Limelight Tonight

The Party

           It is an understatement to say that the car ride to the party is unpleasant. The girls are chattering so much that it looked like they are best friends. But it is the opposite for the boys. They do not say one word to each other during entire ride. The dates notice it but shrug it off, thinking they are probably tired from their final concert.

"So, Bella. Do you like partying?" Corbyn asks Ysabelle. "Because if you don't, you will probably be shocked once we arrive there," he adds, not breaking eye contact with the girl.

His dark and sparkling brown eyes are the definition of hypnotic. Looking at it for too long will make anyone lost. However, that is just a part of his beautiful face. The oculars are complemented with chiseled features that no contour can do justice—his platinum hair with streaks of brown in some parts of it. Of course, the smile. His smile can light up the world of any Limelight.

"I'm not fond of it exactly. Especially if I don't know anyone there," the girl answers truthfully and embarrassingly.

The man chuckles, dropping his long arm to the girl's shoulder and pats it lightly.

"Don't worry. You know me, right? And you know the band and their dates," he reassured her, flashing another million-dollar smile. Ysabelle just nods, still unsure on what she got herself into.

"We're here!" Jack sings, and everyone leaves the vehicle quickly. Being the gentlemen that they are, they offer their arms to their plus ones and walk inside the mansion like celebrities. Photographers are outside the house, getting every angle of the people as possible.

"Just smile and wave. You look beautiful so don't worry. The pictures will come out amazing," Corbyn coos to his date. The woman takes the advice and smile as if everyone waited hours to see her. But it doesn't matter. She is THE Corbyn Besson's date.

As they enter, everything screams 'crazy'. So much for an 'intimate' celebration. The lad is right. Ysabelle is shocked by what she sees.

LED lights are flashing red, green, and white light streaks all over the living room. The dance floor is crowded, leaving no space for anyone who would want to show off their dance moves later. The stench of the place is mixed with alcohol, cigarettes smokes, and body sweats. Red cups are scattered around the area with some alcohol or puke in it. The music is vibrating the four corners of the house with an Usher song. Lastly, a few people are pairing with each other, either dry humping or are already half-naked with hickeys. It is not even a house party. It is like the club is moved to the mansion.

Lost in her thoughts, Ysabelle has trouble to process what is in front of her. This is not her environment. Scared and anxious, she accidentally grips Corbyn's arm too tightly. He grins.

"Don't worry. This is going to be fun! Why don't you talk to the other girl and I'll get you something to drink," he insists, leaving her and everyone else alone.

"Where are they?" Jonah's date asked, a tall, petite girl with short blonde hair.

"I don't know. Have they really left us? We don't even know anyone here," Zach's date shouts, a brunette with grey contacts, trying to fight the loudspeaker around them. She fails.

Daniel's date scans the room with narrow eyes, tiptoeing and looking for a place to sit down. She motions the others to follow her, heading to the front yard of the house. There are still people, but it is less suffocating than being inside.

"I cannot believe this. I only wanted to come because I thought I will be spending time with Jack and Gabriella. Guess this was just for publicity," one of the dates mumbles, looking down at the ground with head hanging low.

Everyone waits for what seemed like forever. The party has died down a bit, but everyone is still jumping and dancing like the world is ending. There is still no trace of Why Don't We. After an hour of not seeing the idols, the quintet decides to leave the place to grab some coffee and reminisce about the worst party they ever attended.

"C'mon. I know a Starbucks shop outside the village. Let's go there," Ysabelle initiates. Everyone nods and follows her lead. Their cars are just outside the mansion that were brought by the company's staff.

The dates stand up from the ground, removing any grass on their pants and shorts from sitting and starts to jog to the enormous black gates. However, a commotion begins to unravel.

Everyone is silent. The booming sound of the party stops. The only thing echoing in the place are inaudible shouts and bellows, their voices being familiar. The photographers outside turn their cameras on to capture any part of the erupting brawl.

"What the fuck Jonah! Why were you fucking in my bedroom?! You really are a piece of shit!" Corbyn's voice fills the mansion; his once enthusiastic tone becomes low and loud. The two men goes to the front lawn, their eyes screaming with hatred and anger.

"Really Corbyn? Don't act all saint here. At least I went to a room. Are you forgetting that you were also fucking Christina earlier in our shared bathroom? At least lock the door, dude," Jonah's taunting voice replies, chuckling as he grabs Tate's left arm harshly.

"You will not be fucking disrespecting my girlfriend, asshole," Corbyn roars and throws a strong punch to his bandmate's face.

Gasps escape Ysabelle's lips. She knows the band curses. But it never came to mind how they can fight in front of a crowd. People are now shrieking, mortified at what they are seeing. Flashes are seen as the photographers are documenting the fight like a boxing match.

"STOP IT NOW!" Jon shouts, quickly putting himself between Corbyn and Jonah, but it is too late. The boys are already on the ground, the blonde one on top and punching his foe's face multiple times before stopping.

Jack and Zach scrambles to the lawn as well, shock to see their friends tackling each other. They help in stopping them, but instead of hitting Corbyn, Jonah accidentally punches Zach. As an instinct, he attacks too and hurt Jack in the process. Everything goes from a simple fight to an actual clash. Punches are swinging left and right, everyone just watching. No one dares to stop the men, for it will likely cause them a bruise.

Christina comes and holds her boyfriend's fist before throwing another blow on Jonah. When he halts, Tate came rushing to her love's defense, cradling his head and pressing a towel on the man's bleeding nose and lips. Kay and Gabriella pull their boyfriends aside as well, checking for any cuts and damage on their bodies.

"Bravo idiots. You just ruined this party," Daniel comes from the front door, two girls clinging on his arms. His eyes go big, shocked to see the photographers are still outside late at night, clicking their cameras away. He is about to turn around, but he knows that the damage has been done. Another round of flashes explodes.

Security starts rushing in, pushing some photographers who are already on

the lawn and the dates in the process. No one resists as they feet the concrete ground on their shoes, indicating they are outside again.

Everyone starts talking. But not the girls. They are still stunned at what they saw. The tension is evident between the band, but they did not take notice.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Ysabelle asks Jonah's date that was beside. They are walking towards their cars, still wanting to go to their coffee hangout.

The girl lifts her shoulders up and down, not sure of what to say. "I hope so. But they will not be okay tomorrow once the morning news come up about that fight."

Ysabelle becomes silent once more, pondering about the incident. She knows that Why Don't We is never perfect. There will always be quarrels and misunderstandings. They are humans. They feel emotions too. But once she saw the daggers from Corbyn and Jonah's eyes, she realizes the anger within them runs deep.

She just hopes her date is okay. But is that even an option for Corbyn?