Starbright (Ashley Purdy)

I Am Mads

Mentioning of drug use and sex. 

He was the first person I saw. 

Kenzi stood beside me, smiling as a man handed her a red plastic cup with a dark liquid inside of it. Every time the front door opened a cold burst of wind would drift in and up my skirt, goose bumps rising on my thin legs. I wasn't comfortable in the dress Kenzi had forced me into; it was too Kenzi for me to wear yet she said it was the only appropriate thing to wear to a party like this one.

The man asked Kenzi questions that I found no interest in. Instead, I focused on the man on a table top, no shirt, many tattoos, and a full bottle of Brandy in hand. A busty red head danced beside him, a sultry look on her face as he pulled her closer. It was obvious he was drunk beyond comprehension yet no one stopped him as he disgustingly made out with her. 

He reminded me of Kenzi. 

"Mads," Kenzi pressed her shoulder onto my bare one. I blinked out of my staring, eyes burning from not blinking for so long, and I glanced over to see her and the stranger staring expectantly at me. "He asked if you knew Ashley."

"Who?"

The stranger chuckled in a way that was supposed to come off as alluring but made me cringe, "Guess not. That's Ashley Purdy. He's in some big rock band, Black Veil Brides?" He said it like I should know the name but I simply stared blankly at him. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Anyway, yeah. He's a heavy partier, sleeps with practically every girl in here."

"Really?" Kenzi asked, cocking her head to the side, dark eyes focused on the man. 

"I heard that his girlfriend died a couple months back," The stranger added unnecessarily. "Probably trying to get over her."

Ashley was too busy clawing at the girl's thigh to notice the attention on him. The stranger tried to get Kenzi's attention again but she was off, gaze never wavering from Ashley. I stood in the same spot, hands clasped in front of me, watching as Kenzi got onto the table and tapped the red head on the shoulder. The girl and Ashley parted, looking at Kenzi, who simply smirked and bent forward, wrapping her lips around the red head's. The party goers whooped with joy at some girl on girl action but I swallowed nervously, ripping my eyes off of the duo to focus on something else.

I didn't like to see Kenzi at her worse. 

The stranger turned to me, his mouth open to speak, yet one look at me and he turned in the opposite direction. I ignored his blatant rejection and looked for a silent place to sit. The stairs to the right of the living room were surprisingly barren so I situated myself halfway up, crossing my legs and toying with my fabric bracelet. I never liked parties to begin with since all there was was shitty music, disgusting drinks, and hormonal people. Especially as I grew older, it seemed less appealing then ever.

"Should we stop him?" A voice asked beside me, standing beneath the stairs. 

"He looks like he's having fun." Another voice, female, muttered.

"Looks, Alison. Looks."

I peeked over the banister to see a couple standing close together, looking slightly alike with their pointed features. Other than that, they shared no resemblance, with the man having black hair and the girl blonde. The girl had her gaze focused on Ashley, biting her pierced bottom lip. Ashley was sitting on the couch now, Kenzi and the redhead on either side of him, having to reach across him to kiss each other. He stared up at them, his hand trailing up their backside in a sexual way. 

"If we're not going to do anything, we have to leave. It's almost midnight." Alison said to the man.

He sighed, "He'll be safe. Let's go."