The party (1/2)

Louis

I hop into the backseat of Ronnie's car and I have to say: I'm impressed. My friends are all dressed up like I've never seen them before. And to my displeasure, Maria is wearing her shiny outfit that is way too short.

"Hey guys"

"Louis, I can't believe this is really happening" Maria says exited.

"First of all, you are joining us and second of all, Ronnie is joining in as well. It's a miracle" Ralph adds.

"Got it guys. Let's just drive, one look at my clock and I can see we're already terribly late." I say smiling.

As if on command, the car is getting started and we're driving off on this bumpy road. Seems like we still have to pick up Jasper. His house is basically at the edge of the village, one could even say it's in the forest. Next to his house are many fir trees and rose bushes. I really like the smell of it and that's why I roll down the window and take in a deep breath while waiting for Jasper to come out of his house.

I don't have to wait long as Jasper comes out with full make-up. Did I miss something? Since when is he into make-up. Not that I care about it I'm just slightly surprised. On the other hand, he just used black. Black eyeliner, black lipstick and black eyeshadow. Also, he has a lip piercing. Either he always dresses up like that for parties and I just didn't know or something must have happened at home just now. Surprisingly, no one comments on his look so I just let it slip as well.

The drive goes smoothly and we arrive 15 minutes later. I know you might think that's long but in this remote town the houses are kilometres apart. The house is still as extravagant as ever. It doesn't fit in this place at all. Through the window front you can see many people dancing with alcohol in their hands and the lights are flickering in different colours.

My friends and me hop out of the car and walk into direction door. The heels from Maria's shoes can be heard in tact with the loudly banging music of the party. For some reason nobody says a word and the faces lost their cheerfulness after going out of the car.

"Are you alright guys?" I try to confirm.

"Yeah of course" Ralph answers with a slight hesitation.

Jasper opens the massive door and heads straight into one direction. Well as I already know, it is not his first time here. We follow just behind him entering the hallway after the entrance which is already filled with people from our school.

"Well, well, well look who's here"

Okay I expected everything, literally everything but Adam personally coming to greet us. He elbows his way through to us and has this silly smile plastered on his face which I by the way would love to punch him out of the face especially after the thing with Maria. If I only had the guts to do so.

Did I ever mention that I'm extremely introverted and shy like a deer. If someone tries to speak to me, I'm 95% sure that I'm a stuttering mess. This characteristic leads to the following situation.

I can feel an arm being put around my shoulders and it was none other than Adam's. God send me help please.

"I can see a new face. It's my pleasure having you here Lucas" he says.

My name is Louis…

"T- T- Thank you" I answer and I would love to smack myself for stuttering once more. Well, there is no going back now.

Adam starts to laugh and pulls me with him to the living room telling my friends they can do whatever they want.

He puts me next to him on a couch his friends surrounding us. I feel very hopeless right now. This can't end well. I snort remembering the big mouth I had this lunchtime about hitting someone in the face and getting revenge for Maria which I honestly wouldn't be able to do right now. I guess I'm just a loser… nothing new though.

To me Adam and his friends look like huge giants with their terrifying height and muscles like hulk. Like seriously, what did they eat to grow this much. And then there is my currently sitting in between them like a little bean. Can't help but feel a bit jelly.

"So Lucas how's life? You want one?" Adam puts a cigarette right in front of my face.

"N- No t- t- thanks" I manage to say even though it was so quiet I even doubt he understood but fortunately, he doesn't seem to care.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you honey, but I'm pretty sure his name isn't Lucas but Louis" A girl with a short, red dress and red high heels observes. Her appearance is godlike and I'm pretty sure she is able to turn a few heads. Her legs are slender and has a figure like an hourglass. I definitely remember seeing her around in school. Not sure about her name though... maybe it was Melissa. Nevertheless, what a beauty.

She also turns out to be my blessing on top because Adams attention switches to her in no time.

"Melissa hon come here I missed you" Adam says as he eyed her up and down with a dirty gaze.

She shamelessly continues her graceful walk before she falls on his lap without hesitation. Seems I was right about her name and I silently give myself a pat on the back. Even though Adam's attention shifted away from me, I'm still too afraid to move away from the couch so I sit still and say nothing.

This is until I suddenly see them pushing their tongues in their throats right next to me. Okay, I'm out.

I'm sneaking my way through all the people who don't seem to notice me or don't care about me.

The music gets louder the further I'm away from Adam. Seems like the couch is the quietest place where you can have normal talks to each other and don't have to scream in each other's faces. This evening already feels like an eternity but I'm pretty sure it hasn't even been ten minutes. Maybe five if I was lucky. There are still many hours to go but I already feel my stomach twisting and want to look for the toilet. I have to get my priorities right. My friends can wait. Asking someone isn't an option so I make my way through his house looking for the bathroom.

The first door I open is a storage room. Empty. Luckily for me there are no people inside who do some kind of unwanted business. Maybe this is one of the things that just happens in movies not sure. The second room is already a success. There it is, the toilet. I grin and in the same time I ask myself if I've already lost some braincells as I am currently celebrating a freaking toilet.

I close the door behind me and quickly finish my piss to reduce the chance of someone seeing me walk out of the toilet.

I continue the search for my friends but I fail to find them on the first floor which leads to me panicking because something bad might have happened. I calm myself down with the thought that we're just here for 15 minutes and nothing seriously bad can happen in this short amount of time.

The music is still way too loud for my taste but this comes as no surprise because this whole ambience and literally all the people are not my taste so what did I expect.

Currently not sure what to do I kind of walk around in circles in hope to spot a friend of mine. Of course, there's no success. As well as my friends I also don't see Jason which is a happy surprise, and also the only positive thing about this whole event.

