The Kings of Kentworth

128.

At the Victory party.....

Lenny made his way to the table were all the drinks were. He picked a cup and poured himself a drink, he was about to take a sip, but then the stench of beer hit his nose when the rim of the cup touched his lips.

“Ugh,” he let out in disgust, before he dropped the cup on the table and walked away.

He moved to the living room and stood at the doorway, watching students dance, laugh, yell and cheer. Some of the players on the school’s soccer team were shirtless now; chanting and cheering. All the cheerleaders were here as well, and Lenny was even shocked to see some of McKinley’s players and cheerleaders joining in the fun.

The music was so loud, Lenny was pretty sure he was going to go deaf after tonight. He looked to his right and found a cheerleader straddling one of the players on a couch; the both of them locked in a deep and sloppy kiss.

Lenny didn’t really know if he was to be disgusted or aroused. He turned away from them and looked to his left and found three boys, whom he recognized were on the school soccer team, holding a particularly skinny student upside down; a pipe that ran from a funnel down to his mouth.

“Chug! Chug! Chug!” The boys kept yelling as they emptied three cans of beer into the funnel.

“Christ,” Lenny hissed under his breath as he shook his head and looked away. He could swear he felt like the only human in the house when he followed the team to parties like these. He was beginning to wish that the coach had not left as early as he did.

Lenny allowed his eyes glide through the room; from one drunk and delirious teenager, to the other. It was weird how Bruce’s enormous sitting room had suddenly become so small.

Then, his eyes landed on her.

Lisa was just sitting there her legs closed and knees together with a plastic cup in her palms, right on top her laps. She kept looking up and around at everyone around her with a weak smile on her face. Even Lenny could tell she was in no mood to party and he knew why.

He stood there, wondering what would happen if he walked up to her and said ‘Hi’. But then he remembered their encounter back in the school bus and suddenly started to rethink. He kept his eyes on her. She's looked so vulnerable and alone, and it seemed to make him sick a little. At this point, he was pretty sure he hated seeing her like this.

“Go talk to her, you moron,” a voice rang in his head.

He looked to the floor and looked up at her again. He suddenly felt the courage swell in his gut. The sight of her long dark hair, beautiful, but sad, blue eyes and full lips was like a bellow, fueling the desire and want in his heart. He lifted himself off the door frame and was about to make his move , but then, he froze when he saw Bruce and Aaron drop to a sit; Aaron on her left and Bruce on her right, the both of them smiling wildly.

“Fuck,” Lenny hissed through his teeth as he moved back to his position.

He leaned back on the door frame and watched as Bruce and Aaron entranced her with a conversation that was interesting enough to make her smile again.

“That’s cool,” Lenny thought. “At least she’s smiling.”

He stood there, watching them for up to thirty minutes, hoping and praying those two jackasses would leave and he would move in. She looked like the entire conversation was beginning to bore her anyway. All she did now was take a sip off her drink, laugh and nod.

She never said a word. She looked tired as hell and those two scum bags were pestaering her.

Lenny saw Bruce throw his arms over her shoulder and involuntarily tightened his fists beside him.

He didn’t even know his fists were clenched at his sides until he was suddenly aware and had to unclench them.

Bruce then stood to his feet and Lenny felt a sigh of relief leave his lungs. Bruce stood there, smiling down at her, pleadingly, but Lisa shook her head tiredly with a smile on her face. Aaron whispered something into her ear and she suddenly threw her head back in laughter.

God, Lenny loved it when she did that. She looked angelic.

He stood there watching as Bruce and Aaron were obviously trying to get her to follow them somewhere, but she refused. Aaron placed his arms over her shoulder and said something to her again. Lisa slowly looked down at her cup, kept eyes on it for a while, before she moved her head to Aaron’s shoulder, where she broke down and started to cry.

Aaron started to gently caress her hair, consoling and pressing her closer to him, while Bruce reached down and rubbed her back.

Poor girl.

Lenny was beginning to feel sorry for the her himself. He wished he could just walk over and console her too.

Then something odd happened.

Lenny caught Aaron looking up at Bruce with a mischievous smile on his face, and the moment Lisa raised her head from his shoulders, the smile disappeared as swiftly as it came, giving way for what Lenny now knew was a feigned expression of pity.

They spoke to each other for a while, before Lisa got up from couch. Aaron stood up afterwards and led her away from the crowded sitting, leaving Bruce standing  there with a smirk on his face as he sipped on his beer.

Lenny narrowed his eyes at the entire situation.

Something wasn’t right.

He looked away from Bruce and saw Lisa laughing with Aaron as they made their way upstairs. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Bruce gulp the rest of his beer, toss his paper cup to the side and lift himself off the couch; moving straight for the stairs as well.

Lenny stood and watched as the three of th  matched up the staircase, before he exhaled and took his eyes down to the rest of the party animals around him.

"Well, that was fucked up. Smooth, Lenny.....smooth."

He suddenly realized, that with Lisa gone, he didn’t see any reason to stay around anymore. He had to get home anyway. He lifted his wristwatch to his view.

“9:56PM."

“Yep,” Lenny sighed to himself as he looked up and dug his hands into his pocket. “I’m outta here.”

And then, he spun and walked out of the front door.