The Expectation to Never Expect

“Black one with lace.” I didn’t looked up from the glossy pages of the magazine I was reading, I could already picture her in my head holding the tips of the clothe hangers in her fingers, one displaying a simple black dress with lace trim around the collar and bottom of the mid-thigh skirt. The other a cream dress finished at the back with a satin bow.

“Maybe you’re right-” Lilly McKenzie was my best friend; she had been since we were twelve years old and I knew she always would be. “ I seriously hope Sam’s parents don’t just show up like last time.”

I let the magazine fall to my bedroom floor and looked up over at her, smiling widely at the memory she’d just refreshed across my brain. Samuel Kingsley was the boy everyone was friends with in high school. He was charismatic and confident and had most girls eating from the palm of his hand. He always threw the first summer party of the season and it was always that one night that everyone remembered for the next three months. Only last year his parents had come home early from holidays and caught us all, their disapproving looks one of the most awkward, tension-filled moments we’d ever lived through. Sam hadn’t cared however, the following weekend he’d announced another, better celebratory night.

“Pink or red?” I arched my eyebrows as the question fell from my lips while I sat on the carpet of my bedroom, looking curiously upward through the wall mirror as Lilly applied the final touches of mascara.

“Red.”

Nodded slightly I pushed the stick of lipstick over my mouth gently, the vibrant scarlet bleeding across the plump skin. This was routine. Lilly would stand, using the top half of the mirror while I sat on the floor using the bottom as we applied foundations, blushes, liquid eyeliners and any other cosmetic we were amazed with at the time. Since we were sixteen we smitten by make-up, the way colours could bring out features and smother imperfections; it was always tasteful, never cheap.

**

The familiar high gate was all that separated us from the loud music and screaming voice of Sam’s summer party, the hinges groaned as Lilly pushed against the green painted wood and almost instantly we were engulfed in a crowd of barely dressed girls and intoxicated boys toasted to the arrival of warm weather.

“Hunter! Lilly!” Our names being screeched across the backyard caught my attention before a set of arms lifted me from the patio and spun me around quickly, before a blur of dark hair did the same to Lilly. “I’m so glad you two came, none of the nice girls have come yet, there’s only the foul ones.” Same winked drunkenly as a scantily clad girl wiggled her fingers in his direction. “Exhibit A.”

“Don’t act like you don’t enjoy barely dressed girls parading around your backyard.” Lilly laughed over at him, her brown eyes glimmering in the outdoor lighting. I knew her heart would have been beating at a ridiculous pace; because she fancied Sam a great deal- call it best friend intuition. I also knew Sam had his heart set on her.
“Yeah, I’m going to grab a drink.” I spoke slowly smiling as Lilly shot me a look. “Want one Lill? Course you do.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond but instead giggled slightly, my feet guiding the way inside the open house, the wooden floors polished underneath my plain black flats. Inside was typical, bodies danced to music playing over a sound system in the living room, a line for the bathroom was already four strong and you could hear the sobs of a girl and comforting coos of her friend. The kitchen housed a small supply of food and fridge and sink filled with cheap beer and boxed wine. Friends from school smiled, waved and hugged me quickly filling me in on what they’d been doing since we last spoke.

My brows knitted together as I debated over wine or beer, chewing on my bottom lip, the cosmetic taste of my lipstick spread over my tongue.

“So were you invited or did you just stalk me because I’m soo good looking?”

Quickly my head whipped around at the voice, normally I wasn’t the subject of cocky boys and if I was it was generally after a few shots of heavy alcohol late in the night, not at 8.00pm during a house party.

“Definitely the latter.” My lips grew in a smirk as Rory Hewitt casually walked toward the fridge pulling a bottle of beer from the top shelf and popping the cap.

“Thought so.” He watched carefully as I pulled the caps off of Lilly’s drinks and mine. “How do you know Sam anyway?”

“School. How do you even know him, or are you just stalking me?” the confidence somehow found its way back and I hated the way my words sounded the second they fell into the air.

Rory’s head fell back, slightly as he laughed. It was bell like and I slightly adored the way it hung so heavily around our heads. “Our parents were friends in high school. But yes I stalked your facebook.”

“I knew it.” I took another gulp of beer and allowed my face to contort slightly, normally I would have to be slightly drunk to endure the bitter flavour swashing around my mouth, but tonight I had no choice.

“You don’t want that.” Rory scrunched his nose at my facial expression taking the bottle from my hand and motioning to follow him down a hallway and into a room Sam always insisted was off limits; his parent’s bedroom. Nerves swam across my skin in the form of goose bumps but I held my head confidentially, I was certain Rory wasn’t that boy. “You can’t tell anyone I showed you this.”

I nodded quickly as his green eyes overlooked me, his body crouching before a small cupboard. Rory quickly pulled upon the handle as I laughed aloud as an array of alcohol was revealed.

“How did you-”
“Sam and I always hide our alcohol in here, it’s why this room is off limits. If everyone knew nobody would drink the shit out there.”

It made perfect sense so I didn’t bother questioning him, instead accepting the glass filled with Malibu happily and sipping through the alcohol and juice combination. Rory relaxed on the carpeted floor, his back against the bed legs unfolded before him as he sipped on the beer in his hand. It would have been rude to leave straight after he’d revealed the secret stash in Sam’s parent’s bedroom so I took a seat of the floor beside him.

At least that’s how I defended my action from the thoughts of simply wanting to sit beside Rory Hewitt