Like a shot, a wall is into my vision but comes to a halt like one inch away from my face. Gave me nearly a heart attack. With a closer look, the wall turns out to be a door and has just been opened by a drunk. The drunk boy seems about my age and stumbles out of the door after a few tries nearly falling into my arms.

I've seen him around in school maybe he also shares a few classes with me but we never had a conversation together.

"I'm sowwy" he mutters.

"N-No p- problem" I answer and I know I'm too much but I can't complete a full sentence without getting stuck. Not even to some random dude where I'm about 100% sure he can't remember anything about our encounter tomorrow.

I perceive a different kind of music through the open door and spot some concrete stairs that lead to the basement. It might have been a sign of god to bring me to my friends and there is no harm in trying so I descend the stairs smelling something muddy on my way. This is actually quite funny. Adams family is literally too rich to handle and I could imagine Adam coming to school with a plane and there would be nothing weird about that but it seems like they don't care about their basement all too much. It smells very unpleasant and the walls are wet maybe it will go mouldy soon. And this definitely is weird.

Maybe I secretly wish that the walls here will go mouldy or that there is a rat invasion so they have to spend their money on something involuntary. It wouldn't make a significant difference to them but at least it would give myself some sort of satisfaction.

I reach the basement and to my surprise there are at least the same amount of people here as on the first floor. My friends haven't exaggerated when they told me that the whole school will attend this party.

I needn't search for long before I spot my friends next to the bar. Yes you all hear right next to a freakin' bar. Normally, I don't tend to swear but it was necessary. Because the basement is basically as big as my whole house. There is a pool table next to three table tennis tables and in the back, you can see a 'mini' bar and even further away there is a swimming pool. I believe to spot a bowling space on the right and a children's playroom on the left. I-

I need to breathe.

Okay Louis you're a cool guy so pretend that you aren't impressed my anything in here and join your friends.

I approach them after calming down and wordlessly sit on a chair as they turn their head towards my direction.

"OMG Louis" comes from Maria

"Louis, I thought you died" overreacts Ronnie.

"-" Jasper

Well thank you Jasper at least you're honest.

"Don't you all 'Louis' me after you left me alone with the devil himself! What kind of friends do I have" I exclaim.

"Okay sorry dude but how were we suppose to do anything. We don't stand a chance and we've all been through that" Ronnie says shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm surprised you still look fine" Ralph ads.

My jaw literally drops. "You could at least look like you're happy I'm still alive and well" I sigh. How on earth did I deserve these kinds of friends. But jokes aside, they are all really great, a little bit weird but as I said all in all great and what's more, they are loyal which is a fundamental aspect of what I look for in a friend.

Maria also joins the talk "But I'm seriously interested in how you are still fine and don't even look drunk. They usually give someone of us a dare at the very beginning of each party and not a dare anyone would want to do."

I'm not surprised… "Melissa" I reply to their question.

They all hum in understanding.

This whole party isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. At least until now. My friends and I weren't forced to drink alcohol and we also didn't have to take any kind of pill to us. I listen to my friends talk about anime, something I'm not very familiar with so I just take a sip of Ronnies water and enjoy the calm atmosphere. I'm sure it's currently as calm as it can be at a party for college students so don't get me wrong. It's still loud.

Sometimes I wonder how my friends manage to make me speak like a normal person. It might be because Ronnie and I knew each other before my anxiety but I don't think that's the main reason. I honestly just don't know. I'm grateful because thanks to them my college life is more fun and not just the living hell. I thin-

The sudden silence brings me back to reality. All my friends lost their voices within one second and I would love to know the cause of that. But I'm pretty sure I only need to follow their gazes to get an answer. That's why I turn my head around in slow motion and nearly spit out the water in mouth. There he is… Cerberus.

I just thought of this name right now but I think it fits perfectly. In case you don't know who Cerberus is, well he is basically the lovely dog of the devil in Greek mythology named Hades. I mean the dog only has three heads and loves to eat human… how adorable. And who other would that description fit to in this world than Jacob. Everyone a round of applause for this man please. I want to die.

Just as I thought that this night is not that bad.

What's even worse… he is currently making his way through to us which isn't that difficult considering that everyone runs out of his way.

He approaches with big steps each one of them making my heart beat faster than the previous one. He stands right next to me, the cologne of his making its way to my nose and Jacob opens his mouth.

"Hello my little beetles" he says with a smirk

It was so random I nearly snorted hadn't it been for my friends who transformed into statues. But seriously, did he just call us beetles, like beetles as in bugs?!

It is that very moment the whole room goes silent and a glass slips out of someone's hand. The sound is very irritating and Jacob gives the boy a dangerous glare before turning back to us. This seems to be a bad omen. What is going to happen to us? Why am I here again? Please help?

-

"So, Louis and Ronnie are your names. I didn't expect the two of you to join us so I haven't got anything prepared for the two of you. But this is not a problem at all." Jacob says. Then he takes the boy who just broke the glass forcefully by the collar and whispers in a deep voice

"You know what to do loser. Prepare two more seats". You didn't have to tell this to the poor boy twice and he bolts straight away to fulfil his task.

Okay it's now 5 minutes later and my friends and I are currently sitting at a long table each one of us having five cups of alcohol in front of us. I don't know what exactly is in the cups yet, but I'm assuming it's a strong alcohol. Also, I guess I will find out soon enough. There are currently a lot of spectators around and we are back on the first floor. To be honest wasn't just a lot of spectators but basically each and every being from this school.

With a scary smile Jacob speaks "My lovely beetles, what should I give you for a challenge today?"