*A few hours beforehand*

T A Y L O R S P.O.V

Evening. Friday, February 8th, 2014

Sweat beads trickled down my forehead as my eyes darted around Lyra's backyard. It's been exactly one hour, ten minutes and thirty-seven seconds since Bella, Darko and I got here; One hour of my life I'm never getting back ever again.

I leant on a thick pole in the back of Lyra's garden. The strobe lights flashed brightly in my eyes, the music was tasteless, and there were so many people I didn't know. An overpowering scent of sweat, alcohol and vomit permeated the air, making my nose curl. From where I'm standing, I can see only a handful of familiar faces; Darko was getting a few drinks with Bella, and Lyra was greeting her guests. I drummed my fingers on my thigh as I nervously waited for my friends to return.

"Hey," Bella said, two cups in her hands, "I got us some beer."

I reluctantly took the cup from her, before peeking over her shoulder. I narrowed my eyes as I scanned the backyard.

"Where's Darko?" I asked. Bella glanced behind herself before shrugging.

"Well, he was behind me," she said casually, "Maybe he went off to dance. I don't know."

I had nodded before I scanned the dance floor. Darko's face was swallowed by the enormous group of unfamiliars swaying and bobbing to the repetitive beat the DJ was blaring. He's disappeared, without a single trace.

"Well? Are you going to drink?" Bella asked, gesturing to my cup, snapping me out of my musings. I glanced at it.

I really shouldn't be drinking this, but everything in the universe was telling me that I should. Lyra told me to, Bella told me to; heck, even Ana told me to. All I could see when I glanced down at the cup was my mother's face. That exact face she made when she thought I was Dad.

"I... I don't know..." I said, trailing off. Bella frowned slightly, before downing her drink.

"Don't forget about the plan, Tay," Bella said. I looked up at her.

"Speaking of," I said, narrowing my eyes slightly, "can you finally tell me every single detail of the plan?"

"I will," Bella began, "if you just drink the damn beer."

I sighed, before looking at the cup again.

I don't want to stoop to my mother's level, but I want to know Bella's plan.

'It's just one drink,' I kept reassuring myself, 'It's just one drink. You will be all right.'

I lifted the cup to my lips and chugged. The icy liquid burned against my throat, making my face twist with disgust. It was as bitter as the sun is bright. Why do people enjoy this?

"Yuck," I managed to say, hastily wiping my lips. Bella chuckled. I was about to dry-heave, but she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"See? That wasn't so bad. Good boy." She said almost patronisingly. I grimaced at her, the aftertaste of the beer stinging my tongue.

"So? The plan?"

Bella chuckled. "The plan was to see whether Darko would get jealous over you, and what better way to do that by hooking up with someone?"

I narrowed my eyebrows, barely able to contain my disgust. "Hooking up with someone? First, you make me drink; now you want me to fuck someone? Are you out of your mind!?"

Bella rolled her eyes before sighing. "Let me finish, Taylor."

I huffed before folding my arms over my chest, my ears waiting for Bella. "Fine. Continue."

"Finally. Okay, so, the reason why I need you to drink is so you can get rid of that self-loathing, negative mindset that you seem to have right now. You being drunk not only would make you more comfortable, but it's also gonna make you more confident. I could find you a girl or a guy that would, at most, want to kiss you, and with you being drunk you wouldn't hesitate. I'd make sure that Darko can see it; if he sees it and reacts, then you know where he stands. Got it?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Aren't you going to get drunk too? How would you be able to make sure this plan of yours works?"

Bella scoffed. "Who said I was getting drunk? I had one beer, Taylor, not an entire keg. I'm staying mostly sober for you tonight."

I pondered it. "What if we can't find a guy or a girl that's willing?"

Bella smirked. "I have a failsafe. Don't worry."

I narrowed my eyes again. Failsafe?

"You're definitely bisexual, right?" Bella questioned. I hastily stepped closer to her, putting a finger to my lips.

"Yeah...? You mind not saying that any louder mate?"

"So, you like boys and girls, right?" Bella repeated, completely ignoring my request. I sighed.

"I like Darko, but yes, I find both boys and girls attractive. Why?"

Bella had creased her eyebrows before nodding. "Don't worry."

Silence spread between us. The music was there, sure, and the chatter of the other crowds filled the space between us, but Bella and I didn't say a word. The awkwardness was palpable.

