Cindy: A Highschool Cinderella

Chapter Five

“Yo, Jeremy!” somebody called out from the crowd in the McKing’s gigantic living room. “Hey, man. This is a rocking party you’ve got here.” Carlos Rodriguez, the editor of the school paper, told Jeremy as he approached him.

Jeremy thanked him with a smile and a nod. Of course his party will be a rocking one, he spent a lot of money for it. He hired a DJ, got loads and loads of snacks and drinks (no alcohol as much as possible) and different creepy Halloween decorations. Not those cheep fake bugs and cheap-looking fake cobwebs but dry ice in cauldrons and hand-shaped ice on the drinks and ‘blood’ dripped white candles and so much more that his house looks like one of those haunted horror houses in theme parks. All thanks to those Martha Stewart special Halloween episodes.

Jeremy actually has no idea why he threw this huge party. Of course his parents didn’t mind since they’re in LA but he still doesn’t have a specific reason why he threw this party. Well, maybe because his friends forced him to throw it or maybe because he hasn’t thrown a party since sophomore year, which was just last year. But whatever that is he doesn’t care anymore.

His friends also suggested that it should be a costume and masquerade party and he went for something not a lot of people expect from one of the most popular guys in his school: an angel.

Well, a masculine angel that is. He hasn’t seen anybody wearing something ‘good’. All that he’s seen tonight were devils and witches and naughty policewomen or pirates but nothing ‘good’. He was actually thinking of going shirtless, showing off his abs and muscles but he thought better of it. People will probably think of him as someone who seeks for attention so instead of going shirtless he wore a white v-neck, white jeans, white Vans and angel wings. His bestfriend, Michael Philips, thought it was ridiculous.

“Dude, you really want to wear that?” he asked while trying not to laugh. Michael was actually wearing all black. He said he was a Shadowhunter from the Mortal Instruments, which he has been a fan of for a long time but only Jeremy knows.

“Yeah, why, do I look ridiculous?” Jeremy asked.

“Nah, you actually look cool.” Michael answered but Jeremy knew better. When Michael asks something while trying not to laugh that means that he doesn’t want to tell you something but he really wants to. Either way, Jeremy still went for the angel.

All of Jeremy’s friends were here and Jeremy’s friends’ friends and party crashers from the neighborhood. Even if there were a lot of hot and slutty girls in his living room right now he didn’t really feel like talking to them. He was looking for somebody but he wasn’t really sure who.

“Hey, Jeremy,” Hayley Hart said with a flirty look on her face. Hayley’s got to be one of the hottest girls in their school and probably one of the meanest, too. “Hey, why so lonely Jeremy?”

“I’m not lonely, I’m bored,” Jeremy replied. He was holding a glass of red punch and he could taste the alcohol in it. Somebody totally spiked it. But who cares?

“Well if you’re bored then let’s dance,” Hayley dragged Jeremy to dance. He’s gotta admit, Hayley’s a hot dancer. She danced around him still with that flirtatious smirk and sometimes reaching out her hand to touch his chest. Jeremy tried his best not to look awkward so he just looked at her and swayed, not danced, to the beat. Fortunately for Jeremy Mackenzie, Hayley’s sister, dragged her away from the dance floor gushing about some hot guy who goes to a different school.

“Not now, Kenzie,” Hayley said.

“But you really have to see him.” Mackenzie pleaded.

“I’ll see him later,” Hayley said, the irritation in her voice was obvious but Mackenzie didn’t notice.

“Just come with me, it’ll be really quick,” and with that the sisters were pushing past the crowded living room to the backyard. Jeremy didn’t know what to do so he just went back to the snacks table and got more of the red punch. When he tasted it, it’s even got more alcohol now than awhile ago. He didn’t want to be a buzzkill and kick out the one who’s spiking his drinks but there were a lot of minors at the party so he really had to, he didn’t want to be responsible for drunk sixteen-year-olds.

 So he set out for his new mission: to find the punch spiker. He first went to the backyard where he found a bigger crowd. He looked for Hayley first in case she drags him again for another awkward dance number. He finally saw her with her sister chatting with a tanned guy with brown tousled hair. Jeremy figured that he’ll keep her busy so he went to the opposite direction of where Hayley is.

In a corner where there was a bench, he saw Michael making a red haired girl laugh. Michael has always been a ladies’ man. He even charmed math teacher into buying him a cupcake back in second grade.

“Dude,” Jeremy said as he approached them.

“Oh hey, Jeremy. I’m pretty sure you two haven’t met. This is Emma,” he said as he motioned to the red haired girl. “Emma this is Jeremy.”

“Hey,” Emma said with a wave.

“Hey. Dude, there’s somebody spiking my punch. Seen anyone suspicious?” Jeremy said.

“Suspicious? Jeremy, this is a Halloween party. Everybody’s suspicious.”

Jeremy had to admit that everybody did look suspicious with their masks and costumes. So he left Emma and Michael and went back inside, still trying to avoid Hayley. He went towards the snacks table, grabbed the punch bowl and dropped the contents in the kitchen sink. He didn’t have any punch left so he just grabbed cans of non-alcoholic Cali from his refrigerator and brought it to the snacks table.

 And that’s when he saw her. That’s when he stopped in his tracks and just took in the beauty of the angel in front of him.