Begin Again - A.I

twenty two.

This was not okay. This was most definitely not okay. 

I couldn't find Ashton anywhere, and this was all his fault. The house was jam packed with people I did not know and the music was so loud it was deafening. I hadn't even seen any of the other boys and I had been around the house about a million times. I didn't like this. At all.

Why did my selfish mother have to leave me here all alone to deal with this? I was a good person, I didn't deserve any of this. I didn't deserve drunk people falling over me and smelling of puke and alcohol, and I didn't deserve to be in the same room as so much shocking fashion. I mean seriously? Board shorts? What was this, the Hawaiian summer of '79?

"Hey girl, you wanna ride with me in my Volvo?"

I grit my teeth together at the voice behind me, spinning around, ready to knock some sense into this loser. "Listen here, boy, the only thing I'll be riding with you is the police car to the station to fucking report your perving ass-"

I stop when I see Luke standing in front of me, holding a beer and grinning widely. My stomach flops. 

"You ass," I hiss.

He chuckles. "That was some fire, Stanford."

I just roll my eyes, pushing past him to move away from the bustling crowd. "Yeah, well, you're a very believable perv."

"Thanks!" He cries.

I just shake my head, heading into the kitchen to grab myself some water. I push past some kids getting high and force them outside. God, this was seriously not okay. The minute I saw Ashton I was going to kill him.

"So, what are you drinking?" Luke asks, chasing after me.

I hold up my glass. "Water."

He scoffs. "Hilarious. Want me to get you a beer?"

"I'll pass." I sip at my water. "Why are you even here? Aren't you and Ashton fighting?"

"Yeah?" He shrugs. "So what?"

"So ... this is his party."

He stares at me for a while. "Yeah, and?"

I give up. I officially give up. "Have you seen Ashton? I need to kill him."

Luke laughs. "No I haven't, but let me know when you do. I'll help."

I crack a smile. "Don't fuck up too much, Luke." I pat his arm awkwardly before moving past him.

"What does that mean?" I hear him yell after me as I move down the hall.

Boys.

I find Calum and Michael in the lounge, playing a game of cards with a few other people around the coffee table. Calum spots me and waves me over, a huge smile on his face. "Ella! Come join us!"

With nothing else to do I mosey my way on over and sit down beside Calum on the couch. I don't know what they're playing at all so I just kind of stare at the table.

"We're playing Bullshit," Calum speaks up, as if sensing my unknowingness. "Do you know how to play?"

I just stare at him as if to say 'do you think I do?'

"Right." He clears his throat. "It's simple. Are you good at lying?"

"I'm not bad," I decide.

He smiles. "Great." He hands me a pile of cards and I struggle to hold them all. "The aim of the game is to follow the person before you in a consecutive order. So, if Jax here puts down a two, you have to put down a three."