Whispers In The Dark

Victoria

Victoria

I was so excited, I was shaking.

It was the second Friday of the school year, and the first party.

I pulled on my muscle shirt, deciding to diss the band shirts and go for plain black with small, dull spikes on the shoulders and a black bandeau bra underneath,exposing a portion of my ribcage. I paired it with a pair of acid-washed jean shorts, frayed at the bottoms, and my beloved combat boots. I fixed my hair; bangs to the side and semi-straightened. It was still obvious that there were waves in it. My eyeliner curled into wings at the edges and went around the circumference of my eyes. I puckered my lips at the mirror and grinned, more ready than I would ever be.

I was a bit disappointed to be going to the party without Reximus, but he really hadn't wanted to go, and I wasn't going to drag him there by his hair. I was slightly relieved, however, when I heard that Robin was going.

It was eight o' clock by the time that Robin pulled up to my house. His mom had taught him how to drive, though he didn’t have a license. I needed a ride. So, why not?

My parents didn't say anything when I left. They were busy talking quietly and tersely in the living room. It was easy enough to just leave.

I waved at Robin and smiled. He leaned over to the passenger door and pulled the lock up with a sheepish grin. I opened the door.

"Locks don't work," he explained.

I didn't say anything. I shut the door and buckled up. He sped away immediately.

We didn't talk on the way there. I was okay with that. I don't think I would have been able to talk about much more than the party, anyway. I was too excited.

Honestly, I had never really been this excited for a party, at least not since freshman year. But I hadn't been to a party all summer, and I hadn't had a sip of alcohol with the exception of a bit of my mother's wine at my uncle's wedding in June. I also hadn't socialized much. I had mainly just stayed inside my house and spent the days ending up on the endless odd sides of YouTube.

The house was big, even for an open party. The front yard was expansive and the house obviously had a second floor. There was a spacious porch in front, too.

There were only three or four cars outside of the house, which wasn't too surprising considering that it was only eight o' clock. We knocked on the door.

Riley Evans was the last person I had expected to answer the door.

She was dressed in a short, but not extremely short, black skirt, and a tight black tank top, forming the appearance of a dress. As always, however, she hadn't left out her black and white Chuck Taylors.

Attached at her hip was a guy with straight brown hair, startling blue eyes, tanned skin, and one of the widest smiles I had ever seen. He was dressed in a simple pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt, and black and white Chuck Taylors that resembled Riley's.

"Victoria?" she asked. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

I smirked. "I didn't exactly think I'd see you here, either."

She laughed, and it was real. I stared at her in shock. I hadn't seen her since Monday. She had stayed home Tuesday, and then Wednesday and Thursday had been a blur of pre-party excitement and hanging out with Reximus, and sometimes Robin.

“This is my house!” she explained. Her eyes widened. "Oh!" She looked to the guy with his arm around her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his waist. "This is my boyfriend, Jeremiah."

I looked at him curiously. He didn't look older than seventeen, but I also hadn't seen him around school.

"Are you in high school?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "Yeah. I'm a junior, too, but I spent the summer in Florida. I'm starting on Monday."

I nodded.

Riley led us inside and Jeremiah shut the door. There were a few people loitering in the living room, but no more than ten. She led us into the kitchen. It was empty. The granite island was bare except for two large bottles of plain vodka. We stood in silence.

It was uncomfortable. I gestured to Robin, who hadn't said a word. "This is Robin."

Jeremiah turned his attention to him and said, "Hey, man." They did some strange guy-handshake.

Riley and Robin didn't say anything to each other, just looked at one another solemnly.

This time, it was Riley who broke the awkward atmosphere. "So," she said, looking to the living room. "I know there aren't many people now, but by eleven, this house is sure to be full."

She was oh-so-right.

By ten-thirty, cars were pulling up every few seconds. The street was packed and people had resorted to parking blocks away. There was one group of guys who tried to park on the front lawn. Jeremiah chased them away from the porch and sprayed them with the garden hose until they drove away. They showed up, dripping wet, a few minutes later. This time, their car was not on the front lawn.

Oh, and I was loving it.

I had drank three cans of beer and something that Riley had given to me in a plastic cup by the time that Robin found me. I had lost him when people had started showing up, nearly an hour before, and I had looked for him for maybe two minutes before giving up and stealing a can of beer from a cooler on the stairs.

I was spinning in a circle when he found me. I didn't remember why, but I was. Robin pulled me to a standstill. I leaned against the wall as the room tilted and somehow ended up falling into his chest. He grabbed me by the arms and tried to hold me up.

"Whoa," I giggled. I looked up to his face. His eyes were wide. "You're really tall, Robby."

He looked me in the eyes. His face was too serious for a party. "Are you drunk?"

"Whoa!" I jerked out of his grasp and laughed manically. I had to lean over and rest my arms on my knees to catch my breath. "Totally!"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen.

"Oh, Robby," I gasped, "at least buy me dinner first." I broke into laughter, again.

He didn't say anything. I let him lead me into the kitchen by my hand without another word, just small bursts of laughter. We stopped in front of Riley and Jeremiah. They were playing a game of who-could-fit-their-tongue-farther-down-the-other's-throat. Jeremiah was obviously intoxicated, Riley less so.

Robin cleared his throat and it was a wonder that they heard him over the blasting music. Riley opened her eyes and pulled away from Jeremiah with a gasp. She licked her swollen lips and moved her hair out of her eyes.

"What's up?" she asked, eyes flickering between us. She seemed uncomfortable in front of Robin.

Robin tightened his grip on my hand as I swayed. "I'm taking her home," he said. "My car's blocked in, though."

She nodded understandingly and held up a finger for us to wait. Jeremiah leaned against the wall and grinned sloppily. He slapped her ass when she took off toward the stairs. I rolled my eyes and stuck a finger in my mouth and stuck my tongue out, mimicking gagging. Robin smirked. Jeremiah didn't seem to notice.

She was back in a minute with keys and reapplied lip gloss. "Let's go," she said. "We'll take my car."

Robin raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asked, offended. "It's my car. Besides, someone's gonna need to hold her hair back if she pukes."