-𖤍-

My thoughts were

Destroying me.

I tried not to think

But the silence

Was a killer too.

-Unknown

-𖤍-

•Chapter 57•

{Party and red solo cups}

••

It was Thursday evening, and Emma was getting ready for her first party. Overjoyed was an understatement.

She was ready to spend some time away from home and from Ms. Nancy's keen eyes, who keep watching her closely. It made Emma feel intimidated, especially knowing now what Ms. Nancy is up to and what she's really like behind the porcelain mask that she wears to deceive people with.

She debated telling the guys what she heard... Unfortunately, in the end, she didn't spill a word, believing that the guys wouldn't believe her.

Plus, they would know that she heard everything they said to each other afterward. It was a lose-lose situation. It was driving her insane, just replaying everything that happened in that small moment.

The last thing she wanted was to be considered crazy by them.

She looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She was dressed comfortably in a long-sleeve white shirt, light blue skinny jeans, and a large green sweater that added an extra layer of protection.

In her mind, being dressed like this was a shield against whatever she could encounter at the party.

In her head, she thinks dressing like this is going to save her from creeps. But could anyone blame her?

Her long, curly hair was up in a sleek back ponytail, making her look presentable. Of course, she tried covering up the hickey marks on her neck with makeup, but they still faintly showed through the makeup a bit.

She then detached her smartphone from the charger and made herself go downstairs when a message popped up boldly on her phone screen.

The twins left early for the party, making her feel at ease that both guys weren't there to see her.

Especially Kevin, who hasn't left her mind since the heated moment in the janitor's closet or in her bedroom a few nights ago. She can't bring herself to believe that happened. For her, it was like a fever dream that was too realistic to not remember with such clarity. And her body doesn't let her forget it.

Her mind couldn't get off the fact that he has a video of her moaning as he made her come.

A sharp hunk broke her out of her trance. She looked out the window for safety reasons. The first thing she notices is Juliet in a light pink vehicle.

Emma closes the front door with an extra key her father gave her.

She quickly got into the front passenger seat as she said a quick "Hello."

Everything was pink, from the dashboard to the seats to the steering wheel. Juliet was like a living Barbie. Emma was starting to believe that her friend had escaped the Barbie universe and was now trying to blend in with the regular people on earth.

Juliet is dressed in an all-white outfit. white sweater, white tennis skirt that stopped mid-thigh. Her pink braids are in a high ponytail decorated with moving golden butterfly clips, and her makeup was kept light to highlight the goddess vibes she was going for tonight.

Oddly, Romania wasn't anywhere in sight.

Is she not coming to the party? That was all Emma thought when she didn't see her in Juliet's car.

Maybe she's driving her baby. Emma thought to herself when she remembered that Romania has a red motorcycle.

Both girls made small talk until they got to their destination. Poor Emma was so nervous to get out of the vehicle because of how many teenagers were crowding the enormous front lawn of the mansion.

Some had red Solo cups in their hands, while others had cigarettes instead.

Wow, this place is beautiful.

Williams's friend must have a lot of money if she lives in this lavish place. Emma thought as her gaze stayed transfixed on the place.

Juliet startled the young teenage girl when she opened the door from her side. The muffled pop music becomes as clear as day to understand.

Juliet couldn't help but smile at her odd friend, who seemed a little jumpy in response to her action. Emma quickly gets out and closes the door gently.

Her arms automatically crossed over her chest when the chilly night breeze hit her small frame.

"Wow, it is cold tonight. How do they do it?" She thought as she stared at the teen girls that were wearing revealing thin clothes showing off their beautiful figures.

"Follow me," is all Juliet says as she makes her way through the wave of bodies that were in her way. When they make it inside, Emma's eyes instantly find Romania.

Romania was in the kitchen talking to a dark-haired young guy who was serving drinks.

She wasn't that hard to find because her hair was bright against the purple and tinged red lighting that was cast throughout the enormous place.

She was dressed the opposite of her older sister. She had a plain black shirt with dark sneakers and dark blue jeans with a leather jacket. She looked like a biker ready for trouble if any trouble came her way tonight.

Romania's smile widens when she spots her friends at the entrance. She waved her hand at them to come over, and so they did. The more time Emma spent inside this mansion, the more the strong smell of alcohol made her uneasy and jumpy.

