Five: The Party

              I had been right, the room stunk of cigarettes and they had attempted to cover up the smell with perfume and I noticed they’d opened a window. She had a large room with a four poster bed dominating it. The walls were a bright pink. I felt like I’d just walked into the most stereotypical, sexist version of a girl’s room. Teenage heart throbs smiled at me from her wall and make up cluttered the large dressing table. Rachel was putting blusher on her already perfect face while looking into a mirror. She was wearing a devil, red, leather skirt and a black corset. I hoped that the outfit Alice had packed for me covered a bit more skin.

              I searched around the room looking for my outfit. Lying on the bed across the room from me was a black rah-rah skirt and a tight black, halter neck top. Beside the bed were three pair of high heels, a red stiletto pair, a black pair with two straps with a spindly heel, and a shiny set of black heels- they all looked like death traps to me and I could only imagine, the amount of pain I would be in tonight.

              It turned out that I did need their help to get ready, the halter neck was tricky to tie and Alice insisted that I changed my hair, she curled my hair slightly and refused to listen when I told her that the curls would drop out before the end of the night. Also the heels I was forced into were higher than I had assumed. Whilst I was learning to walk in them Alice and Rachel were finishing off their look. They sat me down and practically smothered me in make up. I didn’t have perfect skin, but it wasn’t bad either, I had dark brown lashes that were neither long nor short. By the time the first few people arrived I fitted in perfectly next to Rachel and Alice. I had become a clone. Joyful, joyful. We stayed upstairs for another half hour: they claimed that the party “hadn’t started yet”.

              I wobbled down the stairs after Alice and Rachel and recognised a few of the faces I saw. I followed Alice into the kitchen but quickly wish I hadn’t. Rob was wearing jeans, a white shirt and a black tie hanging loosely around his neck- he looked effortlessly good, but he knew it- he was standing in the corner surrounded by a group of girls, some even looked the same age as Ben.

              He looked away from a girl laughing too hard at something he’d said, and met my eyes. He winked at me, I grimaced and turned, walking away quickly, a little bit too quickly.

              I collapsed into the person standing behind me. I flushed pink and apologised quickly but when I looked up at the person I‘d falling into, I realised it was Rose. I mumbled sorry again but she knocked me back and having already unstable balance I fell again. I landed on the cold kitchen floor and narrowly missed hitting my head on the fridge behind me. My face blushed an even darker shade. Rose stood laughing hysterically at me.

              I looked around the room knowing no one was going to help me, but it still hurt when I was proved right. I glared at each face but especially at Rob, he was the only one in the room who knew me personally.

              I was about to get myself up, when someone grabbed my hand and pulled. I was ready to thank the kind stranger when I realised who it was- Ben. He let his arm slide around my waist, I tried to wriggle away, but the more I tried, the harder he held on to me.

              I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He half carried me out of the kitchen and towards the living room. I realised now that he had changed into jeans and a dark blue shirt. I tried to walk by myself but when I leant on my foot it seemed that I had twisted my ankle. The pain shoot around my foot so I took the pressure off and tried to hop awkwardly, while simultaneously trying to get less body contact with Ben.

              When we were in the front room I saw Alice holding a cup, obviously not filled with a fizzy drink, and talking to a group of guys. She smiled sweetly and twisted her hair, her flirting tactics were so obvious it was embarrassing to watch. However, they seemed to be working because a guy hung his arm over her shoulders and they starting leaning towards each other. I looked away sharply. I knew I didn’t want to see my baby cousin doing what she was about to. It’s her business. It’s her business. It’s her business.

              Ben tried to pull me onto the make shift dance floor. I mumbled about my sore ankle and went to sit down on the sofa. He gave up easily when he saw a group of girls hovering at the side of the dance floor motioning for him to come over.

              I sat down and looked around the room lazily. The girls were all dressed similar. I hadn’t been to a lot of party’s- none like this- but I’d never seen girls dressed like this. I was so involved in flashbacks of my past that I didn’t realise when someone sat down next to me. I was about to stand up and go to another seat when I realised who it was.

“Oh.” Was all I said. I was using all of my self control not to punch him right there. What the hell was he doing. Why didn‘t he bloody move, awkward twat.

“Hi,” Rob said shyly. His breath didn’t smell as strongly of alcohol as Ben’s but there was a hint of it there.

“I’m sorry.” He said. I could hear him grinding his teeth together. It was obvious how hard it was for him to apologise. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you were stupid. Or get caught up in Rose’s bitchiness. Or just leave you on the floor in there.” He motioned behind him in the direction of the kitchen.

“Okay” I said.

“Okay ‘you‘ve said it, now move‘, okay? Or okay ‘I forgive‘, okay?” He joked. I tried not to smile but failed. I was furious with myself.

“Do you want to dance?” He asked.

“I hurt my ankle.” I said, glad I had an excuse, I really was a hopeless dancer, no rhythm. As well as the fact that I didn‘t even want to dance with him, well not really.

“Don’t worry I’ll support you.” He said, I hesitated wondering how to say ‘no’ in a way that would get through. But before I could answer he had me standing up and was twirling me slowly.

