Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Teddy
I’ve looked forward to this day all week long.
I’ve never been to a mansion party before, only ever heard of them because, honestly, it’s a rich kid thing.
I really don’t know what to expect, but I anticipate tons of people and tons of alcohol.
What more could you ask for? I tell this to Liam as he smokes a whole blunt to the head.
“I don’t really like people.” He shrugs. “And I have alcohol here.” I roll my eyes, but I know it’s true. He would much rather sit in silence for eternity; he doesn’t deal with people well. I hope no one starts shit with him tonight, I just want to have a good time and leave.
“Well, don’t talk to anyone then, except me of course.
Talk to me.” I laugh. I see the bus coming, and I point it out to him.
He puts the blunt out and slips the remainder of it into his pack of cigarettes.
We find seats on the bus, and Liam’s hand lands on my thigh.
It rests there possessively for the duration of the ride.
It’s a long trip from the poor side of town to the rich side, but eventually we get to our stop.
We get on our boards and skate until we hear the thrumming bass of music coming from behind some trees.
Anticipation swirls in my gut as we approach, skating past the cars lined down the street.
They’re everywhere—parked on the sidewalk and even in the grass next to it.
I can’t even imagine the shitshow it’ll be when all these people decide to leave the party because most of the cars are blocked in.
We weave through people and vehicles, and a thrill shoots through me.
This seems like the biggest party I’ve ever been to.
We pick up our boards and when we reach the long winding driveway, which seems to be where mostly everyone is, I’m surprised by how many of them I recognize.
From what I can tell, people from both sides of the tracks are here.
High school kids, college students, and even people who look too old to be at this party, but then I remember that Mad is at least thirty.
To the left of the driveway is a large pond with fountains in the middle and a makeshift stage has been set up behind the dock, so people are gathered all around the pond dancing and jumping around.
Weed smoke fills the air and basically everyone is getting drunk or doing drugs.
I just saw a guy snorting a line of something off of a girl’s back.
“Holy shit,” I gape.
“Holy shit is right.” Liam nods. We haven’t even made it to the mansion yet and this place is going crazy. A hand lands on my shoulder and I come to an abrupt halt.
“Hey, man! Teddy, right? You wanna do a beer bong?” a random guy—whose name I can’t remember—asks excitedly. I glance at Liam who just shrugs.
“Sure, why not.” I smile and follow him to where a circle of people has gathered around with one purpose—to chug beer.
I watch as a girl finishes up her beer bong like a champ, without gagging or anything, just a loud burp.
“Hell yeah!” I yell and give her a fist bump as she swipes her other hand across her mouth.
“Teddy’s up next!” someone says. How does everyone know my name?
I know I’m outgoing and get around to a lot of parties and shit, but I never feel like I make an impression on anyone.
I’m ushered forward and given a tube that’s connected to a large funnel.
The guy who offered me the beer bong is holding it up for me and pours the whole beer into the funnel.
I turn the valve and put the tube on my lips just in time for the beer to rush into my mouth.
I guzzle it down in like three seconds with ease, and my eyes automatically search for Liam.
He’s standing there with a proud smirk on his face, big arms crossed in front of his chest.
He grabs my arm and pulls me toward him. I slam into his chest, and he kisses me hard. “Throat GOAT,” he says.
“Throat what?” I ask confusedly. What the fuck does that even mean? A laugh bursts from him and it makes me smile. I like to think I can remember every time I’ve made him laugh.
“GOAT means greatest of all time, T, and you are definitely the throat GOAT.”
My cheeks redden and I shove his shoulder. “Shut up!”
He only laughs louder, and my dick starts to fill with heat as all the blowjobs I’ve given him flash through my head.
We stick around this group, and they keep thrusting beers into my hand every time I finish one and before I know it, I am definitely fucking drunk.
My vision swims and Liam’s hard edges look very soft, and I can’t help but keep touching him.
He lets me cling to him and run my hand across his skin whenever I want to—which is often.
“I think we should go find Mad and let him know we’re here,” I whisper-yell into his ear.
I want to see him before I get too fucked up, and I think we’ve been here for at least an hour now.
If I had to guess, I’d say he’s probably in the actual mansion or over by the stage.
I can’t see him mingling too much out here. So I grab Liam’s hand and lead the way.
As my eyes scan the crowd—just in case—I see all kinds of crazy shit going on.
One girl is sitting in the grass while someone is in front of her with light up gloves; he spins his fingers in her face forming all sorts of intricate patterns.
She’s probably on some type of hallucinogen, so I know it looks magnificent to her.
Pretty sure I’ve seen a few people literally fucking in the shadows by the woods. I think I’d fuck Liam in the woods too, if I’m being honest with myself.
We manage to make it to the mansion without being stopped too many times.
I look around and see Mad sitting on some outdoor patio furniture surrounded by his usual entourage of people, but there’s caution tape blocking us off from going over there.
“Mad!” I yell and wave my hand. His head perks up, and he motions us over as he comes to meet us.
We step over the tape, and I give him a bear hug.
“I didn’t know if you guys would actually make it,” he muses.
“Teddy’s very persuasive,” Liam says from my side. “This is a pretty serious fucking party, man.” It’s nice to see Liam talking to Mad like a normal person when I know he harbors some level of resentment for him. I appreciate it, because I truly do care for Mad.
Mad launches into a long explanation of all of the planning that went into it and how he paid some rich kid to use his parents’ mansion for the night.
It’s a little troubling because something gives me the feeling that said parents aren’t aware of the massive banger of a party happening on their property right now.
I take in Mad’s expression, and he doesn’t seem as excited as I thought he would be.
“Is everything okay? You don’t look like you’re having a good time,” I ask him.
