Charming

All that I can tell you about the state of mind that I'm in, is that it's so peaceful. I can't seem to find any other word to describe it. I pay no attention to any details, however, that's not necessarily the best thing to do. You miss out.  I just know that I'm outside and enjoying the weather. The sun beating down on my tan skin.Calming me down with every graceful ray. I'm not fearful. No worries, I'm just happy.

I start to notice the little things that make where I am so peaceful. The little drops of water on the dark, green grass I'm laying in. It's like I'm looking through a microscope when I look closely at the strips of grass and the dew that lies upon it.

I look to the surrounding trees. The way the golden leaves are waving and exposing the  green side to them as if the leaves are two different people. The green side being the calm one, the lull, and then slowly with time, the leaf adapts to the weather and it turns golden.

I'm not certain of what personality the golden person would be because it is the green leaf, still, just an adaptation of it. These are the things I think about as I lay here in the damp grass.

"Lainey! Again?!" I heard my mother's harsh voice in the distance behind me disturbing my tranquil mindset.

"Ugh, what?" I sigh to myself, knowing she wouldn't hear.

I hear the door slam against the door frame.

I must have fallen asleep on the lawn again. Yes...I know...who falls asleep on their lawn? I sometimes can't help it, it's so peaceful in my neighborhood.  If I were to live in the city of Pittsburgh, I wouldn't be allowed out after 9 P.M., let alone to be allowed to sleep on the front lawn.  Fortunately,  I live in  the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Our houses are fairly close together but It's just a nice neighborhood. I don't mind being next to another family.

I get up and check my light blue jeans for any grass stains. As I'm doing a stain check, I hear car doors slamming from the driveway next door. I see a couple stumble out of a moving truck. Their legs wiggling around like jelly. I can tell they were in that truck for quite some time. The wife was so much younger than the husband that it was hard for me to tell that they were married until I spotted a huge rock on her finger. I'm guessing she's in it for the money.

I thought maybe she was his daughter.  

Then what looks like to be their son steps out of a red car parked behind their moving truck.

He checks his phone.

That car was beautiful, I could say he was pretty beautiful too.

Almost half of his head was shaved off. Not too many guys my age can pull that off, they try but don't succeed. This guy right here...has succeeded.

His other half of hair was swept by the wind, it seemed. Light brown hair with a golden highlight in it. This golden highlight made his light brown eyes sparkle. I was too focused on his face. He must know that I'm staring.

I take a look at his car so that it's not so obvious. I'm not very good at determining the name or type of car. Am I supposed to be?

I find myself extremely focused on his car. Maybe a car says a lot about a person. If so, he's a major douchebag.

Just by looking at his car I know that they definitely can afford that place that's for sure.

'New neighbors...' I think to myself. I don't even recall the old neighbors moving out. My mom was friendly with the Petersons before they moved out. Not too friendly, otherwise I would've known about them moving out.

I love to analyze new people, so this should be fun for me to get to meet them.

The Petersons, are so filthy rich and I have no idea why they were even in Pittsburgh. They must have come to their senses and went to an even richer area. Good for them. I'm stuck here, though. I'm not complaining, if that's what it sounds like.

I like it here.

I hear all kinds of things dropping to the ground, sounds like plates or something expensive. I want to see what thousand dollar vase had been shattered all over their stone driveway. Cracks me up to see one thing broken that was so valued. Money-wise.

I notice the boy is about my age. I can tell he's struggling to hold up an already broken sculpture.

"Uhh, it looks like you need...help?" I stammered loud enough for him to hear.  It's hard to talk to cute boys.

"Thanks for the observation!" He yelled quickly as he tried to keep all of the pieces of the broken sculpture in his arms.

I run past the indent of my body painted in the grass to their stone driveway in less than ten seconds.

We lock eyes.

"Um, sorry, I'll help." I say as I gather large pieces that he had dropped.

"Thanks." He says looking over the leg of the giraffe sculpture.

I follow him into his house.

"Do you want me in your house? I mean..." I manage to ask after trying not to be too weird.

"Uh, I guess? I don't see why not?" He says looking back.

"I mean, It's not like I'm a complete stranger, or anything?" I say sarcastically.