Why the weird question? I had told Bella about my sexuality last week; why the sudden need for confirmation? Did she want me to be comfortable with her plan, or did it have to do with the failsafe she had?

Growing uncomfortable with the silence between us, I cleared my throat. "All right," I said, "let's go do this."

Bella had smiled, before walking off to get another two cups of beers. When she returned, she gestured towards my phone.

"By the way," Bella said, "I'm gonna need that."

I stared at her, perplexed. "Uh, why?"

"Just trust me," Bella said, her voice slightly slurred.

"Okay..." I said tentatively. She gave me the two cups as I handed her my phone.

"Drink up," She said, slipping it into her bag, "you'll feel better soon."

~~~~~

I forced myself to drink four beers. My head is beginning to spin, but hey, Bella was right; the party is becoming more enjoyable now. The music sounded like bliss, and everybody seemed more attractive than usual. I've had two girls chat me up, but Bella ushered them away before I could fill them in on the plan.

Bella and I went inside. She dragged me along to a table where a few unfamiliars were playing beer pong, which made us both laugh. The guys were way too buzzed to throw straight, so they were missing the cups horrifically, but they still thought they won. The dudes cheered when the ball rolled off the table, gulping the cups' insides as the game ended.

"What just happened?" I asked Bella, who was smiling at the mess in front of us.

"To be honest, who knows. They're having fun, so it doesn't matter."

The boys finished their game and stumbled back outside. Bella nudged my arm playfully.

"Hey, you want to go dancing? I'm sure we can find someone there." She asked. I sheepishly smiled.

"I can't dance..."

Bella's eyes beamed up, and she grabbed my hand, dragging me to the dance floor outside. "Oh my god, I've got to teach you!"

I rolled my eyes but went along with Bella. There was no way I was getting out of dancing, so I might as well try it. Bella was right; this alcohol does make you more confident.

Bella dragged me onto a tiny spot on the dance floor, slowly bobbing to the beat. She gestured to me, before moving my shoulders. I chuckled bashfully, standing in front of her like a vegetable.

"Come on!" Bella said, "Start dancing!"

I snorted but complied anyway. I began bobbing my knees like how Bella was, making her stop to laugh at me.

"Oh my gosh Tay, you dance like my dad."

I smirked before dabbing. "Your dad must be an excellent dancer, then."

Bella and I laughed, but I froze when I looked past her shoulder. About ten people away, I could just barely make out his face.

Lyra was dancing with Darko. That in itself isn't a bad thing, but what she was doing made my chest splinter into pieces.

She was slut-dropping, twerking, and grinding. On him.

And he looked like he was enjoying it.

Bella noticed that I wasn't having fun anymore. Her eyes had followed my gaze before they returned to me. She stepped closer to me, her body only centimetres from mine, and placed a soft hand on my shoulder.

"Tay?" She said tenderly. I snapped out of my dystopian reverie and focused on her.

I don't know what it was, either my jealousy of Lyra or the alcohol melting my brain, but Bella strangely looked beautiful. Her blonde hair turned into a myriad of colours thanks to the DJ's strobe lights. Her skin radiated a soothing kind of warmth. Her eyes twinkled with worry. Her lips danced with enticing crimson lipstick.

"They're just dancing. Ignore them." Bella said. I shook my head, before taking a few steps back. I took a deep breath in, wiping off a few beads of sweat that had formed on my brow.

"It's too loud out here," I said, looking at the backyard door, "Can we go inside?"

~~~~

"Taylor? Taylor!"

Bella and I had gone inside when a familiar scent enveloped me. I walked around, Bella struggling to keep up with me, as I weaved myself through the crowd. I stopped when I reached the kitchen, a big smile forming on my lips.

"Ooh, brownies!" I said, nearly squealing. I darted to where the tray of the brown delicacies was, before picking up two. Bella slapped them out of my hand before I could inhale them.

"Tay! Don't eat those!"

I stared at her, dumbfounded. My eyebrows creased as I glanced at my hands, which were coated in brownie remains.

"What..? Why the fuck not?!"

Bella gestured around her to the other partygoers in the room. "Do you know what's in these?"

I lifted a brow. "Chocolate, eggs, butter, flour-"

"No! Weed!"

