The first week of school had gone by rather quickly. I noticed that many of my classmates had tried sucking up to me. Rose, sit with us at lunch. Rose, grab a smoothie with us after school. Rose, Rose, Rose. I couldn't exactly blame them for being intrigued. After all, I was the only stranger in a town where everyone knew each other.

However, I stuck with Lily, and although I'd liked quite a few of my peers, none of them came close to her. She was rather shy—still was—but she was also blunt and funny. It was a wonder how I was her only friend. Wasn't it common sense that those type of people were the best to have as a friend? Quiet exterior, but once you got close enough, they'd reveal a whole bunch of crazy underneath.

That Friday night, Lily and I had met up at my house before going to the party. When Lily showed up, she was dressed in baggy attire—sweatpants and a hoodie.

"You're wearing that to a party?" I'd curiously asked.

"Yes," she'd indignantly lifted her pointy nose, "not all of us can be supermodels."

I'd glanced down at what I was wearing. The hot weather permitted for denim shorts and a crop top.

"You know, you're way prettier than you think," I'd said.

She'd scoffed, and that was the end of the conversation. Here the pair of us were now, standing outside the house of the party.

"I just realized I haven't done any of my homework," Lily nervously chuckled, toying with her blonde hair. "I should leave."

"It's a Friday night, Lils," I laughed. "You have the whole weekend to do that."

"B-But it's late!" She shook her head, apprehensively glancing up at the house. "Isn't it too late to be partying?"

I glanced up at the dark sky and shrugged. "Jo's fine with it, as long as we don't show up piss drunk."

With that, I tugged on her hoodie sleeve, but she was rooted to the ground.

"Lily," I groaned. "Let's go. We'll have fun."

In sync, we glanced up at the house. Music was blaring from inside, and people loitered around the front porch with red solo cups in hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was in the cups.

Just as we began to finally approach the door, a sickly pale boy barged past us. We stared at him in alarm, to see him puke his guts out all over the front lawn.

"Yeah," Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust, "looks fun."

I laughed and pulled her into the house. The party was already in full swing. If I thought the music was loud from outside, then I was sorely mistaken. My eardrums practically burst, and from the look on Lily's face, I wasn't the only one. My hazel eyes surveyed the crammed house. People were jumping together, loudly singing, downing shots, and making out. I hadn't expected the party to be this large.

"Are you sure this is only our school?" I shouted over the music and leaned into Lily.

She shrugged and shouted back. "No way. There's too many unfamiliar people. I bet those private school kids are here."

"Private school?" I cocked my head to the side.

Whether Lily heard me or not, I didn't know. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked around. The scene was certainly no beach, but her shoulders relaxed and a soft smile graced her lips. She'd been expecting all eyes to be on her—expecting to be judged and unwelcomed. To her utter relief, no one was paying her any mind.

"C'mon," I said.

We squeezed our way through the crowd of bodies.

"Drinks?" I shouted.

She apprehensively nodded.

"Really?" I did a double-take.

She rolled her blue eyes. "Hurry, before I change my mind."

I laughed, and as we poured ourselves drinks I felt enlivened by the buzz it gave me. While one cup was more than enough for me, Lily was the complete opposite and grabbed another cup. And another. And another.

"Let's dance!" I shouted at Lily, distracting her from the concerning amount of alcohol she was consuming.

She giggled and ran along with me to the center of the floor, where we held hands and jumped. We carried on like that, singing the lyrics to the blaring music. A couple of classmates that I recognized had joined us. Although, my energy already began to decline by the end of the fifth song.

"Lils, I've gotta use the washroom," I panted, a ditzy smile on my face.

"Okay," she stopped jumping, giggling at me. I noticed she was giggling a lot. Lily was most definitely drunk. "I'll come with!"

"You don't have to," I waved her off.

I could see that Lily was enjoying herself. This was her first high school party, and she was talking to people she'd never even met—getting herself out there. I didn't wanna strip her of her fun for even a second. After going back and forth for a bit, I finally convinced Lily to carry on without me while I found a washroom.

"Wait for me right here. I'll come find you when I'm back," I said.

And with that, I went alone. I would soon come to realize that this was a horrible, horrible mistake.

When I pushed through the crowded bodies and found the washroom, I nearly jumped in relief. However, the feeling quickly faded. The second I placed my hand on the door, I was stopped.

"Back of the line, babe," a boy my age stopped me.

I frowned in confusion and gasped when I saw the horribly long line up. My eyes caught sight of the many couples struggling to keep their hands off each other. With disgust, I quickly realized that they didn't actually need to use the washroom. They just wanted a place to get down and dirty.

