I suggest you might want to get some popcorn cause this ones hella fucking long.
I got a couple addictions
But I swear that I'm coming clean
I got a new way of thinking
Yeah, you're bringing out the best in me
I got a bit of a history
But you're telling me that you don't care
I've been a bit of a mystery
The only thing that I could find around tonight was you
So come on, come on
Do you want to?
Shut your eyes
And feel the chemicals collide
You and I, tonight
You're the sugar in my high
Shot so high
I feel the chemicals collide
Stars and satellites
Spinning round and round
On the night you saved my life"
________________________
I watch intently as my roommate glides the thin felt tip of the eyeliner pen across her right eyelid, the ink prominent against the pale tone of her skin. As she reaches the end of her eye she gives the marker a quick flick, connecting the wing to the original line.
"You have so much patience." I say as I stare at her reflection across the room, watching as she leans back from the mirror and drops the makeup marker in her drawer with a short content sigh. "I could never do that with such precision and poise."
"Thanks. I've been doing it for so long I could practically work at Mac." Adylan looks at me through the mirror, giving me a confident smile.
I return her gesture from where I sit on my bed, snug in my fluffy Batman pajama pants and its matching shirt, my back propped up against the beige wall of our dorm room with my laptop perched on my thighs. A half-finished episode of The Vampire Diaries decorates my screen, one of the main characters paused in the middle of a gruesome fight.
A bag of Doritos lays at my side along with a bottle of Diet Pepsi, the food having been the perfect companion with the night of vampire romance and hybrid killing I had so attentively planned out for tonight. After a couple of episodes I had promised myself that I'd pull out my notes and start studying for the psychology test I have coming up on Monday, something telling me that if I didn't study I wouldn't pass it with the grade I desired.
I have an A in all of my courses except for psychology, my grade teetering at an annoying 86.7. The only reason I have this grade is because of a stupid take-home test I had flunked, causing my grade to drop four points to where it is now. If I pass this test with atleast a ninety-three, my year-round grade would round up to a ninety and I'd be able to exempt my final. So close, yet so far.
However, my arrangements were unexpectedly interrupted when Adylan had stormed into our room, screaming profoundly about her own plans for today's Friday night. After the excessive squealing and several rounds of victory dancing she finally settled down enough to tell me what she was so worked up about.
From what I could comprehend inbetween random screeches of elation, it came down to a simple conclusion. Apparently, Adylan had caught the attention of a jock from one of the fraternity houses on our campus and he had invited her to a party that they were throwing tonight.
"Who is it?" I had asked half-heartedly without even looking up from my screen, more to humor her than anything. I was more interested in returning to my fictional world of thick drama and soul-wrenching love than any silly little frat shindig.
"You aren't going to believe this!" She had squealed for about the tenth time in the last two minutes, jumping up and down as she shuffled through her favorite outfits in her closet. She had pulled out a rather tight shimmery black dress, the neckline cut too low for my personal taste. She peeled off her floral blouse and kicked off her khaki shorts, stepping into the beautiful yet too-revealing dress.
I'm going to be completely honest and clean-hearted when I say this because I love Adylan to death, but she sometimes dresses too carelessly. She fairly covers herself for school, but whenever she goes anywhere else she would go all out and completely forget about her modesty. This time, as I stated before, wasn't any different.
She had the dress three-forths up her body and is was working on squeezing her chest into the tight bodice when she finally answers. "It was Zayn Malik!"
The name caught me so off guard I had choked on a Dorito chip. I paused the show, coughing up bits of cheesy tortilla pieces as I fumbled for my soda.
Zayn Malik is not just a member of anyfraternity house, he is a member of the Sigma Omicron Beta brotherhood– one of the most popular frat houses on not only our entire campus, but our entire county region. To get invited into one of those parties was like being invited into a celebrity's home.
The boys in the Sigma Omicron Beta– ΣΟΒ or SOB for short– are part of some of the most rich and prestigious families in the whole state. These boys are sons of some of the biggest CEOs and businessmen you could ever meet– they've got the money, the education, and the looks. Most of them only care about the money and looks, throwing their intellectual matters away like a plastic wrapper. Many of these college boys have so much money their kids probably wouldn't even have to work for a living.
Adylan had laughed at my sheer surprise as she stumbled around trying to sip up her dress, nodding her head in satisfaction at my reaction. That was the reason she was wearing such a risqué dress– she was hoping to catch the full interest of Zayn.
The SOB was not just known for their impeccability around campus, but they held the ultimate trophy for throwing the best parties in the county. Teenagers from other fraternity houses around the area would come and hope to be let in into such a huge mansion, knowing that the party inside would not doubt be the biggest and wildest party of maybe their entire lives. Adylan had practically been invited into the Gates of Heaven.
Now I sit here, watching as she finishes touching up her smoky makeup and curling a few extra pieces of hair, wanting to look flawless for the event.
"This is going to be absolutely sick!" Her enthusiasm is barely contained by her wide grin as she turns and bends down, reaching for her sleek black pumps. Her short dress rides up the back of her thighs and exposes her lace thong.
"Whoaaaa!" I howl, covering my eyes with the back of my hand and doing my best to sound utterly mortified. "No flash photography, please! Make it stop!"
"Oh, shut up!" She hisses sinisterly, quickly straightening up and roughly tugging down the hem.
I laugh, watching as she struggles to grab her high-heels and keep her bottom covered. When she finally manages to get her hands on her shoes, she plops down onto her bed across from mine.
"You know, this is why you've never gotten laid. You rarely wear shorts, your jeans sag too much in the back, and you have way too many Marvel t-shirts." She states coldly, playfully sticking her tongue out at me as she slips into her footwear. "You're going to end up being a real-life case of The Fourty-Year-Old Virgin."
