Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters

I couldn’t recognize anyone at the party. I didn’t really expect to, but with as many people there, I thought I would recognize at least three people. I didn’t even see Jack, Izzy, or anyone else I knew that were supposed to be there.

Mason wasn’t lying about the water fall. It ran from the third floor all the way down to the bottom floor. There were some kids swimming in it, but were later told to get out after they decided to use the staircase as a diving board.

“Everyone, go out to the back!” someone shouted from the kitchen. “The party doesn’t start until everyone is out back!”

“Why do we have to go through this every time?” Mason groaned, slowly walking behind the mob of people who shuffled out of the door that led to the backyard.

“Go through what?” Luke asked, following behind Mason.

“You’ll see,” Mason mumbled in response as he pushed his way though the door.

Luke and I followed after him, ignoring each others line of sight. He didn’t say a word to me, or even look at me without turning bright read. I still wanted to kick him in the shin for telling Mason what happened. How could he think that Mason wouldn’t bring it up in front of me?

When we got outside, my stomach dropped to my toes. Everyone was standing on the jagged stone ground that surrounded a pool big enough to fit my house into.

I grabbed Mason’s arm and clung to him like glue.

He laughed and put his arm around me.

“We’re not going to push you in,” he assured me, patting my back. “Just chill and have fun.”

“What exactly are we waiting for?” Luke barked, giving Mason a hateful glare.

“You’ll see,” Mason repeated.

Suddenly, everyone started clapping and cheering. I looked in the direction of everyone else’s glares to see Mikkel on the 16 foot high diving board wearing a sailor’s suit and sunglasses. He had a megaphone in his hand and began to address the crowd.

“How are you guys doing tonight!?” he shouted through the megaphone.

Everyone cheered and clapped their hands. I could see Scotty standing at the edge of the pool without a shirt on.

“Good, good!” Mikkel nodded. “Now, before we get started, I’ve got a couple of rules to go over. The third floor is out of bounds. If you go up there, you’re out. Rule number two, don’t piss in my pool. There are arrows on the ceiling pointing to available bathrooms. My pool is not a toilet, okay Mitchell!?”

The crowd started laughing and whistling. I heard a guy shout ‘Shut up!’ He must have been Mitchell.

“There are 11 bedrooms that are empty for your use. So if you’re buddy is about to pass out, or you’re about to get laid, there is a space for that, right Scotty!?”

Again, the crowd started laughing. Scotty raised his arms in a fist pump and flexed his muscles.

“If you’re here, that means I know you and trust you. If you break my rules, you break my trust. I don’t like being played. If you mess up my shit, these two gentlemen will take care of you,” Mikkel continued, pointing to the ground below him.

Two large men stood on either side of the diving board. I recognized them both. They were the bouncers we had to go through that were checking the guest list at the front door. I thought it was a bit ridiculous to have a guest list and threatening bouncers at a house party, but Mason kept hinting towards an incident that supposedly happened a while back that made things so difficult now days.

“We have all kinds of alcohol and food, so just help yourself!” Mikkel smiled. “Are you ready to party!?”

The crowd roared in response. Mason yelled as loud as he possibly could. I looked over at Luke to see if he was shouting as well. He just stood with his hands in his pocket and a blank facial expression.

“GET IT!” Mikkel shouted before stepping down off of the diving board.

Scotty was the first one in the pool. He did some sort of weird half-ass backflip. Others joined him in the fun. I quickly walked back into the kitchen so I wouldn’t get thrown in again. Luke followed behind me and so did Mason.

“Hey, look!” a familiar voice yelled. “It’s Squid!”

Danny waved his hand for Luke to come over towards him. I hadn’t seen Danny in a while. He quit coming over after Mr. Moreno yelled at him for stinking up his house with his hippie odor.

“And he brought the babysitter!” Kevin exclaimed, pointing at me. I looked to see if there was anyone else I recognized in the small circle of people by the bar. It was just Kevin and Danny.

Luke and Mason greeted Kevin and Danny with nods and teasing jokes. I awkwardly leaned against the bar looking for something to do besides standing there by myself.

“You want a beer, Rizzle?” Mason asked, handing me a bright yellow liquid in a glass bottle.

“That isn’t beer,” I shook my head with a wrinkled nose.

“Uh, yeah it is,” Mason smiled in confusion. “It’s Corona.”

“It maybe Corona, but it’s not beer,” I shot back. “Beer isn’t yellow, it’s actually supposed to be really dark.”

“Maybe in that mossy wasteland your parents are from, but not here,” Mason chuckled. “Just drink it.”

“Where are you parents from?” Kevin asked, tilting his head in curiosity. His long blond hair almost touched the marble top counter.

“Ireland,” I answered uncomfortably, pushing the glass bottle that Mason held away from me.

“Dude, mine too!” Kevin grinned excitedly. “My mom is from Belfast.”

“My dad is from Dublin,” I nodded with a smile.

“Have you ever been there?” Kevin asked, leaning his elbows onto the counter.