"You're not a complete stranger. You're my neighbor, right?" He asks.

"Haha, Yeah. My name's Lainey Rayner." I say smiling.

"Ah, not such a ghetto name for such a ghetto girl." He smirks. "Anyways, My name is Donovan Laurens."

Excuse me. I really hope he's joking.

"Uhh, I'm not ghetto at all. Do you even know what ghetto is?" My tan skin was suddenly turning light red.

"Calm down a little, pumpkin. Haha, I'm just saying. I know you're not ghetto.You're black, right? It's just a little joke." He puts down the pieces and I imitate him.

"I'm half black, and half white," I say calmly. "I can handle jokes, but I am not ghetto."

"You obviously can't handle jokes, dear." He smiles holding in a laugh.

What a nice way to meet your neighbor. I throw down a piece of ceramic giraffe that I was still holding in my hands as I walk down their black, winding stairs.

"Hey! You need to pay for that!" He says.

I take out a dollar bill from my pocket and attempt to throw it at him. I know paper can't hurt someone, or even make it to someone standing a floor above you, but it was worth a shot. Dollar bills were worthless to me anyways, not just because of the fact that my family is well off, but because I know that I can get plenty more of them without asking. It's just handed to me. Well, I guess it is because my family is well off then...

I slam his front door shut and sprint to my house. His parents turn their attention from their phones to stare at me like I'm crazy. It doesn't feel so pleasing.  

I am so disappointed. The guy next door is a jerk. Maybe, just maybe, I can work with it though.

I walk into the green-person inspired living room where my mom and dad are cuddling on the sofa. This disgusts me. I'm glad they're together and all, it's just gross to me. I sit on the far end of the couch and join in on their movie morning. My parents are weird like that. Normally couples have movie nights, but no, my parents have to be odd and have movie mornings. They're so into the movie 'Titanic' It's not even funny.

"Could you guys just get on a ship, then sink it, then freeze in cold water already?!" I say with a smile and laugh.

"Only if you'd come with us!" My dad says with a hopeful smile.

My 11 year old brother, Danny, barges through the front door and looks straight to me.

"So...how was your date with the guy next door?" Danny sneers.

He's all dirty and sweaty from being outside with his friends riding bikes all morning.

He snatches the bowl of popcorn from my mom's lap and puts it into his own as he takes a seat next to me.

"Please, move. You smell like dog crap." I say trying to hold in a gag.

       "Nahh, I worked hard on achieving this exact smell just for you." Danny said laughing.

"What are you trying to do...get your sister to  lay on you and fall asleep?!" My mom said causing a huge wave of laughter with just herself.

"What?" Danny asks.

"Yeah, that's hilarious. So hilarious. Let's make fun of me because I like to get in touch with nature and sleep on the lawn." I say mockingly with rolled eyes.

Everyone but me laughs.

I didn't laugh. I jog out of the living room and up the stairs and into my room.

"She definitely can't handle a joke!" I hear my brother say as he walks up the stairs in my footsteps.

The little b*****d must have been following me at Donovan's.

I read books all day. Finishing a novel at the astonishingly incredible record of 2 hours.

After having a very exciting afternoon filled with literature, I give my life a little spice with romance. My mind wanders to Donovan. And just then I couldn't stop thinking about him no matter what I did.

I lay in my bed all comfy and warm. Just thinking about Donovan's perfect brown hair and perfectly shaped brown eyes that were placed perfectly above his perfect nose, ugh. Why am I thinking about this jerk? He's hot, but certainly not worth my time.

As time goes by with my thoughts flowing from one unimportant thing to another, I fall asleep.

Thump, click, crack. Those are the annoying sounds that woke me up at 12 A.M. Ugh.

I sit up and crane my neck to see that my window is cracked.

"Great..." I mumble aloud.

I look beyond the crack to see Donovan throwing pieces of the giraffe statue at my window.

I jump out of my bed and rush over to open my cracked window.

"Donovan! What are you doing!? Stop!" I whisper loudly. I'm trying not to wake my parents, or my annoying brother.

"Ahem, call me Don, I hate the name Donovan..." He whispers loudly to me, "Come out, oh, Princess Lanie, come out!"

