"Hey Jonah," Aaliyah spoke softly. "I'm gonna step out for some fresh air."
Jonah nodded, taking a sip of his drink as Aaliyah stepped away from him. She made her way through the masses of people in Jack's house, the stench of sweat and alcohol filling her nose. This wasn't her ideal way of spending her eighteenth birthday, and if it weren't for the excitement of the boys she would have already left.
As she walked outside the back door, Aaliyah noticed Daniel sitting alone on the patio steps. She quietly approached him, taking a seat next to him.
"Hey," Aaliyah said with a small smile.
Daniel tolled his eyes as he turned to face Aaliyah. "What do you want?"
Aaliyah was taken aback by the hostility in his voice. Daniel was always so calm and happy and polite, so this mood was a change for him. She could smell the alcohol lingering from his breath, and her eyes noticed the almost empty bottle Bacardi sitting beside him. Her eyes widened, knowing how strong that stuff was.
"I just thought I'd come talk to you. We haven't really spoken all night," Aaliyah replied.
"Well I don't want to talk," Daniel huffed before taking another swig of the drink.
Aaliyah bit her lip, debating if saying anything about the drink was worth it. "How drunk are you?" she questioned abruptly.
Daniel just shrugged. "Why do you care so much? I saw you drinking earlier."
"I had a couple Palm Bays. That's different than a whole bottle of Bacardi," Aaliyah argued.
Daniel picked the bottle up from beside him, standing up and walking away instead of responding to Aaliyah. She quickly made her way off of the ground, following Daniel in his attempt of escaping.
"Can you not fucking follow me?" Daniel groaned as he noticed Aaliyah timidly heading in the same direction as himself.
Aaliyah was confused at what was causing Daniel's sudden outburst. She wanted to blame it on the alcohol, but she knew drunk words were sober thoughts. She searched her brain of anything she had done to Daniel to cause him to hold anger towards her, but was unsure of what she did.
"Did I do something?" Aaliyah asked, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't understand why you're suddenly acting so rude."
"And I don't understand why you're suddenly all over Jonah. I guess we're both confused," Daniel shot back.
Aaliyah's mouth dropped slightly. That was what Daniel was angry about? He was mad that she was hanging out with one of her friends?
"Jonah came to me because I was lonely," Aaliyah defended, though she wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to explain herself to Daniel. "He noticed I was uncomfortable and made an effort to change my mood. Sorry for hanging out with a friend."
Daniel chuckled humourlessly. "Jonah isn't your friend, Aaliyah. He's mine. None of the guys are your friend, so stop trying to take them away from me."
Aaliyah opened her mouth to speak, but just let out a quiet sigh and turned around. She began to make her way to the door before she felt someone grab her wrist. Turning around, she groaned as she saw Daniel.
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked her.
"Away from here," she responded, yanking away from Daniel's grip as she began to walk away again.
"It's late," Daniel told Aaliyah, stepping in front of her to prevent her from leaving. "I don't think you should be out by yourself at this hour."
Aaliyah bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. "So now you suddenly care about my wellbeing? I'll be just fine, Daniel, so if you'd leave me alone I'd appreciate it."
She quickly stepped around Daniel, rushing to avoid being stopped by Daniel once again. She didn't understand him and his sudden mood swings. One second he was cold and angry, the next concerned. She assumed he just didn't want to deal with the consequences if anything did happen to her, and that he didn't actually care if she left.
Aaliyah finally made her way to the front door before being stopped once again.
"Leaving already?" Jonah questioned, raising his eyebrows.
Aaliyah checked her phone and noticed it was barely past eleven. She simply shrugged at Jonah, placing her phone back into her pocket.
"Yeah, I have a headache," Aaliyah lied, beginning to walk away.
"Let me walk you home," Jonah spoke from beside her, "I wouldn't want you to spend your birthday all alone."
Aaliyah was tempted to take Jonah up on his offer, but Daniel's harsh words replayed in her mind. Jonah isn't your friend.
"It's okay." Aaliyah assured the taller boy. "Maybe you should go check up on Daniel or one of your other friends, though. Daniel didn't look too good when I last saw him."
"He's just drunk," Jonah laughed. "He'll live."
Aaliyah bit her lip. "He's your friend, though. I'm sure you'd rather be with him and your other pals instead of with me."
Jonah shook his head in disagreement. "I love spending time with you. I see those goofballs all the time. It's your birthday anyways, not theirs."
Aaliyah's eyes trailed from Jonah to behind him. Across the room stood Daniel, eyes shooting daggers at her while he took a sip out of his bottle. He shook his head slightly, as of saying not to think about it.
"I'll be fine, Jonah. I don't live far anyway. Thanks for the offer, though," Aaliyah smiled.
Jonah nodded in response. Aaliyah sent him a small wave as she made her way past him, finally stepping out of the house. She looked back once and saw Daniel still staring at her, only this time his eyes looked like they were filled with regret instead of anger.
Shaking the picture of his face out of her head, Aaliyah began to walk away from the party, taking the long way home to clear her mind and thoughts. All she wanted was a small gathering with her friends, but instead she got into an argument with the person she was closest with.
[ a / n ]
hmmm let's see if anyone caught that reference at the end.
long time without updating but here i am now. might update again tonight but no promises.