“Yeah, twice when I was little,” I shrugged. “My dad snuck me some sips of beer when my mom wasn’t looking. I was only seven the first time we went.”

“Yeah, that’s what my dad did too,” Kevin laughed. “They drink it warm over there in Ireland. And you’re right; it is very dark. It’s pretty damn good, too.”

“I don’t really drink at all, but I know enough to stay away from that,” I giggled, pointing to the glass bottle Mason held up to his lips.

“Chyeah, “Kevin nodded in agreement. “I don’t really drink because I have to stay in shape for sports. But, if you really want something to drink, Mikkel has a ton of foreign liquor. I bet you I can find something to hit the spot for us Irish folk.”

“Yeah, sure,” I smiled widely.

Kevin winked and went off to find something for us to drink.

I never really talked to Kevin. Like all of the other people who visited the Moreno house, I only spoke to him when I offered him food or to answer the famous question as to where the Moreno brothers were. I never had a problem with any of the friends that came over to the Moreno house except for Scotty. Danny was alright, he just scared me with his loud voice and his bad hygiene. Keir wasn’t around enough to talk to. He only came by once every blue moon, and when he did show up, he was only there for a few minutes before he took off again. I just never really paid any attention to the friends of the Moreno brothers until now. They weren’t all so bad.

“Whoo! Would you look at how rosy those cheeks are?” TJ teased, pinching my cheeks and making me jump about a foot high.

“Would you quit?” I spat, flicking his hand away.

“Have the hots for Kintz, huh?” TJ smirked. “Are you guys going to go upstairs and compare Lucky Charms or what?”

“He’s just getting me a drink, shut up,” I chuckled, punching his arm.

“Yeah, whatever,” TJ smiled, shaking his head. “Just have fun. I came over here looking for Mase. Have you seen him?”

I turned around and looked for Mason. He was standing right behind me a second ago. He nor Luke or Danny were any where in sight. There was no telling where they could be in this large mansion.

“No idea,” I answered, turning back around. “He was right here a second ago with Luke and Danny.”

“Yeah, I heard Squid saw you naked!” TJ said loudly. “Nice!”

“How the hell did you find out!?” I shouted in horror.

“He sent a text to Mason, who sent a text to Travis, who sent one to me, who sent one to everybody in my phonebook,” TJ answered proudly.

My jaw dropped to the ground and my blood turned to ice water. HOW COULD HE DO THAT! Not only did Mason know, people who I never even heard of knew!

“NAH!! I’m just kidding!” TJ roared in laughed, nudging my ribs. “I didn’t send it to everyone in my phonebook. I just showed the text message to Kass. He thought it was pretty funny.”

My blood went from frozen to boiling when he told me he was joking.

“You’re an asshole! All you of are!” I yelled, jabbing him in the shoulder with my finger.

“We were going to find out anyway,” TJ shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just something to hold over your head because OBVIOUSLY you get so pissed and embarrassed over it.”

“Well, DUH!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, you’ll get over it, Rizz,” TJ rolled his eyes. “The longer you bug about it, the longer we’ll keep bringing it up.”

“Don’t you have to go find Mason or something?” I reminded him, angrily tapping my fingers on the countertop.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll go find him,” TJ sighed before walking off into the opposite direction.

Kevin returned shortly after TJ left. He didn’t have any bottles or cans with him, but he did have a confused and worried expression.

“I tried looking for something to drink, but I found something else instead. I don’t know how to deal with it, but I hope you do?” Kevin asked, cringing with hope. “He’s looking pretty pathetic right now.”

Kevin led me through the back of the kitchen, down a few hallways and a case of stairs to the basement. He lightened his steps and kept crouching. I had no idea what or who he was taking me to. The only person I could think of was Luke, and if it was him, I certainly wasn’t going to help him in anyway without kicking him first.

Kevin flicked on the light and pointed to the mangled body sitting against the back of a leather couch.

It was Louie.

He was sniffing up loose strings of snot and ignored the tears flowing down his boyish face. His mouth was stained from different colors of liquor and his clothes looked as if they hadn’t been washed in days.

“Oh, Louie,” I sighed, my heart breaking the longer I stared at the pitiful creature.

“See?” Kevin pointed to Louie. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Just...give me a moment with him. I’ll either have him upstairs at the party or in a room somewhere sleeping. We can’t leave him here,” I said.

“Yeah, I’ll just keep looking for something to drink while you take care of him,” Kevin nodded, scratching the top of his blond head.

While Kevin marched up the stairs, I knelt in front of Louie and gently took the bottle of tequila out of his hand.

He looked up at me and started to bawl.

“I’m so fucking stupid!” he shouted, hitting himself in the forehead. “I didn’t mean to do it!”

I carefully put my hand on his shoulder and rubbed it in small circles.

“I just got angry, and she wouldn’t shut up, and I…I was drunk, and upset, and I fucking…” his voice trailed as he smashed his palm to his forehead and shook his head. He began to drool and took in a sharp breath before he started bawling again.