"What are you the Prince?" I whisper.

"Yes."

"I'll be damned if I'm going to let someone be in a better position than me, based on sex." I say loudly.

" All I heard was sex." Don said cracking a smile.

"Well, I'm no princess, I'm the King. Thank you, Goodnight." I say as I roll my eyes and shut the window.

I turn around and jump into my bed.

A big part of the statue hit the window this time.

I get out of my bed and open the window angrily.

"You're really pissing the King off! I suggest you take your prince self to bed." I say loudly.

"Well, I'll be going to a party, your majesty. You should come." He said with a smile.

Me, at a party? I never go to parties. Sure, I get invited but I never go. Is he inviting me on a date?

"I know you're probably thinking this is me asking you on a date but, I'm not. I just have no friends in this part of town so..."

Oh.

"Well? I can't wait all night King Rayner." He said slyly.

"Sure, why not?"

I grab my favorite top and my best skinny jeans and put them on over my not-so-skinny body. I wouldn't say that I'm fat, but I'm not skinny either. I've gained a little weight since I last put these on.

I put my favorite shirt on to go in accordance with my pants.

It's a little too small.

I sigh loudly.

I then realized that nothing will ever be the same forever. It's the sad truth. And a shirt brought me to that realization.

I slip on my black converse and grab my cellphone. I head out of my bedroom to go downstairs.

I disable all the alarms and quietly walk out of my house shutting the front door behind me. I've never snuck out of the house before but it wasn't that hard.

He meets me at my front gate and guides me to his amazing red car. I still have no clue what kind of car it is but I don't care enough to ask.

"Isn't it weird that a King has to sneak out of his own castle?" He says. He opens the car door for me to step in.

"I guess." I say as I roll my eyes and shut the car door.

Don's door opens, and he takes a seat, starting the car and shutting the door. He looks over to me.

"Seatbelts...so we can be safe!" He grins and clicks his belt in.

I laugh and click mine in almost instantaneously.

"So what are we going to do at this party?"

"Teenage stuff."

He started driving super fast as if he needed to get to his destination in three minutes or less.

"Oh, sounds fun. May I ask what kind of stuff we, teenagers, do?"

"No." He answers.

Well, I feel awkward and out of place. He seems to know exactly what he's doing and I have absolutely no clue at all.

Someone's not in the mood to talk. I look at his perfectly chiseled face and I can tell he's in deep thought, I wonder what's going on in that clever mind of his. I bet he's thinking of some rude remark to say to me, or I'm over-thinking. I am a little nervous for this party.

He pulls up to this fancy hotel that even I can't get into.

"Um..." I stammer.

"I'm just picking up some friends, I'll be right back." He says as he shuts the door and walks up to the gold hotel doors.

Wow, he is so serious. It's weird to see this side of him. He went from jokingly sarcastic jerk, to serious grownup jerk.

I look around his car, in his glove compartment. Oh, its a Mercedes-Benz manual thingy. Nice to know. I shuffle some wrappers, bills, and magazines around and see a whole roll of condoms. I grab the roll to see what kind he has. 'Extra lubrication, double the pleasure.' I read silently. I laugh in the quietest way.

"Wow." I say putting them in the place I took them from, and shut the compartment fast when I notice some people coming back with him. Don walks confidently with a nice looking young man, who looks a bit older than Don. And next to that young man is a beautiful girl who looks like she lives in this hotel. She stops to fix her red lipstick. The guys don't seem to notice because they look so intrigued with whatever topic they're talking about. The girl fixes her black , laced, mini-dress and then hurries to catch up with the guys. She looks like a newborn deer in those heels.

They all walk up next to my side of the car and stop. I look straight forward.

Don knocks on my window with two curled fingers and looks in at me.

"Come out..." he says loudly with a grin.

I struggle to open the door. Why am I so nervous?!

"Uh, hello." I say quietly just barely making it out of the door without falling on my face.

"They're cool, just chill." Don whispers.

Oh, yeah, you saying that they're cool is going to make me less nervous. I already know they are, that's why I'm nervous...

"So what's up, guys?" I say with more confidence.

