Drowning

House Party Pt. 1

School was starting on Monday and things were still a rickety mess in the friendship department as far as Finley was concerned. Demetri was completely ignoring her, and Miguel's responses to her texts were few and far between. There had been no attempt to see either of them, but Finley figured it was best to give them space for awhile. However, Aisha had texted asking if she was going to Moon's party on Saturday, because basically their entire grade was going at that point. Finley was not a party person by any means, but maybe this was an opportunity to patch things up so that they could start school off on a good note.

Which is why, for the very first time, Finley found herself walking up Moon's driveway for a party. She had work earlier, so she was arriving a little behind everyone else, but she didn't think it would matter much. The sun was close to setting as she walked through the front door and into the massive and beautiful house. Her brown eyes widened as she looked around.

There was a massive stone fireplace in the living room, not to mention directly across from it a DJ booth had been added for the party. Huge glass doors lined the living room on both sides, with one side leading outside to a pool, and, currently, it looked like some sort of drinking competition was taking place out by the bar that was on the patio. Finley's eyes trailed up to the vaulted ceilings where wooden beams added character to the house — it was like something straight out of a magazine.

Her nerves spiked slightly as she realized just how many people were at the party. She rubbed her hands on her jeans, hoping to calm her anxiety at least a little. Her outfit of the night was her classic go to when it came to being out- jeans, black converse, and a black and white flannel over top a gray t-shirt that had 'Me? Sarcastic? Never' printed on it. For one of the few times in her life she had her hair down, it's natural waves falling slightly past her shoulders.

"Finley!"

Finley's head snapped towards the voice, her eyes trying to find the person responsible. After a few seconds she spotted Moon walking towards her, a giant smile on her face.

"Hi Moon."

Finley offered her a small smile. It was the first time she had seen her since she had broken up with Hawk. She had no clue why they had broken up. Typically she would have asked Miguel, but with their fight, she didn't think it was a great idea.

"I didn't know you were coming. I'm so glad you made it!"

"Uh, yeah, Aisha invited me, I hope that's okay."

"Oh totally." Moon continued smiling at her, genuinely happy to have her there. "There's food and drinks in the kitchen, and kegs are out back. Help yourself to whatever."

"Sounds good. Thanks." Finley smiled at her, the girl had such a natural hosting ability it was ridiculous.

"Oh, and Demetri's around here somewhere."

Finley raised her eyebrows at the girl, but Moon spotted a boy across the room and yelled his name before quickly saying goodbye to Finley and heading over to Rick. For once, Finley was glad that the girl seemed to think there was something going on between her and the beanpole, as now she knew he was at least here. She glanced around, trying to see if she could spot him anywhere, but her eyes landed on the boy with the red mohawk.

He was sitting on the couch, a red solo cup in his hand as he stared across the room seemingly spaced out. He was wearing a red camo hoodie shirt that had a black stripe running down each sleeve. But what caught her attention was the look on his face. He looked almost sad, and he... well he looked a lot like Eli, almost insecure. It was a weird combination to see, as Finley was so used to seeing the confidence on him ever since he donned the mohawk. Her brow furrowed in concern for him, but she shook it off. Mitch was sitting beside him, so maybe he could help him out with whatever was going on. Besides, she had to find Demetri.