My mouth drops open and my hand flies to my chest, pressing down over where my heart as I give a fake insulted gasp. "How rude!"
"The truth hurts." Adylan slumps back onto the palms of her hands, tired from her transformation. She leans across and grabs a Dorito but I slap my hand down against her fingers, shooing her away.
"I don't share food with disrespectful whores. Just incase you're confused, you file under that category." I huff, shoving the bag of chips under my crossed legs. Now it's her turn to be faux flabbergasted.
"How rude!" She mimics me in a high-pitched voice, throwing up one manicured hand and flicking me off.
I make a sour face at her, scrunching up my nose and complaining about the pure stench of skank that seems to be protruding from her body.
"Why, thank you. I do try." Adylan bats her eyelashes in my direction, pursing her nude lips and making kissy noises. "If you can't deny it, embrace it, bitch."
I dive into a fit of chuckling, nodding my head in agreement at how blunt she is. I reach up and redo the messy ponytail my hair is hanging in, wanting to get all of the stray strands away from my line of vision. I give her a smile, showing that no matter how much I tease her, I will always love her.
"Well, I hope you have fun with Zayn at the party. Just remember: Don't be silly, cover the willy." I give her my most serious expression, my lips twitching as I try not the break my straight face.
She smirks knowingly, rolling her eyes. "Thanks, mom. I'll make sure."
I give her one more nod, finally returning my attention back to my screen. Just as I am about to press play, she screams.
I spasm, nearly flipping the computer off my lap, my whole body going into immediate defense mode. I look up at her, my eyes wide with confusion and bewilderment. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Oh my God!" She yelps, a huge smile spreading across her face at whatever information has just resurfaced in her brain. She stands up, jumping up and down as she laughs. "Zayn– he said I could bring a friend with me to the party! I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I was so caught up in my own invitation it slipped my mind!"
I blink at her, everything she had just said shuffling into place in my mind. I had also been requested to come.
Any other normal college student would do backflips because of the incredible news, but the first feeling that registers in my mind is fear.
Throughout my life I hadn't been very good with people– talking to them, interacting with them, or simply just being around them. I had a history of being overly-shy and reserved. It had taken me hours to even as much as mutter a word to Addy the day I'd moved and I live with her. Now I had been invited to a mansion full of possibly hundreds of teenagers and most of them would be astonishingly attractive, over-confident, and intoxicated– a huge manor full of complete and utter assholes. Not really my scene at all.
"I don't think I shou–" I begin to explain myself to my friend, trying to get through to her that maybe me going to this party isn't the most brilliant idea.
"Do not fucking tell me you don't want to go." Adylan crosses her arms over her chest as she raises her eyebrows threateningly, daring me to reject her.
"Addy, you know I'm not good with people..." I murmur, furrowing my eyebrows in an apologetic gaze. If the situation was different– maybe a less populated party and less high-ranked attenders– I'd consider going, but it's not.
"Are you serious?" She whines, stomping one of her heels and how she manages not to break her ankle is beyond me. "What are you even going to do all night that could be better than meeting all of these hot frat guys?"
"I have to study for Thorn's psychology test on Monday." I point out, jerking my chin in the direction of my backpack for emphasis.
Her eyes light up and I feel myself cringe. Whenever Adylan's eyes glimmer the way they are now it's because she has leverage of some sort and by the way she's practically glowing with smugness, I can predict it will not benefit me very well.
"I remember you telling me that you really wanted an A on that test, is that correct, Y/N?" She clasps her hands behind her back, walking in a line back and forth infront of me, eyeing me closely.
I slouch, grudgingly nodding my head. All I want is to stay in my bed in peace without any social interaction but from the way Adylan is smiling, I can tell that I won't be getting my wish tonight.
"What would you say if I told you that I already took that test and I can help you study almost exactly what was on there?"
My head perks up as I eye her suspiciously. How is it possible for her to already have taken the test when Professor Thorn planned out to give the exam to all his students on the same day?
"You've got my attention..." I trail off dubiously, my right eyebrow cocking upwards curiously.
"Remember how I told you I'm not going to be here on Monday because my parents want me to go home for my great Nanny's ninetieth birthday?" She continues slowly, seeming to be savoring in a victory that isn't even her's yet.
"Nanny McPhee?" I reply, giving her a sarcastic grin.
"No, you dipshit. Nanny Carmen."
I chuckle, rolling my hand in a few circles in a signal for her to keep going.
"Well, since I'm not going to be here on Monday, I asked Thorn if I could take the test earlier to avoid having to take it next week along with my other exams and he agreed to let me do it. I took the test after school hours today and it's still fresh on my mind." She stops dead in her tracks right before me and gives me a manipulative half-smile. "Would you care to take this advantage and have Yours Truly tutor you on it?"
"Yes!" My answer is automatic and without hesitation, the gates to my exemption form being kicked wide open for the taking.
"Okay. All you have to do is come to the party with me." Addy falls back onto her bed, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap calmly, very pleased with her side of the deal.
My mind rages with what decision to make, my instinct being to take the offer without looking back. Although her bid is very tempting, another large piece of my mind whispers for me not to do it. My anxiety when meeting new people and being surrounded by a large crowd pokes at the back of my thoughts, making a simple choice so much harder to accept.
If I agree to do it I will have the benefit of passing my class for certain and not to mention attending probably the greatest party of the year, but I will have to suffocate in the tons off other people that will also be attending the fiasco. If I decline, there's a possibility I might pass my test with a fair grade, but it's not guarantied the way Addy's proposition is.
