Written In The Sand

Olivia couldn’t quite believe her friends had convinced her. After her run-in with Jack earlier, she’d told Poppy everything in a barely audible whisper in History. That Jack and Olivia had arrived together, fifteen minutes late to class had not gone unnoticed by their classmates and those who had been in the common room earlier were eager to share what they’d seen. There had been a lot of murmuring that lesson and Olivia had been glad when the bell rang and she could go for lunch. She’d promptly told the girls that there was no way she’d be going to any party tonight, under any circumstances.

Unfortunately, fuelled by their own desires to go to the party, they had reasoned with her. Lottie said she could do with a party, it might clear her head. Mae said it wouldn’t be the same if all four of them didn’t go. Poppy simply said she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

And so now Olivia was walking with the girls towards the address Sean had given her, feeling rather light headed after Poppy had insisted on pre-drinks. The dull thudding of music told them they were near as they tottered along in their heels, anxious not to trip on the cobbled street.

As they reached the address and stood anxiously at the door, Olivia pulled at the hem of her skirt wondering how the night would pan out; she hoped she wouldn’t get very drunk. They didn’t have to wait long before the door burst open letting the music flood out onto the street and revealing Sean and his friend Jasper. They both had beers in their hands and stank of tobacco.

“Alright ladies,” Jasper crooned, “In you come,” he said holding the door for them. Nervously they all stepped in. It was only nine but already there were a few light-weights draped over the staircase. Olivia hoped she wouldn’t be joining them as Sean showed them into the living room where a sound system had been set up and people were beginning to start dancing. Olivia spotted a couple in the corner, their hands and mouths all over each other.

“Have you got drink?” Sean asked Olivia.

“Just Sourz,” Olivia said, lifting up her bag. She felt the bottle clunk inside.

“Well that won’t be enough!” Sean said, “Come and do shots,” he said reaching out and grabbing her wrist. She allowed herself to be led back out into the hallway which had suddenly filled with people and through another door.

“Eh, Sean where are we?” Olivia asked in alarm as the door shut behind them and they were enveloped in darkness. The light flickered on and Olivia found they were in a cupboard full of jackets and bags. The jackets proved as insulation against the noise of the rest of the house.

“My bag is in here,” Sean muttered rescuing a blue sports bag from a mountain of others, “Don’t fret, I’m not going to molest you.”

“I was afraid you might try,” Olivia said watching as Sean took out a glass bottle and a small stack of brightly coloured shot glasses from his bag. She hid her own bag at the back of the cupboard.

“I wouldn’t need to,” Sean said with a smirk, chugging down the contents of his beer can. After crushing it with his foot he threw it into a corner. He turned to Olivia who was looking quizzical, “You’d enjoy anything I wanted to do to you,” his smirk widened and Olivia saw that mischievous glint in his eyes again.

“Sean!” she gasped, not sure whether to laugh or leave the cupboard at once, “You are so cocky!”

Sean stood up from where he was kneeling on the floor. In the small space available to them, they were standing uncomfortably close yet again. “True, but least I’m honest,” his faced bared a boyish grin as Olivia squirmed.

“Well you’re wrong,” Olivia said shortly. In her bid to open the distance between them she was almost being smothered by the jackets behind her.

Bemused, Sean cocked one eyebrow, he placed a hand on the rail behind Olivia and leant in close to her earlobe, “I don’t think I am,” his breath sent dangerous tingles down her spine. “Bet your creaming your panties just thinking about it,” and with that, Sean licked her earlobe.

Olivia burst into laughter, “Sean, you are crazy!” she said pushing him away. The grin on his face far surpassed any that Olivia had seen stretch across it before. “How much have you had to drink?” she asked, recovering from her shock. For a moment she’d thought Sean was seriously going to try something on her.

“Alas, too much to properly show you a good time,” Sean said with a woeful tone. He winked at Olivia before laughing at her surprised face. “Right, shots!” he exclaimed, retrieving the bottle and shot glasses from the back pockets of his jeans.

“What is that?” Olivia asked eyeing the bottle suspiciously.

“Jagermeister,” he replied before noticing that Olivia was hanging back, “don’t worry, we’ll only have a few shots. I don’t want you to be paralytic”

“I’ve not actually drank Jager before,” Olivia said truthfully as she helped Sean clear a space on the floor and sat down next to him.

