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I rolled past Marcus’ house at around half-past nine. No, Marcus’ mansion. Okay so it wasn’t that big, but this was definitely a rich neighbourhood and he had a definitely larger house than most. More and more groups of people walked in and the music just seemed to keep getting louder.
I can do this.
I had to park my car almost a block away cause all the spots were taken. Most of the people going in I didn’t even recognize. Do I like…..knock? Or text Nik? A group of girls too old to be in high school shoved past me. No, no course not, that’s weird. A wave of heat, music, alcohol and smoke hit me as I walked through the door. There had to be hundreds of people here. I waved my way through the crowded bodies trying to find Thomas, or Nik or someone. You’d think I would recognize at least somebody from the group vaping on the stairs or the kids dancing on the coffee table. The Kitchen was just as crowded, watching someone trying to down as many shots as they could before they fell over. They got to nine. A red solo cup was shoved into my hand as I made my way to the backyard. Just like in the movies, Marcus had a huge in-ground pool complete with lights and the drunk swimmers.
“Arthur!” I heard from across the lawn.
I looked over to see Nik. Relief hit me as I walked over to him were a large group of people were playing beer pong.
“Arthur, glad you could make it man!” said Marcus, patting me on the back.
Evelyn, followed by her usual giggling entourage ran up to us.
“Hey boys, can I get a picture?” She asked already whipping out her phone.
“Umm..sure I guess,” said Nik.
Marcus, clearly a little drunk, put his arm around my waist. I didn’t know how to react so I just awkwardly froze.
“List members only Ethan, buzz off!” screeched Evelyn.
“Does anyone know where Noah or Thomas are?” she said, looking disappointed.
“Noah’s upstairs and I haven’t seen Thomas all day, now let’s take the damn picture,” replied Nik.
She took what seemed like a hundred photos before thanking us and skipping away.
Nik and Marcus turned back to beer pong, and I wasn’t very interested in getting drunk.
“Hey Nik, imma go find Noah,” I said yelling over the music.
I waded my through the crowds once again and past the vapers on the staircase. Thankfully, it was much quieter and less crowded upstairs. I went to toss my beer in the bathroom garbage only to find some guy puking in it.
“Sorry,” I muttered closing the door.
I tried one bedroom but it was locked and the next one had a couple making out on the floor so I locked the door for them and left. I cautiously opened the next door because at this point literally, anything could be behind it.
I opened the door to find none other than Noah with his tongue down Evelyn’s throat. The room smelled of weed. They didn’t notice I was there at first until it seemed they needed a breather.
“Hey Arthur, don’t worry you’ll get your turn,” Evelyn said through slurred speech.
Noah didn’t even glance up, he just returned to sluggishly tongue talking with Evelyn.
Evelyn sure didn’t waste any time.
I shouldn’t be here. These people aren’t my friends. I closed the door so they could have privacy and began trying the other doors. Most of them were locked or occupied. One by the stairs was thankfully open so I went in. Looking around the room I was in, I realized It was Marcus’. I was surprised to see a large bookshelf covering one of the walls. How awful of me to assume athletes don’t read. I picked out a copy of “Lord of the Flies” from the shelf.
“That’s one of my favourites actually,” said Marcus, entering the room.
I felt like I had been caught committing murder.
“Oh, hey….sorry. I didn’t mean to go through your stuff I just..”
“It’s cool, I probably won’t remember tomorrow anyway,” he chuckled, flopping on the bed.
“I didn’t know you liked to read,” I said, putting the book back.
“Yeah most people don’t, but of course most don’t ask,” he replied.
“I never got to hear your thoughts on this whole list thing,”
“All I know is that it’s put us in one hell of an annoying spotlight. Which reminds me, stay away from Evelyn, her goal is to have sex with all of us and I hear she’s already got Noah,” He replied.
“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”
“Some people need shallow goals so they feel like they’re doing at least something, and as for Bradford, let’s hope he doesn’t show up. I hear he has a temper.”
“Note taken.”
Marcus was so much more than what I had taken him for. He had hobbies other than sports and real values instead of just a cute face. He was a good guy. I wanted to talk with him more but then a smashing noise came from downstairs.
“Fuck, that would be the coffee table,” he said, dragging himself up.
Before leaving he turned back and said,
“Feel free to stay here and take any book you like.”
He closed the door behind him.
I considered letting the rest of the night go by reading in Marcus’ room, but I knew in retrospect, that would be pretty lame. I headed downstairs. It was indeed the coffee table that had smashed. I wasn’t even sure how it could be possible that there were more people than before. I stepped over a guy having a drunken laugh attack on the floor and headed for the backyard. Anxiety washed over me as I felt eyes turn my way. Who were all these people? What was I doing here? I hastily found a pool chair and plopped down. The first thing I did was check my phone to see if there was a reply from Thomas. Nothing. Maybe I should just go home.
“There’s a lot going on up there yeah?” said a soft voice.
