Beauty Queen in Tears

It was as though all hell broke loose those few minutes that Vic and I were holed up in his room. Upon first look it appeared as though about a hundred more people showed up. It was an uphill battle just to squeeze our way through the cramped hallway. I could tell from the look on Vic's face that he hadn't anticipated these many people showing up in the first place. Perhaps he truly counted on a couple dozen people stopping by. I clung to him like a koala, eyes wide as I surveyed the party guests. Swaying drunkenly side to side, dry humping on the couches, the only thing that was missing was the...

Suddenly I could hear the almost satanic chanting of grown men from the backyard. I tugged on Vic's arm, stopping him in his tracks as I glanced at what was taking place through the french doors. Six men surrounding a Heineken keg, one of them doing a nearly perfect keg stand. I chuckled and shook my head, leaning into him to whisper, "you've thrown the perfect high school party." He wanted to laugh, I could tell that much from the look on his face. However, he appeared as though he was more concerned with the state of his home.

I searched around his living room for a clock, spotting one above the TV. It was only a quarter past ten, far too early to end a party. "I need to find my brother," he mumbled to himself, practically dragging me through the masses of sweaty bodies. I wrinkled my nose in distaste, certain that if I didn't have him by my side I'd be absolutely lost. I didn't recognize a single person here. Once we reached the backyard I took a deep breath of almost fresh air. It was partly contaminated with cigarette and marijuana smoke. I covered my nose with the collar of my bomber. The mix of the two clouds of smoke wasn't pleasant.

"Where the fuck did all these people come from?" Vic asked in genuine disbelief when we caught up with Mike. The latter who sat hunched over the table while he attempted to roll a joint. He stared up at his brother with a dazed look on his face. I scoffed. Just great. After what felt like ages, he finally processed Vic's statement, shrugging in response.

"He's not gonna be any fucking help..."

I could feel the annoyance radiating off of his body. I found myself rubbing small circles on the inside of his arm, attempting to soothe him. His shoulders relaxed considerably, eyes falling shut as he let out a sigh. "People probably found out about your little get together from word of mouth. Don't stress too much over it."

He nodded, taking my words into consideration. "How are we supposed to enjoy it now?" Hosting a party was like running a marathon. "I can't relax if I constantly have to make sure adults are behaving. I don't want to turn around and see my house burned down."

Now it was my turn to take control of things.

I lead him over to the table that Mike was occupying. "Sit here." I shoved him down onto one of the open seats, wandering around for a few moments before locating the cooler. I was more than surprised to see that it was still full. I guess someone was making constant runs to the store for more alcohol. I grabbed two bottles and skipped back to the table, earning an amused chuckle from Vic as I plopped down on his lap. "That was too fucking cute." He mumbled, accepting the beer I held out to him.

"Listen to me... we're going to sit here and relax. We'll drink a little, keep ol' boy Mike company, and keep an eye on everyone inside. Sound good?"

He nodded.

"Wonderful." I smirked, "now make yourself useful as a man and open this for me."

Vic rolled his eyes and snatched the bottle from my hands, tilting the cap over the edge of the table and slamming the palm of his hand over the neck. The cap fell onto the grass he handed the bottle back to me with a proud smile on his face. It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"How long have you been into the whole music thing?"

He raised his eyebrows, "shit." Vic looked deep in thought as if he was trying to go back as far as his mind would allow. "My whole life, I think. I was raised in a vibrant household. We didn't have much growing up but we had lots of love. My dad was a musician before he became a painter. Music doesn't make much money, you know..."

I sipped my beer quietly, completely immersed in his words. I was wrapped up in getting to know him. I wouldn't be able to end my curiosity about him even if I wanted to.

"Music is deeply embedded into who I am. I wouldn't be able to kill that part of me. I know for certain that even if I didn't make it anywhere with my music... I wouldn't care." He chuckled dryly and took a swig from his beer.

I couldn't relate to him. I didn't have anything in my life that I was passionate about.

"I was a pageant girl growing up. Just listening to you speak so fondly of music is making me jealous. I was told what to like and what to dislike. I was never my own person until about two months ago. My life has always been in someone else's hands. Isn't that sad?"

He was quiet. Almost as though he wasn't sure if I was actually asking him a question.

"It's scary that I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I was told that I was beautiful but that was it. Just beautiful, nothing else."

I swallowed thickly, teeth sinking down onto my bottom lip. Fuck. I could feel myself on the verge of crying like a damn child. Vic tensed underneath me, his warm hand resting on top of my knee. He sent me a comforting squeeze and pressed his forehead against my cheek. "You're young, Sydney. You have time to discover yourself. You have all the time in the world." I could only nod in agreement, sucking in a deep breath before taking a long swig of my beer. "Even if you don't figure out what you want to do until you're eighty fucking years old. It's not a competition. Don't base your progress on everyone else. Move at your own speed."

