Taylor’s smile faded. She still said nothing.
I coughed nervously. “Do you mind if I grab a, uh, drink out of there real quick?”
She just stared at me, finally speaking. “I really don’t want to give up my seat. I’m comfy here.”
“Come on, don’t be difficult,” I protested.
“I could say the same to you,” she quietly replied. It wasn’t a defiant voice; if anything it was weak.
I opened my mouth to reply but nothing came out. I looked around in exasperation, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joel, from inside the house, watching me like a hawk eyes its prey. No evil, no malice, but steely determination, never blinking. I was clearly already making scenes since I came here — I hadn’t really done anything but that. Without another word, I sighed and walked away, trying to avoid Joel’s gaze as I worked my way back into the house.
Parties were weird beats when I first got introduced to them, and needless to say I had a slow start with this one, but I eventually got into the groove. After a few awkward encounters, I had a fun time watching an already-too-drunk guy named Jackson attempt (and fail) the whole “pull a tablecloth off a table without moving the plates” thing, which launched into an enthusiastic conversation with the guys crowded around him. Thomas was there, and he seemed okay with me, though he seemed to keep his distance more than other parties.
Afterwards, I found out there were video games in the basement, and I was set. Unfortunately, the Love family seemed to grow up with Nintendo and not Playstation, but nobody’s perfect, and I attempted to have the best fun I could with Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart instead of my usual choices. By the time I’d gone upstairs to find some water or something, I’d played a few rounds, watched a few others, and even made a few new friends.
Halfway through filling my cup with water from the sink, I felt some hands around my waist. I smirked. The arms felt too low to be Morgan’s.
“Hey, Lexi,” I replied, not even looking at her yet. “Having fun?”
“Mmmmh,” she moaned into my jacket, moving drunkenly back and forth. I laughed, paused, and handed her my water, figuring she needed it more than me. After getting a second cup for myself, we made it to a couch in the living room, and after taking a long drink, she started going off about boys.
“Thiss par’y iss’a best one, like, oh my god, like…” Lexi was chanting in this high-pitched voice, eventually flopping down on my shoulder. The other couch was occupied with some couple making out, which I couldn’t help but stare at. It was a guy and a girl, and she was sitting on top of him, stopping just shy of grinding on top of him, both of their tongues visible if you watched long enough. On some level, I was disgusted, but on another… I was reminded of the movie theater. I missed Morgan. Where the heck had she gone off to? Well, I guess I went off to the basement, so I couldn’t be blamed.
Lexi was also watching the couple with interest. Audible interest. She was practically whining watching them, no doubt her own hormones getting the better of him. “You know wha’ fuckin’… fuckin’ sucks?” she shouted over the music in the living room.
“What sucks?” I asked.
“Fuckin’ Jacob is a no-show!” Lexi complained. I smirked. Jacob was Lexi’s most consistent ‘dick appointment,’ as she called them. Some lucky sophomore guy that looked and acted like a senior. No doubt he could get any girl he wanted, but he came with quite the appetite to every party he went to, so at this point, Lexi sought him out. The fact she clung to me in the kitchen was basically her way of confirming he either left the party early or was a no-show at this point.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I joked. “Well, hey, you’re at a party, there are boys everywhere. Look at them!” I gestured to the couple. “That could be you. Just go out and… be bold!”
Lexi gave me a tired look. “Easy fer you ta’ fuckin’ say,” she slurred. “Girls jus’ fall into yer lap.”
“Well, a girl, but I guess I understand,” I replied with slight confusion.
“No, like, doin’ stuff with both Morgan and Taylor!” I froze as soon as she brought Taylor’s name up. “Like, I know iss like, jus’ blowjobs an’ eating her out ‘r whatever, but like… fuck, I would kill for that!!” She kept moving her arms around exaggeratedly as she spoke, but it wasn’t her hands she was slapping me in the face with at the moment.
Who the fuck…? Clearly this was recently told to her, otherwise she never would have said what she said to me at the clothes store. Milo. It had to be. For whatever reason, Milo felt the need to stick his neck out again. No one else even could have told Lexi. Without another word, I got up and started marching around the house with purpose, looking for Milo.
On the second floor, I found him, making out with some goth-looking girl against a wall. The wall was lined up with couples making out, like some sort of weird hazing ritual, but luckily, Milo was at the beginning of the line, so it was easy to see him in the crowd. The music was quieter here, so with a well-timed cough, then a “Milo,” I managed to get him to look up.
“Um… what?” he asked impatiently.
“Can we talk?” I asked annoyedly.
“Yeah, no,” he flatly replied.
“Lexi knows about the… Lexi knows stuff she shouldn’t,” I told him angrily.
“Good for Lexi,” he replied dismissively. “Can you leave me alone?”
“Did you tell her everything?” I demanded.
“I didn’t tell her anything, go ask her who told her. She won’t say me.” He stared me down for a few seconds. “If you’re angry, it’s not with me. This moment is kinda big for me. You can text me later, but… please?”
I calmed down, digesting his words. “Okay… okay. Sorry.”
“It’s cool.” He turned back to the goth girl he had pinned against the wall. “Where were we?” Without another word, the two resumed making out, forming one organism connected at the lips. He grabbed her leg and moved it around his waist, shoving his pelvis into hers. I shook my head and looked away, going back down the stairs.
If it wasn’t Milo, there were only two options, and I didn’t like either one. Actually, there was a third option — more people knew about Taylor and myself than I thought — and I didn’t much like that idea either.
My cup was empty, and I was nervous. Not knowing what else to do, I went to the kitchen, resolving to find Morgan once I had something more to drink. Sadly, the universe had other plans for me, as I didn’t notice until the sink was already running that there was only one other guy in the kitchen. Joel Lowry.
“Hey, Quinn,” he awkwardly piped up.
“Hi, Joel,” I replied, trying to keep my voice low and casual, though I knew it was shaking. “Enjoying the party?”
“Yup, are you?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“That’s good,” he replied, looking off.
“Anything… anything cool going on?” I asked.
“Nope, just living, just… y’know, living…” he trailed off. “You?”
“I mean, I’m here, yeah,” I replied. I was dying. “You okay? You seem… is something wrong?”
Joel looked back at me from wherever he was looking before. Eventually, he replied, “Nah, just tired. Might go home a bit early. You know, with Taylor.”