All the Missing Pieces (UNDER REVISION)

Eleven

     A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the loving memory of my neighbor, a college student who took his life. If you ever feel like you're at risk for suicide, self harm, or depression, or you are scared for the life or wellbeing of a loved one please call:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
for help. My inbox is always open.

Now for the chapter! Sorry for waiting till night time to post. 

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

                   We reach Jared's house by twelve o'clock and promptly go our own ways. Emily and Marina disappear almost instantly into a crowd of orchestra kids that somehow made their way to Jared's house. James awkwardly trails behind Emily, holding her hand. I find that I have a hard time understanding anything the orchestra kids talk about, even though they're pretty chill. "Hey, Peyton!" Sean calls. I head over towards him where a few other baseball kids have congregated. From this location, the music blasting through the house is relatively quiet. Jared's older brother offered to DJ, and has subsequently turned the living room into a dance floor. The baseball kids, however, have taken over a little foyer by the front of the house, almost completely opposite the room of obnoxious music."Beer?" Lewis asks, handing me a solo cup. "Sure." I take the cup from him and take a sip. The beer's pretty shit, but I don't really care. It's prom, it's about getting wasted and sex, unless, of course, you're an anxious closeted gay kid such as myself, then sex doesn't really seem like a tangible option. And holy shit, I just came out to Marina. I did that, so I'd say I deserve this shitty beer. I take off my jacket and hang it over the railing of the nearby staircase. Hopefully I'll be able to tell it apart from the rest of them. "What's up?" I ask, leaning against the wall next to Sean and Lewis. "We're talking about who's getting laid tonight." Lewis says, clapping his hands together. "Like this sucker right here." He points both of his thumbs towards himself. "Oh ew, who cares."
"Thank you!" Sean says, clasping his hands. "I've been saying this for ten minutes now, no one cares you're about to fuck you third girlfriend this month!" Lewis smiles deviantly anyways, slipping a condom out of his pocket and displaying it to the whole crowd. "What about you Peyton, you gonna go at it with the Bullet over there?" He gestures towards Marina. I roll my eyes. "Nah, we're just friends."
"Really? No special lady at Casa Reyes?" There it is again, that assumption that I would screw a girl. Shut up, asshole, enjoy yourself. I think. "Nope. None that I'm interested in."
"What, are you prude Reyes?" Kurt asks from the gaggle of baseball players. "Nope. Just playing hard to get. Let someone else suffer trying to score this," I comment, pointing towards myself. The team laughs in approval. "Alright, Reyes." Usually, Kurt would flip me off, or try to punch me or something, or at least tell me I'm an annoying twat, but he appears to be drunk so instead he just laughs, and slings his arm around Allison Baretta. She looks very out of place in the current setting of big obnoxious athletes, but, much like her date, is too drunk to care.

             The group slowly dissolves as antsy girlfriends drag their dates to the living room to pay attention to them. Eventually I find myself wandering. I end up by the drink table, grabbing another beer. "Are you really gonna drink that?" A voice asks. "Hell yeah." I turn to face James who's leaning against the fireplace which the drink table is propped up against. "You and Marina both. She's had like four all ready, I swear."
"Damn, this is only number two for me."
"Whatever, just know that I'll never forgive either of you if someone throws up on this shirt. It's the only nice thing I own." I laugh, and he shakes his head, lights flashing on and off, changing the color of everything in the room. "Don't worry. I'll make it a point to only barf near Marina."
"So where have you been?" He asks. "With the baseball kids. I love the orchestra but to hell if I understand a single thing they're ever talking about."
"Tell me about it. It's like all they talk about is music. I just don't understand how possibly infatuating John Philip Sousa could be to a bunch of violinists."
"Uh..." I scratch next to my ear in confusion. He looks away for a second, with his hand on the back of his neck. "You don't know who that is?"
"Star Spangled Banner?"
"Stars and Stripes Forever."
"I was close."
"Ha ha, okay." Marina hobbles over from the depths of the dance floor, followed by a worry-stricken Emily. "Jamesiepoo! Why'd you leave us! You better not be talkin' crap 'bout my orchestra hoooooes," Marina says, swaying as she holds up her fists. "Okay, okay, just calm down." Emily says, grabbing her wrists and pulling them down. "Relax, we were only discussing John Philip Sousa," James says. "Peyton doesn't know who that is!" I defend myself, "Hey! He wrote Stars and Stripes Forever!" James glares at me, as Marina tugs at my arm, "Come on, hot date, let's dance." She pulls me away as quickly as she came while James bows to Emily and sarcastically asks, "May I have this dance?" She smiles and grabs his hands, clasping them and dragging him into the crowd. Jared's brother has everyone dancing to a healthy mix of EDM and top hits from the early 2000's. Marina dances senselessly in circles around me, while I make a desperate effort to keep up. "C'mon Peyton, get into it!" She says, violently grabbing my hands. "Do you know how to do the Merengue?"
"Omg is that like the Salsa?"
"Uh, kinda?"
"Yeah you're right. Salsa is spicy. Merengue is sweeeeet."
"Just follow my lead. Start on your left foot, and take eight steps in place." She does as I do, but on the wrong foot and completely off the beat. "Okay, now move your hips as you step." She adds in the hips with surprising ease. "Yeah girl!" She screams. Over my shoulder, I see James and Emily. It seemed for a brief moment like he was facing towards this way, but he's turned his head quickly and is now staring at the ground, like he just did something totally embarrassing. I wonder what it was.