"Wow, you guys are late-late!" She passes them two solo cups, filled with strong liquor.

Is this what everyone with a solo red cup is drinking? Isn't this illegal? Emma thought as she stared at the cup in her hand in disbelief.

Juliet takes a small sip, and her face scrunches up a little. "Wow! What is this, Rome?"

"Yeah, mix with other stuff," Romania said when she saw her sister's face twist up when she took another small sip of the strong liquid.

"So where's Asher and Alex?" Juliet asked as her eyes roamed the place looking for them.

"I don't know; maybe they're upstairs or outside by the pool."

Juliet pulled out her smartphone from her small white purse and started texting her boyfriend.

Yet no text came back, which made Juliet look up at her sister and ask that same question again.

"I telling you I don't fucking know? Those idiots separated from me the moment I turned my back on them." Romania shrugged as she took another sip of her strong drink.

Romania's eyes locked on Emma, who was still staring at her drink. The poor girl looked scared of her drink. For Romania, it was kind of funny.

"Are you going to drink that, girl? Or are you going to stare at it all night?"

"I think I'm going to pass on this one." Emma handed over the red cup to Romania, making Romania look at her with curiosity at her refusal to take a sip.

Is she allergic to alcohol? That was all Romania could come up with in her head. It was a silly thought to have, but nothing is impossible.

Romania nodded and asked the dude who was serving them if he had any soft drinks without alcohol, which, surprisingly, he did. He disappeared for a moment before coming back again with a Sprite bottle in his hand.

She thanked him and passed it to the young girl, who looked at her with gratitude and relief.

Romania has always been curious about the young girl who was always choosing her words carefully when she talked.

"Thank you." Emma lets out, as she starts pressing the bottle to see if there are any little holes. Then she opened it and took a sip when she knew it was safe to drink.

Romania noticed that her sister was gone when she turned around to ask her something about Emma.

Both girls started looking around to see if they could pinpoint a girl with pink braids with moving gold butterfly clips under this heavy area filled with teenagers smoking and doing things that wouldn't be legal under the eyes of the law.

Both girls get startled when a strong arm is wrapped around their shoulders.

"Hey, it looks like you brought a friend." William smiles down at Emma, whose eyes light up, happy to see him.

"You know this punk?" Romania asked as she glared at the guy who was throwing her a playful smirk.

"Yeah, he's my friend." Emma didn't hesitate to say it with joy, making the guy look at her with a gentle spark in his dark eyes.

"So your friends with a drug dealer?"

He looked at the young brunette again, wanting to know how the young brunette would respond to that question and the information about him.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Hearing her say that as she slightly shrugged made him smile softly at her. Usually, people don't want to be associated with drug dealers. And she didn't look bothered by it either.

"Oh, okay. Don't you dare sell her anything funny? If you do, say goodbye to your life if I find out." Romania warned as she took his heavy arm off her.

"I won't give her anything even if she begged me on her knees," he said, catching Romania by surprise with that sincere, loud response he let out over the noisy music.

Romania nods and tells Emma she will come back in a few. She leaves in search of the other idiots in the enormous mansion.

Emma looks at him as he takes a red cup from the table.

Then, out of nowhere, a blonde got close to them asking for a fix. Of course, he didn't want to do this in front of her, but he did. Giving the pills and getting the cash on the down-low.

"He must have a reason for selling such things," Emma thought, and she wasn't going to judge him for it. Sometimes good people need to do bad things to survive. She has seen many adolescents doing worst things, from joining dangerous gangs to doing prostitution-anything to keep food on their families' tables.

"Sorry, about that," he says, noticing she was staring at him with wide, doelike eyes filled with curiosity.

"No problem. We all do things we are not proud of out of necessity."

William smiled, liking her response, making him feel a little better about himself.

He drags her around the place, presenting different people to her.

Of course, she couldn't keep up with the names or the conversation because he did all the talking while she shied away from them.

Another person came up to him and asked him for a few of the same things the girl asked a few minutes ago, talking about a group of his friends who want to do the new stuff.

William ruffled Emma's hair before leaving. He promised to come back to her when he finished giving these people what they wanted.

Emma says her goodbyes to the group and goes right back to the table, where she waits for her friends to appear.

This is going to be a long night. She thought.

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How has everyone been today?

It's almost Christmas Eve,🎅🎁🎄🥳😊.

See you next time.🍭