The Whisper Seekers

Crash Goes the Cheerleader

The walk around the vast space and through jumbles of people takes some time, but I never find Derek. I've walked all over the massive house, but can't find him anywhere. I ask all of his friends that I bump into but no one has seen him either. I check all of the bathrooms, which had girls snorting cocaine and guys getting handjobs without locking the door, and the tightly packed kitchen, but still no sign of him. I am about to pull out my phone to call him again when I hear Mike calling out Derek's name. I walk around the corner and Derek is by the front door, putting his letter jacket on. 

"There you are! I couldn't find you!" I shout and he completely ignores me as he opens the front door. I run out behind him to catch him, but he doesn't turn around at my shouting. "What the hell Derek, I'm talking to you," I yell loudly. He suddenly whips around and snaps, "Oh, is Liam busy?" I stop in my tracks and shake my head. 

"What? What does that even mean?" He points toward the backyard as he snaps, "I leave to get you a drink and five seconds later, you two are already huddled up together."

 "To talk about Harper!" I exclaim.

 "Right Ellie, he's only hanging out with her to get close to you and you don't seem to mind. It's not that hard to see that she's not the one he's into," he says with a shake of his head. "I'm sure he won't mind giving you a ride home either. I'm out." He throws his hands in the air and strides off towards his Jeep. I watch him shove a kid out of his way and sneer, "Move dirt!" Mike and Aaron follow and I am left standing alone in the grass. I am now confused and pissed off and I quickly stomp my way back into the house. 

I'm beyond annoyed as I make my way out back, and am about to kick a flower planter in frustration when I no longer see Lily, Liam, or Harper at the firepit. I push through the crowd of drunken people until I see the back gate slightly ajar, and wonder if they made it to the front to leave too. Liam certainly seemed eager to leave.

I glance down at my phone and see I am not going to make curfew now. I don't want to be here and am going to be grounded when I walk in, looking slutty and over an hour late. I can tell I'm swaying from the booze and my heels are making my walk around this never-ending house even harder.

 I stumble to the gate and heave it farther open until I see the driveway is still full of cars. I continue stumbling around like a baby deer to see if Liam's car is still here, but there are three identical BMWs parked on the driveway. I can't tell which one is his.

 I really want to go home when my stomach starts feeling queasy from mixing alcohol just as I thought it would. Why did I take that last shot of tequila? I tug at Lily's stupid skirt, hoping to free the tight waistband from my upset stomach. I regret switching skirts with Lily and wonder how she can wear this sweaty bandage wrap. The balls of my feet ache from the height of my heels and right as I'm about to plop down in the grass with defeat, I see Ashley and Brittany stumbling out of the front door, walking behind two other cheerleaders. I yell out Brittany's name to get her attention and she stops to find me.

 "Hey, can I please catch a ride with you?" I beg. It's obvious they have all been drinking, but I only live a few blocks away.

 "Yeah, I just have to figure out how I am going to get my car out. It's blocked by like, ten others," Brittany says while she fumbles for her keys. I hear my phone ring from within my purse and I attempt to fish it out. It looks like the number Liam called me from earlier so I answer. 

 "Hello." 

"Ellie, where are you?" Liam asks, sounding completely panicked.

"About to get a ride home. Where are-" He cuts me off. "Don't get in Brittany's car, Ellie. Stay where you are!"