed a finger at me and I pretended to bite it.
I began telling her everything that happened that night. Starting with how everyone was shocked that I even showed up until I got puked on in the car. The entire time Jackie kept making faces at me and the entire time I rolled my eyes at her and ignored it.
"First of all..." She swallowed and sat up straight. "Slut!" She laughed at her own little joke and so did I because I knew she meant nothing by it. "Second of all; you should have given this guy your number but good for you that you didn't because I'm sure there are a lot of cats that are waiting for you to adopt them for when you're old and bitter. Third of all; what's happening with this party?" I shrugged.
"I don't know." Jackie looked at me emotionless. "I want to go but I don't have a present for Stacy. And I don't think a masquerade themed ball gown would ever look good on me."
"Psh!" Jackie waved a hand in front of me. "You can solve both problems with one credit card! Don't make life so difficult honey." She winked at me.
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I walked down the stairs in a strapless teal dress that reached the floor for the party. It was a perfect fit for the torso then as it went down it got bigger. My mask had a silk string to tie it around my head. My hair lay across my bare shoulders. I wore black dangling earrings. I chose not to wear makeup otherwise it would just mark the inside of my mask, nobody was going to see my face that night anyways. I borrowed Jackie's metallic blue heels and had my nails painted shiny blue with a black tip. I hand on a pair of black fingerless gloves that extended until my elbow. I put on a few rings to complete my outfit and there I was, looking as elegant as I possibly could.
Jackie stared at me with her mouth open. I expected her to say something like 'you look so beautiful' or something along those lines but instead she laughed at me and pointed towards the door. "Good luck getting out the door."
"It doesn't have a metal ring underneath it! I'll be fine. And thanks for the compliment, I know I look stunning." I smiled at her as she smiled back.
"Do you need me to tie your mask?" I turned around in response and she tied it just right.
We got in the car and my dress didn't snag on anything. "You really do look beautiful." She said as she back out of the driveway.
"Thanks." It was rare that she said things like that, usually she always jokes around. "You helped me."
"I don't mean just now." She shook her head. "All the time. I knew you since you were a little tomboy." I giggled a little as I stared out the window. "I never would have expected such a wonderful young lady out of that. Any guy would be lucky to end up with you. You are a beautiful girl with so many talents. You are charming, friendly, smart, and nothing in this world can take you down." Except for last year. "I will never be able to find anyone else like you. As if it's not enough that you are elegant and well spoken, but you also have this crazy side that makes everyone love you."
I looked over to Jackie who I expected to be laughing but instead I saw a tear drop from her eye. "Hey! What's wrong?"
She pulled over in front of Stacy's house before she said anything. "Everything you do ends up being perfect no matter how much you have fun. Nothing goes wrong with you and that's what makes knowing you so amazing. I would never be able to raise a daughter like you no matter how much I mold her." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Seeing you change so much just makes me so happy. Knowing that you will go better places than this shit hole."
"I would never be here without you Jackie. You were my mom for a really long time. I owe all of this to you." I felt tears welling up in my eyes but I didn't want them to spill.
"Fuck." More tears fell. "Go inside I don't wanna cry." She wiped her eyes with a tissue that I gave her.
"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?" I squeezed her hand.
"Being around you made me cry in the first place." And the old Jackie was back to her kidding ways. "Have fun." I got out of the car and shut the door behind me. "You need a ride home?" She asked as the window rolled down.
I looked down the road as the crisp night air swirled around me. "Nah, I'll walk." We said our goodbyes and I turned and looked at the party before me.
The outside had been decorated with streamers and banners that said 'Happy Birthday!' I took a deep breath and reminded myself that tonight nobody would know who was behind the mask so I didn't need a single embarrassed bone in my body. I walked up to the door and just as I was about to lay a hand on the door knob it opened before me. A girl in a bright red dress had one hand on the door and the other held a cup which I assumed had alcohol in it.
"Oh! Hi! Welcome to my birthday!" I instantly recognised Stacy's voice.
