The Summer of '98

(5)

We arrived at the house which was located at the end of a dead-end street full of other beautiful, large homes. I wasn't expecting anything less though. The rich mingle with the rich.

I felt a wave of nausea roll over me as we parked a few houses down and began walking towards the rave. It was that feeling of unease. Like I didn't belong around such high society teenagers. I was sure that they would be able to smell my negative bank balance. The first thing that I noticed about the people hanging out on the front lawn and large wind around the patio, was the outfits. Velvet dresses, expensive leather platform shoes and boots. Bomber jackets and Guess denim.

My outfit wasn't poorly put together, I knew how to dress. But it was purchased from the thrift store and I was sure that it was obvious. Especially from the judgemental once overs that I received as I walked hand in hand with Leroy. Of course, that could have been another reason for the subtle scowls. To these girls, I was some outsider that was on the arm of the school's quarterback.

Cue the territorial bitches.

As we walked through the home and into the large backyard where people were spread out, talking, drinking, doing keg stands, dancing and there were even a few people in the large pool — which wasn't too surprising considering the heat — Leroy was greeted continuously. He was brief with his exchanges, he spoke few words and moved on as fast as he could after introducing me of course. I reminded him that I didn't need to be introduced to each and every person that we passed, but he insisted that it was the polite thing to do.

We stopped beside a group of people that were sat in a circle in outdoor garden sofas, passing a few joints around the large group. A lean boy with tanned skin and dark hair stood from the couch with an inviting and kind smile. "You made it." He exhaled a cloud of smoke and offered the joint to Leroy who declined.

"Wouldn't have missed it." Leroy smiled. "This is Ellie, Ellie, this is Eric."

"Nice to meet you gorgeous." He winked. His attention turned for a brief moment as someone attempted to hand him back the smoke but he waved them off and gave us a broad smile. "Where's Noah?"

"Probably balls deep in his own ego," a blonde scoffed from the sofa below us. She glanced up and flashed us an innocent smile. "Don't roll your eyes at me Lee. Your brother is an absolute self-obsessed nob jockey."

"Ellie, this is Cass," Leroy explained with a tired smile. "Cass, this is Ellie."

"Ahh the famous Ellie." She stood up with an energetic spring, causing the ringlets on her head to bounce. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh this is the Ellie?" Eric exclaimed, his finger waving between the two of us before he slapped himself on the forehead. "Of course. Yes. Lee hasn't stopped talking about you. Which is saying something because he doesn't do a lot of talking to begin with."

I turned and found Leroy watching me with that same soft gaze and wondered how it was possible that he was the same man that I had spent hours every single day on the phone with. I started to become a little paranoid, hoping that I wasn't the one that did all of the talking. But I was certain that he had done his fair share. I wouldn't have felt like I knew him as well otherwise.

"I love that top," Cass reclaimed the conversation and grazed the bottom of the cropped tank top with her fingertips. "Where's it from?"