“Well I’m sorry that I can’t give you the proper Jager-bomb experience then,” Sean said, reaching into his bag and taking out a Red Bull, “I’d go out and get glasses but then everyone would want some so just take a gulp of this after you’ve finished”

Sean lined up two rows of six shot glasses before filling them all up with the brown liquid.

“Lets race,” he said with a smirk. Not wanting to lose to badly to Sean, Olivia jumped into action, throwing back each shot. Inevitably she lost but only by one glass. She hadn’t found the taste all that pleasant so gulped down half the can of Redbull.

“Not bad Livy, thought you’d do worse than that,” Sean said smacking his lips and taking the can from Olivia and finishing it off. “Want more?”

“Maybe later,” Olivia tried to stand up but found that the room was swaying in and out of focus. Standing up, Sean grabbed her arm to steady her. “It’s my heels not the drink,” she said blinking up at him.

Laughing Sean ran a hand through his dark hair, “You’re cute,” he smiled before stuffing everything back into his bag.

“If you weren’t such a dick, I’d think you were cute too, really hot actually,” Olivia found herself saying and Sean straightened up remarkably quickly. Olivia giggled.

“You think I’m hot,” Sean teased.

“Do not,” she retorted childishly, she could really feel the drink inside her now and wish she’d never taken those pre-drinks.

“Yes you do, you said so,” he said snaking a hand round her waist.

Olivia shook her head and waggled a finger in front of him, “No I said you would be if you weren’t such a dick.”

“I’m not a dick to you.” Sean’s eyes grew intense.

“That’s true,” Olivia mulled it over, “I still don’t think you’re hot.”

With a steely look upon his face, Sean tore off his T-shirt to reveal an impressive torso. Olivia’s drunken eyes took in his shoulders and the bulging muscles in his arms, and then travelled downwards over his chest and abs, towards the mysterious ‘V’ shape above his black boxers. Sean was smirking when she finally tore her gaze away. “Still don’t think I’m hot?” he said, both arms wrapping themselves round Olivia’s petite waist.

“You’re alright,” Olivia laughed, twisting out of his embrace and heading for the door. With her hand on the handle, she turned back to Sean who looked entirely baffled; “Coming out now?” she asked and opened the door. There was a yell as the door collided with someone. Jasper and another friend of Sean’s, Liam were outside. Their anger turned to surprise when they saw Olivia coming out of the cupboard leaving a half-naked Sean to explain.

“Where have you been?” Poppy demanded when Olivia emerged into the living room. The music was incredibly loud in here, thudding deafeningly in Olivia’s ears.

“Just having some shots,” Olivia replied with a hiccough. Poppy laughed before grabbing onto her hand and dragging her further into the room where Mae and Lottie were dancing with girls from Olivia’s history class. They greeted Olivia with hugs and she’d just started dancing with them when she saw them.

Just a few yards away, amongst all the other smooching couples, Laura Sinclair sat on one of the pushed-back sofa’s laughing in her annoying manner as she snuggled up to the last person Olivia wanted to see - Jack. Laura let out a loud annoying laugh at something he’d said before nuzzling into his neck even more. Wondering why she’d stopped, the girls turned to see what the cause was. Poppy scowled.

“I need another drink,” she announced and before any of them could say a single word to her, she’d rushed out of the room.

Determinedly she walked back to the cupboard and retrieved her drink from her bag. She ignored several people who said hello to her as she made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a glass. She barely noticed that there were seven other people in the room or that she was standing in a pool of spilt drink. All she could notice was the bottom of her glass becoming visible as she drank all of its contents. The drink was sour but she knew with a second glass that the taste wouldn’t bother her and so she poured herself another drink.

“Woah, might want to slow down,” said a voice and Olivia looked up to find Liam leaning against the counter and looking at her with interest. Olivia had never met Liam before, only knew him as he played rugby for another school’s team that Jack and his team-mates had once thrashed. And of course being friends with Sean’s lot meant there was a lot of gossip surrounding him.

“Sean’s bird right?” Liam asked and took a sip from his beer.

Olivia laughed, “I’m nobody’s,” she said taking a sip from her glass. She was right; she could barely taste its sourness now.