"Hey Stace!" I handed her the neatly wrapped gift. "Happy birthday!"
"Thank you!" She took the gift at the same time she took another sip. "Who are you?"
"It's me Karmen." I smiled and in a blink of an eye she became excited. "Oh my gosh! You're here!"
"Yeah!" She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me inside.
The house was packed with people. The inside looked even classier. She had a million candles for lighting and a whole room for drinks and food. It was as if her parents had hosted an actual masquerade for her. I bumped past a few people but Stacy didn't care as long as she got me to our friends. Everyone looked weird and at the same time gorgeous. I was glad I decided to join.
"There is no way that's Karmen!" Linda yelled.
I nodded my head and did a twirl for them. "Well it is!" I even did a little curtsy.
"How do you look a million times better than usual?" Tori held my hand and looked me up and down repeatedly.
"I could've sworn you were a Victoria's Secret angel in disguise." Ian looked from me to the door in disbelief.
"I really fucking believe that it's illegal to be this damn perfect." Stacy pointed at me.
"Whatever guys! Look at all of you!" I held their hands and looked at their dresses. "It's disturbing seeing you guys dressed up like this but it seems acceptable if you look this hot!"
"Shut up! You're just saying that!" Tori snapped.
In reply I rolled my eyes at her. "Who'd you invite tonight?" I asked Stacy as I looked around the room.
"A couple people from school, some of the college guys from last Friday, a few cool friends from the village." She shrugged as she drew a circle in the air with her finger.
"You won't be able to tell who is who though so be careful." Neal teased.
"Oh! That reminds me!" Stacy rushed off in the other direction before we could ask anything.
"What was that?" Matt asked pointing at the little red dress floating away.
I didn't reply, instead I watched her run up the grand staircase and cut the music. "Excuse me! Can I have your attention please?" Her voice rang with an echo. "Birthday girl speaking!" Her cheery voice called everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming out tonight! It means a lot to me! Thank you for all the gifts you brought me and rest assured if i don't like them I hope you wrapped the receipt too." Everyone chuckled even though most of us knew she wasn't kidding. At all. "In honour of this masquerade theme there are some things you guys should follow. You can't use you're names, no removing of your masks and absolutely no sticking to your friends. You're masked, nobody will know so why not make some new friends while you can!" We cheered and screamed for her. "The night is young! Enjoy it! Happy birthday to me!" As Stacy walked down the steps we cheered and laughed.
"We gotta separate then I guess." Linda said as we all turned in another direction.
I walked around aimlessly for a while as everyone already had someone to talk to. I spotted some of my friends already laughing and joking with other people. I decided that if I wasn't gonna meet anyone I might as well get a meal out of the night. I walked over to the buffet table and picked up a plate of snacks.
"I take it you haven't found anyone to talk to?" I heard a voice from behind me.
I turned around an saw a guy fully dressed in attire and a plain black mask covering his face. "What gave it away? The plate full of food or the fact that I was looking around like a scared puppy?" We both laughed.
"Well, you're in luck Madame!" He said picking up a plate of snacks.
"And why is that?" I wasn't sure whether it was the mask or his friendly attitude that gave me a sense of fake confidence.
"I, too, am alone." He smiled. "So maybe, just maybe, we could be alone together."
I laughed at him but seriously considered his offer. "I would love to be alone with you." As soon as I said it I knew it came out wrong. "I mean-- not that way-- but-- I meant--"
He just laughed as I covered my face with my free hand. "I know what you meant."
We walked over to a free corner in one of the rooms. "How do you know the birthday girl?" I looked at Stacy over his shoulder who was circling the crowd.
"I don't think we're supposed to tell, otherwise a certain birthday girl will freak out." I motioned to her with a nod of his is head.
"You're right." I took a bite of one of the quiches. "It's going to be pretty weird not knowing what to call you all night."
He seemed to think as he took a bite of his food. "What about this? You can call me prince and I can call you princess. Sound good?"
