10. Let’s Play
ten
Let’s Play
Onyx: 2024
F ifteen minutes later, I haul my ass down the driveway to meet Zoey, expecting to find her waiting in a car.
Jumping when she stands from the curb. “The hell,” I gasp, ready to punch a bitch.
She laughs, proud of herself for scaring the piss out of me. “You good? Need to change your panties?” she teases.
Flipping her off. “Am I driving?” I ask, already searching for my keys.
She grabs my arm, pulling me with her. “We’re walking.”
Stopping dead in my tracks. “Are you immune to the cold? Cause I’m not,” I question, already starting to shiver.
Rolling her eyes. “Don’t be a baby. It’s forty-five degrees,” she huffs, lacing her arm with mine. “It’s not far, queenie. I promise you won’t freeze,” she jokes, pulling me along beside her.
I’ve never claimed to be Mensa material. But she’s got me walking towards a house across the cul-de-sac.
She could’ve just said…
“Wait,” I grumble, forcing her to stop again. “Why are we suddenly walking towards trees? Aren’t we going to one of these houses?” I ask, motioning to them on either side of us.
She’s really pissing me off with all this laughing. “We’re going through the pine trees.” Pointing at the small patch of green needles between the houses. “It’s a shortcut. Promise.” She winks, already moving.
Facts! I’m not into nature. I hate bugs. And birds are the devil, swooping at your face. Hi, I’m Onyx, and I don’t give a shit if we’re compatible because dating apps suck too! Thanks for reading my bio!
Against my better judgment, I follow her through the trees, biting my tongue, holding in my curses.
Thank Christ, at least I wore a toboggan, which at the time was to cover my bedhead. I never would’ve imagined it would be protecting me from spiders.
We break through the trees, coming out beside a sidewalk. She turns right, leading us down a hill.
“Why does this damn town require so much cardio?” I whine loudly at her back. I swear I’ve been relocated from flat land to hill heaven. My legs are screaming their hate louder with each step.
At the bottom of the hill, she turns, ready to cross the road. “Ta-da,” she jokes, waving to the house across the street from us like she magically made it appear.
“Unless there are Lucky Charms in that house, your magic sucks,” I deadpan, suddenly getting the munchies.
I might have pre-gamed, finishing the rest of the joint I tucked away earlier. Which might have been the reason I was late meeting her.
There are snacks at parties… right?
She leads us up the long walkway towards the two-story white house. From what I can tell, the porch wraps around the entire thing, littered with outdoor chairs and loveseats. Every light in the place is on.
“Do city girls party?” she asks before we reach the steps.
“Not in the sticks ,” I grimace. “If you’re lucky enough to get a hookup, we go to clubs.”
“A hookup?” she questions, staring at me like I’ve got three boobs.
Rolling my eyes. “Not that hookup. A fake. An ID,” I explain, watching as she laughs, shaking her head.
“We’ll start with house parties. You’re not ready for the sticks,” she jokes seriously.
Bass rattles the glass, and I have to wonder if the windows will crack before the end of the night. Inside, I’m struck by the smell of spilled beer, sweat, and regret — so much for the munchies. It’s like we’ve walked onto the set of Home Alone . That's how my brain processes the layout inside the house.
A crowd gathers in the room to our left, sweaty bodies smooshed together, bouncing around to music thumping out of speakers I can’t see. It’s basically a homemade club for rich kids.
Wonder where the furniture went?
My eyes flair as we move a little deeper into the house and fall on the room to our right, almost giving me an instant eye twitch. I’m not a prude. I mean, I licked a guy's licorice in a crowded club, but at least it was dark, and there weren't a trillion eyes watching me.
Scratch the itch when it hits without an audience!
Secondhand embarrassment creeps up my spine, clogging my throat as my eyes slowly return to normal. I’m gonna guess this chick’s a cheerleader, not the Victoria Angel she’s trying to be. Would she strut like that in a Target thong? I wonder, watching a guy scoop her up, laying her on what I assume is a dining room table.
“Body shots!” he yells, hands cupped around his mouth.
Since the time Zoey pulled me into this scene, which hasn’t been long. I’ve noticed several phones recording and flashing. Something taps at my brain…
Social and half a brain, perfect alibi — where have I heard…
My head swivels around, almost breaking my neck, when Zoey pulls the sleeve of my flannel, motioning for me to follow her down the hall. It spills us into a brightly lit kitchen, making me blink. She saunters over, checking out the random bottles of liquor littering the island. I’m more interested in spying on the two separate crowds gathered around some tables, shouting. It doesn’t take me long to deduce they’re playing pong once I see a white ball ricochet across the room.
So this is what small-town parties look like…
Naked chaos and playing with bouncing balls. Life’s mysteries are solved, whatever.
“Here,” Zoey calls over the noise, shoving a red plastic cup at me.
Peeking inside before sniffing it. “What is it?”
“Bitch in the Sticks.” She smirks, pulling her cell phone from her back pocket.
We stand alone, her scrolling, me watching a guy shit-talk his opponent. Out of nowhere, I notice her nod towards the French doors, expecting me to follow her.
She stops by the railing on the deck. Wind swirls around us, shocking the little bit of belly my crop tank isn’t covering under my flannel.
Glad I chose the jeans with only a couple of rips.
