Illusive

Chapter Thirteen

I feel deafened as the music blares in my ears. We've been here for an hour and Gigi is nowhere to be seen. I sit next to the window on a couch next to a couple making out on the other end of the couch.

Everyone burned their books at the beginning of the party and it was actually pretty fun -- until it started to pour and everyone rushed back inside to drink and party. A cold can hits me in the chest as I catch a cold beer thrown at me by one of the guys walking by. I crack it open and take a sip.

An hour and a headache later, I've finished my first beer. I don't know if I'm fine, but I feel good. I can't help but feel upset and hurt that Gigi would ditch me so fast after inviting me. Stupid me, I should have known. Party girls like her don't hang around guys like me and guys like me don't get the party girl and don't ever win. I have to wait until I find some bookworm in a cafe when I'm in my late twenties before I can ever say I found love. I have to wait till I've tried different flavours of girls to realize that guys like me don't get to win no matter how much and how often I try.

I'm always taken advantage of. How didn't I notice before?

I stand up and my legs shake from below me. I look down at the empty can in my hand and it's bent with my fingers all around the cool metal of the beer can. My fingers quiver gently, as do my legs. I'm going to get another drink.

I slowly and awkwardly curve my shoulders around dancing people before I make my way to the kitchen. People mingle and pour out drinks, all probably very drunk and won't remember a word they said tomorrow.

I walk over to the kitchen island where heaps of beers all lay on the counter and in the sink which is filled with ice. An arm snakes around my waist, catching me by surprise. My neck snaps to the source and it falls on a small blonde girl, a small brunette appears on my opposite side.

"Big man, Atlas. How's Gigi?" The blonde one says with a drunken smirk.

"Is she good in bed?" The brunette one chimes in and they giggle. My patience slowly is beginning to wear thin with every moment I spend at this party.

I try to speak but I'm cut off again by high-pitched slurs, "I'm Courtney, and this is Veronica. But you can call us Court and Rennie."

"Look, we know that you totally love Gigi and that she loves you, but that can't happen. She's Jake's and you and her both know that very very well," The blondie, "Court" says.

"Jake would be so pissed if he knew Atlas was here. You really don't want to provoke him," The brunette says towards the blonde, ignoring my existence completely.

"Well, I'm going to go," I say lowly as I push her arm off my waist and replace that hand with a beer from the sink in front of me. I turn around and my feet begin to carry me out of a different door than I came in through but I'm stopped by hands pulling on my forearm. I turn back around.

"If all you're going to do is taunt me about Gigi, then I'm done," I raise my voice at them. Their eyes widen noticably.

"We just wanted to warn you about Jake," Blondie says quietly.

"We're sorry," The brunette adds on.

"Well I accept your apologies but I'm going now, I don't really care about what Jake thinks," I tell them and break my arm out of their reach and follow where I was trying to go before.

I sip my beer and go around the corner. The hallway light is turned on and the carpet stairs are empty.

"No! I told you I don't -- No!" A familiar voice of a girl rings up the stairs. I lean around the banister and peek up the stairs. Blonde curls bounce as I see the silhouettes aggressively fight for power. I rest my freshly-opened beer at the bottom of the stairs.

I make my way up the stairs and I stop in the middle, "What's going on up here?"

The movement stops and the figures move down the stairs. Jake stands above me on the stairs with Gigi in tow, his hand locked around her wrist and mascara and tear lines streaked across and down her face.

"Mr. Young," He chuckles, "Here to save the day again, I assume?"

"Well you're clearly doing something she doesn't want you to do and I don't stand for that," I tell him as my heart beats in my ears.

"It's almost like you're her boyfriend or something -- oh wait, that's me. You're swimming in something that's none of your business, kid. You best be getting a move on before I help you with that," He threatens.

"Look, I care about Gigi. You need to leave her alone if she doesn't want to be with you," I say to him as my hands lightly tremble.

"Look, I was caring about your safety but now you're making me upset," He steps towards me.

"Atlas, just leave," Gigi whispers quietly as she looks at the ground. My stomach feels like it drops further than it realistically could have. I look up at her and her curls cover her face, she slowly looks up.

Our eyes meet and my heart feels like it shatters, like dropping a ceramic plate onto a rock, a sharp rock. I feel the hurt through my eyes as our glances stayed locked and I look away. All of the hurt swells and churns inside me and I feel upset. Physically and mentally.

"So I think it would be best if you were to leave now because we have some business to get back to," Jake says slyly.

I ball my fist and punch him in the face as I turn back around and swing at him. He groans and holds his face before punching me back and he pushes my shoulders firmly. I close my eyes and I feel the sharp edges of every step of the stairs dig into me and damage different parts of my body as I tumble.

At the bottom I get out of my curled up position and groan. I open my posture and open my eyes to see a massive crowd at the bottom of the stairs.

Tears instantly well in my eyes and I look to the top of the stairs as Jake brings Gigi up the stairs by her wrist, her noticeably tired footsteps follow him before tears cloud my eyes. I instantly stand up and swipe my beer from off the ground. People make a path for me as I angrily push through anyone in my way.

I furiously rip open the front door and slam it behind me, startling the drunk smokers on the front porch. I tilt the beer upside down and pour it aimlessly into my mouth and throw the can away.

I grab my car keys out of the pocket of my shorts and unlock the doors as I furiously walk towards. I hop in my truck and turn on my car, on my way to the only arms I can call home.