Page 27 of Withered

Don’t kill me, Mom. I’m heading out for a party and will be back late.

Locking the door, I get in the passenger’s seat, and off we go to our destination.

Similar to the last time, Tyler’s place is packed. The music is so loud that I can feel the ground quake beneath my feet. When we come through the doors, there is hardly room to even stand.

“There he is!” Kristy yells above the music. I follow her eyes to Tyler, who is on the opposite side of the room with other schoolmates.

We push our way through the dancing bodies and get to the group of boys who are laughing and drinking. There are three girls with them, and I recognize them all from the cheerleading team. Two are on the couch, while the other one is nested on some guy’s lap. We stand a few inches from them, and they all stop talking, turning their attention to us.

Kristy is the one that attracts attention; I’m more about hiding behind her as I feel uncomfortable under the stares. A few don’t hurt anyone, but they stare as if they are seconds away from jumping on us, which I despise.

This time, it’s the opposite. They are staring more at me than Kristy, which is making me feel uneasy. I’m still, to this very date, the shy one, whereas Kristy is always the confident one, walking with her head held high.

Tyler rises from his seat, his gaze set on Kristy as he slings an arm around her shoulder and another clutches a bottle of beer.

“Glad you made it!” he says with a smile. “You look stunning!”

I second that. Unlike her other party looks, this one is a simple dress, but Kristy pulls it off like no other. Just a plain yellow lace dress that goes to her knees, topped with her signature red lipstick. The yellow of her dress could be instantly spotted in this dimly lit room.

I clear my throat, bursting their happy bubble. “You know, I’m right here.”

Before I could tease them more, my smile falls when an expected-unexpected guest arrives.

Agroanalmostleavesmy throat, but I control my emotions and ignore the guest. After taking a few deep breaths to relax, I turn my attention to my friend, who is acting all lovey-dovey with her new friend. Is this what it feels like to be ignored?

Tyler turns his head toward me and smirks, “Hi, Rose, I didn’t see you there.”

Kristy elbows him and says, “Be nice.”

I stifle a laugh. He pretends to be hurt by rubbing the same spot. “That hurts, babe.”

The wordbabecatches me off guard. My eyes widen, but I quickly narrow my eyes and look at Kristy, asking her inwardlyto explainwhat the hell is going on. Her cheeks go red, and Tyler slightly stiffens, squaring his shoulders. He may be putting on a good show right now, but I can see right through him.

“I’m going to get a refill. Do you need something?” He asks.

I shake my head in denial, whereas Kristy has gone silent now. Tyler waves a hand in front of her, bringing her out of her trance.

“Sorry, what did you say?” She asks, and I roll my eyes, leaving to get some fresh air.

As expected, the garden is empty. This is my place to be. I stroll into the garden casually, looking around at the perfectly shaped trees.

Tyler’s house is huge, with an exterior in white and blue. The interior is just as big as it looks from the outside. Warm yellow lights, white marble furniture, a perfect mansion What a shame; it’s going to get messy after the party.

I find a large rock in the corner and settle there. The music is still blasting but not as loud as earlier, so I just admire the beauty of the night. A few minutes into it, I sense a presence nearby and get alarmed by it quickly. My spine snaps into a straight line, and I look around to find a figure in my view.

“I thought you’d be here.”Jake.He walks my way, holding two red cups in his hand. He extends one cup towards me, but I decline it, shaking my head. The less I speak, the better.

“I can’t drink. I’m the DD tonight.”Why am I even telling him?

He says, “It’s water. For a genius like me,” I scoff at that, “it wasn’t hard to figure out that you wouldn’t be drinking tonight.” He finishes with a smirk.

I roll my eyes. Seriously, I’ve been doing that a lot these days, and one fine day, my eyes will be at the back of my head. I chuckle at my thoughts and glance up to find him peering at me.

“Give me that.” I stretch my right hand for the cup, and to my surprise, he hands me the cup without any side remarks.

I sniff it and take a sip just to confirm it.

“Did you just sniff that?” He asks as he sits down next to me on the grass, his legs splayed in front of him.

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