"Better hurry up– I promised Zayn I'd be there by ten. It's already nine forty-five and the frat house is about a ten minute drive." She looks up from having glanced at her phone, holding up her right wrist to me and tapping it with the opposite index finger as if she were wearing a watch. "Times ticking, Y/N. What'll it be?"
I groan, already knowing the mandatory answer. "Fine, I'll go."
"Yay!" Adylan claps her hands, squealing as she jumps up and tackles me in a hug. "This is going to be great! I'm going to help you pick out your outfit and do your makeup and–"
"Absolutely not." I stop her short, putting one hand up in halt. "I'm not dressing up for this party. I'm making myself as least noticeable as possible."
"What? But you have to! It's a party!" She immediately begins to complain, gripping my shoulders as she pouts.
"You said I had to go to the party, you didn't say I had to actually interact at the party." I give her a proud grin, pleased that I'd found a small loophole in her supposedly solid contract.
"You can't be bloody serious." She gapes. "Are you?"
"I'm afraid so. You should've thought the demands of the deal through before suggesting so quickly." I cackle evilly, wringing my hands together like a mad genius as I push the computer off my lap.
"You're unbelievable." Addy scoffs, slumping forward with her elbows on her exposed knees.
"Why, thank you!" I copy her tone from before, batting my eyelashes at her angry expression. "If you can't deny it, embrace it, bitch."
I snicker as I shut down my laptop, grabbing my beverage and snack as I make my way to my closet at the end of my bed. I pass by our mini-fridge and toss both items inside, not really caring whether the Doritos belong there or not.
I peek through the door of my small walk-in clothes room, grabbing the first article that catches my attention. It's a NASA Kennedy Space Center t-shirt from when I had visited there during spring break– black background and the words printed in white, blue, and red in the center with the NASA logo right above. I reach for the drawer underneath all of my hanging clothes and pull out a pair of dark denim skinnies, not giving much thought to my appearance at all.
I know if I allow Adylan to dress me, I'll end up wearing a flashy dress similar to her's or a skirt so tight I wouldn't be able to sit down properly, so I rather take care of this on my own.
I can hear Addy groan as I appear from behind the door, her eyes trained on my outfit with a mixture of disgust and loathing. Her glare shifts onto me and I give her an innocent smile, set on pushing all of her buttons for forcing me to go.
"Atleast tell me you'll let your hair down from that pony tail. I love it when you part it to the side and pin your bangs back." She is able to work a compliment into her demand so I decide to oblige, giving into her meager request.
I whine internally as I slip out of my cozy pajama bottoms, wanting nothing more than to just curl up in a ball and finish watching the fourth season of my show, but I know that if I do that I will most likely not be exempting that final. I'll take what I can get.
I hear Adylan trying not to laugh as I expose my underwear, her snorting being audible even from a few yards away.
"Just because I still buy the full-coverage hip-high panties with the cute patterns on them doesn't make me a child." I grumble, already knowing what she is thinking.
I ignore the chuckles escaping her mouth, concentrating on getting dressed.
"You're wearing pink panties that have bunny patterns on them! What are you, five?" She bursts, clutching at her stomach as she throws her head back to laugh.
"They're comfortable and affordable! Shut the fuck up!"
After unenthusiastically tugging off the rest of my comfortable nightwear and repeatedly telling my roommate to leave me alone about my undergarment choices, I pull the t-shirt over my head, thankful that I already have on a bra since I only take them off right before I go to bed. I take out my tie and shake out my hair as I slide into my jeans, jumping up couple of times to pull them all the way up, keeping in mind the comment Addy had made about my saggy pants. I hop over to my nightstand as I slip on a pair of mismatched socks, picking up my pair of scruffed-up black Vans. After lacing them up, I snatch up my hairbrush from the counter and stare at the mirror as I remake the hairstyle Addy had asked me to do.
"Ready?" Her heels thud softly along the carpeted floor as she walks over to the front of the dorm room, picking up her car keys from one of the hooks I'd set up next to the door. She turns the knob, glancing back at me over her shoulder.
I sigh emptily at my reflection, letting my hands fall to my sides limply. I had low expectations for tonight, already planning on keeping my head down in the crowd and praying that I don't get noticed by any of the snotty rich pricks that are going to be parading around the humongous house. The last thing I need is to get picked on in an event I don't even want to attend.
'I can survive one night.' I think to myself as I turn and head after my friend, flipping off the lights to our room and pulling the door closed behind me. 'It's just one party. What could possibly go wrong?'
///
We'd managed to make it to the party around the hour Adylan had promised, but I didn't notice the exact time because I had been too preoccupied gawking at the mansion the we were pulling up to.
Whenever I have spare time in my hands, I like to watch those shows where designers, decorators, and construction professionals get together to build a dream house. I'd never thought any manor could possibly out-do some of the royalty-worthy architecture I had witnessed on that show– that is, not until now. I don't think I've ever laid eyes on a house so ginormous and over-the-top as the house the looms over me now.
This home is a completely different level of stunning, mesmerizing me as soon as I passed through the iron gates.
The first masterpiece to appear is a large pool/fountain that has steps inside where the water current pushes forward, creating multiple small waterfalls. LED lights make the water change colors, glowing and fading from bright blue to deep red, neon pink to a brilliant purple, and a light green which changes into an iridescent orange. The pool alone is a wonderworld.
The entrance to the house itself is to the right, where cars pull up and evacuate their passengers, the driver heading off to find a random spot in the scattered mess that is the parking lot. The house has cement walls that are a faded shade of beige and large framed windows, most lining a cylinder tower from where you can see a colossal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, alternating colors similar to those of the pool.
