It Started with Ria

Sneak Peek

Victoria's POV

Pulling into the long winding drive, I park my Plum Crazy Purple 2012 BMW M5 on the manicured lawn of my friend Elise Park's home. Her parents are away on a cruise to the Bahamas, rich people are so predictable. We have free reign over her house until they come back in a month, which means every party will be here for the next three weeks. Louisiana has the perfect weather for partying nearly year round. She lives in one of those posh old plantation homes that you see in magazines With the hundred year old weeping willows dotting the landscape. Her home is located in a rural and desolate area, perfect for partying; no nosy neighbors.

Walking quickly, I cut across the lawn to the elaborate walkway path that looks more like an exotic garden than just a sidewalk. The roses and lilac bushes create a delicate, sweet aroma as you pass by them. My ballet flats snap against the pavement under my feet as I adjust my top and skirt so as to look the part I am to play tonight. Partying is what is expected of me but in reality I'm sick of all of it. My skirt is an old-school style pleat but it's solid black and really short while my top is a silver sequence v-neck that shows much of my cleavage. You know the old cliche saying "if you got it flaunt it".  Standing at 5foot seven inches I am considered average height with jet black hair and light blue eyes, and skin so white i was teased mercilessly as a child. I used to crave the size zero that my friend Elise easy maintained but recently I have started to learn to appreciate my curves.

Finally, I make it to the front entrance of Elise's house. I put on my confident party girl smile like I am so good at and enter. The speakers are booming with Pitbull's Come N Go. Every person in the party seems to be busy with some form of entertainment. The make-shift dance floor in the den is full of sweaty, grinding bodies. I make my way to where I know the booze is; the kitchen. Elise is sitting on the center island letting John Tourneau do body shots on her, EW. I march over to the fridge to find what I am looking for. There they are my sweets; Mike's hard lemonade. I grab one and twist the black cap off the bottle and tip the bottle to my blood red lips. The sweet, tart liquid explodes on my taste buds. I have been waiting all day for this moment, sitting through the boring lectures of Doris and Cliff.

Doris and Cliff are my guardians. Since my parents died three years ago they took me in. They were my parents' friends from college. I had never met them until the night of my parents' death. Technically, I am an adult at 20 years old but in order to maintain my lifestyle I follow their rules or else I would be destitute and on the street considering they are the only thing I have resembling family. They treat me as if I am still a child though which irritates me. They want me to focus on college and not work...they are adamant on that either I go to school or they kick my arse out cold. I tried to leave once but they wouldn't even allow me to take my clothes or car, so there went that idea.

"Riiaaa!" Elise shout-slurs at me. She is already wasted and it's not even 10p.m.

"Hey, Lise!" I shout back to her.

She plops off of the counter and runs over to hug me. I hug her back for a moment.

"Lise I think you have had enough. Why don't we get some fresh air?" I ask hopeful.

"Noooo, no, no silly girl, you just haven't had enough yet." She slurs at me again and pulls me to the island where the hard liquor is amassed. She grabs a shot glass and pours some clear liquid in it and holds it to my mouth.

"Open up gorgeous," she says and I laugh at her trying to flatter me into doing the shot. I take it and down it. Crap it was vodka and I hate the taste. After way too many more shots she drags me to the dance floor and we dance together. We always do this because two girls dancing together always merit the attention of guys and then we both end up with dates. Yes, we are conniving like that. Or you could say we just know how guys think. I know that Lise has had way too much at this point because she is having trouble even dancing. She leans over to my ear and tells me, "Ria your my best-friend, love you,"

"Awe, Lise you know you are my best-friend and I love you too girlie," I said truthfully. She is the only person who has truly been there for me through everything. She smiled her drunken hazy smile and I had to laugh at her. Suddenly, I feel a hand on the back of my head and before I could register what was happening someone was kissing me. I opened my eyes to see that it was Lise? What the hell? All around me I could hear catcalls from the guys who seen. I pulled away from her giving her my WTH look. I turn and run away not knowing even where to go. As I run I hear her calling my name. I make it to the back of the house where there sit a room full of people who immediately looked up at me upon my entrance. Shit!  I accidentally ran into a room full of people getting high; they always come to the parties but I avoid hanging with anyone who gets high, because I have never so much as touched a drug before in my life. Drugs scare the hell out of me. There is white stuff on the table all lined up, waiting.

"Can we help you, sexy?" One scruffy looking guy with blood-shot eyes asks as he looks at my chest.

"No?" I said but it sounded like a question. As I turned to high tail it out of there, they started to laugh at me. Suddenly the back door was busted in by people all dressed in black. There was screaming and things being thrown all around the room. One of the people in black was yelling out orders and the others burst into action and I was on the floor with a knee in my back and cuffs on my wrists before I could even process what was happening,

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