My Purgatory Hell

Chapter 4

"Good parties create a temporary youthfulness."

- Mason Cooley

When the door clicked closed behind Hayley, I took the time to check out the bedroom. The room had a gender-neutral theme to it--the bed was nicely made and everything was immaculate. There was a light-colored bookshelf alongside the opposite wall of the door. Taking a closer look, I noticed the books were alphabetized, seeming to be of the classics or mystery genre from a glance at some of the titles. Some of the bindings looked very worn, indicating much use of their owners.

Dragging my eyes away from the books, I changed into the black dress Hayley had taken out for me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the image I was about to see. When I opened my eyes, I saw myself in the tall mirror attached to a shorter dresser. The black dress hung snug in certain areas, but the dress made me look more attractive. Turning, I checked out both my sides and back. I tugged at the hem of the dress in an attempt to lengthen it, but it was a hopeless gesture. The dress slid back to the length it was. I unzipped the makeup bag Hayley had given me and applied minimal makeup to satisfy the both of us. Once I was done with the eye liner and mascara, I put the makeup back in the bag and zipped the bag up. I tossed the makeup bag on top of my friend's duffel bag just as a knock sounded at the door.

"You almost done in there?" Hayley asked loudly. I went to the door and opened it up. My best friend pushed past me and in the direction of the door in the corner. The door closed behind her and I heard the sound of her relieving her bladder. "Thanks!" Hayley called out.

I waited in silence for Hayley to get out of the bathroom. "You good?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow as she closed the bathroom door behind her and a look of relief on her face.

Hayley nodded in exaggeration. "Yes, I just had to pee really bad." I had to contain myself from laughing at Hayley's reaction. There was a long pause as my best friend stopped to eye me up and down. "Dang, girl! You look hot!" Hayley complimented with widened eyes.

I could feel my cheeks heat from her comment. "Thanks," I mumbled.

"You ready to party hard?" Hayley questioned as she herded us out of the bedroom, closing it behind us, not bothering to wait for a response. 

Was I ready? This was my first actual party, and I wasn't counting kid's birthday parties and baby showers. I was referring to a party that was just for people around my age. I nodded to Hayley's question, my nerves on superdrive, and she led me to where the heart of the party was.

This party was kind of what I expected from watching a variety of movies and television shows. There were small groups of people with red solo cups in their hands all milling around in groups. In the corner of the room, a radio blasted loudly, and a bunch of semi-drunk people were dancing sloppy and very close to each other. Feeling uncomfortable, I averted my eyes from the group who seemed to be all over eachother. The aversion took my eyes straight to where Corwin was chatting with a bunch of guys. When I caught his attention, Corwin gave me a smile and a wave. This action of his made my heart flutter. I smiled and waved back, but seemed to regret the action as soon as I did it, for it made me feel like the annoying little sidekick.

Corwin finished up his conversation with the group of guys surrounding him, and then he made his way over to where Hayley and I stood. "Having fun?" he asked us.

Hayley was energetic in her response. She nodded and responded with an enthused yes.

Corwin gave Hayley a brief smile before he turned to focus his attention on me. "What about you, Maribell?" What about me? The question took a moment longer than it should have to process in my sluggish brain, and I haven't even started to drink.