fine line

six

i woke up lying on my sofa in the dark, the house is empty and all the lights and tv's are switched off. i hear a faint ticking sound and glance over at the clock. it was 9:47pm. not being able to find my phone, i move around the couch until i found it in the crease of the sofa. turning in my torch in my phone, i get up and switch the small lamp on in the corner of the living room before turning in the tv and sitting down. i have 8 new messages.

8 new messages

are you up yet? x.                    - sarah, 5:03pm

mailani are you up                - jj, 5:35pm
oh ffs wake up                         -jj, 5:40pm
wake the fuck up dude          - jj, 5:43pm
mailani.                                    - jj, 5:47pm
LANI?! - jj, 5:49pm

kelce is having a party btw, we're all going, lmk if you are x. -sarah, 6:30pm

are you coming to kelce's party? i don't see you here                                          - rafe,7:16pm

i reply to jj and sarah to tell them i've just woken up before going upstairs to get myself ready to go to kelces. i wear something simple, like a white bandeau with a green and purple pattered skirt. (imagine below)

thank goodness kelce lived a few doors down from me so it wasn't much of a trek to his. i lock my door and begin to walk to his. as i get closer u can hear the music and see drunk teens scattered around.

when i eventually get inside, i find jj straight away, necking on with some random redhead. i didn't wanna bother him, he looked like he was having a good time. i make my way through the crowds of people into the kitchen when i pour myself a drink. tequila with pineapple and mango juice. kiara had just walked over into the kitchen when she spotted me.

"mailani!" she called out for me before embracing me in a tight hug, "i didn't think you were gonna be here, how's the sting?" she looks down at my torso.

"better, it's still sore though" i say looking down at it. "i'm sure alcohol will take the pain away though" i cheekily smile at her. she then grabs a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses and pours them out.
"three, two, one" we down the shots before she pulls me in the middle of the lounge. we start dancing together to the music.

some other people started to join us. one boy got behind me and grabbed my hips with his hands and i started moving on him. i hear someone cheer at us and i begin looking around for who it was.

leaning on the stair rail was rafe sipping something out of his red cup and staring at me. i feel my stomach fill up with butterflies while keeping eye contact with him while still dancing. he takes a sip of his drink while holding eye contact.
kelce walks up to him and whispers something in his ear which i can't read before going upstairs with him. i'm pulled out of my trance and leave the lounge to go to the kitchen. i stall for a little while in the kitchen, taking shots with random kids who i've seen around. my curiosity beats me and i head upstairs.

shouting was coming from the last door down the hall so i slipped into it without making a sound. rafe was pacing around on the balcony, his back was turned toward me so he couldn't see me. as if on cue, i jinxed myself and he turned around and locked eyes with me. something about his demeanour changed and he became stiff.

"i gotta go" he says into the phone before hanging up and putting it in his pocket, "how long have you been in here mailani?" his ice blue eyes are staring a hole through mine.

my heart started to race faster and faster, "i- i just came up here, i heard shouting" i begin walking over to him, gaining more confidence as i see his eyes relax. "are you okay?" i look up to him.

he smiles at me drunkenly, "yeah i'm good" a wide smile plastered on his face and i realise that he's definitely high right now. "you know lani" rafe starts to slowly walk toward me, "you were always my favourite out of sarah's friends".
i can feel a smile start to form on my face, drunk words are sober thoughts.

laughing to myself, i look up at him, "is the that true now rafe?". by now his face is in close proximity to me, i can feel him breathing down on me.

"i wouldn't lie to you mailani" rafe pauses for a second, not doing anything only looking into my eyes. he then slowly cups my face and before he has a chance to make another move kelce bursts into the room. our bodies flinch away from eachother as quick as lightning.

"jj's in a fight" he says breathlessly.

my face screws up, "what?" i say running out the room and down the stairs. jj's outside with some kook, his face is all bloodied up. he was winning, that was clear but he looked absolutely awful, "john b fucking do something!" i scream.

john b quickly puts his brain in gear and immediately gets between the two boys, pushing jj back towards us. i sit him down as the party slowly gets going again and treat his wounds.

"what the fuck jj" i whisper to him as he flinches his face away from me. i'm applying rubbing vodka on a towel onto a cut on his face.

he gives me a sharp look before relaxing again, "i'm not gonna let some rich pig treat us like shit mailani" i give him a sympathising look, jj would never admit it but he hates the class system. in his mind he believe we should all be equal, but he knows it doesn't work like that. "where were you anyways?" he mutters to me.

a lump grows in my throat, "i was upstairs looking for sarah" i smile slightly at him while applying a plaster to his forehead, he just gives me a 'hm' back. john b then helps him up and we start to leave. i had promised everyone that they can stay at mine as it's close to kelce's and my parents aren't home.

we arrive back to mine five minutes later, pope, kie and sarah passing out on the couch while jj, john b and i make ourselves something to eat. We all make ourselves a bowl of cereal and sit around the island. it was silent, but not weirdly. it was a comfortable silence, we all acknowledged that sometimes there was simply just nothing to say.

my phone screen lit up with a text message, i clicked on it. 'new message from rafe cameron'
"whose that?" jj asked.
i pull my eyes up from the screen to look at him, "just my parents"

rafe cameron

any chance i can stay round yours tonight?

why?

i need a place to stay

stay at kelce or toppers

cant, kelce's parents found out
about the rager and tops taken
some girl home

go home

i can't, ward will be pissed

not my problem

please lani, just this one thing x

i look up to from my phone and see the girls migrating upstairs to the spare room. aswell as john b and jj clearing their bowls up.

rafe cameron

okay, you can come round.
just give it 30 mins

thank you, your a life saver x