"Please?" I begged the boy at the front. "I actually have to pee."

"Me and you both, sista," he sassily replied, waving me off before turning around.

I sighed and walked away. There was no way I could make it through that line up, not without wetting myself first. Perhaps there was a bathroom I could use upstairs...

Maneuvering my way around the people lingering on the staircase, I made my way upstairs and wandered through the hallway. As I ventured deeper into the house, it got quieter. The music faded with the distance.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the first door I saw. A gasp escaped my lips when I saw a couple making out on a bed.

"Sorry!" I squeaked.

I hurriedly closed the door as they cast me annoyed looks, reprimanding myself in my head. Tentatively, I peeked in the room across. Joy filled me when I realized I'd found the washroom. I did a little giddy dance, though a dark chuckle made me freeze and snap my head up at the voice. It belonged to a tall boy standing in the shadows. Perhaps man was the better term. I couldn't quite tell if he was an adult, or a teenager aging too quickly. Nonetheless, his wispy mustache and buzz cut did him no good.

"You scared me," I chuckled uneasily.

The boy—man—I'll say guy—stepped out of the corner he'd been lurking in. His murky eyes lingered on my chest area for a moment too long, and I suddenly wished I hadn't worn a top that was so form fitting.

"Did you need something?" I hesitantly asked the guy after a moment's silence, shuffling on my feet. The eager look in his eyes agitated me.

"No," he breathlessly replied. "Just wondering what a pretty girl like you is doing up here all alone."

"Thanks... I just had to use the washroom." I laughed, though it came off less genuine than I'd hoped.

"My name is Buzz," he unnecessarily continued, just when I was praying the conversation would come to an end.

"Your name is Buzz?" I looked up at his buzz cut with my hazel eyes. "How fitting."

His face slightly twitched. He took a step closer to me, and the amusement left my eyes at his intimidating height.

"What school do you go to?" Buzz jutted his head nosily.

I slightly shuffled backwards. "Uh, y'know, the one nearby," I muttered vaguely. "Anyways, I should leave. My friend's waiting for me, so–"

"I asked you what school you go to," the buff guy stepped in front of me.

The serious look in his eyes heightened. A pit formed in my stomach.

"Burnsley High," I finally snapped. "Now leave me alone."

He grabbed onto my upper arm.

"I should've known," he sneered. "Everyone from there is a pretentious brat."

I blinked.

"What'd you just call me?" I scoffed in disbelief.

"Pretentious brat," he repeated, daring me to argue. There was a spark of amusement in his eyes, as though he knew he'd win a fight against the petite girl in front of him.

"What is your problem? Y'know what—" I abruptly turned around and prepared to take off. Screw the washroom. I'd hold in my pee the rest of the night if it meant I didn't have to see guys like Buzz.

"Not so fast," he growled, latching onto my arm and holding me in place. His dark eyes raked over my body and I stiffened.

He licked his chapped lips and looked around as if to make sure no one was around. My heart began to thump a little quicker. I had never dealt with a situation like this.

"Hey, let me g—"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Buzz had me pinned to the wall. He lifted his other hand to touch my brown curls and inhaled, moaning as he got a whiff of my strawberry shampoo.

"Let me go, you creep!" I shakily demanded.

Buzz ignored me and closed his eyes. Bowing his head, he puckered his lips in anticipation of a kiss. I saw my opportunity to escape and took it, kneeing him right in the groin. His eyes bulged open and his grip on me weakened. As he staggered backwards and clutched his genitals in pain, I gasped and began to run away. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough. He grabbed onto my curly hair and yanked me backwards.

"You little brat," he growled, round face reddening. "I was doing you a favor."

My body was thrown to the ground like a rag doll and I felt a burning pain erupt in my wrist. I moaned in pain and faced Buzz with a contorted face. It disturbed me to see that he was smiling.

"If you're moaning already, I can't imagine the sounds you'll be making when I'm actually done with you," he mused as he loomed over me.

Buzz began to frantically unbuckle his pants. There was an excited look in his eyes. If possible, my heart began to beat even quicker. There was no way this was happening to me.

He smirked, as if enjoying the look of fear I bore. "Maybe next time, you shouldn't try to run awa–"

Buzz never got the chance to finish his sentence, because he was suddenly bulldozed into the wall. He collapsed into a crumbled heap on the ground. I scrambled up, frantically looking at the person who had shoved him.

Antonio.

• • •