"Um, not much. What's your name?" Says his hot guy friend.

"It's Lainey Rayner." I smile when I meet his eyes. He is a beautiful man.

"You're a very beautiful woman, Lainey." He says with a gentle smile.

What?! He thinks the same? This day...is going a little too well.

I just smile and look away.

"Are you going to introduce us, or just let her figure out our names on her own?" His girl friend says glaring at him.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Lainey, this is my best friend, Elton, and this is his prostitute, Melanie." Don says with a smirk.

"Uh, no. Proud virgin." Melanie says with a huge smile.

All of them bursted into a roar of laughter.

"So, um, I'm guessing you're not, since you laughed?" I ask nervously.

"No." Melanie said with a straight face.

Why am I acting so stupid?

Don shot me a glare. Did I say something wrong? Ugh.

"Alright, well, we're already late for the party..." Don said as he headed to the driver seat, "Elton, rides shotgun."

Okay then.

I sit right next to Melanie.

We drive off.

I feel like such an outcast. They're all dressed so fancy and I'm wearing something so casual and ordinary.

"So were off to do teenagery things!" I shout.

"Yeah." Don says nonchalantly.

Well, this is awkward. I bet this party is going to be some kind of fancy one because of how they're all dressed. Don never told me to dress formally.

Don and Elton, both in some expensive tux. While Melanie is in some type of designer dress that shows off her curves elegantly. I feel like an outcast. Why did Don even invite me?

There must have been a better reason than me being  'the only person he knows in this part of town'.

"Hey, bud, do you mind finding my Jon D CD's? They're in the glove compartment. It's got our song on it. And Mel won't stop bitching about putting it on every time we're in here. I'm just trying to save us from the nagging." Don says looking back only to wink at Melanie.

Elton searches through the glove compartment and whips out the condoms almost instantly.

"Hah! I thought you went pure again?" He says holding up the condoms.

I could see Don wasn't even phased by Elton's discovery.

"Yeah. that's not the life for me, man." Don joins Elton in laughter. Melanie sits back and crosses her legs.

"Could you guys just shut up and while you do that, you should try and grow up a little, too." Melanie says with wrinkles that I never thought could appear on her clear, bright face.

Don takes a wui k glance at me and then back to the road. "So, Lainey... Me, this dickhead and this w***e have been friends since kindergarten. If you're going to be friends with me, you might wanna get used to them as well."

I don't know why but this was so out of character for him to say. He acknowledged our friendship. He really doesn't hate me, it's all an act, I'm sure.

Don looks back at me as he pat my leg playfully, and then back to the well-lit road.

"Ugh. I wish I still lived out this way so I could be closer." Don says turning at a green light.

I could still hear the shuffling of wrappers in the glove compartment.

"Found them! But which one of the three has that song on it?" Elton asks with a confused tone.

"The one that says 'D One' on it." Answers Melanie.

The CD gets put in and the music starts playing, it fills the air and slowly infects everyone with goosebumps. I could see it. No one wanted to talk. I stare out of the window and look at the lights whizzing by. It's so late. I've never seen downtown at this time of night.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Melanie says softly looking in the same direction.

I can't take my eyes off of the scenery.

The song ends and begins with another enchanting melody, but not one that could match the intensity of the previous song.

The guys start chatting away as if that song didn't turn them into emotional wrecks.

"That was such a beautiful song. His voice went perfect with every note." I say with shock.

"Yeah, I know. It goes perfect with the downtown scene at 1 a.m. The guys almost never appreciate it aloud. They're too manly or some s**t." Melanie laughs and hooks her arm in mine.

"So, what's your name, again? Rainy? Like it's rainy outside?" Melanie asks.

I chuckle. "No, it's Lainey. My last name is Rayner." I couldn't help but laugh at her mistake.

"And I'm Melanie. Please, call me Mel." She smiles.

I notice that her teeth are perfectly aligned and not a mark was on them. If I put a piece of white paper next to her teeth, her teeth would be a thousand shades whiter. I want to comment on how nice her teeth are, but she already has the biggest ego. The whole car ride she went on and on about how wealthy her family is and how she always gets what she wants. Whether it be the hottest guy at her school or the brand new heels she bought that were limited edition and weren't even out yet. She is spoiled. I wouldn't be surprised if her family owns the hotel she came out of.