I giggled a little. "Excuse yourself, because I am the queen." I flipped my hair back and tried to act sassy.
He ended up laughing at me. "Alright, queen."
We talked for what seemed like a short time but when I checked the huge grandfather clock in the corner it had been over an hour. I hadn't noticed because we were having so much fun. We started talking about the craziest things we had ever done with Stacy and that conversation somehow turned into what candy would you cover the entire world in. Stacy came and chatted with us for a while and all we could do was joke and kidd around. Somehow we had know each other for less than 90 minutes and yet we already had inside jokes. Having so much fun with 'prince' made me wonder why it was so easy to talk to people when they didn't know who you were.
"Hey, I'm gonna get us a drink. You fine with iced tea?" He gestured at the fountain that was dispensing our drinks.
"Yeah, thanks." I smiled as he turned and walked away.
I wasn't looking forward to awkwardly standing there waiting for him to return. As Stacy announced something on the top of the stairs I knew I would have loved to stand there awkwardly instead. "Listen up guys! It's been fun chatting with you all but now I think its time to have some fun! Since you're all in disguise I guess you can do anything. So here comes some masked karaoke! I'm gonna shine that spotlight on someone and they're gonna have to come up and sing! Are you ready?" Everyone cheered but I instantly wanted to leave.
I tried to sneak past a few people but nobody would budge. I stood there and sighed annoyed. Just my luck that the spotlight landed on me. "Let's see who the lucky singer is!" Stacy said as she came around the spotlight. I gave her a smile and waved. "Come up here!" I could tell this wasn't any accident or a spur of the moment idea.
I stood where I was and just then 'prince' came back with our drinks. "I wonder who the unlucky loser is that has to sing up there." I smiled at him and headed up the stairs.
As I passed by Stacy she smiled nervously not knowing what I would do. "Thank you so much Stace for making me come up here and embarrass myself. I was actually trying to hide as soon as Stacy announced this little game." Everyone laughed and that made me feel better. "I apologise in advance if any of your ears bleed. Feel free to blame the birthday girl." I motioned to her with one hand while my other was on the mic. "Any songs you would love me to ruin?" The yells were muffled and I couldn't clearly understand any of them except one; Coming Up Roses by Kiera Knightley.
I began to sing and as I did so I expected my voice to start cracking out of anxiety but instead it held strong. I sounded more confident than I actually was. At first I heard dead silence aside from my own voice. After a few minutes I heard whistling, yelling, cheering and others singing along.
When I finished I stepped away from the microphone and waved as I walked down the stairs. As I walked down as Stacy chose others to publicly humiliate themselves too. I tried to make my way back to 'prince' and on my way I received high fives, greets, compliments, and so many other positive comments about my voice. I was shocked since I was never actually proud of my voice. I never considered it an advantage.
I met 'prince's' eyes and I smiled sheepishly. "I guess I really am an unlucky loser huh?" I leaned against the wall behind us and took my cup from him.
"You are." He laughed as I took a sip. "But you're an unlucky loser with an amazingly talented voice." He tipped his cup to me.
"Very funny." I mocked him.
"Accept the compliment woman!" He kiddingly yelled.
I just laughed at him and pushed his shoulder lightly.
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"Listen up guys! It's almost the end of my birthday!" A series of 'aww's rang through the house. "It's closing in on 12:01 and because you all made this night so special I have one last game for your to play. The clock will strike at any moment and when it does I want you all to choose one person to unveil. You will take off the mask of whoever you're talking to."
The murmurs and excitement grew as Stacy ran to find someone. "Are you ready?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around me, reaching for the silk ribbon.
"Not one bit." I whispered as I reached for the bottom of his mask.
The clock rang aloud and I took a deep breath as I pulled off his mask and he removed mine gently. My facial expression remained the same but the look in 'prince's eyes had changed. I couldn't tell if he was shocked or happy or disappointed but there was one question on my mind. It felt a bit rude to ask but I didn't want to wonder the rest of the night.
