Seven #2
I stiffened under his touch but tried to seem relaxed while under the gaze of maybe three dozen people, half of whom I didn’t even recognize.
The thumping of the bass rattled the walls and shook the ground below me.
I jumped slightly at the unfamiliar feeling.
I hated parties. Looking around, I tried to make out the details of the room.
The main lights were dim, faintly illuminated by some sort of colorful alternating flashes of blue, green, purple, and red that reflected off the weathered oak-stained panels lining the walls.
The furniture was sparse, but the most eye-catching part of the living room was the black leather sofa featuring several couples who really needed to think about making an OnlyFans or getting a fucking room.
Two black speakers that loomed over my head were on either side of a flat-screen TV.
I covered my ears as they blared the nauseating music that was causing my teeth to rattle.
An outpouring of light shone from the left side of the house, where the kitchen opened up, resembling a white abyss.
On the opposite side of the room was a curved staircase that led to God only knows what other questionable activities were being performed behind closed doors on the second floor.
One thing was for sure: no matter where my eyes searched, there wasn’t one inch of the house that was devoid of people. It was more crowded than any party I had ever been to. Suddenly, the house that looked so big on the outside felt so small. Wait , were those college students? Holy fu—
“Clarke!” Meredith ran over to me, smiling brightly. “There you are! I was looking for you!”
I clutched Meredith’s arm, pulling her to the side, desperate to get away from Ryan’s starving gaze.
“And I was looking for you . Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“Ohhhhh. I think it’s died…or dead. My bad.”
Meredith’s eyes looked everywhere except my own. Her face was slightly flushed, and her words were slurred.
“Are you drunk?” I asked in disbelief. “When did you even get here? Why didn’t you text me?”
She yanked her arm out of my grasp. “What are you? My mom? I’m fine, Clarke. Go have a drink or s-sumthin…loosen up.”
Her body swayed as she glared at me. As if swooping in to rescue her, Mason prowled over and snaked his left arm around her waist while handing her a beer with the other.
Her eyes flickered with delight, and without hesitation, she offered a flirty “thank you” while tilting her chin to the sky and downing several large gulps.
“Meredith, take it easy.”
She flung her head forward, clutching the can of alcohol in her hand. “And if I don’t?”
“Why are you being so difficult right now? I’m just trying to look out for y—”
“No. Fuck you, Clarke. You think you control me because you’re the cheer captain?
Well, guess what? You can’t. So just leave me alone, mmkayy?
” She turned to leave, but I grabbed her upper arm before she could get two steps in.
Digging her nails into my wrist, she pushed my hand away.
“You would be nothing without me, and don’t you fucking forget it. ”
“I’ll take good care of her, Clarke. Don’t you worry your pretty little head,” Mason drawled as his words came out slower than usual.
The heat flooded my face as I watched Meredith grip Mason by the collar of his shirt and drag him into another room, their silhouettes bleeding into the darkness.
I rubbed my arm, wincing at the pain.
Ugh . I hated girl code. No matter how much I wanted to go home and sleep, I couldn’t leave Meredith here alone surrounded by nothing but fuck boys.
All I wanted was to slip away into a quiet corner and lose myself in a bottle of something strong enough to dull the pain.
With a sigh, I navigated through the crowd, dodging and weaving to avoid the press of overheated bodies.
A sharp ringing buzzed in my ears as bodies swayed and crashed together, moving wildly—jumping, grinding, lost in the pulsing beat.
“Clarke?”
“Camryn?”
I swallowed a gasp as she hurried over, wrapping me in a tight hug. Summoning my strength, I forced a broad smile, concealing the unease creeping in. No matter how much I wanted to be alone, I needed to socialize. That was the whole point of tonight.
“I’m so happy you’re here!” She gleamed, flashing every tooth in her mouth. “It’s brutal being a freshman at a high school party, ya know? I barely know anyone.”
“Where’s the rest of the team?”
“Just drooling over random guys with half a brain cell. I haven’t seen Mer, though. Do you know where she is?”
I raised my eyebrow. “Drooling over some guy with half a brain cell.”
“Are we the only ones who aren’t actively trying to have sex with someone tonight?”
“Yep.”
“Figures. What about Kendra?”
“Made up some lame excuse about not being able to come.” And now I’m thinking that I should’ve done the same.