I would always look at her and nod like I was interested in what she was saying. It seems like I've been listening to Melanie for hours. I feel so small and insignificant compared to her. All I can tell her about myself is that my family is somewhat wealthy because my dad had “connections”.

And finally the car comes to a stop.

"Oh! We're finally here." Mel sighs and scoots over to the empty seat to open the car door. Everyone's out of the car by the time my hand even touches the door handle. I step out and look at where we are. The scenery is the best I've seen by far. It's a mansion that's twice as big as Don's.

"The stuff is already here, Dave already came with Zack. They have it all set up, we're ready to go." Don says to Elton getting hyped up looking through his texts. He puts his phone away and slaps hands with Elton. They make a run for the front door of the mansion. There was a line to get in and Elton and Don manage to get straight into the party with no hesitations whatsoever.

"I'm sorry did I talk too much on the ride here?" Melanie says as she interlaces her arm through mine, again.

We stand in line behind some druggies. The stench of skunk fills the air and they're all wearing matching joggers. I can't stop internally giggling at how they enunciate their words. Have they formed a new language?

Melanie has to snap me back into focus.

“Are you even listening?” I can feel her eyes roll to the back of her head.

"Yes. And no, no. You didn't, you're very interesting." I reassure her to make her feel better.

“Uhh, I was talking about the party and how Jeff Henderson was coming. You're a terrible listener...” She raises her perfectly shaped eyebrows at me.”What's your name again? Rainer?”

“Lainey.”

We slowly make our way to the door. Admission after admission. Group after group.

There was a bald man by the door asking people who were entering about who invited them and how old they were. I'm thinking that about almost everyone lied to get in. I could see past Elton, Don, and their friends, the waves of people all crowded together in this huge room filled with laser lights and glowsticks. The strobe lights gave me a glance as to what the room was filled with, besides sweaty people. Decorative, designer everything. The music's bass booms with every beat and fills my chest up with sound waves.

"Damn..." I say with a wide mouth.

"I know right..." Melanie was just as amazed.

Wow, it even shocked her.

Melanie was in front of me. Finally, she was standing in front of the pointless, bald man who had an arm extended out to prevent her entry.

"How old are you? You look like you're 16." He furrows an eyebrow and brings his pointer finger to his chin. It's hard to hear what he's saying with all the people chanting the lyrics and screaming…I'm filled with adrenaline and anxiety. I could puke on command.

"No, sir, I'm 19. I know I have a baby face, but I assure you I'm not as young as I look."

"Alright, alright. Go in." He moves his arm for just enough time to let her through but puts it down again in front of me.

"Who in the hell invited you?

I look past his long arm to see if Melanie would come to my rescue but she was nowhere to be found.

"What?" I ask with a concrete face that cracks slowly but noticeably.

"Who invited you? You look like you just came off the streets and wandered here on your own." He scans me up and down and asks once again, "Who invited you?"

I feel so vulnerable and outcasted now.why is he singling me out? He just let in a group of eight boys with hideous matching joggers on.

"You literally just let all my friends in...the people I came with!" I exclaim and gesture to the people in the crowd.

"Yeah, okay. Who invited you , though?"

"Donovan, he was the first of my friends that you let in, just let me in please." I struggle to get those words out in fear that I wouldn't be let in. My thoughts are suddenly going everywhere and my panic mode is powering on. I can't breathe for some reason. I know it's just a party but I can't help but freak out.

He looks me up and down.

"Fine, but don't get your dust on the furniture." He gives me one last nasty look and lifts his fat arm to let me through.

I roll my eyes and then use them to search the room for Don, Elton, and Melanie. But instead I disappointingly see people grinding up against each other, I see girls dancing in their underwear, I see drunk men stumbling around for a grinding partner. The smell of skunk fills the air and mixes with sweat and alcohol. My anxiety builds up in my stomach as I desperately search for an exit. I look back at the door I came in and see that it’s blocked off with a crowd of people that I can't get through. The room is dancing not just the people in it. I can hardly breathe and I feel so alone. It builds up and exits through my mouth. I feel like I blacked out. I feel a warm hand rub my back slowly and softly.