"You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's me." He expected me to realise who he was from those two words. "Ryan." I felt my face flush into pure red.
I needed to find my friends and quick. I saw Linda passing by behind Ryan and I took the chance to excuse myself. Except I didn't really excuse myself. I grabbed my mask and rushed past Ryan. I raced after Linda and grabbed her wrist when I caught up to her. She was with everyone else.
"Stacy!" I yelled her name in a whisper. "You didn't tell me he was here!"
"I did!" I stared at her with anger. "Wait, who's he?"
"Ryan! The guy from the club!" I gripped Linda's arm tighter.
"Ouch!" Linda screamed as she pulled away. "Squeeze her not me!"
"Is this the guy you were dancing with last Friday?" Matt butted in.
I nodded my head vigorously. "Yes!" Surprised his mind held any memories with all that alcohol.
"So what's wrong with that?" Stacy whined.
"I don't want to date him!" I complained.
"Then tell him that!" Stacy retorted. "He's coming this way. Go tell him."
I turned around and saw him spot me. I quickly turned back to my friends and covered my face. I hoped that he didn't see me but when someone tapped my shoulder I knew he did. I turned around and he was smiling at my friends.
"Hi." I smiled.
"Hey, is everything alright?" He asked, still holding his mask.
"Uh.." I couldn't find words. "Yeah! Everything's just gr--"
I felt a cold hand grab my shoulder. "I don't get your problem, he's cute!" I could tell it was Linda's voice.
"We should leave them alone." I heard Matt suggest and like that my friends left me with this semi-stranger.
"I should just tell you now that I don't want any relationship more than friends with you." I looked down at the floor ashamed.
I expected him to be hurt but instead he just laughed. "Ok. Is that what you were freaking out about?" I nodded and slowly looked up to see him laughing harder. "Karmen, I don't care. I didn't talk to you all night because I wanted to hook up with you. You seemed like a cool chick and I thought it'd be cool to get to know you. I have absolutely zero interest in you whatsoever."
"You sure?" I asked him still unsure to trust him or not.
"Yeah! Besides, you're not really my type." I was kind of offended by what he said and he must have noticed it. "And I mean that in the nicest way possible."
I laughed at him. "Thank goodness! Because you are pretty damn awesome to talk to."
"What can I say? I'm perfection." I rolled my eyes at him and shoved his arm. "I know you're a girl and all but I have no problem hitting you." He pointed a finger at me and laughed.
"Really?" I raised both my eyebrows at him.
I began poking him and pinching him in different areas until he called out stop. I didn't mind because from that pinching and poking a found where he was ticklish. I began to tickle him until he backed out the door. He fell down on his butt and for a moment I stood there shocked and worried if he was alright. For a moment. When that moment passed I began laughing at him. He got up and messed my hair up. I didn't mind because the image of him falling was still running through my head and it was priceless.
==============================
"I'm gonna head home. It's getting late." I told Ryan.
We had been sitting on the steps of Stacy's porch for a while trying to calm down from the laughter. "Do you have a ride back?"
I shook my head. "I'm gonna walk home."
"Are you close by?" He asked.
I pointed down the street. "I'm on the other side of the village." I said as I got up.
"I'll walk you down." Ryan said as he got up.
"You don't have to, I'll be fine." I raised a hand to stop him from walking on.
"I'm gonna walk with you whether you like it or not because I have nothing else to do." He grabbed my wrist and twirled me around.
I laughed as I tried to stop spinning in my heels. "Alright! Fine! So much for being a gentleman." I muttered loud enough for him to hear me.
"What was that?" He joked.
"What? I didn't say anything." Even as convincing as I thought I was I did not have a talent for lying.
We walked on for a few minutes talking about each other. Learning different things that we couldn't talk about at the party. I told him that I was still in high school, I just moved here recently and the basic stuff that all my other friends knew. In exchange, he told me he had just started college this year, he's been in the area all his life which is why if you walked with him down any random street he'd be hounded with greetings. Aside from being friendly and charismatic he was also a dancer. He dances with a group in his school and another one outside of it.
