Compare and Contrast

I walked into the kitchen - after a lot of dancing - where I found three sights I really did not want to see.

1. Matt pushed against the refrigerator wrestling tongues with some fake blonde bottled hoe. I was pretty much used to it, but it hurt every time seeing him with a fake hoe over me. Not that I, uh, really wanted him.

2. Tom poised between some girls legs. Yes, fake tan and all. He was just as drunk as Matt. The girl would keep pushing Tom's head into her boobs, and then pull his hair to bring his head back and lean down and make out with him again. I wanted to punch her so badly. She wasn't even fucking drunk.

And...

3. A very sad Lee.

I immediately disregarded all my thoughts towards the other two boys and ran to Lee. "What's wrong?" Thankfully, I had a lot of control over myself even in my state of drunkenness. If it were any later, I probably wouldn't comprehend any of this.

He looked up at me. His eyes were red, like he'd been crying. I knew he hadn't, though. So... what was up with his eyes...?

He shook his head. "Nothin'."

"Lee Malia, tell me now or I'll punch you."

I hated pushing cases with him, but he almost always told me what was wrong.

He sighed. "It's nothin', honestly. I jus' don' like Dakota hangin' ou' with Craig an' his friends. They're no good."

"Are you guys really that much better?" I laughed. They did some crazy things. What could Craig and his friends possibly do that was so much worse? "You're not being hypocritical are you?"

"No, I... I know tha' we deh some pretty weird things, bu'... Promise me tha' yeh won' go hangin' ou' with them, teh?"

"Uh, I promise. I have you guys." I laughed. I held up my pinkie, and we swore on a pinkie promise.

"Could yeh go talk teh her for me?" he asked suddenly.

"What!" I screamed. Matt and Tom, who were starting to get pretty busy in the kitchen, stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I looked around awkwardly and lowered my voice. "What?" I talked just below normal.

"She no' all bitchy an' preppy like yeh seem teh thin' 'bout her. I promise."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I guess, if you can tolerate her she can't be that bad..."

Lee was a good guy and all, talked to lots of different people(that didn't mean he befriended them all) but if there was one type of person he couldn't stand, it was those bitchy preps. Go, Lee!

"Than's, Panic." He grinned at me suddenly.

My eye twitched. That was all it took to get it to smile? Something to do with her?! Why is he so overprotective of her?!

I walked out of the kitchen to find Trenton. I spotted her by one of the couches, hanging out with Craig and his friends.

"Yo, Trenton!" I yelled. The music was overpowering and tossed the sound of my voice aside. I myself barely even heard it. I groaned and threw my head back and walked quickly over to her. She was turned away from me, talking to them.

I tapped her on her shoulder. She turned around and I saw her eye twitch. She just stood there for a minute. So I talked. Luckily, the song had suddenly changed and was a little quieter so we could at least hear each other.

"Lee convinced me you're not a bitchy prep like your friends and I should talk to you." I kept my face blank. I still didn't want to be here.

She crossed her arms. "Why does he want you to talk to me?"

I shrugged. I ignored the fact that Craig was standing right there. "He doesn't like Craig." I felt eyes on me, and imagined Craig giving me an incredulous look. I looked briefly at him, and found that stupid annoying dumbfounded expression he always seemed to be wearing.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Yeah, and he won't tell me why. So, unless he gives me a good reason like Craig’s a rapist or something, I'm not going to stop hanging out with him."

I took a huge swig of my drink to finish it off and dropped it to the floor. I leaned against the wall. "So, are you coming with us or staying with him?" I jerked my head to gesture to Craig as the aforementioned him.

Trenton looked at Craig, who shrugged. "Your choice," he told her with a bitter tone.

She looked back at me. "I think I'll just hang with Craig for awhile," she said.

I laughed, throwing my head back. I composed myself quickly and with a sly smirk, shrugged my shoulders. "Your choice, sweety."

I looked over her shoulder. There was a guy with black hair and green eyes, just like me. Oh, and Trenton. Should I call her by her first name? Nah. I bit at one of my lip rings and stabbed at it with my tongue, twirling it back and forth. I found myself tilting my head back and closing my eyes at him, almost like an incomplete nod at him. Trenton turned around, and he moved his eyes to look at her. He didn't look back at me. She finally turned back around and looked at me. I shot her a hard glare.

