Her way ✧ (Richie White)

3.

Later that evening, I said goodbye to my parents and left the house in search of a quiet area. I found one along a back alley and practised skating around for a while. Although I was alone (as I wanted) there was a nagging urge that pestered me. Richie's disappointment from earlier stayed with me all day.

When the sky darkened, I was aware it was time I should get home but I didn't. Instead, I made my way over to the Rec playground. Home would have to wait. Kids were milling about all over the place. I scanned the sea of faces until I spotted Richie with Carl and their friends. It took him a moment or two to notice me approaching.

Richie's lips curved into a grin. "Hm, look who decided to show up."

"Yeah well, don't flatter yourself. I was bored" I lied. He knew I lied by the raise of his eyebrow sceptically but I just smiled. "So, what're we doing here?"

"We're doing business" Richie pointed at his friend Claude Zachary.

Claude was buying a gram from another kid. "Hash," Richie whispered to me "Tip's got everybody covered. Dunno how he hides it from his ma with all that stink."

Glimpsing around, most of the kids were smoking something they shouldn't. I felt like the odd one out, standing next to Richie with my skateboard in hand. It was clear that nobody around here listened to the rules. It didn't take me long to learn about the Hill, a juvenile detention facility.

"Why don't we go to the cinema? I heard Grease is being released," I suggested. Carl shook his head. "We were supposed to have a twin cinema, roller rink and bowling alley built but instead the adults are planning to build an industrial park," he explained furiously.

What a bummer. I wasn't going to get the fun childhood my parents promised me before the move. It seemed that everything that could wrong with a town, went wrong. No wonder authority wasn't highly respected.

As I spoke to Carl, Richie disappeared only to return a few minutes later. "Hey boys. Just heard me about a party."

"Where?" Claude questioned. "Over at Old Town. Come on" Richie replied. Before I could even put my two cents in, he grabbed ahold of my arm and pulled me along. It was roughly a ten-minute walking journey down the shady, empty streets. When we arrived, the party was already in full swing.

We hadn't even gone inside yet and Richie was swarmed by people he knew. Mostly girls, who clung to him and a few boys that greeted him with a nod. I briefly wondered what it was like to be the most popular kid in the community as we were ushered into the house.

It was hot, stuffy and unbelievably cramped. With no adult supervision, all kids were letting loose. It smelled heavily of a mix of alcohol and drugs. 'You Really Got Me' by Van Halen blasted from the speakers. I could barely hear a word anybody said.

Making our way down to the basement, we found a space to mellow out. Claude and his younger brother Johnny played cards whilst Richie draped his arms around two chicks. "Maybe I should go," I said, not hiding my discomfort.

"Don't be a baby," Richie sneered.

"I'm not but clearly you're too busy for me," I glanced at the two girls. They picked up on my irritated energy but it bothered me none. I mean, he dragged me here after all. The least he could do was not ignore me for the night.

Feeling the tension, the girls suddenly left. "Come back," Richie called out but they didn't. "Adrien, you cockblocked me" he exclaimed. "Think of it as a favour to you" I shrugged. Now, Richie focused his divided attention solely on me.

Carl looked annoyed, his head hung down slightly. "Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine, thanks" he gave a little smile but I caught him leaving by himself early. Claude was humming to himself whilst rolling Hash into a joint. "You gonna blaze?" Richie asked. "No, I don't smoke" I replied. My parents would kill me.

"Awe cmon baby they won't know. Don't be a wuss" Richie taunted. "I'm not" I huffed. The boys insisted I should, and the overwhelming peer pressure caved in on me. "I really shouldn't-."

A hand stuck out in my face with the lit joint. My eyes were fixated on the burning flame, bits of ashes falling here and there. I sighed, raised the joint to my lips and inhaled sharply, the contents burning my throat. I blew the smoke out slowly and the joint was passed around in the circle.

I lost track of time when the high suddenly hit me. My surroundings felt so game-like that even the simple act of moving my hand felt strange. I chugged down what I thought was a glass of water, only to discover it was Vodka. I grimaced at the disfavored taste that lingered in my mouth.

Richie stumbled over to me drunkenly, placed his hands on my hips and flirted. His dilated pupils appeared so illusory in the luminous strobe of lights. I rested my arms around his neck, needing a moment to collect myself. When another guy tried to chat me up, Richie shoved him away, gripping me tighter.

"Why don't you kiss me huh?" I suddenly blurted out with temporary confidence. Under the circumstances, it was the alcohol in my system speaking, I could never ask that sober in a million years.

A wolfish grin etched across his face and he kissed me passionately. His lips were warm and soft. They parted slightly, allowing my tongue to slip inside. Richie's hands tangled in my hair as we made out against the wall, our heated bodies pressed tightly against each other. At that moment, all I wanted was him.

If only the sound of cop sirens hadn't broken us apart. The crowd burst into a frenzy, kids running to avoid being arrested for violating curfew. Still incredibly dazed, I let Richie lead the way in our escape. Sneaking out of the basement window, we ran out into the twilight of the streets before the world blacked out.