He sighs and looks out beyond the stage, across the pond, to where most of the people are. “I’m fine. I just feel like all this shit isn’t as fun as it used to be. I just don’t get the same thrill anymore, and things that used to excite me just seem fucking annoying now.”
Liam speaks up from beside me, “I feel that, actually. Starting to think this isn’t my crowd anymore.
I mean I get the appeal, but it just doesn’t appeal to me like it used to.
I’d rather grind hard at work and make moves to give me and Teddy a better future.
This shit seems like a waste of time. No offense.
” My heart flutters in my chest at his words.
I don’t know why it surprises me after everything, but it still does. Maybe it always will.
Mad chuckles. “None taken. I’m just glad you got your head right. Teddy deserves the world, you know.” And now they’re talking about me like I’m not here.
“And I’ve always given it to him.”
Mad gives him an assessing look as if he’s measuring the truth in his words.
He says something, but I lose my focus a bit.
A wave of nausea rocks through me; I feel it building from my stomach to my throat.
I dry heave a few times, but it passes, and when I lift my hand to my forehead, it feels weird.
It looks farther away than it should, and a trail follows it.
Did someone drug me? No, don’t think like that.
Someone probably thought they were doing me a favor and slipped a tab of LSD into my drink.
It feels like LSD for sure. Most people know I love hallucinogenic drugs—well, I used to. I haven’t done them in a while now.
I guess Liam has started to change me for the better. I realize that I haven’t even considered taking any drugs throughout this whole party. Usually, I would’ve been blasted through the roof by now.
Okay, I need to get serious. I’d be hesitant to take acid at a party this big, there’s way too much opportunity for shit to go wrong, and the last thing I want is a bad acid trip.
I need to go somewhere relaxing and calm.
Liam and Mad are deep in conversation so I wander to the side of the mansion where I find a brilliant blue pool.
It’s changing colors and I’m guessing that’s from pool lights and not the acid.
I think. I eye the pool testily before laying down on the ground next to it.
There’s a lot of people gathered around here, jumping into the water and climbing out.
Doing pool things. A lot of topless women.
Titties everywhere. Women’s bodies truly are beautiful; I can’t even believe that they make more humans beneath the skin on their bellies.
I cringe internally. Okay, maybe don’t think about that, Teddy.
I turn my gaze to the sky, that’s always safe.
I could look at the stars forever and ever.
Someone jumps into the water near me and a bit of water splashes on my legs.
It’s a strange sensation—the way the cold water feels against my hot skin, tickling my leg hairs.
My breathing is labored as if I can feel the weight of the sky against my chest. I’m breathing in the atmosphere.
Are there stars in my lungs? I think I can feel them twinkling in my chest.
A tall dark form appears above me. After focusing my gaze on it, I realize it’s Liam. His mouth his set in a hard line. I don’t think he’s very happy.
“Baby,” I say or at least I think I do, I’m not sure if I heard myself say the actual word or not.
Maybe, I only thought it, but I beckon him down with my hands.
They don’t even feel attached to my body, so I’m surprised they cooperated.
He sits down on the ground next to me, and it makes me happy.
I know he’d rather not get his jeans dirty like this, but he would do anything for me.
“Are you okay? Why’d you wander off?” he asks. “Remember when we said we’d stick by each other all night?”
“Someone dosed me with acid,” I murmur. “I didn’t know, they must’ve slipped it in a beer or something. All I know is I’m tripping hard, and I didn’t take drugs from anyone.” My words sound breathy and weird, changing octaves and speeding up and slowing down.
“Are you fucking serious? Someone dosed you without asking? I think I remember most of the people we talked to. I’m gonna figure it out, angel. Don’t worry,” he bites out.
“No, it’s fine. They probably thought they were doing me a favor. I’m sure that’s what they thought. Just be calm, I don’t want to have a bad trip,” I respond softly, barely a whisper. “Just stay here with me and tell me nice things.”
I hear his decadent sounding laugh from a distance or it could be right next to my ear, I can’t be sure.
I feel something tickle my face and I open my eyes.
When did I close them? He’s laid down next to me and is hovering his face over mine.
His dreads graze my cheeks, and it feels like a full body sensation.
“You look so beautiful like this, fully relaxed on the ground when hundreds of people are milling around partying. Do you want to hear a story?” he asks, and his voice wraps around me like the snuggliest blanket ever.
He’s so close our noses nearly touch when I nod my head excitedly.
“It starts off kind of sad, but there’s beauty in small beginnings.
It has a happy ending.” He presses his lips to my forehead and electricity shoots from the spot into my brain.
“Two poor boys living in the same hotel met outside one day. They looked very different from the outside—one small, one tall. The taller one took one look at him and decided he was his. He’d be his person forever.
” When he pauses to land another kiss on my cheek, I gasp.
“You’re a good storyteller,” I rasp. He kisses my other cheek and every time he does, it seems like all the air is sucked out of me.
The background noise seems to grow louder, and Liam notices it too.
He lifts his head up, and a chill freezes my skin.
I watch the expression on his face turn confused and then annoyed.
Liam grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet, but they feel like jelly.
“Come on, I’m gonna take you to Mad. I’ve got to go check on something,” he says.
I shrug, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder, leading me to the patio where I see Mad.
A smile spreads across my face and I plop down next to Mad.
My depth perception is way off the mark.
Liam whispers something to Mad and walks away in a hurry.
“What’s going on?” I ask him. Things are happening way too fast suddenly. It seems like people are becoming more frantic. I think there’s way more people here now, but I can’t be sure. They kind of all blend and morph into each other.
“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” he reassures me, and hands me a bottle of water.