Skin Deep ✔️

Chapter Twelve

"Isaac, I don't really do parties." I complain as he drags Ezra and I into his crowded living room.

"But its my birthday." He pouts at me.

"No, its not your birthday." Ezra crosses his arms. "Your birthday is next week."

"Fine, its not my birthday." Isaac rolls his eyes. "But you can't have a party on a Tuesday."

"Well here's an idea." Ezra says to him sarcastically. "Maybe you didn't need a party."

"I'm turning eighteen, of course I needed a party."

"I'm kind of nervous about my hair though." I whisper to them, grabbing onto Ezra's arm.

"Why?" He looks down at me with kind eyes. "You look beautiful."

"Yeah, it's gorgeous and I'm sure you'll be fine once we get some alcohol in you." Isaac says.

I look down at my shoes and nod my head. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

The bass feels a bit too loud and I can barely hear my own thoughts over the sound of the pussycat dolls, let alone whatever nonsense Isaac is spewing. When they're both not looking I wonder off.

"Where is my darling Toni? I need her." I hear Isaac scream the minute i get far away enough and it makes me smile but i dont go to him.

I end up in the kitchen and see a bunch of drinks on the table. I grab the bottle of vodka and pour myself a shot. It burns the back of my throat and sends a warm tingly feeling in my stomach.

"Hey mud." Cecilia calls to me from the other side of the room.

I roll my eyes and groan quickly pouring myself another two shots and downing them before she gets to me, for some liquid courage.

"Woah, slow down mud." She says and the two girls behind her laugh. "I mean I guess your people are known for being angry drunkards."

I don't say anything and take another shot. Then another. Someone moves next to me and puts an arm around my shoulder.

"Bonjour, bitch." Isaac says to Cecilia. "How's it going?" She opens her mouth to speak and he sighs. "No wait, don't answer that, I don't care."

Another person taps Isaac on the shoulder telling him to come and play some raunchy american party game and Isaac looks to me for permission. I nod my head at him and he frowns at me.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" He looks between me and Cecilia. "I can always just hire a hit man for her. I'm rich so I can get away with it. They'll never find her."

"I heard that." Cecilia rolls her eyes.

Isaac doesnt even look at her. "Yeah you were supposed to."

I laugh, pushing him towards his friend. "I'll be fine."

He smiles tightly and nods his head, shoving a jello shot into my hand. "Liquid courage... or jello courage."

He walks away with his friends and Cecilia closes in on me.

"You know? I dont appreciate you turning Isaac against me." She glares at me.

"I think he just realised that youre a total bitch." I glare back at her, trying to hide the shock that I actually stood up for myself.

Cecilia looks just as shocked as i feel before she regains her cool. "What did you just say?"

"I said you're a bitch." I roll my eyes at her. "And a fucking racist." I look around at everyone who can hear us. "You all are, but its okay all your white ancestors were racist too. Did you guys know you used to eat black people?"

"Not all white people." Tommy from my English class pipes up. "Ive never said anything racist to you."

I burst out laughing. "Tommy you are part of the problem. You just sat there whilst our teacher said the n word and you did nothing to help me."

Whilst my attention is focused on Tommy, Cecilia walks towards me and grabs a huge chunk of my afro which had taken me all day to fix, pulling it towards her and holding it up like she just won some sort of prize.

I scratch at her arms until she lets go and i dont know if it's the amount of alcohol ive had or something else but i punch her in the face. Her face turns red and i can already see the purple mark forming over her left eye.

I back away from her but she makes sure her face is directly in front of mine and spits at me. "You are nothing, Tonoya Johnson and you will always be nothing."

She doesnt say anything else but just walks away from me. Everyone continues to stare at me as I wipe the spit from my cheek and I dont know what to do so i pour myself four more shots downing them as I look for Ezra.

I spot him and Isaac and my vision starts to feel a little fuzzy. I am definitely so drunk. I run towards them but it just feels like theyre getting farther away.

"I AM SO DRUNK!" I scream at Ezra as I walk up to him, tripping over my own feet.

"How much have you had to drink?" Ezra asks me, taking in my drunken state.

"Um I don't know like three, four, nine?" I giggle.

"Nine what?" Isaac asks, seemingly very concerned.

"Shots of Vodka!" I say triumphantly pointing in his face.

I topple over and giggle as the two people in front of me start to sway like they were part of a fun house mirror illusion. Isaac steps back from Ezra so he can take me into his arms and he laughs as I begin to stroke his face.

He takes me upstairs into one of Isaac's spare bedrooms and gently puts me on the bed. He slowly takes my boots and socks off, putting them into the corner and gets me under the covers.

He reaches for my bag and takes my bonnet from it. He sits me up as he puts it on making sure it's secure enough and then lays me down.

"Hey Tonoya?" He says.

"Mmm yeah?"

"I want you to go to sleep ok?" He tells me.

"I'm not fucking sleepy." I frown but then suddenly get excited. "Guess what I did?"

He raises an eyebrow in amusement. "What'd you do?"

"I punched Cecilia." I say with a yawn. "In the face."

I close my eyes and hear him laugh. "Did you?"

"Mhmm." I mumble about ten seconds away from sleep. "It was amazing."