People stream into the house through the large dark red-oak doors, groups and groups off people piling into what I guess would be the living room. My breathing picks up as I watch people push and shove eachother out of the way to enter, but I tell myself to remain calm for Adylan's sake.
Speaking of Adylan, I glance over to watch as she sits up straight, craning her neck around to see where she could find a satisfactory parking space.
"Ah, perfect." She murmurs, managing to squeeze her Corolla inbetween a Range Rover and a Jeep that are parked diagonal of the fountain pool. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." I breathe, undoing my seatbelt.
"Good! I bet Zayn has a bunch of friends he wouldn't mind introducing you to. He's not that bad, you know." Addy comments as she opens the door, landing on the ground with a sharp click of her heels. I flinch slightly, wondering if she could even feel her feet from having to balance her weight on such torturous shoes.
"He's actually really sweet. From what I've learned about him, he takes his education seriously even though he's doesn't have to." She hums as we meet up behind the car, pressing a button on her key controller to lock her vehicle. "I'm not sure about his friends, though."
I shrug, not really caring whether Zayn's companions were worth the pain of befriending. Most of them are probably the type who like to jump around with girls just as they would on a trampoline.
"Getting an STD is really low on my list of life goals so I think I'll pass." I murmur absentmindley, looking around in awe at the sheer amount off people milling around with drinks on the courtyard of the property.
I feel something hard whack me on the arm and my hand instantly finds the affected area. I furrow my brows at Adylan as she stares at me with an annoyed expression.
"Lighten up, would you? Would it kill you to let someone in your pants for once?" She rolls her eyes as she continues looking around, trying to find her frat boy.
I open my mouth to answer, ready to snap at her about how I was waiting until I was in a committed relationship to give myself up to anyone, but I'm cut short by her releasing an excited squeal.
"There he is!" She swoons. "Fuck, he looks so hot in that jacket."
I follow to where Adylan is pointing, my gaze landing on a small group of boys that are chatting as they stand off to one side of the doors, away from the mob of guests.
I count five boys in total, all of them wearing the same leather jacket with their SOB brotherhood crest engraved on the back, three of them wearing different colored snapbacks. I can barely make-out their individual appearances but I can tell one of them is blonde, the hair sticking out of the rim of his hat a light golden hue. My eyes jump from boy to boy, obvious details sticking to my brain so I can distinguish them better.
One has his hair a bit longer than the rest and has it styled up into a fluffy quiff. Another is wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt under his jacket and is wearing a cap. One has jet black hair that is also styled up and does not have a snapback. The second to last has on a shirt with the words "The Future Is Now" stamped on it, accompanied by a hat aswell, and the last member is the blonde one. One trait that all of the boys have in common is that they are all incredibly attractive, which gives me a perfect reason to avoid them. Out of league, out of mind.
I feel someone tugging on my arm, snapping my attention back to my friend. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to introduce you!" Addy gives me an enthusiasm-infused grin, pulling me after her as she makes her way towards the gang.
"What? No!" I yank my arm from her grasp, shaking my head furiously. "I don't want to! I said I wasn't going to talk with anyone!"
She gives me an irritated scoff, narrowing her hazel eyes at my face. "I didn't think you were serious."
"Well, I am, so please just let me be." I whisper, looking at her with as much sternness as I can muster. "I'm going to go inside."
"Wait, no!" Adylan stops me as I try to push past her, gripping one of my hands in both of hers. "I want you to meet them! Who knows, you could actually have some fun tonight! Y/N, please let me do this. I want this for you. You're probably one of the only virgins in the district! Let's try and change that!"
My eyes widen in bewilderment as panic rises in my body at her suggestion and I only have enough time to shake my head before she's hollering across the front yard of the house.
"Zayn!" She takes off at a fast walk, dragging a very shocked and unsettled me behind her.
The boy with the darkest hair turns in our direction, a smile breaking across his unbelievably handsome face. He lifts his left hand and waves us over, his smile being one of the brightest I've ever seen.
I'd only heard about Zayn in the hallways of our school, but I'd never actually met him. He has classes on the other side of campus, meaning I'd never even laid eyes on him because of our varying schedules. But now he stands in my path, his eyes glued on my roommate as she hurries over to him. We finally arrive before the group, all of their eyes taking in the two new visitors.
"Hey, babe." Zayn reaches over and squeezes Adylan in a familiar hug, his hand snaking around her waist. "You look sexy."
Adylan releases my hand, using her own to cling to her date in a hug, a blush evident on her cheeks as she mumbles a thank you.
After greeting him back she says hello to all of the other boys, leaving me to stand by her awkwardly for a few seconds.
"I brought someone with me." Addy smiles as she makes eye contact with me from where she stands in Zayn's embrace, silently urging me to introduce myself.
I slowly look up at all of the men standing before me, mustering a shy smile. "Hi, I'm Y/N."
The one with the plaid shirt and slight stubble is the first to welcome me. He returns my smile, the way his eyes crinkle making him look genuinely kind. "Well hello, Y/N. I'm Liam."
I give him a grateful smile, watching as he takes it upon himself to introduce the rest of his friends.
"This is Harry." Liam extends one hand towards the boy with the longer hair. Harry's lips spread into a lob-sided half-grin, his right eye-lid dropping in a wink to emphasize his ignorant greeting.
I can tell he's the type to live around girls' bed, his entire demeanor showing it off. The way he holds himself with too much confidence and an over-whelming sense of haughtiness almost drowns me, his celadon eyes dancing with mischief as they flick over my face.
I avert my gaze, glancing to the boy next to Harry with the worded t-shirt. "This is Louis."