"Hey, you should take it easy, girl." Says a tall, asian girl in a plain white T-shirt and baggy jeans. Right then I realized I wasn't the only one dressed so horridly. Why was the admitter getting on me about my attire when he let girls in that looked like this?

"Yeah, yeah." I sigh.

"You don't look like you've been drinking..." The Asian girl points out, "You actually look scared."

"Okay, yeah, thanks. I have to go." Right as I try to get out of her embrace, a short, chubby teenage boy who doesn't look like he knows what he's doing, stands at the very front of the huge room on a well-lit stage and speaks into a microphone that was a little too tall for him. His voice was cracking every other word.

"And here we are, with one of the last bands to play for you tonight. Took long enough, right? Give it up for my brother and his band, Fort Ladenna!"

The crowd cheers so insanely loud.

I look at the Asian chick who looks like she's slowly fading in and out of consciousness. She leans on me hard to hold herself up.

"Are you okay?" I ask loud enough for her to hear over the chatter around us.

I get no answer just more weight on my shoulder.

"Hey..." I use my free arm to shake her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just a little high right now." She says with glossed-over dilated pupils and droopy eyelids.

"Okay, well can you get off?!" I shake her off of me and keep a stern look on my face as she falls to the floor.

"Ow..." The Asian girl says as she holds her head in pain.

I look at her disgustingly while a familiar melody begins to play. The singing sounded phenomenal. It's their song.

I turn my attention to the stage instead of a drugged-up asian hippie on the floor.

Its Don, Mel, and Elton all on the stage, in a band together. They look so elegant compared to the rest of us. And the song went right with their elegance. It looks like it's going to be a perfect performance. I couldn't think anymore because it would ruin the moment.

Not a noise from the crowd was made. Not a word said except for the singing on stage. Slow dancing ensued. Who knew these people knew of a dance that involved two people and that wasn't the least bit sexual. Suddenly everyone was swaying and passionately dancing together and I just stood there watching. I look at Don who was already watching me out of all these people. There must've been hundreds here, and he found me. I'm like Waldo.

Don was playing the violin. He made it look so manly. And Elton was playing the piano while he sang with Melanie at certain parts, which made it all the better. Don smiles at me. And not in a smirky way either. That's something I never thought I'd see out of him. I smile back and then I feel something warm.

Something warm on my back. It started soaking through my favorite purple shirt. I held a shrug.

"What...the...f**k?" I turn around slowly to see the Asian girl spewing soft chunks onto me and the floor.

The Asian girl wipes her mouth.

"Why the f**k did you decide to puke on me?!" I yell over the beautiful music and silence of the crowd. No one seemed to notice me talking or the fact that I was puked on.

I ran to go find the bathroom after shoving her out of the way.

"S**t, s**t, s**t, s**t...." With every step I took I could feel the vomit making its way down and into my shoes. I could feels the chunks squishing between the back of my converse and my socks.

I walk up to the bartender since he looks like he knows what he's doing.

"Um, excuse me, do you happen to know where the bathroom would be?" I ask calmly.

"Yeah, I do. Planned out all the rooms for this house, myself. I was probably the best person you could've asked here." His fat belly bounces as he chuckles, "I'll show you."

He gestures a 'come here' sign with his pointer finger.

I follow. His shiny, black, dress shoes light the way until we come up to a long, winding staircase that leads to the second floor that is lit so perfectly.

"Wow, you really did an amazing job designing this house. I thought you were a bartender." I laugh and catch my breath.

"Thanks for the compliment. And I always do the bartending at the parties because I hate hiring someone when I could do it." He struggles to get up the last step.

"But don't you want to enjoy the party? I mean it is your party."

"No, no, no. It's my son, Elton's. I hate partying. I used to be a bartender. I'm still one of the best they say." He gleams back at me with a grin and proud eyes.

Elton's?

"You're telling me that Elton is your son?" I stammer.

"Yes, ma'am. He's a car business owner too. Started it himself...well after an idea from his lovely mother." As we were walking down the long hall I noticed all the portraits this family has taken. I notice Elton and his short brother from the stage in every one. Then I looked at the pictures on the wall across from it and see school pictures, pictures from the beach, dinner pictures, and pictures of what looks to be their mother.

