Battlefield ｡ Tony Stark

5 - ANOTHER PARTY

The rest of the week went by in a blur, something that usually happened when I was determined to avoid something, usually Lucy drama or my mother's persistent phone calls. But this week the very thing I was avoiding was the boy called Tony Stark. After the events that had occurred during our shared Law class, it was becoming very that this boy wasn't going anyway. But that didn't mean I was going to give him another chance to get under my skin again. 

It was a Friday night which meant one thing in my life. 

Parties.

And this week, I was more than ready to welcome the blissful song of blurred vision, sloppy dancing and highs that made the blood in my veins buzz. The very thought of escaping reality brought a smile to my lips as I adjusted the straps of my dress in the mirror, knowing very well Lucy was behind me touching up her makeup.

"Isn't that my dress?" She piped up over the low hum of music playing from her phone. Her blonde hair was combed off her face, her eye makeup thick but pretty. She was wearing tight jeans and a low cut shirt that left nothing to the imagination. 

I let my shoulders rise and fall. "Hmm, maybe. But I just figured the clothing items that get left on the floor is fair game."

Lucy considered my words for a moment, her eyes glazing over with thought. Then she was smacking her lips together, spreading the lipgloss around and giving me a grin. "Does that mean when you leave those laced bras on the floor, I can have them?" 

"I suppose so," I replied, twisting away from my mirror and reaching for my boots by my bed. Tonight we were heading to an off campus party hosted by the senior class at a nearby club. It wasn't the usual frat party full with preppy boys with too much money and huge egos. I was actually excited about spending the night crammed into a tiny club with music blasting, bright lights painting the walls and a steady flow of drinks. "Are you ready to go?" I asked once my boots were laced up. 

Lucy's brother, Justin was supposed to be driving us, which was fine with me. Justin was a strange soul actually. He was rather popular but screamed geek and everyone knew it. He was also a total teacher's pet, which was annoying. Justin Hammer didn't drink, or party often but always showed up to get us out of sticky situations when they came up. 

"Yeah." Lucy grabbed her bag, throwing in her phone and purse. Before we left our dorm room though, she picked up a black sharpie pen. I narrowed my eyes down at her while she took my hand and scribbled a number on the inside of my wrist. I knew her phone number and this number was not hers. 

I rubbed at the pen inking my skin but it was already dry. "What was that for?" I questioned as we stepped into the hallway, a group of boys already downing beers a few feet away. 

"I know how your mind works, Tilly." Lucy was talking sternly but her eyes were glued to the boys checking her out. "You've had a weird week and you tend to get a little wilder when you're stressed or emotional."

That was a comment that didn't stick well with me and I was giving her a shake of my head, ready to protest that I wasn't emotional. "Anger and annoyance count as emotions too," Lucy added in without looking over at me but knowing what was running through my head. "So, just in case something happens tonight. Call that number."

I glanced down at the numbers written on my hand, a strange feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. We kept moving down the hallway, Lucy waving her fingers at the boys with a coy smile on her lips. "Who's number is it?"

Lucy didn't reply, just kept walking without a second glance over at me. Her night had started and she was in the zone and tonight she was ready to catch some boys. 

***

The club was packed as we arrived, the night air a little warm. Justin parked the car a few streets down, a little worried his car might get trashed if parked too close to the club. We all knew how crazy some off campus parties could get. Last year the senior class threw a Halloween party at a club downtown and the night ended with fifteen frat guys arrested and two guys in hospital for weeks. To say tonight might get messy was an understatement. 

"You'll look after Lu, right?" Justin had pulled me aside as we waited in the line to get in. Lucy was already speaking to some guy with a sleeve of tattoos and a packet of cigarettes tucked into his back pocket. 

I glanced up at Justin, seeing those boyish eyes which screamed of innocence. A part of me just wanted to show him the bliss of letting go and downing a bottle of vodka or popping a pill for a night but I knew this boy wasn't wired like that. I gave him a pat on his chest, almost laughing. "I am not her babysitter, Justin. We have a rule, don't talk about our chosen methods of self-destruction. She'll be fine." 

He didn't look so convinced. "She's your best friend, Tilly. Shouldn't you care what she does?"

"She's your sister," I replied coldly. Justin didn't understand our relationship, not that I blamed him. Lucy and I shared a common trait, we each had ways to distract us from reality. I turned to drugs and she turned to boys. That's just how it was and we both let the other do as they pleased. It wasn't healthy, but it was easy. "If you want to spend the whole night trying to keep her away from boys, that's up to you. I've got my own plans."

Justin frowned, "And what are they?"

I gave him a little grin, already stepping through the ropes and joining the mess of people. "I've got a date to drown my sorrows." I called out, waving at him before disappearing into the darkness. 

I was ready for a night of wild partying and numbing my thoughts.

Too bad I wasn't ready for a night with Tony Stark again.