"Hellloo." Louis wiggles his eyebrows at me playfully, chuckling lightly.
I'm not really enjoying meeting all of these frat members because I know that no matter how harmless they may seem, their intentions are anything but pure. I'm itching to just dive into the house and sit by myself in a lonely corner, but I have to finish the business Addy had involuntarily set me into doing.
"That's Zayn." Liam flicks his chin toward the person I already established is Zayn and I meet his eyes, being blown away by how they seem to change color in the light that showers us from inside through the windows. They seem light brown at first, but then they fade into a few shades of a dull willow green, and then back to a rich brown. His eyes are very similar to Adyaln's, which I find pleasantly coincidental.
Zayn gives me a warm smile, surprising me completely. Maybe he's not as bad as I had put him up to be.
"And last but certainly not least, this is Niall." My eyes wander to the last member, already knowing it has to be the blonde bloke since everyone else has already been presented.
My eyes drift upwards from the ground, taking in his Vans that are quite similar to mine, his black baggy cargo shorts and a red muscle tank. I watch as he slips off his leather jacket, his arms becoming exposed. His biceps ripple as he crosses his arms over his chest, the muscles becoming enthrallingly taunt.
I manage to rip my eyes away from his arms, tracing the tight pectorals that lay under his tank up to his neck and finally his face.
My first impression of Niall is different than from the other boys, his features being more significantly unique than any other frat boy I've ever seen. His face appears to be soft and pretty childish, his pale skin not being structured by a strong jawline like Harry nor sharp cheekbones like Louis, but it's a shape all of its own. His nose tilts up ever-so slightly, round at the tip in the most adorable way possible. Tender light-pink lips that lead up to rosy cheeks and icy blue eyes with specks of gold in the middle, which are framed by somewhat bushy fair-toned eyebrows. All of this adorns his impish face framework, easily making him one of the most alluring boys I've ever met.
Niall reaches up and takes off his cap–which is bright red and has the words "EXPLICIT CONTENT: Parental Advisory Adviced" imprinted across in big bold white letters– and runs a large hand through his messy blonde hair, pulling slightly at his dark roots and then repositioning his snapback back atop his head. His eyes rake down my body from head to toe, causing a vexatious sensation to weigh down on my chest. I shift uncomfortably under his intense stare, attempting to play myself off as calm.
"Have yeh ever even been to a party before?" He speaks up, his arms finding their way back infront of his chest as he seems to glare at me. His accent is strong and thick, my mind picking it off as Irish.
I feel my heart drop to my stomach, the smile melting off my face. A grin grows on his, his demeanor taking on a malicious aura.
"Uh–uhm– yes?" My answer comes out more like a question, making it sound as if I were asking him for confirmation that my reply was correct.
"Are you sure?" One of Niall's eyebrows flicks upwards in doubt. "I mean, if you have gone to a party, I would think you'd know what to wear to one. A stupid geek t-shirt and a pair of random jeans really doesn't cut it– especially not at a Sigma Omicron Beta party."
The rest of the boys burst out laughing, all except for Zayn and Liam. Some of the people that surrounded us start laughing as well, their eyes unforgiving as they judgmentally flit over my clothes. I watch as they react to Niall's insult, taking it as a comical scene.
My cheeks flare with red, blood rushing to my face in sheer embarrassment. I look up at Niall through my eyelashes, watching as he chuckles at how dumb he's made me look. I wish nothing more than to disappear.
"I-I'll be inside..." I mumble to Adylan, only having a short glance at her shocked and apologetic expression before I brush past her towards the doors of the mansion.
I can hear Zayn's voice speak up, but I ignore any comfort his complaint brings me. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Niall?"
I mold into the reasonably smaller crowd of people pouring into the manor, passing into a world of neon lights and loud music. Pop songs blare from the huge speakers in the over-sized living room, making the ground vibrate. Tons of teenagers stumble around in the dim lighting with bottles of varying liquor drinks and suspicious cigarettes in there hands, while others are dancing freely around the massive house.
I find myself coughing, bringing up my hand to cover my nose from the horrible stenches of nicotine and other unknown drugs. I elbow through two couples that are practically sucking eachother's faces off, looking around for an untaken seat away from all of the hysteria. I pass under an archway into what seems to be another living room, spotting a small couch shoved into a far corner. I avoid bumping into intoxicated bodies as best as I can, making a beeline for the settlement.
I slouch down into the cushions, taking a deep breath of the foul air as I try to calm my nerves. My chest feels hollow at Niall's vile derision, but I push it out of my mind as best as I can.
I knew I was right– frat boys are nothing but rich assholes who can't take anything serious and make anyone's life hell. Niall was the proof.
I lean back against the sofa pillows, watching as a guy and girl stagger right by me, the guy slamming the girl into a wall and groping her in places he shouldn't be touching in public. I gag, turning away from the pornographic sight.
Taking out my phone, I pull up the folder I have with all of my games organized, clicking on Geometry Dash. I pop in my earbuds and make myself comfortable.
This is going to be a hell of a long night.
///
- N i a l l -
Niall was baffled– completely, unsatisfactorily baffled.
He is propped up against a wall, taking leisurely sips from his blue plastic cup filled with an odd mixture of tequila, bourbon, Pepsi, and Minute Made pink lemonade that a very wasted Louis had thrust into his hand a few minutes before. He looks around at all of the stoned and buzzed college students dancing and making out, nothing seeming out of the ordinary to him since this was just another typical Friday night in his frat house.
