Tainted : Book 1

CHAPTER 11 : This Is The Hunt

Jealousy burned through me like a poison eating away at my soul.  

    When Abby and I had arrived at the party, it was already in full swing. The house blared with upbeat music, that seemed to come from all sides. It's base pulsing so harshly that it seemed to take over my body, disrupting the normal rhythm of my heart. We entered through the front door and found ourselves in what seemed like the living area. The room was dimly lit and filled to the brim with teenagers. Some were dancing, some chatting and some playing games, but all of them were drinking. The stench of alcohol and body odor wafted through the room. The sheer scent of it was nauseating. 

     Most of them were in customs, but lucky for me I wasn't the only one wearing normal clothes. Even Abby wasn't in a custom. She wore a knee length ivory dress, her strawberry blonde hair tied in a messy bun and her feet were fitted into black boots with a four inch heel. She looked beautiful. 

    My eyes scanned the room looking for Adrian but I hadn't spotted him. I assumed that he just hadn't arrived yet. Abby and I wandered around the party. I stayed away from the drinks, for obvious reasons. Abby wasn't so cautious, she grabbed a red solo cup from a table. Though she had promised to keep the drinking to a minimum, seeing as she was the one driving. I wasn't worried, Abby wasn't the kind of girl to get wasted at a party.

    Eventually we bumped into Paige, Brent and Oscar. They were hauled up in the kitchen, where a game of beer pong was taking place.

    "You made it!" Paige yelled over the music as she pulled both Abby and I into a quick embrace. 

     "Hi Paige," Abby greeted. 

    "Don't tell me Adrian is not here," Paige said incredulously.

    "I'm sure he's around somewhere," Abby said.

     The pulsing music, crowded room and stench of alcohol were making me a little too uncomfortable. Abby seemed to be enjoying herself. She was laughing with Oscar. As they joined in on the game of beer pong. After twenty minutes of awkwardly standing in a corner I decided I needed to take a break.

     "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be back soon," I told her before I slipped out of the room. 

     Paige's house was huge, I wandered for a while with no luck. I rounded the corner and that's when I saw them. My heart contracted painfully in that moment. Something burned hot inside me that I immediately recognized. Jealousy. And it hurt worse that a million stubbed toes. Watching her lips firmly pressed against his, my heart sunk. My world crumbled. My face paled and I struggled to breath. 

     Noticing my presence, Adrian pulled away from Lily and stared wide eyed at me, like a deer caught in headlights.

     "Um, uh—I'm sorry. I-I was just looking for the bathroom," I stuttered nervously rubbing the back of my neck. 

     "Mark—" Adrian spoke but I didn't allow him to finish. 

    "I think I need air," I backed away heading for the patio. There were a couple kids seated by the patio, I walked past them heading towards the woods. I kept walking, battling the tears that threatened to spill. I had no idea why I was acting this way. I saw it coming. It was only a matter of time before Lily made her move. I knew it was coming but it still hurt. 

    I walked deep into the woods, forcing myself to stop when I feared I would get lost. I plopped down onto the trunk of a fallen tree. I dropped my face into my hands as I let out a heavy sigh. Maybe I really shouldn't have come. 

    "Mark," I lifted my head to find Adrian standing before me. 

     "What are you doing here?" I asked exasperatedly, folding my hands over my chest.