Not Your Baby ║ Billy Hargrove

Chapter Five

Jess had definitely outdone herself on this one. As soon as we opened the door, the house reeked of sweat and beer, with the temperature increasing inside by almost 50 degrees. There must have been hundreds of people here. The grand staircase was host to at least forty of them, all wasted and singing along to Don't Stop Me by Queen. The smell of teen spirit filled my nostrils, making me forget all about what was in the field only a few minutes prior. Nancy and I held hands as we pushed our way through school juniors and seniors, making our way to the kitchen to drown ourselves in whatever punch was made for the occasion.

"Jess!" Nancy squealed as the mayor's daughter perched herself on the marble island of the kitchen. What was probably a warm, inviting kitchen now was splattered with red alcoholic punch, staining the hardwood floors and the granite island in which Jess sat herself with her drink in hand. She noticed Nancy and immediately jumped down, almost falling flat on her face if it wasn't for her quarterback boyfriend, Tyler, who caught her mid-stumble. She let out a few hiccups, heavily wasted, before giving both myself and Nancy big, smelly hugs.

"You guys made it!" she hiccuped in between words. "There's a ton of punch, and a ton of vodka in it!" she threw her arm over Tyler, who was helping her stand at this point.

"You got it!" I replied with a big smile as Nancy and I made our way over to the gallon-sized glass containers holding what was the equivalent of a tranquilizer's amount of alcohol in each container. We each filled up a red solo cup before chinking and chugging the cup. Each letting out a "let's get wasted"-type scream, we filled it up once more and began to drink. Four cups and two shots of tequila in, Nancy and I were feeling pretty great.

"I'm going to find Jonathan!" Nancy screamed through the loud music and yelling. I waved Nancy goodbye as she suddenly became lost within the sea of people.

I lost sight of what number drink I was on as I made my way around the house, running into friends from all throughout school. I made my way upstairs where I found an overcrowded office that was more than definitely ruined by spilled drinks and overturned documents. Josh Turnell and Stacey Wilkins were also among some of those partying in a room that should have been locked before the party begun. 

Josh's dad and my dad were incredibly close. They met at Hawkins Financial Firm and have been inseparable since. He also used to have the biggest crush on me in 5th grade. Rumor has it, I drastically turned him down because he didn't pay for my ice cream at the middle school dance.

Stacey and I met at the pool. She had the same swimming instructor as me when we were only eight or nine. I used the envy how good she was at swimming, so I made it my personal goal to be as good as her. Now, co-captain of the Cheer team with a lovely 4.0 GPA, Stacey is everyone's competition. Despite being a perfectionist, she is one of the kindest people I have ever met.

I made my way into the room and hugged them both before dancing with them to the blaring music. Josh laughed as he twirled myself and Stacey in both hands. The motion of going in circles made me more dizzy and nauseous than I had assumed, causing me to stumble backwards and try to regain my feet.

"I'll be outside!" I shouted, "It's disgustingly hot in here!" I fanned myself with my hand I waved to my friends before stumbling out of the room.

After what felt like an eternity searching for the entrance to the backyard, I tipsily entered the outside portion of her home. The French doors on the first floor opened up to a circle, cobblestone patio. It overlooked an Olympic-sized swimming pool and of course there were a couple dozen in the pool and destroying all furniture in sight. I propped myself up against the cinderblock décor of what looked to be a lion and fumbled around in my purse for what I hoped was a spare cigarette. It was my coping mechanism for calming myself down in stressful situations. Between the alcohol, the heat of inside, and that looming feeling that something was staring at us back at the car, I needed it- needless to say. 

The crisp air was incredibly refreshing opposed to being inside. I adjusted my feet and propped on sneaker atop the other as I rested my back against the statue. Looking up, I found what looked like green vines adorning the side of the house. They rustled with the air as they tossed and turned, almost shining in the light of the moon. I took a few deep breaths in as I tried to center my thoughts and body again. My face curled into a wide smile as the nicotine hit my system, streamlining my focus. My grin quickly faded as my head turned to the sound of music and yelling seemingly getting louder and louder as it approached the French doors I had just exited.

Suddenly, the doors burst wide open, music screeching out to the open air. People left and right poured outside, as if a water balloon had just popped and they were the water, gushing out with unstoppable force. I quickly stumbled up as my intoxicated personal space was seconds from being invaded. The crowd suddenly formed a circle a few feet in front of me, with what looked to be a beer keg rapidly approaching the center.

And then I saw him.