Are You Just Bad News?

A little while later, and the party was in full swing.

From my little spot on Mike’s couch, I surveyed his guests being drunk and rowdy. Most of them congregated in the middle of the room or in the hall between the living room and the kitchen. They all looked like they were having a good time, and started dancing when someone turned up the music.

I wasn’t alone on the couch though; Mike’s friend Andy had joined me after a little while.

Andy was fun, and nice too. He kept me entertained, telling me jokes and embarrassing moments about Mike that he’d never told me before.

Then he got up and made me start dancing. Which we enjoyed, especially when Sisky and Mike came in and we sandwiched together, all of us laughing and having a good time.

After that, Mike dragged me around and introduced me to some people. I had met so many Brittany’s, Jen’s, Steve’s, and then some guys named Tom, Mike, and Adrian who were previously in the band.

Apparently everyone else wasn’t very important. Which was fine by me, I didn’t need to be introduced to the whole damn party anyway.

“So, Leah?” I nodded at Andy in acknowledgment. “Where are you from?”

”…Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Fine, don’t wanna tell me? I’ll guess.”

I smirked at him, “You do that.”

“Eh…New York?”

“Nope,” I said, smiling at him. He was probably never gonna guess this. I clutched the neck of my Smirnoff tightly, wishing I had another. But I wanted to watch Andy make a fool of himself first.

“Uh, California?”

I gawked at him. “Do I look like I’m from California?”

“Well, yeah…” He said uneasily. “Look at your shirt. There’s a seagull on it. Isn’t that California’s state bird or something?”

I giggled at him and hit him lightly on the chest, “What do I know? I’m not even from there.”

“Then where are you from?” Andy shrieked in a high-pitched voice and I laughed some more. “Don’t laugh at me! You can’t possibly be from here, they don’t make girls like you in Illinois.”

“Well thanks for the flattery, Andy, but no, I’m not from Illinois either. I’m from Michigan.”

“Michigan?” Andy yelled. “Michigan! They make girls like this in Michigan? Yo, I gotta go to Michigan…”

We shared a laugh as Mike appeared, and smiled down at us.

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

“Oh nothing,” Andy said, smiling up at him. “Just hanging here with your charming neighbor, who I had no idea was from Michigan.”

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Mike said, taking my hand and hoisting me up then stole my seat and pulled me down on his lap.

“Very,” he admitted. His eyes landed on my empty drink. “Hey, Leah, would you like me to get you another Smirnoff?”

I contemplated it before shaking my head, “I’ll just go get it myself.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back in a minute. Where is it?”

“Cooler in the kitchen,” Mike answered and I nodded, leaping off his lap and headed towards the kitchen.

After weaving through a couple people, noticing a couple had left or moved to other rooms, I finally made it into the kitchen. I surveyed the floor, looking for the cooler before my eyes came in contact with two string bean looking legs, dressed in dark jeans, leaning against the counter.

My eyes made their way up to a flat chest, and then connecting with William’s.

It was almost like the world stopped, but then I realized that the music in the living room had been lowered, and everyone had gotten quiet.

“Looking for something?” William smirked, bringing the opening of his beer to his lips, taking a sip.

The music came back on, and everyone began to talk again. I dropped my empty bottle in the in the big can on the side, labeled ‘glass’.

“Cooler.”

William pointed with his thumb to the cooler.
Which happened to be on the counter beside him, clearly labeled ‘Low alc.’

I looked away from Will and walked over to it, popping the top and fishing for a bottle of Smirnoff. I could smell the heaviest of heavy liquor radiating off of Will, his breath dense with the stench of his beer.

He was piss drunk, I realized, when I looked up into his eyes and saw the familiar haze. I noticed the flush in his cheeks, and his lack of full balance.

He held my gaze as I slowly closed the cooler, and he smiled. “Hi Leah…”

“Hi Will.” This was getting awkward. And creepy, mostly cause I’d never seen him like this before.

“Let me open that for you,” he said, reaching over to grab the bottle from me. But I was afraid he’d go psycho on me and crack it over my head; he never did anything or said anything nice to me.

Why would he start now?

“No, that’s okay…” I said quietly. “I gotta get back to Andy. I told him I’d only be a minute.”

Will’s eyes clouded over, most of it I recognized as anger but I saw a quick hint of…jealousy?

“William E. Beckett.” A voice suddenly said, in a cold tone.

I watched Will’s eyes suddenly flash to fear, his pupils dilating and his breath coming out ragged. I turned around to see whom his friend was, and was met with the face of a girl.

A girl with blond hair, almost identical to mine, dressed in short shorts and a small orange tank top. She had icy blue eyes and an almost perfect, symmetrical face. She held an empty bottle of Heineken and then chucked it into the bin, coming closer to Bill and I.

“W-w-Who invited you?” He stuttered, never taking his eyes off of her. I felt him grip my arm behind my back, his fingers pressing tightly into my skin.

Was this a call for help?

“Aw, Bill, you’re not happy to see me?” She said, a sinister smile pressed upon her lips. Her eyes landed on me and she raised an eyebrow, lips now curling in disgust. “Who’s this?”

I heard William gulp and he looked down at me, his eyes saying ‘sorry’ before he pushed me away – a look of disgust on his face. “Her? She’s nobody.”

I frowned at him as I collided with the counter, a dull pain starting in my side.

The girl laughed over at me and looked back at him, “This is what you’re rolling around with now? She’s like a cheap knockoff of me.” She tsked. “You could do way better…”

“Like who, Victoria?” Will snapped.

Victoria.

Victoria let out a sinister laughed and crossed her arms, “Never mind Will. You could never do any better. You already had your best and you weren’t even good enough.”

And with that, she walked off, swaying her hips in an almost natural manner. I rolled my eyes at her back and turned back to Will, ready to say something, anything, before I saw that look in his eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled at him, setting my drink down to flail my arms in the air, narrowly missing the cabinet above me. “Do you just enjoy treating me like crap?”

I saw it before it even happened.

Will stumbled a bit towards me before lowering his head, shaking a bit and then he upchucked.

All over my feet.