all i want :: s.m

15: dakota harper's birthday

friday ¬ february 26, 2016

Dakota Harper's place was packed with drunk or sober teenagers. Everyone who was invited showed up, not having anything better to do on a Friday night but go to a birthday party. Her house was spacious—there was enough room for everyone to fit and still walk around.

Shawn stayed towards the side of the crowd, a red solo cup in his hands (filled with coke instead of alcohol, only because he was driving himself home), and his eyes keenly on someone—Ella Rose—who accidentally got drunk out of her mind, and was dancing crazily in the living room like everyone else.

Drinks were offered the minute a body walked through the front doors, Ella being a cautious body and asking if there was any alcohol in the drink a girl offered (she wasn't planning on getting drunk). The girl had denied, and Ella drank the liquid within the cup—and she drank and she drank and she drank, all over again, loving the sweet taste of the beverage. She drank to the point where every memory of the night was no longer going to be in her head the next morning; she drank to ease out the boulders against her shoulders.

Shawn didn't want to stare at Ella the whole night (which he has been doing. And when he needed a refill, he would pour the drink into his cup while watching her), but a protective instinct told him to do so, anyways. He felt cynical with the environment—with Ella being wasted and a few predatory men being sober.

"I'm done," Ella suddenly said, to no one at all but herself, after a while of jumping to a beat. She swayed side-to-side, unable to keep her balance. "I'm done; I'm tired; I want to go home." Shawn watched Ella look around the room, her eyes landing on a random boy, who was too busy on his phone. He watched Ella walk towards the stranger, vigorously tapping his arm.

"Excuse me! Hello?" she exclaimed loudly, earning his attention. Shawn observed how the boy reacted, his eyes narrowing when he saw a smirk grow onto his face and his eyes scanning her body up and down.

"Hey, cutie," the boy greeted flirtatiously, turning his phone off and shoving it into his jeans pocket, his eyes sparkling with lust immediately. Ella grinned up at him, stumbling forward unintentionally, onto his chest. "Woah there, cutie!" the boy laughed, wrapping his arms around Ella's waist to steady her. "You drunk? How many drinks?"

"Too many!" Ella giggled. "But I need your help."

"Oh?"

Ella nodded. "Can you take me home? My best friend—her name is Alice and she's soooo nice—drove me here, but I don't know where she is, and I'm tired."

The boy bit his lip and allowed his hand to travel down to Ella's butt, where he squeezed a little. Ella did nothing to push him back, and she only gasped. "Oh, sure," he said and dove his head to Ella's neck, leaving a few kisses. He lifted his head, making eye contact with Ella, biting his lip and smirking deeper. "I'll take you home. My place, okay? I'll take care of you there."

From close-by, Shawn flared his nostrils and shook his head, clenching his jaw. He disposed of his empty cup and trampled towards the scene, taking Ella's upper arm and yanking her out of the boy's grip before they had a chance to walk away.

"What the hell, bro?" the boy questioned in annoyance. The both of them glared at each other.

"Sorry, but she's mine." Shawn asserted, pulling an oblivious Ella behind him.

"Really? Then why did she go to me instead, huh?" he challenged.

"She's drunk out of her mind, fucktard, she doesn't know what's going on! And you were going to take advantage of her. I saw and heard the whole thing; you're lucky I don't want to make a scene and I'm not punching the hell out of you right now." Shawn's glower was strong enough to have the boy buried six feet underground. Not waiting for a response, Shawn intertwined his hand with Ella's and proceeded to pull her through everyone, towards the exit.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Ella innocently asked, as Shawn unlocked his car and opened the passenger seat. Shawn gave her a deadpan stare, sighing in exasperation after a few seconds.

"Shawn. Your ex-boyfriend." He scratched his head briefly before gesturing to his car. "Get inside."

"Okay." Ella hummed, going into Shawn's car and settling herself onto the passenger seat. Shawn shut the door and jogged to the driver's side, getting in, as well.

"Oh shit." Shawn blurted.

"What is it?"

"I don't know your new address," he informed, not even bothering to ask Ella for her new address, since she probably would have mixed up a few numbers with her drunken state. "I'm taking you to my place." And he drove off.

After a while of tense silence, Ella began to speak: "Shawn," she said, still looking forward and not at him. "You mean you're Shawn Mendes? The boy I used to date a long time ago?"

He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. "That's the one."

"Oh. Then I love you." He nearly drove off road.

"W-what?"

"Hm? I said I love you," Ella giggled. "Something wrong?"

"Everything's wrong, Ella!" he raised his voice, quickly lowering it afterwards. "Everything you said was wrong. Stop lying to me; you don't love me."

"I do."

"Really? Then why did you leave me?" He took advantage of her drunk state and sober thoughts.

"Oh. That." Ella closed her eyes and leaned her head on the window. "I didn't want to do that."

"Then why the hell did you do it!"

"Because you don't like them." She murmured, her words jumbled. "And I had one."

"Ella, what the fuck are you saying?" He grew frustrated. "Why did you leave me? Answer me properly!"

"Because of Louis!" Ella raised her voice, still not opening her eyes. Shawn's heart cracked. It was silent for a bit, and then: "I love Louis, Shawn."

"So you cheated on me with some guy named Louis? That's why you left me?" He dared to ask, his nose bridge stinging and tears forming at the rim of his eyes. Ella didn't answer. "Ella!" he shouted and glanced at the girl beside him, but she was passed out—sleeping peacefully—whereas Shawn was depicting the emotions. He cursed to himself and angrily punched the rim of his steering wheel, a tear escaping his eye.

Soon, he arrived at his house, parking the car on the driveway. He closed his eyes for a while, calming himself and stopping his tears, before looking at Ella. "Jesus Christ..." he whispered to himself, exiting his car.

He then proceeded to Ella's side, having to unbuckle her seatbelt for her before carrying her bridal style, kicking his car door closed. The process of going into the house was worse. It took a while, having to balance Ella in his arms while he opened his front door. He thanked the Lord the minute he arrived at his bedroom and set Ella down on his bed.

For a while, he just stared at the girl beneath him, memories of him and her together replaying in his head. He sighed again, taking off Ella's shoes, which he threw to the side. He then lifted the blankets over her body, tucking her in.

His hand ventured its way to her cheek and caressed it. For a second, he had the urge to lean down and kiss her cheek goodnight, but decided against it, retracting his hand away, and leaving her to be alone in his room. 

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