Bad Taste (Part I) // Colby Brock

7 - Rebecca

          A girl came, annoyingly, to sit next to me; another hovered behind the couch and another timidly hung back. Each of them had a guy with them sticking close to their sides. The one next to me was bigger than the others in height and size, like she could tear me apart, and she had pink hair, which took me off guard; the one hovering behind the couch was quite strange, wearing fake, metal, pointed ears, extravagant makeup, and red-coloured contacts; the shy one was small and practically disappeared in the arms of her large boyfriend. Somehow, in some weird way, as I looked around at the people with me, I saw that they each suited one another; Katrina and the blonde; Tara and Jake; the strong pink-haired girl and the skinny guy; the small girl and the big guy; the weird girl and her weird, emo guy.

Everyone worked. Perfect matches.

And then, when I was secretly admiring these people's choices, I saw him. Those beautiful blue eyes attached to an equally beautiful face. And I realised, as I watched him walk to a big comfortable chair a mere few feet from the coffee table in his chained jeans, weirdly e-boy shirt and rings, I realised that I was the one to match him. The thought made me panic, and I turned quickly away from him. I hadn't realised I was staring to begin with. I quite literally shook it off and drank half of the stuff in my cup. It burned down my throat, creating a stream of pain that turned quickly into pleasure as a buzz took over my head.

The annoying thing was, I was a nice drunk.

Finally, after what had felt like forever but really been a few seconds, the big guy holding onto the timid girl moved her forwards and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Corey."

I didn't even look at his hand, turning back to my drink. Tara snickered on the couch in front of me and turned to suck face with Jake. I felt a little pang of longing through my stomach — which I tried to ignore.

Corey proceeded to introduce everyone else, despite my ignorance. "This is my girl, Devyn. That's Griffin and Xepher, and that's Cassie and Reggie."

I still didn't really react to him in any way except looking at him. I saw the resign in his eyes. Whilst I was apparently exactly Tara's type of friend, I clearly wasn't Corey's. He slowly walked away, leaving Devyn behind. And then the other boys peeled away, too. For just a split second, I glanced back at the chair behind me. It was empty.

The girls captured my attention now. Specifically Tara. "So, guys, this is Rebecca. You might not like her all that much, but I do, so let's still be civil?" Tara wasn't asking, she was telling, and the deadly tone in her voice was enough to make me shiver — discreetly.

"I'm okay with that," Katrina agreed. She smiled at me in that 'too kind and caring' way that I hated. I couldn't look at her anymore, drinking more from my cup. I wouldn't have any left soon, and that was a problem.

Devyn wasn't as submissive as Katrina, though she looked like she'd be the shy one. She leaned forward from her spot on the couch and looked me right in the eye when she spoke. "Me too. As long as everything goes smoothly." There was something sinister about that voice.

"Hey, why don't we pass around some dares?" Cassie suggested randomly.

I looked at her. "No fucking way. I don't know you people."

Tara rolled her eyes at me and reached her foot out, nudging my knee. I instinctively reached down and slapped her boot, sending the heel straight into the floor. She looked at me, surprised, for a second, then the old Tara was back again.

Next thing I knew, I was in some sort of circle with these girls. Cassie went first, since she had suggested it, and I had to decide what she had to do. "What are the boundaries? Because I'll dare you to go fuck someone if I'm not told not to."

It seemed like a blink of an eye when Reggie was here, sitting fully on the coffee table behind his girlfriend. She looked back at him comfortingly but he just stared at me. I raised a challenging brow.

"Nothing that drastic. Nothing that'll cause a rift in any relationships," Katrina said, looking around the room. She stopped when her eyes met the blonde guy leaning against a wall in the hallway. He was drinking and talking.

"Alright," I said and looked at Cassie.

She sat in wait for something to do. I ended up telling her to smack someone random on the ass. She picked a girl, of course, and then it was Xepher's turn. Cassie told her to tease Griffin in a way I didn't think any of us really wanted to see. But she did it, because he came back over with her, a look in his eye I didn't want to place. Xepher told Katrina to chug alcohol — apparently she wasn't supposed to drink too much; she came out of it a little bit tipsy. Katrina told Devyn to say something stupid to Corey. We watched from afar as he laughed and hugged her before she came back. Then Devyn told Tara to grab Jake as she walked passed him — and not to grab anything innocent. Tara did, and I could have sworn he growled at her as she walked back to us laughing and grinning.

But then it was my turn, and Tara was in control. "Don't tell me to be fucking nice to anyone, because I won't do it," I said, the effects of the alcohol wavering. My buzz was dying. I desperately hoped Tara would tell me to do something regarding drinking, however, her thoughts were much more evil.

She leaned all the way forward on her knee, made her voice so low I almost couldn't hear it, and said, "I want you to kiss a guy at this party."

I jerked away from her. "Why the fuck would I do that?"

"Because you were dared to, duh." She giggled as if she was drunk. Cassie stiffened beside me, and I noticed worried looks on Katrina and Devyn's faces. They were all looking at Tara curiously, trying to figure out if she was mad.

I clenched my jaw. "Who?" I demanded.

Tara grinned. She looked over her shoulder once, and my heart dropped. "Him, against the wall with Sam — Katrina's boyfriend. With the red streaks in his hair."

My heart jumped. I was glad none of them could tell as I saw the man who had captured my attention twice in the last two days. And since no one in the group looked too pleased about Tara's choice, I had to be, just to contradict them.

"Whatever," I said, "but you owe me for this, bitch."

Tara leaned back with her hands in the air. I realised she hadn't hesitated to pick him, which meant whatever she was doing was intentional, and I didn't like that. It took everything in me to get up. I felt all of them watching me as I walked around the couch and towards the hallway, where Sam and the guy were. They were wrapped up in conversation, glaring a little at each other. I suddenly pictured Tara and I in their places. Just for a second. I made a plan, knowing I'd need some liquid courage to go through with this.

Lucky for me, there was a glass right there in his hand.