I didn't change my tone as I spoke. "Lee's in the kitchen right now if you want him." I purposely shoved her as I walked past, but not before hearing her yelling, "I didn't ask where L-lee was!" Ha. Poor girl. Can't even yell at me, she's so pathetic. I walked back into the kitchen. "I still don't like her," I told Lee.

"Wha' happened?" he asked.

"I talked to her. She decided to stay with them."

His expression turned to stone. I must say I was shocked. I rarely saw this side of Lee. He was a pretty easy going guy, kept his calm even when he was so pissed off.

I hopped onto the counter beside him and leaned on his shoulder, glad he didn't shove me off in his angry state. I pulled out my phone and texted Oli.

Aye, Lee's pissed and I don't want to talk to Trenton again. Help?

I'd caught Oli staring at her several times. I would never tell him I'd witnessed it, though. i didn't want to accept the thought that she was getting closer to becoming a part of this group. I liked it just fine. I didn't need her emo ass ruining everything.

I instantly felt terribly for thinking that about her. I mean, I still didn't want her becoming a part of the group, but sometimes, all I really wanted to do was hug her and let her know she wasn't alone, no matter how weird that would seem. I knew how it felt to lose a loved one due to a sickness, and who knew how close her mother was to that point? No matter how much I hated a person, I'd never wish that kind of pain on them. I remembered being her friend back in elementary school. Her mom was a really kind person. Even if you didn't know Trenton, you'd practically feel the pain she experienced when her mother was first diagnosed with lung cancer.

That didn't make me like her any more, though.

My phone buzzing broke me free of my thoughts. Oli had replied.

Yeh, be down in a sec. where you at?

Kitchen.

Just as promised, he showed up in the kitchen a second later. He had some random chick attached to him, though.

Lee and him talked briefly and he left again, probably in search of Trenton.

My assumptions were proven correct when she walked into the kitchen.

"You needed to talk to me?" she asked with crossed arms and a raised brow.

"Yeah..."

I tuned the conversation between them out for the most part. I heard bits and pieces at the beginning like "Its my life" and "they're no good" and things like that.

"Stop keeping shit from me and maybe I would! You aren't giving me any good reasons not to!"

"The fac' tha' I, as a friend, am askin' yeh not teh should be enough. They're NO good!" Lee yelled.

"You keep saying that but there's nothing about them that I've seen that makes them seem even a little dangerous!" Trenton hit a certain note in her yelling that made it apparent to me she was on the verge of tears. Because of what, i had no clue. Maybe it was just because her and her best friend were getting into a huge argument.

Craig came running into the kitchen suddenly. Without thinking, my grip on the counter I was sitting on tightened, turning my knuckles white.

"Stop yelling at Dakota! She has nothing to do with this, don't fucking take it out on her!" Craig yelled.

"I know how you guys fucking are, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!" Lee swung his arm back. "I won't let it happen again!"

Again...? Won't let what happen again?!

I didn't get to ask or intervene. Lee was already swinging at Craig. His fist collided with Craig's jaw, and he flew backwards.

Note to self: Don't get Lee angry. He does have an evil side.

Craig jumped up, fuming. "You wanna fucking fight? You want another fucking Ragnarok?!" He shouted.

The word ragnarok itself sounded funny, but it DEFINITELY sounded out of place coming out of Craig's mouth. Where had I heard that word before...? What did it mean?

Lee took a blow to the stomach and fell to the floor.

"Oh, fuck no!" I shouted, jumping into the fight automatically.

"Panic, no!" Lee protested.

I had no idea what was taking over me. But whatever it was, I wasn't used to it. I shoved Craig's shoulder. "What the fucks your problem?!" I screamed at him.

Trenton shrunk into the closest corner.

It was obvious Craig was barely keeping control of himself. "This fight. Is between me and Lee. Get. The fuck. Out. Of my way." His teeth were clenched, just as his fists.

"The fuck I will!" I punched him, hitting his jaw. He stumbled back.

He drew back his arm like he was about to punch me. I let out a low growl.

Whoa, where the fuck did the growl come from?

Next thing I know, there's a whiz of black and green flashing in front of me. One moment I see Trenton staring wide eyed at me, next we're sitting right beside each other. Did that really just happen...? I must be out of it. Damn alcohol.

"Dakota-," a male voice started.

"Max?" she cut him off.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! What's going on here? Max?

"I was in the middle of fucking fighting, you ass hole!" I yelled.

"I know." His voice was dark when he spoke to me, emotionless.

It almost sent chills down my spine.

Almost.