"She is so pretty!" I say with a wide mouth.

"She was very pretty, wasn't she." He says with  a soft voice. I could hear he was proud to have her.

On a plaque underneath it it read,

"1998-2045

Rest in paradise,

Sarah James"

"Oh, oh I'm so sorry. I didn't realize..." I cover my mouth with my hands apologetically.

"No, its fine. She's honestly still here. In every one of our children." He smiles and points across the hall to a tacky flower printed door.

"There's the restroom." He says smiling. I walk over to the bathroom door and look back at him as he takes the portrait of his wife off of the wall and heads downstairs.

I waltz through the bathroom door and examine the vomit stains left on my back and pants in the huge mirror.

I groan.

I look at the time on the clock that sits on the marble counter.

2:28 a.m.

Wow, I thought it was later. I take off my shirt and wash off the pepperoni puke. It smells like pizza that sat out for months. The smell is not going away. I do the same with my shoes and pants. I'm all wet now. Great.

I place my shoes on the counter and decide to walk around barefoot. I head back down the same way I came and end up running into the Asian girl on the stairs.

"Get...away from me." Me teeth clench together as I try and keep myself from hitting her.

She grabs my arm in comforting.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, like you did for me. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to." She apologizes sympathetically.

"Just go sit down somewhere." I say looking right into her eyes. I take the last few steps down the stairs and try to keep myself from throwing up because everything on me smells like vomit.

"Hey!" Says Elton, meeting me at the bottom of the stairwell to give me a hug.

"I wouldn't hug me right now." I say pulling him off of me.

"Why-Oh, I smell why..." Elton laughs, "Someone threw up on you?"

"And now you smell like it! You're welcome." I say laughing.

Elton throws me the kindest smile and his eyes light up.

"Its fine, I'm pretty drunk anyways, it doesn't bother me." Elton points over to his dad at the bar area. "Would you like a drink?"

"Uh, no. I don't drink. Never have, never will." I say shaking my head and smiling at him.

He locks eyes with me.

"Aww, c'mon. Just one? You gotta try it." Elton insists.

"Thanks for the peer pressure but nope, I'll stay sober."

Elton guides me to a table that Don and a couple other guys are sitting at and I take a seat next to Elton.

Don looks hammered.

"Hey...its my friend Lain everyone...everyone say hi to Lain!" Don stammers and cheers with excitements that no one else shows.

Everyone else was too drunk to speak. Two out of four of his friends were passed out.

Elton was not anywhere near that point. Elton looks buzzed compared to them.

"Um, Elton, do you mind if I go sit at that table over there? Kinda just wanna be away from everyone..." I get up and start to walk away from the beer-scented burps.

"Yes. I won't mind if I join you though?" He says flashing a bright smile at me.

"Alright, yeah you can sit with me."

"I mean it is my house , I'd sit with you no matter what you said." Elton says in a cocky manner, lifting his eyebrow.

He took my hand and lead me toward the table that was isolated from all the drunks.

He takes my seat in his hands and scoots me in once I sat down in it and he then shortly takes his seat.

"So do you want a drink now?" He furrows an eyebrow.

"No!" I laugh.

"Well I'm going to get me a little martini and you can't touch it!"

He gets up and goes to the bar and gets a martini from his dad to bring back. He looks at me with lost eyes and takes his seat. He sets the blue martini in front of him.

"Okay, I actually brought this for you. Sue me." Elton chuckles, "I want you to have it."

"Fine, I will take just one sip, and then I'm going to sue you for every car you've got." I take the little glass in my hand and chug it down.

"That's a lot of cars..." Elton says as he watches me take my last sip of alcohol.

I exhale and set the glass down.

"Ew." I say wiping my mouth of any alcohol residue with my arm.

"See there ya go! It's really fun. You should have another." Elton races up there for another without my consent.

I drink three more martinis until I realize I'm completely drunk.

"Alright you're more drunk than I am. I'm actually getting sober..." He laughs.