Niall is confused as to why he isn't turned on considering the tanked girl that was clinging onto him now was doing a pretty amazing job at trying to get him aroused. He could feel the roughness of her tongue and teeth as she sucks on his neck, one of her hands teasingly palming him through his cargo shorts while the other yanks wildly at the hair along the nape of his neck, just like he likes it. On normal circumstances, Niall would be all for it, but his body seems to be putting up a fight against any trigger he wants to ignite. He finally gives up, his legs becoming tired as he has to hold up not only his weight but also the weight of the random brunette he had snatched from the pool outside.
"Alright, babe." He slowly detaches her from his throat, watching as her face contorts into one of pure confusion. "I'm just not feeling it. I think Louis walked that way and he seems to be up for anything. Why don't you go take a look, yeah?"
The girl follows his finger in the direction Niall had promised her his friend would be and decides to give it a go, shrugging. "Whatever."
He watches as she sashays off, in pursuit of another willing guy to bone. Niall sighs irritably, angry that he couldn't seem to get wound up no matter how hard his efforts are.
He continues sipping his drink, eyeing a couple who are practically ripping the clothes off eachother's bodies as they push through the crowd of grinding teens, watching as one of his fraternity brothers shoves the girl onto the wooden counter of the bar, pulling her shirt over her head as she fumbles with the buckle of his belt.
Niall snorts, diverting his gaze from the show. He wasn't necessarily uncomfortable with the two shagging on the counter because it happened all the time and he had watched it occur repeatedly, just with different people. Hell, he'd even fucked a fair amount of girls on that exact same booth. He'd just have to wipe it down with Lysol later.
"You having a little trouble with your friend down under?" A voice perks up from behind and Niall doesn't even have to turn to know who it is.
"Is it that obvious?" He speaks into his cup, chugging down the rest of the atomic beverage in one large gulp. He tosses the cup onto the marble island across from him, pressing his palms on it and leaning forward for its support.
"I mean, you usually don't last this long downstairs. A maximum of about thirty minutes and you've already got a atleast three girls trying to tear down the door to your room. It's a bit surprising to see you still participating at the actually party, and empty-handed as well." Liam comes up next to Niall and looks at him over the brim of his drink, the lower half of his face hidden behind a lime green cup with an unknown brew swishing inside. He leans back on his elbows, adjacent to Niall, facing towards the living room where he can see a handful of the sisters from the Sigma Epsilon Chi sorority house playing a round of naked twister with a couple of his friends.
"I wasn't empty handed a couple of seconds ago. I just wasn't feeling anything so I brushed her off towards Lou– he'll definitely be feeling something with all of those shots he gulped down. She'll have more fun with him than with me." Niall allows himself a short glimpse at his best friend, smirking at how Liam rolls his eyes.
"Wow. Niall James Horan actually giving up a shag for his friend– how oh-so modest of you." Liam chuckles, throwing his now empty cup towards a pile of trash in one corner of the large kitchen. He hits a girl who was on her way out, the cup knocking her right on the forehead.
"Sorry, sweetheart!" Liam calls, giving her a quick wink. Niall snickers as he watches the girl roll her eyes and leave. He hurriedly snatches a random empty cup and chucks it at the same girl, but–unlike Liam– he has the intention of landing the hit a little lower. It smacks into the girl's ass, making her jump and whirl around.
"Asshole!" She yells over the music, flicking Niall off as she disappears into the mob of people.
"I'll shove my dick up yours!" Niall calls after her, satisfied with the rise he'd gotten.
Liam goes into a fit of chuckles, telling him he's a bastard as Niall pretends to brush dust off his shoulders.
"Hey, now that we're on the subject of apologies..." His mate trails off after he's calmed down, raising his eyebrows suggestively at the Irish lad.
Niall rolls his eyes, already knowing what Liam has in mind.
"Why'd you snap at Y/N?" Liam questions, reaching across Niall for a blue bowl full of sour cream and onion potato crisps.
Niall shrugs, not really having thought out the motive for insulting the unfamiliar girl. He conjures up a haphazard reason, taking a chip from the container. "I just thought her shirt was stupid and that I'd let her know. Giving my opinion, you know? Exercising my freedom of expression."
"You're a piece of shit sometimes, you know that?" Liam sighs, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"That's what I aim for, Payno." Niall pats his chest in false pride, inspecting the chip before popping it into his mouth. He reaches in again and takes a handful, spreading them out on the marble table before him and concentrating on trying to build a mini tower of fried potato slices just for the hell of it.
"You should go say sorry. I think that's the reason she's been sitting all alone instead of enjoying the party– she feels degraded because you bashed at her for no apparent reason." Liam says softly, furrowing his eyebrows slightly to emphasize that he is serious.
"Yeah? Well, you should go suck off Zayn and then shove your dick up Sandy's ass." Niall quips sarcastically, watching as his chip tower collapses for the third time.
"Niall, I'm not messing around. The poor girl never did anything to you so why did you have to go and ruin her whole night just because you didn't have anything better to do?"
"Since when did you become so kind and heartfelt towards random chicks you never even knew existed? I think Zayn is starting to rub off on you– he has his dick so far up your ass that you're starting to become his little bitch." Niall grumbles, fumbling for any other insult that could get Liam to fuck off.
Liam shrugs, pushing off of the table in a cease-fire. "Forget I said anything."
Niall grits his teeth as he watches Liam blend into the other guests, leaving him with his nerves on end. It pisses him off to his limit whenever Liam does this– whenever he tells Niall that he did something wrong and unfair so that his conscious would start picking at him to make it right. He can't just forget it now that it's there, implanted into his brain like a disease. The only thing that will cure the brooding infection is for Niall to apologize to Y/N, which is something he wants to refuse to do.
