Truth, Lies, and the Space Inbetween

Chapter One

Copyright notice 2014. All material written within belongs to Allrayas. All rights reserved.

The loud, pounding beat that can be heard streets over draws my best friend and I towards the house party. Aubree tosses her long, very platinum blonde hair over her shoulder as we walk, our heels clicking against the sidewalk. My wavy hair is not as blonde as Bree's; more of a natural golden colour than her almost white dead-straight locks.

She's wearing a baby blue spaghetti strap crop top that matches her eyes and stops at the end of her ribs. There a couple of inches of skin visible before her fitted white mini skirt starts. The fitted skirt emphasises her petite frame, and the visible skin shows off her summer tan. As we walk, I adjust the sweetheart neckline of my fitted mid-thigh black dress, that is shaped to emphasise my curves, and straighten the rose pendant hanging from my neck. My black heels have two thick straps enclosing my foot, and a thinner strap around my ankle. We both carry small clutches - White and black, respectively.

The door of the house the party is being hosted at is slightly ajar, so we take this as an invitation to enter.

It's the end of summer break: we've just come back from vacationing in the Bahamas with Aubree's parents - mine had been in the Alps teaching my little brother to ski, so I'd opted for staying with the Price family.

Being back in town the Friday before school starts, Bree and I decided to hit up a house party a town over we'd heard about, rather than one in our town where the people were all too familiar.

Crashing parties and sneaking into clubs had become our pastime lately. Fake IDs were really not that hard to come by, and we rarely needed them as we charmed our way in most places. House parties were more casual, full of cheap beer and excitable teens, but honestly, I had missed the humorous 'sophistication' people our age tried to pull off. In reality, the place always ended up trashed.

This particular house party was well on its way to the dump - red cups covered every surface, some spilling their contents in sticky puddles. Couples clogged the hallways, trying to become a single person rather than two, and all available rooms were obviously already occupied. A group of boys were cheering another on as they poured beer down his throat through a funnel, and another group were playing beer pong on a table tennis table. The kitchen was reasonably clean, and the drinks appeared to not have run out just yet. The lounge area was a writhing mass of bodies moving to the thumping music blasting out of the series of speakers situated around the room.

Aubree and I grinned at each other and headed towards the 'dance floor'.

"Text me when you're ready to go and I'll meet you back at my car", I say, already searching the crowd for a possible fling tonight. Bree smirks at me and nods. As I'm about to walk away, Bree speaks up.

"Hey Peyton! Have fun tonight." She winks at me and I laugh.

"You too Bree."

Wandering into the kitchen, I help myself to a drink and lean against a wall, surveying the partygoers. Scantily clad girls throw themselves at the boy population, and I remember that the nearest school is separated into two – girls and boys. It explains the reckless abandon with which most people here were searching for a partner. Smirking to myself, I sip at the warm beer before my eye catches at the beer pong table.