"Well let's see some moves hotshot." I raced froward a bit so that I could turn and face him.
He began spitting out some cool moves and I couldn't help but stare in amazement. "That good enough?" He asked running up in front of me and turning around just as I did.
"I gotta say, tonight was fun." I brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "But wearing heels for a good few hours is murder on my feet." My feet were aching and it felt like they were about to pop off my legs.
Ryan looked down at my feet as if I were stupid. "Stand still." I stopped where I was and he knelt in front of me.
"What are you doing?" I asked as he pulled of my heels and I stood barefoot on the sidewalk.
"There." He stood up holding my heels in one hand. "Doesn't that feel better?"
I stared down at my feet and wiggled my toes. "This was your bright idea?" I looked up at him.
He shrugged and we continued walking. "It feels better doesn't it?" He said without looking at me, a victorious smile spread across his face. "No need to be so uptight all the time." I hated when people described me with that word.
I skipped ahead of him began singing really loud-- and really off key. "Uptight huh?" I turned around and mocked him.
"Not that uptight now." He covered one ear with his hand. "But very tone deaf." He ran after me still holding my heels and I turned and ran as fast as I could.
It wasn't fast enough because in a few seconds he caught up to me. He grabbed my arm and I tried to wiggle out of his grip while laughing. Our laughter echoed around the place like we each had our own microphones. As I kept singing he put down my heels and began dancing. I watched him in amazement but I felt like I needed to contribute to this public stupidity. I began dancing too. But not in the cool way that Ryan did, in my stupid little way.
"Are you dancing or having a seizure?" He yelled out, about to fall down laughing.
"Both." I yelled back without looking up.
All of a sudden he stopped dancing and clutched his stomach. "I have an idea." He pointed at a door of a house close to us.
"What?" I looked up to see him sneaking towards the door. "Ryan! What are you doing?" I stared at his mischievous expression as I picked up my shoes.
"Get ready to run." He rang the doorbell repeatedly and bolted ahead of me. "Come on! Hurry up!" I ran as fast as I could.
He held his hand out to me and mine to his but I couldn't reach him. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the gate of the house opening. That must have given me adrenaline because I began to run faster. I looked ahead and didn't see Ryan ahead of me anymore. I still kept running not wanting to get caught. I felt one hand grip me on the waist and another by the shoulder. The hands pulled me towards a very small dark alley. I felt a warm body press against mine.
"Keep quiet." Ryan whispered. I could feel him breathing heavily. I exhaled feeling safer that I knew it was Ryan rather than a stranger. My head leaned against his chest as I looked down at the ground. I felt him move backwards into the shadows so I moved with him. "Shit." He muttered lowly as he ducked his head.
He let go of me and I looked up, fixing my hair. "What was that?" I asked.
"He would've seen us running." He exhaled.
It was quiet as I fixed my dress that had risen while I was running. I could feel the end of the dress drenched in some water. I exhaled deeply and Ryan began laughing. I rolled my eyes at him and turned to get out of the damp alley. I stood under the street light checking whether we were still being looked for. Ryan carefully held my shoulder and spun me to face him. He moved in closer and closer until we were barely apart. I closed my eyes not sure what was about to happen.
"There's a leaf in your hair." He untangled my hair from the stem of the leaf and held it up in front of my eyes.
"Oh," I was glad he didn't try to kiss me. "Thanks!" The anxiety left me and now I was having fun with my friend again.
"Actually, you looked better with it in your hair." I furrowed my eyebrows confused at his widening smile.
"Wha--" He flicked the leaf at me and it barely missed my mouth.
