My heart pulsates as we enter through the front door; my increasing anxiety fueled by the blaring music surging through the house - giant speakers adorning every corner, deafening the room with volume, conversations failing to protrude through the music.

"YOU HAVE TO CHUG THIS BEFORE YOU ENTER!" A broad-shouldered jock-like senior screams at us as we walk through the entryway, signalling to the funnel and bottle of cider in his hands. Harvey directs his puppy dog eyes towards me, his decision on whether to drink teetering on my answer. I sigh internally, regretting my request at him being my sober driver - ugh. The green bottle stares at me, mocking me with its simplistic packaging wrapped around its vile insides.

"COME ON! ONE OF YOU HAVE TO DO IT OR IT'S A NO ENTRY!" I sigh heavily and drop down to one knee, my brother hollering as I wrap my lips around the funnel pipe. An attempt to mentally prepare myself for the wave of alcohol is obliterated as it starts streaming down my throat, the bitter taste evoking my natural gag reflex. I translate my mental will into physical will and continue gulping, clenching my fist around the funnel as the burning liquid slowly drains away.

"Good job bro!" Harvey slaps me on the back before submerging himself in the crowd, his blond hair vanishing amongst the ever-moving hoard of teenagers - an overwhelming feeling of loneliness falling over me in a place with so many people.

I look around, my vision obscured by the alcohol rushing through my system - trying to find anyone familiar. Their faces all blur - the strobe lights offering no optical comfort.

"Danté! Sup bro! I haven't seen you in ages!" I flash my eyes around, struggling to see through the lights scanning the room. I squint, trying to decipher the broad silhouette in the darkness - a tight black tank top hanging loosely off of his skin.

"Hey Andre!" He pulls me into a bro hug, his muscly arms wrapping around me - his girlfriend standing idly by his side - wearing an identically bright smile to match his. My nose sniffles at his scent, offended by the vicious mixture of sweat and alcohol. I beam up brightly, matching his energy as I wipe away any thoughts of his nasal abuse.

"Hey! I didn't know you were coming to this party." He laughs, simultaneously latching an arm around both me and his girlfriend - his drunken eyes flicking between us giddily as we act as his support beams - holding his stumbling frame.

"Oh yeah I was invited by...oh there he is!" I point my arm vaguely off into the distance, Andre's eyes following helplessly - trying to find the fake person I'm point to. "Yeah! So Imma just go and see them okay!" I slip out of Andre's arm, his vocabulary of intoxicated mumbles falling away as I immerse myself into the crowd, fighting my way through erratically.

The strobe lights stream from above as human bodies form an inescapable wall, the stuffy environment feeling somewhat claustrophobic - restricting. The oxygen pumping through my lungs is burgled away, the suffocating room making it hard to breathe. My heart starts beating faster - pounding - palpitating.

"Danté?" Casey spreads his arms out, creating a minute bubble of space - spreading the crowd away from us. "Are you alright? Follow me." His strong grip wraps around my arm, manoeuvring us through the crowd, my legs following with no resistance; trampling along - the blaring noise left behind as we enter into a bedroom.

"You look like shit." He flicks on the bedroom light, letting his eyes rush over me as he gives me a water bottle on the bedside table.

"Well you're not that pretty yourself." I retort back, the liquid confidence in my system fuels my anger - his eyes rolling as he dismisses my critique, contempt enough in the natural beauty that he was blessed with.

"You need to watch yourself - remember the last time you drank?" The repressed memory of him, the taxi, his house, his bed, flash back to me - wiped away as I ignore them, offering him my silence in response.

"Where are we?" I deflect the conversation, scanning my eyes over the generically basic guest bedroom in this random person's house.

"I don't know. I just wanted you out of the crowd because...you look like shit." His joke transcends more successfully this time, our giggles filling the room with warmth and laughter.

"Have you seen Elliot? I'm meant to be meeting up with him." The warmth drains from the room, an ounce of uncertainty flashing through his eyes as his smile disappears.

"Um yeah, I saw him at the outside area with his friends." He pulls at the sleeve of his leather jacket, distracting himself from my eyes.

"Casey...I just wanted to say than-"

"You should probably get going yeah? I'm sure Elliot will be really glad to see you." He walks past me and opens the door, the music flooding back into the room as he finally lets his eyes run up my body, looking at me face to face before dropping his gaze again. I nod in agreement and make my way out of the room, entering the crowd of people and pushing my way into the back yard.

He follows me but departs down a hallway, my eyes following guiltily before snapping back - identifying the quickest path out to backyard area. I navigate my way through the crowd, Elliot coming into view as I walk out to the fire pit.

"Hey! You made it!" He stands up abruptly, disturbing the mellow vibes around the fireplace - a heavy whiff of weed following him. His red-tinged eyes look happily into mine, his arms enwrapping around me as he pulls me to his friends. "Everyone, this is Danté. Danté, this is everyone." They all nod at me, their minds too busy exploring the magical land of mushrooms to engage in any decent form of conversation - their eyes looking straight through me. How...sweet...

"I missed you Sunshine." He whispers as his arms wrap around my neck, pulling me into him - his lips touching my cheek. I snigger as his hand explores down my body, wrapping around my belt buckle. "Maybe we should take these off huh?" My spine tingles at his seductive tone, leaning back slightly to get closer to him.

"No. I think I should keep it on." I insist as I nuzzle into his neck, comforted by his strong hold and magical lips.

His hand rebels against my demand and starts pulling down my zipper, my heart sinking as nobody around me pays any visible notice - too busy exploring invisible lands.

"Come on. I've been waiting for ages. I've spent so much money on you, I deserve this." His tracing hand becomes a forceful grip, his lips biting into my neck - the sexual ecstasy-filled facade shattering as I feel my breath taken away from me.

"No. I don't really want to-" His hand clamps over my mouth, my eyes bulging as my voice is silenced - his kind hands turning into assailants, robbing me of my innocence as they undo my jeans and venture onto my naked skin. Breathe Danté, it will be alright. I assure myself as I mentally prepare myself.

A squeal leaves his lips as I bite the palm of his hand, the grip releasing from me as I stand up and re-do my jeans - pacing away from him as he stands to his full height; a once sexy feature now intimidatingly isolating. I walk away from him, the walls cornering me as my back hugs the wall - trapping me.

Fuck, what do I do now?

A/N

Hello! Sorry the update has taken so long, I've been away on a trip with my family, and didn't want to think about Wattpad while I was doing that - sorry!

Anyways...the last part of the chapter was really intense, and was difficult for me to write, because it does hinge on the edge of unspoken topics. However, these discussions around consent are really important and you should always ask for consent - no exception!

We are nearing the end of the book and I hope you guys are still enjoying, and engaging with it, and I am really proud of the outcome so far!

- YOP