I was rambling on about some s**t that nobody in that room wanted to listen to. I was telling Don how hot he was and he was telling me how hot I was. The guys surrounding him were complimenting each other. I told them that I was a plank stripper and laid on their table while they threw dollar bills at me. the whole situation is hysterical. The room is full of drunk laughter.

I looked ahead to this ginger directly in front of me. "Hey, can you get my shoes?" My words slurr together.

"Yeah, man, where are they?" He looks so delightful and happy.

His eyes seemed like they were closed and irritated.

"In the bathroom upstairs, haha." I laugh and watch him get up and slowly make it to the staircase behind me. I roll off the table. Everyone started cheering for my pain. Even I was cheering for my pain. I'm lying on the floor counting dots that are in the tiles.

"Hey, get up! We want to see more!"

"Yeah! You didn't even strip!"

"What kind of stripper are you?!"

And then I heard Don's voice, "Yeah! Who hired this chick. She's just laying around on the floor, planking and s**t."

Elton who is still seated at the isolated table looks over and sees how tense the situation is getting and walks over to me.

"Alright everyone , stop. She's not a 'planking stripper' and no one hired her. And Don, this is your friend, shut up?" Elton picked me up off the floor and walked all the way through the dining room and up a second staircase.

"Ah, where are we going?" I say getting really dizzy with all the spins he's making going up the winding staircase.

"To my room...but don't worry I'm not going to take advantage of you. You just need to sleep. It's like four in the morning." Elton makes it through the portraits on the wall and through another long hallway that leads to the door of his bedroom. He opens the door and I can't believe how nice his room looks. It doesn't look as elegant as the rest of the house but it's better than most bedrooms I've seen. His room's style entirely matches his indie wardrobe.

Elton sets me on his bed. Elton's comforter feels so warm and fuzzy, I want to steal it.

He sits next to me, on the edge of the bed.

"Elton, can I have your blanket?!" I say cuddling it  with my body. I look him in his eyes, "Pretty please..." I make a puppy dog face hoping that'll convince him to let me take it home with me.

"Sure, I don't really care." Elton smiles and moves my hair out of my face. The door opens.

"Aha! There you are! I've been looking all over the house for you. Literally all over!"

It's the ginger kid who I told to go get my shoes from the bathroom.

"Here!" He extends my shoes in his hand and then throws them at me with liquid flying all over Elton's bed. Then he leaves and shuts the door.

"Ew! What the f**k, it's pee! He peed in your shoes...and it's all over my bed!" Elton gets up and puts his hands on his temple to calm himself.

I just look at the bed in shock.

Elton turns around and crouches down for a minute. He gets up and leaves the room.

I do the same, and follow him

As soon as I get downstairs I see Don hop on top of the ginger and swing over and over again. No one pulls him off. That poor kid. I run over to the fight and try and get Don off of the ginger kid.

"Lainey, stop! This kid deserves to get the s**t beat outta him!" The fight appears broken up as the ginger gets pulled away from Don. They get held back.

"I thought she told me to go bathroom in her shoes that were in the bathroom! She told me to do that!" He exclaimed.

I sigh with a heavy head. "Yeah, beat him up." And walk to the couch in the living room. I lay down exhausted. I look over to see the reflection of light coming off of the silverware in their cabinets. The light was coming through the window in the other room.

I look at the wall and find out it's six o'clock.

I fall asleep.

I'm woken up by a stern voice.

"Hey, get up." I feel something poking my side.

I look over and see Elton's dad poking me with a broom.

"Ah, my bad, sir. What time is it?" I ask recollecting myself after a long night. I rub my eyes.

"Its 1 in the afternoon. You should be getting home now." He looks at me harshly and puts the broom in the corner.

"Where's Elton at?" I ask.

"He's gone to work already at the office. He told me to make breakfast for you but  sorry you've just got to be heading home. I bet your parents are worried sick. Have you talked to your parents?"

I freeze. Reality hit me hard as I scramble around for my phone. Where did I put it?

My eyes are too wide and they bring in stinging rays of light. The light in the room burns my eyes. This must be what it feels like to have a hangover. I’m never drinking again.

I wobble off of the designer black leather couch and fall onto the hard wooden floor.