Sick Little Games

Katherine Murphy kept her head down as she entered the party scene. It just didn’t welcome her this time around and she had grown to hate everything about it. She hated the smell of the alcohol. She hated the dance floor and the up-beat music. She hated watching the bodies of two people press together, progressing closer and closer as the music proceeded. And most of all, she hated the laughing and carefree drunken faces. She hated the false sense of happiness that each face held, and she winced as she thought about how many of these people would completely regret this in the morning, just like she did. Of course she loved Lucy with everything in her now, but hearing that she was pregnant at sixteen wasn't exactly her proudest moment. The extra baggage Alex left upon her didn’t exactly make her smile, either.

“Come on!” Christine giggled, dragging her friend further into the house. “Loosen up!”

Katherine didn’t know what to do or where to go. What’s there to do at a party besides drink, dance, and have sex? None of those were on her agenda, for, since having a kid with a boy whom didn’t even remember it in the morning, she had basically become straightedge. She was scared of it all, and scared of this party. As Christine mingled aimlessly, Katherine just stood there, unable to move.

She didn’t fit in here anymore.

She sat down on the nearest lonely chair, moved off to the side to make room for dancing bodies. She pulled out her cell phone, reading old text messages, pretending they were new. She dug through her purse, pretending to do anything to release the awkward tension of doing nothing.

Coming here was not a good idea.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Katherine turned slowly, hoping for the best but fearing for the worst. Bad luck was on her side, for now grinning before her stood Alex Gaskarth. She nodded a mere “Gaskarth” to acknowledge him, and turned away.

“It’s Alex," he corrected.

“What do you want, Gaskarth?” She spat.

“No reason to get defensive.” He joked. Katherine ignored him, but she should have known she wasn’t going to get rid of him that easily. “You don’t seem like a party-goer.” He piped up again.

“I’m not anymore.”

“Anymore?” he countered, changing the subject and taking the seat beside her.

“Yes, anymore,” she snapped.

“Oh.”

They fell into an awkward silence, or at least it was awkward in Katherine’s perspective. She couldn’t read what Alex was feeling, but she knew he felt different than her. He looked into the crowd and softly smiled without even being aware he was doing it. He belonged here, and he knew it. It was cute, really. If she didn’t completely hate him, she would love him. But that’s what got her into this mess in the first place. Alex Gaskarth was hard to resist, and half of Maryland was aware of it.

So when he looked over at Katherine and smirked, she knew perfectly well that he was up to no good. She knew perfectly well that she was going to end up regretting whatever he had in mind.

“What?” She asked, scanning his features.

“Dance with me.”

“What?”

“Dance with me!” He grinned, jumping up, grabbing her hand, and dragging her onto the dance floor.

Katherine was in shock to say the least. She didn’t know what to do, standing in the middle of the dance floor with Alex Gaskarth. So again, she just stood there, unable to move.

“Come onnnnn!” Alex whined, dancing crazily besides her. “You’re supposed to dance now!”

Katherine laughed at him, and for the first time that night, she felt as if she could handle this party. Alex sure as hell knew how to bring the best out of her. He always did.

And she did was she was told.

They danced, and she couldn’t deny that she loved it.

For the first time in a while, Katherine felt infinite.

And she hated him for it.