He ran down the street away from me, laughing as loud as possible at his little joke. I threw the leaf on the ground, picked up my heels and raced after him. I wasn't as fast as he was but he was laughing so hard that he could barely run straight. We had run a bit more than two blocks and we were almost at my house by the time I caught up to him. I reached out my hand to grab him while my other hand clutched tightly to my heels but he turned and looked shocked. He grabbed my arm and we fell on the grass to our right. Tired and feeling close to no breath go through our body, we breathed heavily.
"I didn't think you'd actually catch up to me." We lay beside each other on the lawn of a house.
"No wonder you looked like you saw a ghost." I laughed and Ryan tossed a chunk of grass on my face.
"Whatever." He mumbled placing on hand on his stomach and the other ran through his hair.
"Awww," I teased. "Don't be a sore loser." I spread out arm opposite Ryan and felt the grass on my palm.
"I'm not." He looked to his left to face me. "Because I didn't lose anything." I saw him smile from the corner of my eye.
"You're right." I grabbed a chunk of grass and threw it directly at Ryan's face. I sat up, leaning on my palms behind me, and looked over to Ryan. "Now you did." I giggled.
He spit and waved his hands all over his face trying to brush off the grass. "Fine. I'll let that slide." He rested his hands behind his head and starred at the sky.
I changed my view from Ryan to the stars as I looked up, my hair falling down my back. I sighed and looked around for something of interest. I wasn't the type to just sit there and enjoy things that had no excitement. My dad always used to say I had 'ants in my pants'. Well, he used to when mom was here. Now, we barely talk.
"Can I ask you a question?" I asked without looking back at Ryan.
"Go ahead." His voice as quiet as a whisper.
"How do people find this so interesting?" Ryan bursted out in laughter. "I'm serious!" I laughed a little as I looked away from the night sky and towards him. "In movies they always sit here for endless hours and stare, but what is there to stare at?" He shrugged and I looked back to the twinkling lights.
"I have a question though." His voice serious now.
"Shoot." I inhaled the brisk air as I closed my eyes.
"What's that?" His arm reaching across me to point at something on my left.
I scanned the area for anything unusual but there was nothing there. "What's wha--" I turned my head back to him but was stopped by his index finger.
You know that stupid trick people do where they poke your cheek? Where they distract you to look in the opposite direction and then when you look back their finger was just there, waiting for you. That's basically what Ryan did. Usually I'd be annoyed at stupid games like that but Ryan really did time it right. I had nothing to get mad at so instead I laughed, joined by Ryan.
"You're so annoying." I grabbed his finger, which was still resting on my cheek, and threw it towards him.
"Then why've you been hanging out with me all night?" I threw more loose grass at him.
"Because I had nobody else to hang out with." I stuck my tongue out at him, which I regretted.
He took the opportunity to throw grass back at me. Instead of most of it landing on my lap or even in my hair it landed on my tongue. Surprised, I let of it a little yelp and shook my head. I spit on the floor beside me and brushed my tongue with my fingers. After a few seconds of panicking I realized he had been laughing this entire time.
"You suck." My voice annoyed. "So much." I wiped off bits of grass from my dress.
"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're not having fun!" I looked away not wanting to admit it. "Damn! Whose car is that?" He was pointing past me but I wasn't gonna fall for it again.
"Ha ha, so funny, I'm not gonna fall for it twice, you know?" I ran a hand through my hair and felt a leaf hidden inside. I picked it off and threw it at him.
"I'm not kidding. Who do you think owns that?" I glared at him not sure whether I should trust him or not.
I grabbed his hands to make sure he wouldn't do anything and looked behind me to see a car parked in the driveway behind me. "That's Jackie's. Why ar--" I did a double take to the black European spots car. "What the..." My voice trailed off as I stared at my house in disbelief.
"Who's Jackie?" He glanced from me to the house. "What's with you?"
I laughed hard feeling stupid that I hadn't realized this was my house. "Oh my gosh. This is gonna sound so stupid." I rested my head on my palm as it stood on my lap. "This is my house." Ryan laughed really loud at my stupidity. "Jeez, I knew you were gonna laugh but I didn't think you'd laugh that hard!"