He slaps his hands down on the cool stone of the counter and aggravatingly scatters the crisps he had been playing with. Liam had just ruined what was left of his entire night aside from whatever anti-boner hormone was kicking around in his system right now.
'Damn motherfucker.' Niall's mind spits, raging and out of control.
The guilt is making him want to pull out his hair by the roots, his chest seeming to be stinging with regret for his actions earlier towards Y/N.
'Fine.' He decides, not that he really has a choice anymore. 'I'll find her, apologize, and then go find some busty blonde to fuck for the rest of the night.'
Niall pushes off of the counter, sauntering out of the kitchen and shoving through people without remorse as he tries to spot the one girl he hoped he'd never have to encounter again.
///
He finds her in the second living room, sitting on an old couch that no one uses anymore. He and his friends had agreed to shove it into the corner, not wanting to throw it out just incase they ever broke the others.
Josh has already cracked one down the middle when he and six others had been playing a game of indoor football and Niall had managed to break another one a few weeks ago when he'd invited over some sorority girls to participate in a nude game of tag. They'd managed to convince the buyer of the house– also known as his dad– to replace those, but he had clearly stated if they broke one more, they'd have to use the old dusty one they'd cast aside. Since that conversation, everyone has been more careful around the sofas.
Niall stands under the archway across the room from the couch, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe, a glass bottle of Absolut Lemon-Lime Vodka in his grasp. He brings the bottle to his lips, chugging down three gulps as he tries to come up with what he will say in his apology.
'I'm sorry you have a shitty taste in clothing.' He thinks, immediately cackling to himself.
'Maybe not.'
In the end he succeeds in arranging a some-what prudent atonement, settling for telling her that her shirt really wasn't that bad. That he'd been to the Kennedy Space Center once and that the restrooms had been fairly spotless, wrapping it up by complimenting her on sporting the logo of a decent company with the comfort and intimate happiness of their guests in mind.
He can practically feel Liam's hand whacking him on the back of the head, telling him he's an uncultured fucktard.
'Something is better than nothing.' Niall shrugs to himself, focusing back on Y/N.
He stares at her as she taps away on her phone and Niall's demented form of curiosity questions whether he should ask her if she was watching porn. He votes against it, not wanting to dig himself any deeper into the hole he was already in.
His eyes narrow at her face, actually wanting to take in her appearance unlike before. He hadn't really cared for her at all the first time they met but now he was going to have to face her for longer than twenty seconds so actually analyzing her was necessary. How awkward would it be if he tries to say sorry while she has a booger sticking out of her nose?
Niall scans her face, tracing the delicate curves of her rosy lips and seemingly soft skin. He watches as the light from her device reflects off of the suddenly mesmerizing shade of her eyes, the way they shimmer making his breath abruptly catch in his throat. The way her hair falls forward into her face makes his lips twitch into a smile, unaware of the alien affect she is bestowing upon him that no girl had ever brought him.
Niall gazes at her, captivated by the way her fingers brush her hair back from her naturally tinted cheeks and behind her ears.
He wants to slap himself for being so utterly sappy but he can't seem to control the feeling that is suddenly blossoming in his body as he sees her smile at something on her screen. The sensation is warm and soothing, spreading up from his chest to his neck and down his stomach, making his eyes become lidded as everything around the barely-known girl becomes an irrelevant blur.
Niall had never carried any feelings for any girls he'd been with, always telling himself that tying ropes with someone did just what the phrase means– it would rope him down from living his life and having fun, and that's why all he did was sleep around with them and end it there. Fucking and nothing else– that was his number one rule. But try as he might, he can't seem to dismiss the way his heart is starting to speed up as he nears Y/N.
Now that he was giving her his undivided attention, he comes to terms that he's never seen anyone so purely beautiful and untainted– never laid eyes on a girl so naturally radiant and with such genuinely clean intentions as what she was giving off now. Y/N had shown him nothing but kindness when they had first met outside and he had been an absolute douche. His mistake flashes before his eyes, guilt pressing down on his chest as he thinks about how nice she had been to him, hoping he would be polite and return the gesture, but he had screwed himself over by being a pompous asshole.
'This is stupid.' Niall tries to convince himself, trying desperately to shake off the feeling that just looking at this girl gives him. It seems to be consuming him and he can't do anything to stop it.
'Feelings in general are bullshit. No one can ever truly just like one person with so many people walking around in the world.'
Niall repeats these thoughts over and over again in his head, reassuring himself that what he is feeling is just the affect of what the brunette from earlier had been trying to achieve. He was horny– sexually aroused and nothing else. After finishing his business with Y/N he could drag a few girls upstairs and make this all go away. He was fine, he was himself– Niall Horan, the popular jock that fucks girls more than he studies and plays football more than he does homework. He wasn't sentimentally attracted to her– Niall was incapable of emotional attachment. It isn't real– it's just the liquor and sexual tension kicking in.
He's hovering behind Y/N in a few mere seconds, taking deep breaths to cast away all of his insane and impractical thoughts. His hand reaches out to get her attention, drowning himself in denial as he does.
'This is nonsense.' He screams at himself internally. 'Absolute rubbish.'
But even as Niall bends his will to prove that he is only wired up, he can't deny that the small brush against Y/N fills him with a response he's never had before.
As he feels her skin slide against his fingertips, his perception on himself shatters into a billion pieces. In a split second, the shards seem to kaleidoscope around, rearranging themselves into an uncomprehendingly distinct point of view on what he had just been tearing himself apart with.
It's as if she were contagious, his mind brimming over with nothing but her and only her. Like a virus, she spreads across every inch of his thoughts, claiming them as her's.
