Silence ○ Lee Haechan

○ 51

(Don't underage drink)

Bright flashing lights emitted from the portable disco ball illuminated the room with a multicolour rainbow. Loud music blasting through the air and coursing through the veins of the people occupying the house.

Famous Halloween tunes mixed with iconic throw back songs resonated through Mari as she poured herself a cup of the punch from the caldron prop.

Fake spiderwebs and other various Halloween decorations littered the walls and set the mood for the night.

She stumbled out onto the dance floor, eyes wide as she tried to locate her friends, red solo cup in her hand and she took a sip.

"Oh my God hey," a girl came bouncing up to Mari, overly intoxicated and she almost tripped on her feet.

"Uh... hi?" Mari looked left and right of the girl to see if she meant to say hi to someone else but the girls finger pointed into her chest making her eyebrows furrow.

"Aren't you that girl who moved to Seoul?" She slurred her words, "minhyeon, m-minnie-"
"Mari?"
"Mariii!!! Oh my God that's right! You were friends with Donghyuck and that weird girl... what was her name, Eunjoo!" The girl, not in her right state of mind, stumbled and Mari grew stiff at the names.

Fingers pressing tighter into the side of her red solo cup as her heart began to race.

Another girl came stumbling up to them, hand flying around the drunken ones shoulder, "sorry if my friend is annoying you, common Jimin let's go-"

"No wait, this is that girl who left the school like a few days after her friend died, do you remember her?" She leant towards her friend before pointing her finger back at the girl and her mouth became dry.

Eyes stinging from the lack of blinking and she watched as the girls friend whispered for her to stop.
"Y-yeah, her yknow her friend that kille-"
"Oh my fucking God Jimin shut the fuck up. I'm so so sorry, I think she's had a bit too much to drink, I'll just take her home," the friend began to drag away the drunken girl with her hand placed tightly over her mouth and Mari let out a staggered breath.

Eyes blinking rapidly and she had to wipe away a stray tear, sucking in air before skulking the rest of the liquid contained in her cup.

Heart thumping detrimentally in her chest as she rushed back to the punch bowl to pour and down another cup.

Gasping for breath as she looked around the room and her gaze landed on Donghyuck who was heading straight her way.

Eyes widening and fingers clenching the already dented cup once more, filling it up to the brim with the punch.

"Hey," he yelled over the loud music, taking a swig from his own red solo cup and Mari watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down- entranced by the way the trickle of fake blood moved along with it.

Feet tapping on the floor as she looked away from him, shaky hands bringing the cup to her lips as she swallows a large mouth full, the alcohol shooting straight to her head and she could feel herself becoming lighter.

"Hi," she spoke, keeping his gaze away from him in order to stop the flood of memories that were currently plaguing her mind.

"This party is sick, don't you recon. It reminds me of the one we went to in like year 7- minus the alcohol," he laughing in memory and Mari forced out her own chuckled. Mumbling a "yeah" into her cup as she took another swig.

"Did you see-"
"Y'know what I think I want to play some beer pong," she stated rather loudly, leaving the boy behind as she beelined her way to the pingpong table covered in stains from whatever drink was being poured into the cups.

○

"Ah ha I win!" Jeno yelled out as he watched the girl down the last of her drink, throwing the cup down as she stumbled.

Head feeling incredibly light and fuzzy as she stumbles around the table with her arms held wide to hug the boy she lost against. Head resting on his shoulder and the boy laughed at her.

"Again?" She yelled rather loud and Jeno shook his head, "nah I think I might go see where Jaemin is."

Maris lips pulled up into a light line as she looked out to the crowd "who else wants to play against me?"

"Why don't we do doubles," Jinyoung mentions as he walked towards her with Donghyuck and Karina following suit.

"Yesss dounles... doubles! Karina you're on my team!" Mari grabbed the girls wrist and pulled her into a hug.
"I missed you and your cute face Rina."

"I missed your cute face too Ma- Now let's win this thing!"

They in fact did not win, and with every loss on their side and with every skull Mari did, the worried eyes of both the boys followed her.

Jinyoung even offering that he drinks some but she swats his hand away and downing the cup in one shot.

Donghyuck watched the girl with stern eyes and a clenched jaw, knowing fair well she didn't get this drunk unless something was clearly bothering her.

And there was.