Stalking her stare, I see something glowing in the far corner of the yard by a row of trees. She charges down the steps before I’ve processed what we’re looking at. This lunatic is on a mission, leaving me and my short legs in the dust.
Update: speed walkers are tricky bitches!
Suddenly, she stops, and I almost run into her back, forcing me to quickly side-step to the right to dodge her. Finally, now that we’re closer, I can see a fire glowing in the center of a circular gravel area. Several chairs surround it, filled with bodies I can barely distinguish from the shadows cast by the crackling flames.
“Zoey?” A guy's voice echoes in the darkness as he shoves what I assume is a girl's body from his lap.
“Oof,” the body grunts, landing hard on the rocks.
He rushes from his chair, almost tipping it backward, and kind of trips over the flailing body on the ground. I watch as he charges towards us, and I step back right before he stops in front of her.
“I told you to keep your ass at home,” he barks in her face, putting on a show for the spectators.
Crossing her arms defensively. “ Annnd , I told you to stay away from skanks,” she hisses, standing her ground.
The drink she concocted burns my throat as my eyes bounce from the shouting love doves to the drunken mess crawling around the gravel like a baby deer trying to figure out its legs.
“She fell on my lap before you showed up. Was I supposed to throw her in the fire?” I hear him lamely start to argue.
“You mean, she fell on your dick,” Zoey corrects obnoxiously, calling him out like a champ. I have to admit I’m proud of her. She glances around the fire. “Maybe I should find a dick to fall —”
He snatches her arm, dragging her towards the row of trees. “Shut the fuck up,” I hear him bark.
She twists around, walking backward, shouting at me over his shoulder, “Don’t you move an inch,” she orders.
I quickly flash her the peace sign, letting her know I heard her. Then continue sipping the shitty drink, wondering the whole time what kind of funky ass drama she’s pulled me into. I’m not used to the girl-power-unite thing because I’ve always held the power while others trip over themselves to unite.
I’m for damn sure not a relationship counselor. Especially when you add in the fact that I’ve never had my own relationship. I avoid that shit like a piece of chewed gum on the sidewalk. Me and sticky don’t mesh.
Once the lovies are out of sight, away from prying ears, I turn my attention to the crackling fire, moving a little closer, hoping to steal a little of its warmth. I ignore the baby deer still shuffling around in the rocks, devoting my attention to scanning the shadowed faces across the fire.
A breeze floats in, rustling the leaves, causing a round of tingly static to rush over my skin. My spine stiffens, adrenaline shocking my system, setting off warning bells. Everything close to me fades away when my eyes focus on the row of trees in the distance. An eerie sensation of being watched overtakes me, covering me in a layer of clammy sweat. Sucking in a deep breath, trying to gather my sanity, until I notice my shadow’s been erased by another.
Before I can move, beer and mint tickle my nose. “Strike two,” he rasps beside my ear, something hard tracing the seam of my jeans over my ass.
“Who are you?” a girl sneers. Her nasally voice instantly grates over my nerves.
Her proximity and the way she touches him awakens an ember deep in my soul. My insides smolder as my eyes trail over her. She’s the complete opposite of me. Her blonde ringlets smoothed neatly into a high ponytail trailing down her back.
She’s the light to my dark.
He stands by, silently challenging me. Too bad he doesn’t scare me in the slightest. If anything, their presence is pissing me off. I refuse to cause a scene, which is what guys like him crave the most. Instead, I taunt them, raising a brow as I sip my drink, waiting to see which of them bow to the queen first.
“Since you’re obviously new, I’ll give you a pass. He’s off limits,” she sneers drunkenly, glaring at me like I’m worse than yesterday’s leftovers.
I bite my bottom lip, holding in the laughter exploding inside me. If only he were off limits, wouldn’t that make my life so much more enjoyable? Actually, scratch that; this bitch is about to realize I’m far from new.
Let’s play…
From the corner of my eye, I notice two guys standing near the fire, eavesdropping on matters that don’t concern them.
I smile sweetly at the adoring couple in front of me, watching her snuggle into his side. Vex’s brows scrunch just before I turn, strolling over to the strangers.
My back burns from his molten stare when I stop in front of one of them, yanking the guy by his shirt. Our lips collide, and the guy grunts in shock. His hand finds me quickly, sliding up my back urging me closer.
I end the awful kiss, smiling up at the wide-eyed stranger. “Hi.”
“Vex!” I hear her nasally voice shout behind me.
“Touch her again, and I’ll rip off your fucking skin,” he warns the guy from behind me, roughly jerking me away by the arm.
“What the fuck, Vex?” Little Miss Sunshine whines loudly, rushing over to us.
His evil stare fixated on me, ignoring her. “Oops, guess I tripped,” I chuckle, finding his angry face humorous.
Miss Sunshine rips his hand from my arm, and I almost spit the drink I’ve just taken. Her anger has to be the cutest thing I’ve seen in days.
Suddenly, Zoey storms from the trees. The douchebag hot on her tail, shouting, “Go home, Zoe. Stay out of shit that doesn’t concern you!”
“Let’s go,” she growls, storming past me.
I casually shrug at the angry bitch in front of me. “Guess I’m leaving. Take care of your boy,” I tease, raising my middle finger at Vex’s brooding face, giggling as I turn to leave.
“He’s mine, bitch,” she shouts.
Full-blown laughter hits me. “Totally,” I shout back over my shoulder between fits of laughter.