His mind explodes with thousands of unexperienced sensations and all of them manage to translate into one palpable feeling: captivating adoration.
///
- Y/N -
I'm proud to be able to say that I probably broke the record for the highest scores on all of the games I have downloaded. I've been sitting here for an two hours now, alternating between Geometry Dash, Flappy Bird, Dot Wave, and a bunch of other random mini-games without stop. If I see another yellow bird my head is going to implode.
My fingers are beginning to cramp and the battery icon on my phone is flashing a dangerous shade of bright red, announcing that it only has twelve percent of battery life left. I sigh, regretting forgetting my charger.
Adylan had come by a few times, trying her best to get me up and out of my seat to dance. I had managed to ward her off each time, claiming that I was feeling light-headed because of all of the smoke fumes floating around the living room. It wasn't hard to convince her because every round she came over, she was more wasted and stoned than she had been before.
The last time she had visited me was roughly about ten minutes ago, stumbling over her feet and giggling as if she were on laughing gas.
"Come dance with me!" Addy had slurred, gripping onto the armrest of the couch for support. She had suspicious purplish spots that looked like love bites littering her neck and collarbone and I could see a large questionable stain soaked into the front of her dress along her chest. She reeked of tequila and from the look of her hooded eyes, she was bound to collapse any second.
I had smiled at her ruefully, deflecting her request without trouble. "I feel sick, Adylan. I'll just wait here until my head clears up and then I'll go find you."
She had blinked a few times, the information struggling to register in her muddled brain. She finally nodded, giving me a lazy smile. "Alrighty then. I'll just be over there in the kitchen. Scream if you need me!"
I kept my eyes trained on her as she wobbled off ungracefully, muffling a few chuckles as I had watched her grip onto random strangers to prevent from falling forward on her face.
Now I sit here alone yet again, with my phone dying and the foul stench of beer and nicotine threatening to suffocate me.
I glance around, witnessing as groups of college students stagger past me on there way to the stairs that wind up to the second floor of the manor. I presume that upstairs is where all of the bedrooms are, and I shiver just at the thought of all of the vulgar interactions that are most likely taking place right above my head.
My mind wanders to what Adylan had said before– that I'm probably one of the only virgins walking around this area. I don't even try to deny it because I know for a fact that it's true.
"You're in college!"She had whined in disbelief the first time I ever told her. She had gone off about how the climax of my entire life is now– that college years were the days for me to make mistakes and regret them later. That I should get blindly drunk and high and get fucked over.
I had politely declined her reasoning the first time and I declined it to this very day, explaining to her that I was waiting to be in a devoted relationship to fully give myself up. I felt a bit of remorse for lying to her, though. If I ever told her the real reason I haven't had sex yet, she would never let me live it down.
The actual reason why I don't want to engage in anything sexual yet is because I'm afraid– I'm afraid of messing up the moment by doing or saying something stupid, I'm afraid of it hurting to the point where I wouldn't be able to carry on until release, and I'm afraid of my partner going off and telling all of his friends that I'm shit in bed. All of these scenarios bounce around in my head, making me shiver at just the thought.
I'm just not one-hundred percent sure that I'm ready so I rather wait it out until I am instead of having to deal with the embarrassing aftermath of a bad first time.
I'm yanked out of my thoughts by a light brush on my arm, the unexpected contact making me jump in my seat, my phone sliding off my lap and crashing onto the ground.
"Shit!" I yelp, rapidly fumbling for the sleek black electronic. I turn it over and over in my palms, scouring the surface for any dents or scratches.
After establishing it as unharmed, my mind reels towards the person that caused this outbreak. I look up from where the interaction came, curious about what he/she wants. A pair of bright cerulean eyes lock with mine and I can't help the way the corners of my mouth automatically dip into a frown.
"Nice shirt." Niall says sarcastically, giving me a bright, innocent smile.
I snort humorlessly, turning back away from him and hoping he'll go away. He doesn't seem to get the message because he walks around the couch, plopping himself next to me. He settles himself, slouching into the cushions with his feet flat on the ground and his legs opened wide. I can tell it's an innuendo but I choose to ignore it.
I watch from the corner of my eye as he lifts up a bottle of vodka to his lips, taking a laggard swig. I refuse to engage in conversation with him, still upset and even a bit terrified of him.
I can see him studying me, his eyes never leaving my face. I quickly become flustered, wanting nothing more than for him to leave me alone. Although, by the looks of it, he doesn't seem to be planning on it.
I finally choose to speak up, my head snapping in his direction with irritation written clear all over my features. The words stick to my throat, however, when my eyes land on his face.
Niall's eyebrows are furrowed deeply as if he is in deep thought, his eyes glazed over in concentration. He's chewing on his lower lip, which I guess to be a random mannerism of his. The reason I had stopped short was not because of his habit, thought. Instead of focusing on smaller details, I take in his facial expression as a whole and I'm stunned to find that it shows what I interpret to be fascination.
"What do you want?" I mumble, self-consciously crossing my arms across my chest to cover the NASA logo on my shirt.
Niall blinks back into reality, whatever he was thinking pushing back into the recesses of his mind. A small smile tilts his lips upwards as he sees my position, a low chuckle reaching my ears.
"You still got a rake up your ass because of that?" He asks nonchalantly, tilting his bottle in my direction to signal my hidden top.
I glare at him, wishing he would disappear into thin air.
"Oh, come on? Can't you take a joke?"
"Can't you take a hint." I deadpan, my teeth grinding together in anger and utter dislike.
"Feisty, huh? I would've never thought you had it in you." He goes for a taunting wink, but I continue to smolder at him.