              The bad rock song finished and a slow song took its place. A group moaned, but Ben was too busy kissing some girl to notice the change in song. The crowd thinned but some couples swayed slowly. I tried to sit down but Rob pulled me closer to him. We started to sway gently and awkwardly to the music.

              “Rob I really can’t dance” I complained. Out of out unnecessary politeness I left out and I don’t want to.

“You’re doing fine. Don’t worry. Just listen to the music and sway.” I started to try and move but I was completely out of time. He stifled a laugh. He pulled me closer to him so that our bodies were touching and he timidly put his hands on my waist.

“Look Rob I’m not just going to forgive you like that.” I said, trying to pull away.

“I said I was sorry.” He said and continued to hold my waist while I tried feebly to try and support myself on my busted ankle.

“Yeah but..” I tried to argue, to be honest the fight was leaving me, I sort of wanted to dance with him now. I swear if I wasn’t me, I would hate me so much right now.

“Just chill and dance. You think too much” He said.

              What he was saying was annoyingly truthful. I let him lift my arms up around his neck. The moment started to get less uncomfortable, our faces moved closer. I’m not sure whether it was awkward or sweet. But before I decided either way the song was over and he had sat me back down on the sofa. He sat down next to me. I watched Alice follow behind the guy who’d had his arm around her earlier on. She was about to walk up the stairs when I called out to her.

              “Alice what d’you think you’re doing?” I yelled over the bad guitar solo. I attempted to stand up but wobbled. Before I fell back down Rob was standing beside me and supporting me around my waist. He walked me over to Alice who had stopped momentarily.

“What?” She snapped, her breath hit me hard. Why was everyone drinking so much alcohol tonight?

“Where d’you think you’re going?” I demanded, suddenly realising the intensity of the closeness between Rob and myself. I tried to step sideways but my ankle gave way so I just leant back against Rob.

“Upstairs.” She answered, while the boy holding her hand kissed her shoulder, along her neck and back down again. She was fifteen. I had no words for how I felt. I wanted to throw up, hit this guy, slap Alice and drag her back home all at the same time.

              “Do you think you could detach yourself from the fifteen year old girl in front of you for five seconds while these girls talk?” Rob suddenly shouted. The volume was intensified by the sudden break in the music. The people nearest to us turned to watch.

“You got a problem?!” The boy demanded squaring up to the Rob. Rob leant me against Alice who needed as much support as I did, but for a completely different reason. Rob was the same height as the boy, even though this boy was only half an inch shorter than Ben.

              “Look Nick don’t make me beat you up in front of these pretty girls and all your mates. These guys all think you’re hard, do you really want me to prove them wrong?” Rob asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. Nick shrunk slightly but didn’t back off. Rob took a step back and looked at me.

“Do you want to go home?” He asked. I did, but I remembered that Alice and I had told Helen that we were staying over Rachel’s house.

“I can’t. We told Helen, Alice’s mum, that we were staying out.” I spoke with obvious resentment.

“Well you’re not staying here. Neither are you Alice, not with him.” He spat the last word at Nick, “I’ll take Andie outside then I’ll come and get you Alice. No matter where you are.”

              He shot a look at Nick who quickly disappeared into the crowd. Before I could see if Alice followed him, Rob was helping me stumble out of the house.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

              He leaned me against the windowsill of the bay window dominating the front of the house. He went back into the house. A few seconds later I heard someone come outside, assuming it was Rob, I looked up. Only to see it wasn’t Rob, in fact it was Nick. I ducked my head, hoping -praying- he wouldn’t see me. Nick pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from his back pocket.

“Alright, little miss uptight?” He said, lighting the cigarette hanging out his mouth.

“You realise she’s fifteen right?” I asked, disgusted to have to say it out loud.

“What’s your point?” He asked, blowing the smoke into my face as he spoke. I coughed up the unwelcome smoke while he laughed.

“My point is leave her alone.” I intended it to come out threateningly but Mark was walking towards me and it was making me uncomfortable so my voice was shaking too much to make a real impact.

              I wish Rob would hurry up. He was standing directly in front of me at his full height and was towering over me. He wrapped his arms around me and I pulled them off. He started stroking my hair and I pulled away. I was trapped against the window and suddenly his hands were everywhere.

“No. Stop…Nick stop it…I said no.”

“Come on. Don’t be like that.” He laughed at my feeble attempts to push him off.

“I said no Nick.”

He started to get angry. “You stopped me from hooking up with that cheap tart earlier on. You owe me.”

“I said no Nick.” I couldn’t even lift my hands up to stop him his body was pressed too tightly against mine. His hands were moving up my thigh pulling my skirt up. I tried to scream but my throat was dry, it felt like it was closing up. “No.” I begged almost inaudibly. He smirked and pressed his lips against mine forcefully, there was no room to struggle his lips had forced my head back and I was pressed against the window. I was trapped.

Author's Note

Feel free to leave any comments/questions/reviews :)
Thank you daydreamer54 for pointing out my mistake .. I changed Mark's name to Nick when reviewing the chapter (for some reason the name Nick just fitted more) and I must have missed that one.

Reviews

[Daydreamer54]

Wow, this chapter was really good, great cliff hanger! Can't wait for more!
He spat the last word at Mark-who's Mark? I thought the guy's name was Nick.