Define Spy

Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

Parker stopped the car when we found the big yellow house that Danni gave us the address too. You could faintly hear the music and the pounding beats from the inside, coming from loud stereos. There were light silhouettes cast off the windows, showing that there was a lot of people inside. Some were chilling on the front yard, some walking up to the entrance.

"Are you guys ready to party?" Tilly fist pumps in the air, making me sigh. I don't like parties.

"Come on, Ariana! Don't be a party pooper!" Parker nudges me with his elbow.

"I'd be honored to poop on this party." I roll my eyes sarcastically.

We hop out of Parker's truck, as I walk slowly behind everyone else to the front porch. The closer we get, the louder the music and the amount of people gets. I sigh again and stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Cameron seems to be the only one who noticed my halt, while the rest of the team walks in.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm...taking a break. That was a long walk." I breathe dramatically.

Cameron rolls his eyes and walks behind me. "A long walk of five feet, huh?"

"Very long." I shake my head, pretending to be exhausted.

"Come on, Ariana." Cameron sets his hands on my back, pushing me forward. I groan and walk anyways, saving Cameron the trouble of carrying me into the house. That's the last thing we both wanted.

Once we enter the house, my eardrums feel like they're bleeding, as they throb from the crazy pop music.

"This looks...." Cameron pauses, "fun."

"Very." I roll my eyes.

"Look, I don't want to be here either, but we have to. We could find out more info about Summington." he points out.

I sigh, knowing he's right. "Fine. Let's go party."

"That's the spirit!" he smiles sarcastically. I catch a glint in his eye as I take my chances to steal a glance, though I'm not sure whether it's from the sarcasm leaking in his voice or the unreadable smile it wears. I quickly advert my eyes back to what lies in front of me.

We walk into what was probably the living room, but has morphed into the dance floor. There's screams and hoots and whistles, and the constant shoving of people's hips. I groan, trying to find my way to a place where people aren't even inches away from you, where you can't feel them breathing on you.

"This is great." I roll my eyes, squeezing through clumps of people till I reach the kitchen, which was a little more roomier. I turn to my side, but Cameron's not there.

My eyes scan the living room, and I spot him standing in between a group of girls who seem to be loving this party. As they flip their hair and try to sway their hips, they spill some of their drinks. I chuckle at Cameron, who fakely smiles and tries to look like he's having fun, but I can tell he wants to get out of here as badly as I do.

"Ariana Castel." someone says, and I quickly turn around, startled.

"Wow, a little jumpy there." the boy says. I raise an eyebrow as he half-smiles.

"I'm Justin. And this is kind of my house." he replies.

I nod solemnly, my eyes scanning the party, perplexed at how loud and crazy it was. I mean, I knew parties were pretty extreme, but this one was just beyond extreme.

"I was going to invite you myself, but I don't think I have any classes with you." he scoots a little closer, making me bite my lip nervously.

Yeah, I have a problem with personal space.

"Too bad." I reply.

"You know, I'm the quarterback of the Eagles football team." he smirks, making me roll my eyes.

"Is that supposed to impress me?"

"A little."

"Well you did a horrible job."

All Justin does is chuckle, no offense taken in his way. "You're funny, Ariana." he says.

"Thanks." I reply a little too slowly. "Excuse me, but I have to..." I pause, "go to the bathroom."

"It's down the hall and to the right." he informs me, and I take off without saying another word to Justin, hesitating to awkwardly smile as he watches me walk away.

Once I find the bathroom, I hastily walk in and lock myself in there, facing the mirror. I stare at myself for quite a while, bewildered at my appearance. This was not Serena. This was some makeup wearing party girl named Ariana Castel. So why can't I stay in character as her?

I run a hand through my hair that was no longer black but brown, taking a seat on the toilet so I could think. Over think, I should say, because that's how it usually ends.

Why is high school harder than I thought? Why do the students have to be so stereotypical? Why haven't we found any clues or information on anything that has to deal with Summington? Why is this mission turning into a deranged high school life itself? Why?

There's a knock at the door, which pulls me out of my thoughts. I groan, staring at the door knob, not wanting to open it. Can't people just leave me alone?

I open it anyways, and find Danni with his hand in the air, ready to knock again.

"Hi." I say, running my hands through my hair a second time, stressed.

He studies me, as I sit on the toilet rubbing my temples, my hair a complete mess. "Are you okay?"

"Perfect." I groan.

I don't look up to him or make contact with him as he walks in and closes the door behind him, though Goosebumps prickle my arms to the of the click of the door. Danni leans against the bathroom wall.

"What's on your mind?"

"Everything." I sigh.

"Maybe I shouldn't of invited you to this party." he looks to the ground, biting his lip. And what surprised me was he wasn't smiling. He wasn't the charming Danni I first met.

"It's fine. It really is, Danni." I try to get him back to smiling.

"No it isn't. I knew you wouldn't like this party." his shoulders shrug up.

I raise an eyebrow. "So why did you invite me?"

"Because..." he thinks, "because I panicked."

"Panicked?"

"Yes, panicked."

I'm confused on what he's trying to say, so instead I reply with silence, as I stare blankly at the walls.

"Why are you here?" I finally ask. "And why are you so nice? It's weird. It's confusing."

Danni looks dumbfounded as he doesn't know how to reply to that.

"Is it an act?" I finally ask. He doesn't reply.

I sigh before exiting the bathroom, pushing my way out of the door and brushing against his shoulder, not saying anything else to Danni. I need to stay on top of this. No more friendly conversations, no more people, no more of this. I need to focus on this mission. I don't need distractions. It's all just one big confusing mess.

There's sounds of people calling my name, but I ignore it. I try to get to the front door, wanting out of this claustrophobic house full of stupid boys and loud music and personal space invaders. But someone grabs onto my wrist, and I guess I just lose it. Why can't people just acknowledge me without touching me?

I turn and lift my hand up on instinct, punching whoever this person was. I might have been crazy, but that was it. Once my fist collides with the person's nose, I freeze when I see who I punched.

It was Parker, standing there with a bloody nose.

***
Danni or Cameron?

For all I know, maybe you fancy Parker. Though, he just got socked in the face by his own sister. But I don't judge. Maybe you're just all the way team Serena because you're just that rebellious.

Let me know in the comments below (:

Comment, vote, and fan!

~summer