“I know, Sweetheart,” I said softly. “I know you didn’t mean to do it. You’re such a sweet boy, Louie. You aren’t like that. Don’t ever think you’re like that. You didn’t mean it.”

Louie wiped his face and sniffed again before he looked back at me.

“The worst part is that she doesn’t even remember it happening!” he whimpered. “I feel like such an asshole. I want to tell her the truth, but then I don’t want to admit I hurt her!”

Once again, he lowered his head and started to violently cry.

“Louie, stop,” I said sweetly, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look up at me. “As long as you didn’t mean it, you don’t need to tell her because it would hurt her even more to know what you did.”

Louie tearfully nodded after he stared at me intently for a moment.

“I know, I know. I just wished I never did it,” he sniffed, wiping away stray tears.

“I know you do. But you have to try not to think about it. Just break up with her for good so you don’t get so drunk and angry,” I suggested with a small shrug. “I don’t like seeing you upset or doing those types of things, okay?”

He nodded and used his shirt as a Kleenex.

“Do you want to go upstairs with the rest of the party?” I asked, patting his shoulder.

“No,” he shook his head. “I want to go to sleep. Are there still rooms open?”

“I’m sure there is,” I nodded, helping him off of his feet.

We walked through the party unnoticed. I saw Kevin, but he was searching though the many cabinets in the kitchen for something.

“Do you care which bedroom?” I asked, holding the golden knob of a random room that was far away from the party.

“No, just one with a bed,” he shrugged, still wiping away tears that escaped his eyelid every now and again.

I pushed open the door and nodded for Louie to go in.

“I’ll be in the bathtub drinking this for a while,” he sighed, holding up a bottle of Vodka. “I just need some alone time with Mr. Goose.”

“Just stay in here for the rest of the night. I’ll come up and check on you every now and then, okay?” I said, holding the knob of the door.

Louie nodded and said it was okay before I left him upstairs and rejoined the party.

I couldn’t help but feel guilt wash over me as I jogged down the steps. The poor guy. I was leaving him all alone upstairs to wallow in sorrow while I drank whatever Kevin could find and enjoy the party. It wasn’t right or fair, but it wouldn’t be fair to Kevin if I just left him hanging.

“Is he okay?” Kevin asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“Yeah, he’s fine,” I slowly nodded. “He’s just going to sleep upstairs.”

“Thank you for helping him,” Kevin said. “He really needed it.”

I lightly shrugged and leaned up against the way, soaking up the guilt waves.

“I’m still looking for those drinks, so I’ll be right back,” Kevin smiled before disappearing back behind the door that lead to the cellar.

I stood by myself for a while, looking at the by-passers. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. The music was good, the alcohol was present in bloodstreams, the food was unlimited, and there were all kinds of stripping games going on. If I enjoyed those types of things, I would be in heaven. But, I didn’t and I couldn’t help feel bad for Louie.

Travis slammed his body against the wall and let out a deep sigh.

“Having fun?” he asked as he brought a glass full of scotch to his lips.

“Mhm,” I lied. “I’m just waiting for Kevin to get back with some drinks.”

“Kintz?” Travis asked with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t know he was here.”

“Yep,” I said uncomfortably, looking for the tall blond who was taking forever to return.

“So you’ve switched from Squid to Kintz, huh?” Travis snorted, swirling the bronze liquid around with his finger. “When is it my turn to see you naked in the shower?”

“When JFK gets reelected president,” I sneered, crossing my arms.

“C’mon Rizzle!” Travis smirked. “You can’t deny that you have dirty thoughts about me! So how about we go upstairs and turn those thoughts into actions?”

“No, Travis,” I said sternly, looking him straight in the eye.

“It’s cause you’re thinking about Squid, huh?” he chuckled.

“There are plenty of other girls here you can mess with. Go find one,” I demanded, pointing to the many skanks who filed in and out of the kitchen.

“Well, he’s not thinking about you,” Travis said, turning my head to look in the direction of the dining room.

There were a few people at the table with cards and shot glasses. They were obviously playing some sort of drinking game. Danny and TJ were among them, but I didn’t see Luke.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking at,” I shrugged in irritation.

Travis stood in front of me and pointed back at the table of people.

I finally saw what he was pointing at.

Luke was sitting by Danny, laughing and taking shots. It didn’t bother me that he was drinking or hanging out with his friends. What bothered me was the tan brunette in a bikini top and a mini skirt sitting on his lap.

My jaw locked and my face burned when I saw Luke rubbing her arm and playfully biting her shoulder.

“See?” Travis carelessly shrugged. “You’re the last thing on his mind.”

I kept staring at Luke and the girl who sat on his lap. I couldn’t decide whether to cry or throw a glass bottle at both of their heads. Travis was pulling me away from my thoughts as he began to lightly kiss my neck.

I didn’t even stop him, and kept my eyes locked on Luke who now moved his hand from the girl’s arm to her exposed thigh.

I forcefully pushed Travis away from me and jogged upstairs to cry in the bathtub with Louie and his bottle of Vodka.