I was too busy in my own thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed the girl in the pool chair beside me. She had been gesturing to my head.
“Oh..uh, yeah there is at the moment,” I replied with a fake laugh.
I recognized her from school. Her red hair fell over her freckled face and onto her shoulders. She looked tired. Or drunk. Probably drunk.
“Unburden yourself for me,” she said, leaning back in the chair.
I contemplated for a moment.
“Parties…arent exactly my thing, I think,” I replied.
“You and me both. See those yahoos over by the gate? They dragged me along cause they wanted to see….well you actually. And the others on the list,” she said.
There was indeed, a group of giggling girls flirting with Nik himself.
“Why are you the only one not interested in the list it seems?” I asked, truly curious.
“No offence, I just don’t need a google doc to tell me who I like.”
This made me laugh.
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all week,” I replied, still chuckling.
There was a moment of silence.
“What’s your name? Not to be rude,” I asked.
“It’s fine, I’m Marsala,” she said putting out her hand.
“Isn’t Marsala a wine?” I asked, taking her hand.
“You got it, my parents thought they would be cool if they named their kids after alcohol,”
“Don’t tell me your brother’s name is Bourbon,”
“It is,” she replied plainly.
I bit my tongue.
“Oh, I’m sorry I..”
“I’m totally kidding. For real though it’s Brandi,”
I let out an exasperated laugh.
“You need to loosen up Arthur. I heard a rumour that people go to parties to have fun you know,”
“I have a very different idea of fun,” I replied.
“Well maybe whoever is about to get flattened will catch your attention,” she said, looking past me.
I assumed she was just kidding again, but found out she was not, as Noah was shoved out of the backdoor, and onto the patio.
“Fuck off man! I didn’t know!” Yelled Noah through slurred speech.
A crowd formed the patio, as Bradford stormed out of the kitchen, towards Noah. Evelynn followed, teary-eyed, trying to pull him back.
“He didn’t know Brad! Stop this!” She screamed.
Noah tried to slowly get to his feet, clearly loaded. Bradford furiously shoved him back down. I jumped out of my chair towards the two. Now everyone stood watching, a few, with their phones out, recording. I couldn’t just sit there and watch.
“Just cause you’re on some damn list you think you can fuck my girlfriend?” Bradford spit with rage, holding Noah by his shirt collar.
“Get off him Bradford,” I said as confidently as I could muster.
“You can fuck off too Linsley,”
The next few moments went by in a blur. Bradford swung back his fist, Evelyn screamed, and I don’t quite remember tackling him, but suddenly there was a dizzying pain as his fist connected with my brow, knocking me backwards. My vision blurred in and out as I hit the ground. I want to say that it wasn’t so bad, but fuck it hurt.
When I tried to open my eyes, I was surrounded by blurry faces and a mess of shouts. It was suffocating. Things began to clear as someone leaned over me. Not someone, but him.
“Thomas, I was worried you weren’t gonna come,” I said, not able to hide my smile.
“Of course, I came for you,”
I think it was then I fell in love—truly.
“But uh right now we have to go, someone called the police,” he said helping me to my feet.
Marsala was there too and caught me as I swayed unexpectedly. I hadn’t realized the party was clearing out fast, as people poured out their drinks and ran off the property. The first wails of sirens could be heard in the distance.
“Now that was unexpected,” noted Marsala.
Thomas grabbed my hand and began to lead me and her away but I pulled back. They looked confused.
“Help me get Noah, we can’t leave him,” I said, shaking Noah awake.
Noah’s eyes peeled open.
“I have to get out of here…if they find the drugs….ill be kicked off the team,” he mumbled.
Aw fuck.
Thomas ran over to help and with a groan, Noah was on his feet. I met Thomas’s gaze and we couldn’t help but laugh about our present situation. It felt good to laugh after the mess of a night that had been made. My head throbbed, and I was having trouble supporting Noah’s weight, who did not make it easy for us in the slightest. A panicked Nik and Marcus rushed out of the house.
“What happened?” cried Marcus.
“Bradford did, no time to elaborate now though,” I replied, moving towards the back gate.
“Do you have a car?” Asked Thomas.
“Yeah, it’s about a block away though,” I replied.
“Here you guys get the car and bring it to the gate, we got Noah,” Nik said, grabbing Noah’s arm and putting on his shoulder.
“Well be right back,” I assured.
I sprinted out of the backyard and Thomas followed. It was warm tonight. There was an excitement in the air that gave me a rush of adrenaline. Other partygoers were rushing away from the house as the sirens wailed louder. Here I was, running down the street at night to get away from the police as Thomas ran beside me, wearing a cocky smirk. The pain of my forehead numbed a bit. He could feel the moment too I could tell. We were alive.
I unlocked the car, we jumped in and I was just about to pull out of my amazing parallel parking job when a police car whizzed past me.
“We might want to hurry,” joked Thomas.
“You’re funny,” I replied.
Let’s get the fuck out of here.
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