“I’m honestly surprised you came, especially with all the drama with you and Ryan. I didn’t even know you guys were a thing until I got here. It’s all anyone is talking about. Everyone says you two were the perfect couple,” she said with a frown. “Sorry, it didn’t work out.”
More like, too bad it didn’t end sooner. “Destined to fail just like almost all high school romances.”
“I’m just glad you’re here. Nice to see a familiar face.”
I laughed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “I never miss a good party.”
“Hell yeah!” she squealed. “Let’s dance!”
Camryn grabbed my arm, and in an instant, we were swallowed by the crowd, moving to the rhythm of the music.
I swayed my hips as she twirled me in a circle, our laughter blending with the chorus of voices around us.
Closing my eyes, I tuned into the pulse of the bass vibrating beneath my feet as we jumped around without a care.
Doechii faded into Kendrick Lamar, then shifted to SZA.
But the next voice I heard wasn’t a singer or a rapper—it was Ryan, yanking me out of the mindless haze I had built for myself.
“Wanna dance?”
“I don’t think—”
“Yes, she does.” Camryn nudged me with her elbow.
Ryan curled his lip, giving her a sly wink. “Come on…just one song.”
I shot Camryn a desperate look, hoping she’d pick up on my silent plea for help.
She didn’t. I sighed and grabbed Ryan’s outstretched hand as he pulled me to the other side of the room.
Looking down at my feet, I trudged behind him, shoulders deflated.
Apathy clouded my vision, rolling in like an unshakable fog.
My face remained neutral as the light faded from my eyes.
I guess Camryn hadn’t heard about the reason why Ryan and I broke up, because who in their right mind would push someone back to their cheating ex? I wanted to punch her in the face. But, of course, that wasn’t very Prom Queen-like, so I didn’t.
I reflexively tensed as Ryan gripped my waist with his hands.
The mid-thigh blue skirt I chose suddenly felt way too short.
I tugged at the fabric, attempting to stretch it out.
Even my top, which covered everything except my arms, made me feel too exposed.
Ryan’s gaze roamed over me with intense desire.
“I promise I won’t bite, Clarke. Just relax.”
“Let’s just dance, so I can be done with this already.”
“Oh, come on. You can’t pretend like you don’t still have feelings for me.” He grabbed my hips, pulling me toward him.
Trying not to draw any unwanted attention, I discreetly but forcefully pushed his arm away.
“Don’t touch me,” I growled. “You want to dance? Fine. But we’re not talking.”
He smirked. “Say no more.”
His hands were all over me. My waist, my hips, my ass. I was so caught off guard that I didn’t notice his face leaning closer until our lips brushed. It lasted only a split second, but that second stretched endlessly in the worst possible way. His lips were rough, eager.
My breath hitched.
I felt like the same stupid girl I had been when I dated him last year.
I struck him across the cheek, stumbling backward in the process.
He palmed his face, eyes wide with shock.
My stomach was in knots. When he lowered his hand, a red spot was burned on his skin.
If only I could’ve aimed a little lower… a lot lower .
“Don’t you dare touch me you fucking perv!”
“Perv?” He coughed out a dry laugh. “You’re eighteen, Clarke, so when are you going to grow up?”
“You’re one to talk.” I pulled my shirt, stretching it along my torso.
“You’re probably like the only senior in the entire grade who hasn’t hooked up with anyone yet. Even Meredith is probably fucking Mason right now.”
My jaw tensed, teeth grinding together.
Meredith was a big girl. She could do whatever the hell she wanted to. She made that much clear earlier tonight—I wasn’t her mom. Ugh. I needed a drink. More than that, I needed to get away from Ryan.
“If you’re so goddamn horny, God gave you two perfectly good hands to use, so have at it.”
I shoved him aside and headed for the kitchen.
Thankfully, he didn’t follow. Leaning against the island counter, I scanned the spread of food laid out before me.
Without much thought, I threw back a few cups of mystery alcohol and grabbed a handful of barbecue chips.
The kitchen was almost painfully bright.
Whether it was the overhead lighting or the stress of being here, a headache was already creeping in.
I took another swig of my drink—tart, not my usual choice, but tonight, I’d make an exception.
A loud burst of laughter erupted from the main room, and a group of guys spilled into the kitchen.
My head swam. Whoa. What the hell was in that drink?
I steadied myself against the counter, pulling out my phone and pretending to scroll through Instagram, all while quietly listening in on their conversation.
“What are you gonna do after you graduate?”