Close As Enemies

Eleven.

Now Playing... Parties 

    "How would you feel about going to a party tonight?"

I flipped the page of my book."No thanks."

"Come on, Molly!" Wes whined, pouting at me. "Live on the wild side!"

"I'll bite. Where's it at?" Wes' pout was immediately replaced with a wide grin as he sat down beside me on the couch. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table before looking at me.

"My teammate's house. The whole school will be there."

Glancing over at him, I closed my book and crossed my arms over my chest. "Why do you want me to go?"

"Because you need to get out more."

"Yeah, I'm not going."

Wes groaned, throwing his head back against the couch. "Ugh, Molly, that's not what I meant. You're always here, school, or dance. I never see you go anywhere besides those three places. Live a little!"

I stared at him, and as he stared back, his eyes pleaded with me. For a moment, it was silent, and the way Wes was staring at me made me shift on the couch for some reason. Wes hadn't really looked at me since before I left Montana (at least from my knowledge he hasn't), and the intensity of his gaze sent a chill down my spine. Looking away, I sighed, closing my eyes.

"Fine, I'll go. But you can't leave me alone since I barely know these people."

A grin spread across Wes' face, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Your wish is my command, sweetheart."

Wes stood, disappearing upstairs to his room, and as I watched his back disappear around the corner, my mind flew back to the day our friendship ended for good. It was because of a party, in fact. A party where he left me alone even though he promised he wouldn't abandon me.

I hoped history like ours wasn't keen on repeating itself.

***

"Really? You're wearing long sleeves again?"

I glanced down at my outfit. I was clad in a pair of black jeans with a long sleeved blue shirt tucked in. Long sleeved shirts were the only things I wore after I moved, simply because I was too ashamed to let anyone see the angry scars hiding beneath.

Looking back at Wes, I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm going, aren't I?"

"Touche." He mumbled, striding toward the front door. As I drove down the road, Wes told me directions until we finally arrived at the house. Cars lined up and down the street, and the music was blaring from inside. Before Wes could walk in, I grab his wrist, causing him to glance over his shoulder at me, confusion evident on his face.

"Please don't leave me alone tonight."

Wes' face softened, and the ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "I promised you, didn't I? Don't worry so much."

As we walked into the house, the smell of alcohol and sweat overpowered my senses. People were in the living room dancing, while others were in the dining room surrounding kegs. For the first ten minutes, Wes lingered close to me, but then I looked again, and he was gone. My heart dropped. He promised he wouldn't leave. When I finally did find him, he was in the corner of the living room, too occupied with GiGi to even remember I existed.

"You're looking kind of scared." Someone whispered in my ear, and when I turned around, I was met with Logan Fraizer, one of Wes' teammates. As his breath fanned against me, the reek of alcohol flooded my nostrils. The corner of his mouth quirked up. "You want a drink?"

I glanced back at Wes, who still hadn't left from GiGi's side. Sighing, I faced Logan again. "Lead the way."

When we reached the kitchen, he handed me a beer, and I took a swig, allowing myself to indulge in the way it slid down my throat. After about three, my mind grew hazy, and all I knew is the bottle in my hand and the familiar pain aching in my heart again. I walked into the living room, swaying my hips until my phone buzzed. Glancing at the screen, I saw a text from the message board.

MASS MESSAGE: Looks like little Molly Clarke isn't so shy tonight. Maybe she'll find a way to put us all out of our misery with her alcoholic self. - Anonymous

Shutting my phone off, I closed my eyes, downing the rest of the bottle in my hand. Letting it drop to the floor, I heard the crack of glass, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Everything blurred as I closed my eyes. The floor swayed beneath my feet, but I remained in the middle of the room, dancing unsteadily. Suddenly someone was behind me, his fingers gripping my waist, his lips pressing sloppy, open-mouthed kisses against my neck. I leaned my head against their chest, not because I wanted to, but to keep myself standing straight. After a couple minutes, I pushed him away and stumbled to the kitchen, drinking two more bottles of whatever I could find, until someone grabbed my hand, leading me away from the drinks and upstairs. Everything happened in a flash, but I remember that hand being ripped away and replaced with another. The guy was tall and muscular, but the thing that seemed most familiar was his piercing green eyes. For some reason, I wasn't afraid of him, and even after he pulled me into one of the empty bedrooms and locked the door, I didn't fear being alone with him-- even when I couldn't remember what happened next.

***

Pain throbbed violently to the point that I wouldn't have been surprised if my head cracked open. Burying my head into the pillow, I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the pain to go away. The pillow was intensely warm, and even though it was hard, it was comforting.

Wait.

My eyes snapped open. The room was still dark, and the only thing I could see was shadows of furniture in the room. Glancing down, I noticed I only had my long-sleeve shirt and underwear on, and my arms were wrapped around someone. He only had a pair of pants on, his shirt nowhere to be seen. When I looked at his face, I nearly fell out of the bed.

Wes.

My chest tightened, and suddenly, it became harder to breathe. I wheezed, my whole body shaking violently as I fought my way out of Wes' grip. "N-No, no, no, this c-can not be h-happening."

"What's wrong?" Wes rasped, his eyes fluttering open, but then he looked at me and immediately bolted up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Molly, I--"

"Take me home."

"But Molly--"

"Now, Wes!"

I hurriedly threw on my pants and shoes, zipping out the door and out the front door of the house. Waiting by my truck, Wes unlocked it and climbed into the driver's seat. As he started the engine, I turned my phone on, only to receive multiple notifications from the message board.

MASS MESSAGES:

- Surprised Molly even bothered to show up at this party tonight. Maybe the alcohol will kill her off. -Anonymous

-I just saw Molly down her fifth drink. Alcoholic much? -Anonymous

- Little Molly Clarke isn't as innocent as she seems. -Anonymous

The last message had a picture attached to it, and when I opened it, I saw Wes and I walking into the bedroom, hand in hand. My heart dropped in my chest as a tear trickled down my cheek.

My worst nightmare had returned as reality.