The Golden Party | Aidan Gallagher

02. dull faces and loathing eyes

– dull faces and loathing eyes –

I squint my eyes through the darkness, barely able to make out the moving shadows. At first, the intruders are completely silent, as if they aren't even there. My teammates don't notice them. I do, though. The whole night, I laid awake. One particular face kept haunting me whenever I closed my eyes.

     Right now it isn't his face that's making my heart race out of pure panic. It's the first flashlight that gets turned on. Out of reaction, my eyes fly closed. I try to still my heartbeat, hoping to fool them. The figures wander through the darkness of our bedroom. Their sharp lights shine upon the sleeping faces of my teammates.

     It's an act of one of the other schools. I'm sure of it. Then, finally, the footsteps come to a halt. My head tells me to remain frozen. But I've never been known to listen to my head. I peek through one eye.

     Three figures are standing next to two of my teammates' beds. I try to focus on who's bed, to be exact, but the darkness is a block and unwilling to let me through. I can only see that the two girls are frozen in the bunkbeds surrounding mine. Their chests calmly go up and down. They don't know of the intruders in our bedroom.

     "Good morning," a voice says, and my body stiffens immediately. With my eyes now both wide open, I look up at the figures. Only now do I notice they were never looking at the other girls. They're not here for either one of them.

     They're here for me.

     Just as I realize their intentions, their flashlights blind me, like the sun would. I hook my arms around the wooden ladder stuck to my bunkbed, but their hands come for me. The two men pull me out of my bed easily, as if I weigh nothing at all. I want to make my body one big lump, unable to be moved, but these intruders have arms that can lift absolutely anything. It's impossible to get out of their grip.

     "I'm going to yell if you don't let me go this instant," I warn them, already warming up my throat by saying this.

     A face turns to me, his flashlight lighting his dull face. "You'll wake the others."

     I scoff at his poor statement. "Exactly. Let go of me."

     Since the lump-life wasn't made for me, my feet tingle at the thought of kicking this group of men. I take a deep breath in and out, and then, I use the poor amount of strength I saved up in the minutes of sleep I got. The first kick is in one's stomach. Due to the blinding lights, I can't make out where I kick afterward. I only know I'm hitting bodies of fat and muscle. Puffs sound. The bedroom fills itself with a whole different aura as I continue kicking and hitting everything coming even close to me.

     When all of the bodies have calmed down, I do too, though I remain aware of the impact a scream can have. I swallow the urge down. For now.

     "I'm not going to come with you bastards so easily. Get out – or I'll yell everyone awake!" I ball my hands, already preparing myself for the next battle to come.

     I'm surprised when I hear the sound of laughing echoing between the walls.

     Placing my hands on the side of my bed, I take a step backward so I'm pressed entirely against the wood. "What?" My voice sounds shrill already, all thanks to the shock.

     "We're taking you to your first task, girl," a manly voice speaks. Now, it is my time. I snort and shake my head, but I'm not sure if it's visible to them. "Come," the same man orders me.

     "I'm not sure if you people know the details about volleyball, but my sport is certainly not played at night."

     Fingers fold themselves around my wrist. I gasp out loud, trying to pull myself away from the body already. The man reacts by pulling me away from my bed, so I can't claw myself stuck anymore.