bitter | e.d

| six

FRIDAY, 8:45 PM
EVIE'S POV

it's been over an hour since I finished getting ready and I'm still stalling.

usually, I would never be caught dead at a party or any kind of social gathering. they're really not my thing and I would much rather spend my weekends hanging out at home watching movies with harley. the last time I did anything like this, it was to meet jack at a party because he had texted me that he needed me. due to it being past midnight almost every time he'd text, it was obvious what he needed me for. but still, this is really out of my element.

it's not that I'm introverted or anything like that; I actually quite enjoy parties. but it just has to be with the right people, people that you vibe with. and preferably involve a large amount of alcohol. but only one of these options is occurring tonight.

to make matters worse, I'm not just going to a party, but I'm meeting ethan there and have to act like I'm interested in him. which is going to be very hard to do considering I already know he's just trying to get in my pants and isn't a decent person in the least.

but I have to do it. and if it's not believable then I'm screwed because he'll do whatever it takes to ruin me.

there's a knock at my bedroom door, and I lift my head from where I'm currently laying on my bed. the door opens without me even responding, and my mom walks inside still dressed in her pantsuit from work. I sigh and fall back onto my bed.

"yes, mom?" I ask as I stare up at the ceiling, wondering what she wants from me. she comes to the foot of my bed and pulls my blanket off of me, leaving me cold. "hey, what the hell?"

"your friends are downstairs." she crosses her arms and meets my eyes. "what's this about a party you're going to?"

I finally bring myself to sit up, rubbing my hands over my face from feeling out of it. "yeah, um, we're just gonna go hang out at this party for a little bit." I say it in as monotone a voice I can to make it seem like it's not a big deal and therefore she shouldn't worry.

she shakes her head at me, shifting her weight onto one leg. "you can't just make plans and assume you have permission to go. you never even asked me?"

I let out a long sigh, "it's just a party. being that I'm turning eighteen in a few months, I thought it'd be okay for me to go without asking my mommy." I can't help the slight tinge of attitude in my words, but she really needs to loosen the leash she has on me a bit more.

"just because you're turning eighteen doesn't mean you get to do whatever you please. you're still living under my roof and aren't in the slightest bit capable of making your own decisions." her eyes are hard on mine. "I don't even know anything about this party. I need to know where it is you're going."

"know anything like what?" I say as I pull the blanket back over my legs, feeling too chilly. she looks at me skeptically, and I already know the interrogation is about to start.

"like, where is it?"

"madison grove."

"who's going?"

"I don't know, people from school."

"will parents be around?"

"I don't know."

"will there be alcohol?"

I give her a look that says really? "mom, it's a high school party. of course there'll be alcohol." while this might not help my case, lying will only dig me into a deeper hole. "anyway, that doesn't mean I'm going to drink any."

ironic, I ended up lying to her anyway.

"drugs?"

I groan, tired of all the questions already. "mom, I don't know, it's not like I did a background check on this place! there's only so much I can tell you, can't you just trust I'll be okay?"