A Safe Bet

"Tell me again, what does a party have to do with our sessions?" Harlow asked, the minute John opened the door to Halvo's party. The party was already full blown and Harlow cringed when she saw everyone drunk.

He turned around and smirked. "It doesn't."

"Then why am I here?" She asked when they stepped inside. Some ran down the staircase and almost knocked into Harlow if she hadn't seen him and taken a step back.

"Be careful." John said, instinctively taking her hand and leading her deeper into the house. "I brought you here so you can have some fun, Peterson."

"I can have fun!" She exclaimed, looking around. She saw Jared Monaco and Tim Kirch talking to a bunch of girls while drinking from red cups. She also saw Eric Halvorsen dancing, provocatively, with some girl who's face she couldn't make out.

John raised an eyebrow at her while taking a red cup off the counter and leaned against it, still giving Harlow that look. "Oh? Care to explain, then? Because, I really don't see it."

Harlow rolled her eyes. "My definition of fun is, apparently, different than yours! I consider hanging out with my best friend fun, and going shopping fun. You, obviously, think parties and getting drunk is fun."

"Well," John said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Welcome to John O'Callaghan's World of Fun!

Harlow tried her hardest to hide a laugh but failed. John grinned with pride and said, "Come on, let me show you around!"

~

After twenty minutes of going around the Halvorsen residence and observing (technically, making fun of) people, John and Harlow found themselves back to where they started, except John handed Harlow a red cup.

"No." She shook her head.

John rolled his eyes. "Come on, Harlow, live a little."

"No." She said, again. She pulled her hair up and wrapped it up into a ponytail. John watched her. "I want to keep my brain cells, thank you."

"You have an excess amount!" He exclaimed. "Whats a few gone gonna do to you? Harvard will still love you!"

Harlow started at the contents inside the cup. It really wouldn't be a bad idea to try...right?

She took a very hesitated sip, but the minute she let the liquid go down her throat, John cheered and laughed, while Harlow coughed a little.

"What is this?"

"Beer." He shrugged. "High school kids aren't rich enough to get the good stuff."

Harlow watched as he downed his entire cup. Her jaw dropped when he seemed perfectly fine, considering it was his third one.

"What?" He asked, when he caught her stare.

"That's really bad for you." She said, her eyebrows fixed to make her expression look...worried.

John smirked. "Oh, you care for me, now?"

Harlow shook her head. "No. I'm just concerned for the well fare of our country. We're quite dumb, especially since people do this--" She jabbed her finger towards his cup.

"Listen, I'm going to see what Halvo's up to." He said, craning his neck to look for his friend. "You'll be fine over here right?"

"I'm a big girl, John." She scoffed. He smirked and walked away. Harlow watched him and Eric Halvorsen greet each other by practically tackling each other. She laughed slightly at the contact. Tim Kirch and Jared Monaco caught up to them and the four of them stood in the middle of the living room, in a circle, deep in conversation.

"Well, hello." Harlow spun around and she looked up at an unfamiliar boy. In fact, he actually didn't look like a boy at all. He looked to be at least twenty-two at the least.

"Um, hi."

~

"How the hell did you get Harlow Peterson here?" Eric asked, incredulously. He kept glancing from her back to John.

John smirked and said, with noted sarcasm, "With my car, dude."

Eric rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, how did you convince her?"

"Well, this kind of surprised her." He shrugged. "I told her that we should do something study related tonight, and she agreed."

"Harlow actually fell for that?" Tim asked, surprised. "I thought she would at least over analyze it or something."

"She's clearly falling for our bro here." Eric clapped John on the back. John grinned and was about to say something but Jared cleared his throat and said, "Uh, John? Looks like Noel Harris got to Harlow."

John immediately spun around. Noel Harris was a college kid, formerly to Mountain Pointe, and he always crashed their parties and hooked up with girls. He really didn't care their age or if they were popular or emo; they just had to be pretty.

Harlow seemed to be his next target. He looked like he was doing a good job because she wasn't doing anything to push Noel away.

John marched up to them and cleared his throat. Harlow looked up at him in surprise, and Noel stared at him, a smirk played on his face.

"Hey, O'Callaghan." Noel grinned. "Have you met Harlow?" He looked down at her but Harlow kept her eyes on John. Her eyes looked a little frightened, and there was no way he would let that creep do anything to her.

"She's here with me, Harris." John put his arm around Harlow. "So, you can go away now."

"Aw, come on!" Noel exclaimed, his grin still present. "Things were just getting fun."

John didn't have to say anything. The look on his face made Noel sigh and say, "Fine, fine." He walked away.

Harlow pulled away from John and said, "Thanks. He was kinda creepy."

He shrugged. "Yeah, try to stay away from him. He has a reputation of hooking up with any girl. It's not pleasant since he's twenty-fucking-two."

"You look bored." John noted, glancing at her face. She actually looked tired, too. What could she be tired about? It was Saturday. She could not possibly have stayed up the night and studied.

"This isn't my scene, John." Harlow shrugged. John nodded his head in understanding and said, "Then, lets go."

Harlow was about to protest, but she nodded and they both struggled through the crowds of people jam packed in Eric's house and they opened the door, surprised that the air outside was colder than inside.

"Oh! Wait, I forgot my purse!" She exclaimed, stopping in the middle of the Halvorsen's front yard.

"You brought a purse?" John asked, confused.

"Yeah, I left it in Eric's room when you showed me all the pictures in his room! I left it on his bed!"

"Oh, okay." John said, still not remembering that she had brought a purse. "I'll wait out here, then."

Harlow nodded and dashed back inside.

John waited, and tapped his foot. He started humming a tune that he made up a few days ago with his guitar. He started kicking at the ground--what was taking so long?

The front door opened and John looked up, hopefully, but it wasn't Harlow, it was some girl who just threw up into the shrubs by the door. John grimaced.

"Fuck it." He said, uncrossing his arms. He went inside (avoiding the vomiting girl) and climbed up the staircase that he knew like the back of his hand, and went straight to Eric's room.

He stopped suddenly. It was closed. Why would it be closed?

John pressed his ear against the door and listened--

"Oh, come on. You can't possibly be attracted to O'Callaghan..." A deep voice said. John recognized it as Noel's voice.

"No, what are you--" It was Harlow. "No! Get--off--me!"

"I can be quick, Harlow--" The door slammed open when John rammed his shoulder against it and shouted, "Get away from her!"

Noel backed away from Harlow but John was too furious and drew his arm back and punched him right in the eye. Noel bent down in pain and held his eye. "Fuck!"

"Get out!" He shouted, pointing towards the door. Noel shot him and Harlow a disgusted look and slammed the door shut behind him.

John spun around and saw Harlow, shaken, and clutching her purse. She looked at him, frightened and angry, but mostly frightened. John has never seen her look like that before. She always had a confident posture, but right then, she looked scared.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." He soothed. "I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her and she clutched onto his arm.

"I'm sorry, Harlow." John whispered, sincerely. How could he have let her go in there alone? He was so stupid. "I'm so sorry."

"Please don't bring me back here." Harlow's voice shook. "Please."

John nodded his head and let her bury her face into his chest. He hugged her tighter and whispered, "I won't let that happen to you again."

Harlow nodded her head against his chest.

"I promise."