She nodded towards a guy who was giggling to himself in a corner, his lips completely coated in brownie crumbs. I ran my fingers through my hair before sighing sharply.

"First the drinks, then the dancing, now the brownies. Why can't anything go right tonight?!"

I groaned dramatically.

"You want to take a breather?"

I nodded furiously. Bella grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the kitchen.

"Come with me."

~~~

I collapsed onto the bed that was in the room that Bella took me to. On the way, I drank another beer, bringing my total to seven, I think. I was buzzed, my gut was stupidly warm, and I was disorientated. Everything seemed fuzzy, even with my glasses on.

I really need to pee.

"There," Bella said, closing the door, "I put a sign on the door. Hopefully, nobody comes in."

Unable to form a cohesive sentence, I grunted loudly in response. Bella trudged to the bed before sinking into it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get the plan to work," Bella said, her voice laced with genuine remorse. I turned my head to face her.

I'm not too sure what it was, but it happened again; Bella randomly seemed attractive. I'm still unclear whether it was the alcohol affecting my vision, but, she was suddenly gorgeous. The soft orange lighting of the bedside lamp amplified her facial features. A strange urge in me felt the need to touch her face.

"It's fine," I said, smiling weakly. "It's a shame though; now I'm drunk for no reason."

Bella laughed, her smile making my heart skip for a second. Why the hell am I suddenly attracted to her?

"Taylor, I need to tell you something."

I quizzically lifted a brow. "What's up?"

Bella looked out into the room, solemnly. She let out a short sigh before glancing back at me, lifting a stray lock of blond hair away from her face. "I saw something bad on the dancefloor."

"Bad..?"

"Yeah, bad," Bella restated, "It involved Darko."

My heart began to race. "What happened? Is he okay!?"

Bella sighed again. "Yeah... he's more than okay."

I let out a sigh of relief. "What's wrong then?"

She frowned slightly. "He and Lyra were getting a bit too... friendly. I saw them hugging and talking, before pointing to the rooms. I don't know what they're up to, but..."

I blinked rapidly, my breath speeding up. "What are you suggesting?"

Bella held her breath. "He's definitely straight, Taylor. He hasn't sent you a single message the entire night, and he's way more interested in Lyra. I'm sorry."

I felt my cheeks burn up. "No! This - this can't be happening..." I yelled. Bella wrapped me in a hug as I let a single tear fall down my cheek.

"I'm sorry Taylor..."

She released me from her hug, and for the first time, we stared deeply into each other's eyes. I was so angry at Darko, and myself, for letting my feelings trick me into a false sense of hope.

Darko is straight; I have to face facts. I can't keep clinging on to the hope of him falling for me. This plan was a mistake, and going to this party was a mistake.

"Bella, I - "

Bella leant forward and kissed me. Her lips burned against mine, her lipstick smearing on me. She twisted her fingers in my hair, deepening the kiss. My eyes widened, but they slowly faltered. She placed her hand on my crotch, making a moan escape my lips.

I couldn't tell whether she was pitying me, or whether she was genuinely kissing me. I could care less; my head was spinning, my heart was sore. Any distraction was welcome to me right now.

She lifted herself from me, slightly out of breath.

"I... I probably shouldn't have done that..." Bella said. I was lost for words. Her eyes flickered from mine to my lips.

The door suddenly crashed open. Bella shrieked at the sharp sound while I faced the door, but what I saw made my heart stop.

Darko shouted my name before seeing Bella and me on the bed. His eyes widened, his breath quickened. A sweat bead ran down the side of his cheek.

He could see Bella's lipstick smeared on my lips. He could see her hand on my crotch. His eyes glazed over before tears began to fall. Bella retracted her arm.

"F-fuck! Darko.. I- I can explain!" I managed to splutter out though my drunkness. He slowly shook his head before backing out of the room, slamming it shut. The sound sent shockwaves throughout my entire body.

"I-I should go after him!" I muttered to Bella.

"Stay. Nothing you can say right now would change anything." Bella said evenly. She went to touch my hair, but I flinched away. I clutched my head.

"Like you said," I said, "If I kissed a girl, and he saw and reacted in any way, then I would have an answer. I have my answer."

"But you're drunk! You're not even going to remember any of this tomorrow, so why bother?"

I thrust my arm out of her grip. Stumbling towards the door, I glanced back at her, my eyes stinging with regret.

"Because he needs me."