Mutiny Below

Natalia

Once I had worked up enough courage, I followed Eric up the front steps and into the house. Even though I had only just met Eric, I clung to his arm as we moved through the mass of other people I didn't know. Finally, we came to a stop beside Nick and Eric was attacked by a small girl with blue in her hair.

Nick did nothing to help his friend; instead, he just laughed and pulled me along until we came to another tall brunette guy.

"Nick! Dude." Man hugs were exchanged then the guy looked at me and smiled.

"John, this is my sister. Nat, this is John. He sings in The Maine."

"Nice to meet you, Natalia. Nick talks about you alot."

My mouth couldn't seem to form words so I just smiled awkwardly. This boy was much too gorgeous for my mind to form coherent thoughts. I think I must've been staring at him because I didn't notice another girl walk right past us until he wrapped his arm around her.

"This is my beautiful girlfriend, Jayce Lynn." He leaned in and gave her a big kiss on the cheek and smiled proudly at Nick. I crossed my arms over my body and looked around at the people who were having a pretty good time getting wasted.

Nick's voice interrupted my observations. "Jayce and I already met. At the last party I was here for."

I looked over at him but he seemed to be focusing on the girl in front of us. She looked anywhere but him, as if she were trying as hard as she could to pretend he wasn't there. A small boy with long brown hair joined the circle next to John.

"She threw both of these parties." John squeezed her tighter and she made a sort of pained face.

"She's the party queen around this scene," the small boy added.

"Oh really?" Nick raised his eyebrows and a small smirk played on his lips.

"Yeah, I was just on my way to the kitchen." Jayce tried to free herself from John's arms but he held her in place.

"I'll come with you, babe. Anybody else want anything?"

Nick, Eric, and the small boy shook their heads and John looked at me.

"I don't drink alcohol," I mumbled. Jayce looked at me with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

"We'll change that fast, baby." Some guy with copper colored hair put his arm around my waist and I could smell the alcohol on him. I looked to Nick for help.

"Get off my sister, Nickelsen!"

The boy blinked a few times then looked at me. "Oh sorry. Do I know you?"

Nick smacked him against the back of his head. "Get. Off. My. Sister."

The boy's eyes widened and he retracted his arm as if I had burned him. He mumbled something before he turned to walk away, but he stumbled after a few steps. He grabbed onto the wall for support and continued to his destination.

I turned my back to him and looked at Nick, who was staring off in the direction of the kitchen. I said his name two or three times but he didn't even blink. I snapped my fingers in front of his face.

"Nick!"

"What?"

"Have you seen your girl yet?" I looked around at the group of people, carefully observing the girls in the room, wondering if one of them was Nick's girl from the last time he was here.

He sighed and the small boy began to tell him a nice story about his alter ego. Eric smiled at me, then looked at the boy and rolled his eyes.

"Would you like something non-alcoholic to drink?"

"Uh, sure. Pepsi?"

He nodded and went to the kitchen while I turned back to Nick. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Pat!"

"Yeah?"

"You're drunk. You need to go sit down and chill out."

"Okay." Pat nodded and stumbled over to the living room, plopping himself on a chair that was already occupied. The girl sitting there scoffed and got up, leaving Pat to sit contentedly by himself.

Eric returned holding a red cup similar to his. I took it cautiously from his hand and looked down into it.

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I didn't spike it."

I took a small sip and Nick put his arm around my shoulder, leaning down to my level.

"Would you mind if I go talk to some people?"

I sighed. "No, it's fine."

"Are you sure? You'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Go ahead." He smiled thankfully and went into the living room full of people, disappearing into the crowd. Erid had disappeared in the time I was talking to Nick so I was left alone in the middle of the room. I looked around for a way out of the house until I spotted a sliding glass door.

Once I got outside, it was much more quiet. There wasn't anyone in the entire backyard so I went to sit in the middle of the grass with my drink. I looked up at the sky and was surprised at how well I could see the stars.

I sat alone outside for probably hours. I was so absorbed in finding constellations that I didn't hear the footsteps on the grass behind me.

"I thought you didn't drink alcohol." I turned my head to the right and saw John standing slightly behind me.

I shook the cup lightly in my hand, its contents sloshing around. "It's Pepsi."

He sat down next to me in the grass and I ignored him, continuing my search for Cassiopeia in the sky.

"Man, Nick said you were shy but I didn't think you'd be this shy."

I raised my eyebrows at him and he quickly retracted. "I didn't mean that, like...in a bad way."

I took a sip of my Pepsi, still not saying anything.

"Are you just going to sit there and pretend like I'm not here?"

I looked over at him this time and found myself suck in my breath when my eyes met his stunning green ones. "Probably."

He scoffed and looked around the empty yard. "I don't know why I'm even wasting my time."

"Are you always this obnoxious?"

"Me? You're the one who's just sitting there ignoring me when I'm trying to make you feel welcome."

"Just leave me alone." It came out as more of a whisper and I pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my head against them.

He stood up and began to walk back to the house. I heard the door slide open but it didn't slide back closed so I knew he was still there.

"I'm sorry."

I then heard the door slide shut and I was alone once again.