"Yeah," I was smiling now. How the hell did all my worries just vanish? And all it took was his voice reassuring me.

"I-"

"That was some deep shit," Mike commented from the other side of the table, head nodding slowly as he took a drag of his joint.

Vic and I broke out into laughter; tears collecting in the corners of my eyes, although this time it was out of joy. I felt confident in my future for the first time in my life. I had someone solid by my side, even if things never progressed past this weird flirtationship we were in. I knew deep down in my heart that Vic was someone I could count on.

The fact that we were able to move onto a completely different subject moments later and laugh until we were clutching our sides was proof enough. He complimented me. He took me seriously when needed and made me laugh when I was in danger of being caught in the undertow of my emotions.

One beer quickly turned into two, and that easily turned into three... Before we knew it the clock ticked two in the morning and more than half of the party had disappeared.

I got up from his lap and stretched my arms above my head. As bony as his legs were... they made a pretty comfortable seat. What a conundrum.

Vic followed suit, popping his back as he made his way inside to dismiss the rest of his guests. Didn't people know that it was lame to linger too long at a party? Once a good portion of the attendees disappeared... it was eminent that the party was over. I rolled my eyes and went inside, making a beeline for his kitchen. I searched until I came across a box of heavy duty bags, wasting no time in picking up all the trash that was strewn about the inside of his house.

You'd imagine that adults would be a lot more conscious about the mess they left behind.

I got through the whole living room before I felt a hand on the small of my back. I turned around to Vic's beaming face, his hands tugging the trash out of mine. "What're you doing, dumbie? Don't worry about the mess. It was my idea to throw a get together, I'll clean everything up tomorrow." I nodded, standing awkwardly in the center of the room as he disappeared into the backyard to throw the trash away.

I made a move to grab my phone out of my purse only to realize that it wasn't in my possession. With wide eyes I ran down the hall to his bedroom door, hand clutching at the door knob as I shook it wildly. It was locked.

"Whoa, whoa. What's the hurry? Are you already trying to get me into bed? Buy me dinner first." Vic teased as he slid back inside and locked the french doors behind him.

"My purse. I lost track of it, I don't know where I left it."

He approached me with a bit of pep in his step, fingers digging into his pockets until they locked around a set of keys. Seconds later he was shoving his bedroom door open and I burst into the room. I found my purse laying in the center of his bed. It must've slid off my shoulders when I threw myself on his bed.

"Thank fucking God."

I turned around to see him standing in the doorway, face contorted as if he was deep in thought.

"What's up?"

He leaned against the door frame. "I don't know how to ask this without seeming weird but are you -"

"I can crash here if you don't mind."

He sighed in relief. "You can have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

I snorted, "the same couch that's charred?" I then remembered that he had two, regardless I waved a hand at him. "Just sleep with me."

His eyes widened, cheeks dusting a subtle shade of pink.

"Not like that, nasty. We're adults. We can sleep in the same bed without suffering any casualties, right?"

He nodded. "You're right."

"Now get me a big t-shirt to wear and get your cute ass over here."

He shook his head but complied, searching through his drawers before tossing a t-shirt on the bed. "I'm gonna make sure everything's locked up and then activate my alarm. I'll be right back."

I nodded, fingers undoing my laces as I kicked my converse off. It didn't take long for me to undress, clothes folded neatly and placed in a corner of his bedroom along with my purse. I tossed the t-shirt on, certain that it couldn't have belonged to him. Vic and I appeared to share the same size, at least when it came to tops, and the shirt I was wearing was almost knee length.

I pulled the sheets back and crawled into his bed, eyes falling heavy the moment I laid my head down on his pillow. He returned moments later and I turned to face the opposite direction as he changed out of his clothes. He shut the lights out and slid in beside me, I felt the heat radiating off of his body. I turned back around and smiled. I could make out the glimmering of his silver nose ring underneath the soft moonlight creeping in through the cracks of his curtain.s

He reached out and caressed my jaw, his hand diving underneath the sheets to slide down the side of my body. Vic laid down on his back and pulled me into his bare chest. He was nowhere near as bony as I expected. I buried my face in the side of his neck, arm draping itself over his chest as I anchored my hand on the side of his neck. Vic let out a content sigh, "Sydney."

I looked up at him, "are you going to kiss me now?"

He laughed softly, "if you'd be so kind as to allow me."

"If you don't kiss me right this instant I'll walk myself home."

He didn't need any more approval; his shaky hand lifting to grab at my chin desperately. My body leaned further into his expectantly, noses bumping clumsily in the almost dark as our lips finally touched in the middle. My heart practically stopped in my chest, halted by the innocent kiss we shared. It was nothing more than the chaste meeting of our lips but it was absolutely perfect. Vic reluctantly pulled back, head falling back against the pillow.

"Now take your ass to bed. I know how grumpy you get when you don't have enough sleep."