the 2:43 a.m. thoughts

the 2:43 a.m. first encounter

Aria lost Marilyn in the crowds of the many people flooding the small, quaint house. It boogles Aria's mind why somebody would have a party in a small house and then invite thousands of people with the promise of alcohol and sex. Aria definitely wasn't into these types of parties, but Eva came here and she didn't want to come here all by herself.

Aria was half way out of the house and Marilyn asked her where she was going. So, now here she was all alone, while Eva took Grayson home. Apparently, she was coming back to pick Aria and Marilyn up after she situates Grayson and gets him to fall asleep. He was really drunk and Aria knew that Eva didn't want him to drive home, or even walk. That was like signing a death wish. Marilyn was most likely at some corner in the house, talking to Ryder, convincing him to leave.

To be honest, Aria wanted to get the hell away from here. Some guys had started to pull out cocaine and some girls had started to strip. This is was too extreme for her, or for anybody who was still in high school. Sighing, she turned the corner and sat on the back porch, very few kids out in the fenced backyard. 

Marilyn better have convinces Ryder in five minutes because Aria was planning to walk the twenty miles back home. 

Then, Aria heard it. 

The sirens. 

Shooting up, Aria knew well enough that Marilyn would get away in time, especially with Ryder with her. The real problem was how was she going to get away from here? Even though, she didn't do anything, she was still at the party, the smell attached to her clothes. 

Reaching the fence, she saw flashlights peering into the back yard, ducking Aria walked to the side, her fears catching up to her. Holding her breathe, she heard the gate open and cops asked for who was there.

Closing her eyes, Aria contemplated running across the yard and out the opposite side, cutting through the thick crowd of people. She could hear screams and the protest of teens all over the block. Trying to calm her breathing, she felt someone yank her towards the ground, a hand covering her mouth. 

Opening her eyes, she gasped at the sight of Colton. The last person who would save anyone, except himself. Little did she know that even he couldn't save himself. 

"Keep quiet, you can leave after the cars do," all she did was nod. Her eyes still wide. Colton sighed and sat down on the floor, pulling out a bottle of beer from behind him. 

That was the first time Aria ever talked to Colton, but after that day she couldn't get the idea of him out of her head.