The Ugly Truth

It sucks when you don’t know practically anyone at a party. It sucks even more when you are not used to going to parties. And to top it all off, I was being blackmailed.

I didn’t know what to do. Was I supposed to dance awkwardly all by myself or strike up a conversation with a random person?

I chose the bathroom.

As soon as I was in there, I locked the door and sat down on a small couch there was near the door.

The bathroom seemed like a bedroom, because it was divided into two rooms, one where there were two couches, cupboards and the sink. In the other one, was the toilet. It was all perfectly combined in different shades of salmon and furnished with gorgeous white wood furniture.

I just sat there, clutching my purse, disconcerted. My eyes filled up with tears but I pushed them back with all my might. I was not going to cry. I wouldn’t let Caroline make me feel miserable again.

Sure, she had some picture over me, but I would just follow her orders and make sure it never saw the light of day. She wouldn’t make me do anything too horrible, would she?

I heard a knock on the door.

“Could you hurry up?!” said a high pitched voice from the other side of the door.

I made sure my makeup was presentable, and unlocked the door to find an annoyed blonde shoving past me to get inside.

I faced the party in a calm way. It was just a party, after all.

As I figured out what in the world to do next, I heard my name.

“Hey, Lindsay. I didn’t know you’d be here,” Ethan said, smiling.

“Hi.”

Why was he everywhere?

“How long have you been here?”

“Oh, I just got here, actually.”

“Well, let me take your purse.”

I almost yanked it away from him as he reached for it, but when I saw he was only going to hang it on a coat hanger, I loosened my grip.

“So, Lindsay…” he said, coming closer to me.

“What?” I replied, backing up slowly, so the space between us remained comfortable.

He just smiled and continued inching closer to me.

And then my back hit a wall.

As Ethan came closer, I noticed his breath reeked of alcohol.

“Um, Ethan, I’ve gotta-”

“Where are you going?” he laughed, pinning me against the wall.

I looked around, but there was no one around, considering we were in the hallway, away from the party in the gigantic living room and backyard.

I grabbed his hands and pushed them way from me.

“Just leave me alone, please.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” he slurred, tightening his grip.

“Stop it!”

Somehow, I managed to slink away from his grasp and fast walked down the hall back to the party, while Ethan stumbled behind me.

I quickly mixed myself with the crowd and breathed out a little easier. I pretended to be having a good time like everyone else and danced numbly to the monotonous dance music.

But, of course, the time had to come. Caroline grabbed me by the arm and shoved a note into the palm of my hand. Before leaving, she made sure to give me an evil smirk.

I stared at the crumpled piece of paper in my hand and breathed out. Everyone around me was dancing and yelling, so I decided to go somewhere a little more calm to read my sentence.

The sweat from my palms moistened the paper and I quickly tried to dry it, fearing the ink would smudge.

Throw yourself in the pool before 11pm. You have to stay a whole hour afterwards in your wet clothes and ruined makeup. Have fun!

That bitch.

I glanced at a clock, that read 10:40pm. I had to do it. Sure, my dress would stick to my body and show far more than I would ever, but it was better than a straight out underwear picture, especially back when I was chubbier.

I pushed through the crowd, annoyed because of what I had to do, and finally arrived at the backyard, where there was a lot more people, hanging out around the pool. Everybody seemed to be dressed pretty nice, so that probably explained why no one had taken a dip yet. Or maybe they just weren’t drunk enough.

Taking my time, I sauntered up to the pool, its clear water and soft ripples menacing. It was actually pretty nice weather to be in a pool, but, of course, if you had a swimsuit on.

At the edge of the pool, I removed my heels. It would be a pity if they got ruined. And I was lamenting how my dress would look afterwards too. The only good thing was that it was empire waist, so the fabric wouldn’t cling too much on the majority of my body.

Acting as if it was the most normal thing, I sat on the edge of the pool and dipped my feet in. It wouldn’t have been so weird in any other occasion, but everyone just seemed too fancy and stuck up to do it. I could bet a thousand dollars they were all rich little prisses and I was the only normal person there.

After a while, I just slid my body into the cool water. It was a little cold, but in a pleasant way. For good measure, I slid underwater for a few seconds and then proceeded to exiting the pool.

Everyone was staring. Everyone. They looked at me with lofty expressions, thinking I was drunk and careless.

I just smiled and walked back into Caroline’s house. I was not going to hesitate in ruining her good carpet.

The hour was unbearable. Everyone gawked at me for the rest of the time there. I caught Caroline looking at me and laughing at one point.

As soon as the hour was up, I grabbed my purse and rushed out the door. I was so irritated I didn’t even call my mom to pick me up, I just walked home.

I was still damp as I walked down the street. Why was I swimming in my clothes so often?

Luckily, my appearance wasn’t too visible in the shelter of the dark, and I was able to calm down.

Until I saw Riley, that is. He was at the front porch of a house with two other guys and I overheard him saying goodbye to them. The house was only a few doors down from where I was and he seemed to be heading straight towards me.

I quickly looked down, hoping he wouldn’t recognize me. I even considered crossing the street, but it was too late. He had seen me.

“What are you doing soaking wet and alone at this hour?”

“Hi to you too.”

He smiled.

“You always seem to be in some sort of mess,” he said lightheartedly.

I just shrugged. I didn’t feel like being nice to him after what had happened at the beach.

“Do you need a ride? I was just going to get my car.”

“It’s alright…”

“Lindsay, I know where you live. You are not walking all the way there, and much less in that state. Now, come with me.”

I obeyed like a scared puppy.

“So, is that Ethan guy your boyfriend?”

Was he actually asking that?

“No.”

“Do you want him to be?”

He looked me straight in the eyes with such an intense expression, I had to turn away.

“No.”

The rest of the way to his car was silent, but it was nice. Hearing his breath beside me, his hand bumping against mine occasionally, his smile when our eyes locked…