when the party's over, hockstetter 𝜗𝜚

xix. wasted summers

❨ WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER ❩
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
WASTED SUMMERS

‧ : *: ‧ °✧

summer, june 1989.

the night was engulfed in darkness and stormy turmoil, with heavy clouds obscuring any hint of moonlight. lightning jaggedly split the sky, briefly illuminating the roiling blackness, while thunder rumbled like an angry beast.

rain hammered down in relentless sheets, creating a rhythmic, deafening roar against the windows.

the bowers' gang, along with (y/n), sally, and oliver, sat gathered in the large, furnished attic.

oliver lets out a yawn, stretching his left arm out above his head before letting it rest on his girlfriend's shoulders.

she looks up at him with a small smile, her gaze locking with his brown ones.

an unmistakable tension lingered between them after she had abruptly left their date a few months ago, but neither wanted to address it, fearing that the conversation might worsen the situation.

the now eighteen-year-old woman felt as if she were about to explode.

her thoughts were suffocating her, and the more she tried to process them, the more overwhelmed she felt, as if she might collapse under the weight of her own mind.

a flash of lightning briefly illuminates the dimly lit room, followed by a deep, rumbling thunder that shook the walls. the sudden noise jolts (y/n) from her thoughts, and a high-pitched gasp escapes her as the thunder echoes through her body.

everyone turns to her with expressions of confusion and concern, though not all are affected.

patrick sits reclined on a leather loveseat, sally in between his legs. neither one of them are paying attention to anything but each other.

the raven haired boy doesn't seem phased, his eyes glazed over, a beer held lazily in his hand.

"you okay?" olive asks, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

(y/n) wills herself to relax, an unconvincing smile on her face as she nods.

"yeah, i'm alright, olly boy."

"you sure you don't wanna smoke?" henry asks, reaching out a pale hand to offer her a spliff.

she sighs, accepts it with trembling fingers, and brings it to her lips. everyone notices, but as usual, no one says a word.

a brief pause of near-silence follows, with only their breathing and the gentle patter of rain on the roof breaking the quiet.

(y/n) takes a final drag from the joint, then extinguishes it on the carpet, the sizzle soothing her nerves.

☆

"hook 'im!" the boys shout as henry and belch wrassle on the ground.

(y/n) now sits with her legs across oliver's llap, her head nuzzled between his neck. he was warm, and his embrace was reassuring.

she could feel eyes boring into the back of her head, and after several minutes of trying to ignore it, she'd had enough.

her small hands grasp oliver's jaw, drawing him close until their lips are almost touching. she puckers and kisses him softly.

the brunette boy watches in awe as she stands up from his lap and heads toward the mini-fridge in the corner of the room.

she grabs a water bottle and leans against the wall, now watching from afar as the two boys continue to tussle.

"you're (n/n), right?" the sudden, nasally voice of sally mueller makes her jump, nearly causing her to drop her water.

once the pregnant girl recognizes who it is, she bites her tongue, aware that if she doesn't, she'll say things she might regret.

after a few seconds, she clears her throat, taking a sip of her beverage before locking eyes with the younger girl.

"(y/n)." the older female corrects sally, her voice firm.

"right. well, (y/n)..." sally shifts awkwardly where she's standing, taking a quick swig of her beer, "i just wanted to let you know that i'm happy for you."

the compliment catches the girl off guard, her lips parting in utter shock and confusion.

"what do you mean?"

"i mean, i'm happy you found someone who'll love and treat you right, i'm sorry it wasn't patrick like you wanted. i hope there are no hard feelings now that he's mine. oh, and maybe you can drop the little one off for the weekends or something!"

(y/n)'s jaw drops even lower, her eyes widening in shock as her heart pounds heavily in her chest, with the mueller girl's words echoing in her mind.

she wanted to laugh.

she closes her eyes and mentally counts backwards, needing to calm herself. once done, she forces a smile on her face and shakes her head.

"of course, babe. no hard feelings."

what she does next makes patrick—who had been watching the entire encounter intently—let out an audible gasp.

(y/n) reaches out and hugs the much skinnier female, squeezing tighter and tighter the longer they hold on.

she wanted to feel the life go out of her.

that thought makes (y/n) quickly pull back, her eyebrows furrowing and a wave of panic rising as she wonders why on earth she would even consider such a thing.

she sends sally one last unstable smile before walking back to her boyfriend, allowing him to once again pull her into his side.

☆

before long, their intimate gathering draws to a close as conversations wind down and people begin to say their goodbyes.

oliver drops (y/n) off at her house, leaving her alone since henry wanted to stay out with belch and victor for a little longer.

as she steps into the dark, cold, and eerie house, an intense wave of fear washes over her.

the dim, shadowy corners and the unsettling chill in the air amplify her unease, making every creak and whisper of the house seem ominous.

her shaky hands begin to flip on every light switch she passes by, trying to reassure herself that she was safe.

for an hour or so, after showering and changing, she lies on the couch watching television. everything seems fine until the broadcast abruptly cuts off.

then, everything goes dark.

her eyes adjust to the dark quickly as she fumbles around for a flashlight. when she finds it, she holds it with a death grip, her mind racing.

the sound of heavy footsteps approaching prompts her to quicken her pace, racing up the stairs and into her room.

she locks the door, then jumps onto her bed and grabs the telephone, frantically dialing the number of the one person who comes to mind.

as she hears the footsteps drawing nearer, her mind repeatedly cries out, "why me? why me?" while the phone rings.

her fingers come up to her lips, her teeth nibbling on the tips of her fingernails.

"hello?" his groggy voice sounds throughout the phone, sending shivers down her spine.

she lets out a breath of relief.

"patri—"

before she can even say a word, the door to her room is kicked in.

her frantic pleas for help are the last sounds patrick hears before the line abruptly goes dead, leaving him with a chilling silence.