Mattie's POV
I was driving down a long, dark deserted road just a few minutes outside of Waterloo. My brights were on, but there was still dark pressing around my car on all sides. The moon was full and bright as it hung in the sky and stars peeked out behind clouds as a slight breeze whisked through the air. I shivered and turned the heat up.
I was looking for an old farm house. I knew it was around here somewhere. I saw the Facebook invite blinking in my inbox a few hours earlier in the day. A popular underground DJ from Des Moines was hosting a party out here in the middle of no where. I entered the address into my GPS and left my small apartment around 10:00pm armed with a small bag full of everything I needed for the night. A 5th of Smirnoff vodka, a 2 liter bottle of Sprite, and my usual stash of Oxycontin. The GPS said I was getting close. The farm house was only about 100 feet away.
I rounded the last bend, and there it was. It was a two story house with chipping white paint on the outside, blue shutters, and a wrap around porch. The house looked weathered, like it had survived every natural disaster during the past century. It looked spooky. I stopped my car and put it in park. It was empty. "Is this a joke? Where is everyone?" I listened carefully and heard the familiar sound of bass pumping from behind the house. I put the car in drive and went forward. Just behind the house was a little hill, and down the hill was the party. Dozens of cars were parked along an old red barn. There were people every where dancing and chasing each other around a huge bonfire in the middle of a field. The DJ was set up several yards away from the fire and had just started his set. I parked my car near an oak tree and grabbed my bag. It was chilly tonight and my breath fogged around me as I locked the car and jiggled the handle.
I heard talking, laughter, and people arguing as I stepped inside the party, hugging my bag to my chest. All around me people were drinking straight out of bottles of whiskey, vodka, Jager, and tequila. Various pipes and bongs were being passed around. A group of girls near me were snorting Molly off of their hands. Everyone was dancing wildly to the music with stars in their eyes. I was at home.
I picked a spot near the fire and sat on the ground. I grabbed the bottle of Smirnoff and the Sprite from my bag. I cracked the bottle vodka and took a few gulps. The alcohol burned my chest as it went down and sat as a glowing ember in my stomach; it warmed me instantly. I took another gulp. I looked into my bag for a baggie. I found it and popped the seam to the Ziplock bag. I grabbed 2 little blue pills and popped them quickly into my mouth. I swallowed.
"Mattie? Mattie James? No fucking way!", some yelled just behind me. I whipped my head around. It was my ex-boyfriend, Hunter. We had broken up six months ago, but he still looked the same. He still had the same wavy brown hair down to his shoulders. The same brown eyes. And the same 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. The last time we spoke, he told me he never wanted to see me again. He told me that I was trash, garbage, and damaged goods. And that no one would ever love me. He held a beer in his hand. "It's so good to see you! No really, it is." He sat down next to me and I leaned away from him. "I thought we weren't speaking Hunter," I said icily, slurring my words a little. He sighed, "Don't be like that right now Mattie. It's a party. Lighten up a little bit."
I just stared at him. I didn't know what to say, but he spoke again. "Theresa and Tiffany are here. You know they would love to see you," he took a swig of his beer and finished it off. He then took the bottle of vodka from me, taking several large gulps. He wiped his mouth and handed it back to me. "Just come and sit with us for a few minutes. You can catch up with the girls. They miss you. And I miss you." He took my hand in his. I snatched it back and put it into my chest, holding the bottle of Smirnoff as a life line. I put it to my lips and drank deeply again.
