One of us is lonely

Chapter 6

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IF THERE WAS ONE THING SOUTHSIDERS LOVED TO DO, it was throwing a party. And not the type Red was used to attending on the North. No cheap beer and cigarettes. No card games and boys in ripped jeans shorts. Instead, there was champagne and expensive liquor. There were live bands and indoor pools. And what both sides of the city's parties had in common was underage drinking and horny teens. Two days after the rather sophisticated party at Mira's house, Ares Blythe decided to celebrate his return. His parents had left for the weekend on some kind of work trip so he had the house to himself and he was about to show the entire city that he was still the same reckless kid as when he had left. The level of sophistication was clearly lower than the one at the Stokes household. The Blythe's owned a mansion right on the beach. It was this gorgeous Italian-style house, complete with columns and palm trees. But while the seniors were out, Blythe junior threw the party of the year. Not one soul on the Southside would want to miss it, yet Finn had to drag his little sister with him. Obviously, Red had no interest in going to a party of the guy she stole from but Finn had decided to break his silent treatment to force her to go. It had taken him half a day, three phone calls to Mira, and eventually the help of Jake to get her into something different than her usual oversized hoodie and jeans shorts. She threw on a black skirt that had buttons all the way down and a little black crop top to go with it. Once Finn had made a comment about how it might be a little inappropriate and Jake in return had told her she looked hot, she'd decided that it was the perfect thing to wear. She finished up her look with one of PJ's snapbacks and they were good to go.

As they walked into the Blythe Mansion Red was greeted by the smell of sweaty teens and a mixture of alcohol. It was clear that this party was a lot different from the one Mira's folks had thrown. For starters: there were no parents in sight. And aside from that everyone had dressed as their sluttiest selves. Girls pranced around in short skirts and bikinis and the boys ran after them with their shirts off. Almost immediately someone had pushed some kind of alcoholic beverage into her hand and Red didn't really ask a lot of questions. It wasn't her first Southside party and probably not her last. She knew that as long as she stayed away from the guys that offered her some snow, she was probably good. So, she followed Finn and Jake into the main area of the house where half of the Southside was showing off their dance moves. 

"If it isn't my favorite siblings." A pair of arms wrapped around Red's shoulders, the soft voice of Mira slurring in her ear. Red turned around with a soft smile on her lips. The blonde girl in front of her was dressed in a classy emerald green pantsuit, but instead of a shirt she just wore a black lace bralette underneath it. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and a pair of golden hoops finished her look. She looked stunning, but then again Mira always seemed to resemble a Greek Goddess. She scanned Red up and down, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. "I'm gonna get you a man tonight, babe." 

"Really, Mira, I'd rather you not." When it came to boyfriends Mira shared the same beliefs as Red's mother and whenever a party occurred, she'd get this intense need to play matchmaker. Not just for her, Finn often fell victim to her crazy, drunk shenanigans too. Mira pouted at her, taking a big gulp from her drink, and Red followed her example. She downed the bitter liquid in one go. 

"I'm gonna get another drink," she announced. "You guys want anything?" 

"Nah, I'm good." Jake laughed, referring to his still full glass of - what Red guessed - was white wine. She shrugged and turned around, disappearing into the mob of sweaty, dancing teens.  

The bar was one straight from a 20's movie. Complete with leather couches and gold finishes, it looked more like a speakeasy than a normal bar. Hell, there even was a bartender, neatly dressed in a tuxedo. Red had to stand on her tiptoes to lean over the bar as she asked the bartender for a Mojito. She wondered how much Ares had paid him to give alcohol to minors the entire night long. The guy didn't even think twice to check her age. Instead, he just nodded his head and poured her a drink. She thanked him as he placed the crystal glass in front of her and with a laugh she thought back to parties on the North. A crystal glass was the last thing you'd see there. It was either a plastic cup or straight from the bottle.