The Last Party

"Hey, is Maddie staying with you by any chance?" I walked subconsciously to the café after I left the house in a fit of anger, dialling Maddie's friend. I needed to get to her.

"Yeah she's been with me. We both want to go to this party on the west end tonight." Jade, Madeline's friend, explained. Judging from the background noise, music and giggling, they must have already gotten to said party.

"Can I talk to her for a minute?"

"Oh, sorry Lily." She replied distractedly. I could barely hear her voice. "She left to find her boyfriend a while ago. I'll tell her you called though if I see her around."

I cursed mentally and thanked her before hanging up. I can't stand the thought of her being with that jerk as he shamelessly plays her. The café was about to close, Sam's silhouette was visible through the glass windows as he cleaned the tables and chairs. I sighed and decided to go in since I'd already made it this far.

"Hey dude." He greeted when I came in. "What're you doing here so late?"

"Came in to annoy you obviously." I replied to his rude comment.

He rolled his eyes and flipped me the bird. "I got a party to attend so don't get in my way."

My ears perked up at the mention of that, hoping against all odds that he was talking about the same party. After all he attended the same university as the rest of us. "Tell me you're talking about the one on the west end?"

He squinted his eyes at me. "I didn't know you were into partying, but yeah that's the one."

I tossed a terribly folded napkin at him. "You're a freaking angel sent from above Samuel!"

"What the!" He dodged the flying napkin. "You have odd ways of showing gratitude, and what do you mean anyway?"

"I'm going with you to the party." I straddled a chair backwards and watched him re-fold the napkin properly.

"You? Going to a party with who now?" A gruff voice sounded behind me. I tilted my head back and gave Leo a smile in greeting, but he kept frowning at Sam and I suspiciously.

Sam threw his hands in the air dramatically, complaining to Leo. "I swear it was not my idea. She just showed up and ordered me to take her to the party I told you about." He turned to me. "Are you drunk, high?"

"Samuel!" Leo groaned, visibly appalled by the suggestions. The look on his face made me want to laugh. He was a very traditional italian macho sort of man, even after years of living here there is no changing him. The images Sam keeps putting in his head would probably cause him a heart attack one day. He looked at me disapprovingly. "This is not like you, cara. What is this about?"

"Leo, calm down." I nudged his side. "I'm only going because I need to talk to Maddie. She's ignoring me and I cannot postpone what I want to tell her."

He relaxed slightly. "Did something happen again?"

"No. Well, her boyfriend is cheating." I sighed . "I saw him earlier with some other girl doing unspeakable things and thought I'd let her know. I might also crash at her place tonight."

"Lilianne." He gave me a stern paternal look. With his supernatural senses, I won't be surprised if he already figured out I argued with Emilia again. "Come home tonight, you still have your keys no?"

I gave him a small appreciative smile. I hated worrying him. He's done more for me than any adult in my life. I've known Leo for years now. He is the family I wish I had. "I'll consider, old man."

"You little rascal." He ruffled my hair and pulled me in a side hug.

Sam had just finished tidying up his section and changed out of his uniform. "Come on dude, we're already late and the party's in full swing."

Leo kneaded his temple. "You take care of her, alright? And don't be too reckless boy."

"Yeah, yeah." Sam waved him off but I know he takes Leo's every word to heart. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and reminded him to take his medecine before I ran after Sam.

"Are you going to let loose and have fun for once, grumps?" He teased, driving recklessly. I could not tell you how this kid is still alive when he drives like a madman.

"Depends if I survive. How about you focus on the road and get us there in one piece genius?" I punched his arm lightly.

"Ouch! No touching the driver you insane woman." He screamed dramatically. He's a lunatic on steroids the entire way there. I guess he's really buzzed for this party.

I thanked the heavens above once he parked the car, scrambling out on wobbly feet. "Remind me to never ask you for a lift ever again."

"My pleasure, you ingrate." He smirked from ear to ear, walking alongside me as we approached the grand mansion.

"Brat." I muttered back.

The size of this place doesn't surprise me. It's a college party thrown in the west end. Of course it was bound to be some rich fucker's humble-abode with the most obnoxiously over the top well-planned party I have ever seen. And I didn't even attend any.

"Talk about a party!" Sam shouted to me over the music, having spotted his friends in one corner drinking and mingling and dancing. "Do you want to hang out with us?"

"No, I'll go look for Maddie." I shouted back, half blinded by the lights. Why did it have to be so loud?

"Keep your phone on you and don't talk to strangers!" He said sternly. "Call me if anything happens, yeah?"

"Yeah alright dad." I shooed him away and watched him get swarmed by the tides of people. Right. How the hell am I supposed to find Maddie? I realized how stupid it was to come here without a plan of attack. Wandering aimlessly, I endured the smells, lights, and noises all conspiring to ruin my senses; never you mind getting bumped and squeezed to an inch of my breath as I fought to make my way somewhere less crowded. The lack of oxygen was making me dizzy and I could not afford that in a place like this.

"Hey beautiful- Some drunk guy staggered to me as soon as I made it to the kitchen doorway far from the dancing crowds.

"No thank you." I dodged and climbed a few steps on the spiral straiway just to get some height and have a clear view of the main floor. There weren't many gingers I could spot right away. It was hard with the neon color-changing lights.

"And what are you doing here?" A voice spoke behind my ear and made me jump in my own skin from fright. I'm suprised I didn't go tumbling down these stairs. I turned around ready to give an earful to whoever almost murdered me before I saw O'Connor's face.

I scowled. "Are you stalking me or something?"

He tilted his head to the side. "No, but you stick out like a sore thumb. It's not my fault I could spot you from a mile away."

I narrowed my eyes at him, not liking his comment about my appearance. I wasn't here to party anyway. He raised his hands in a placating manner. "I didn't not mean that in a negative way. Just-"

"Stop digging yourself an even deeper hole." I shook my head and looked around us again.

"Good idea." He mumbeled to himself. "Are you looking for something?"

"More like someone." I turned to him again. "Have you seen Maddie? You know, your douchebag friend Ryan's girlfriend?"

He looked curious for a minute before motioning somewhere to the back. "I think I bumped into them earlier in the backyard. Why?"

I eyed him slowly. It was none of his business so I didn't need to tell him anything. I threw him a brief thank you and ran to what I assumed was the corridor leading to the backyard. Couples were making out in the dim secluded hallway and paid me no heed as I passed through. That jerk is still pretending to be all innocent and honest. I'll show him.

"Maddie!" I yelled over the few people littered in between. I couldn't mistake her back profile the moment I stepped into the chilly evening air. There was some kind of commotion going on within the group she was with. I hastened my step and heard yelling as soon as I got there.

Madeline gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. People backed off making just enough space for the two people fighting at the centre. Ryan, the jerkface, was lying on the ground, holding onto his jaw, and over him stood a very angry Dominic. He delivered another punch to Ryan who was kicking at him and struggling to get back to his feet.

"Dominic!" I yelled, snapping immediately to attention and trying to find some opening to pull him back or do something to make him stop. I've never seen him like this. He doesn't pick fights. He rarely even gets mad at people. What the hell happened here?

"Somebody stop- them! What are you waiting for?" Maddie yelled in shock at the sight before us. "You're hurting him!" She yelled at Dominic who paid her no attention.

None of the group of spectators tried to break them apart, not even Ryan's snobby clique. Dominic seemed to be here alone. If it weren't for Adam appearing out of nowhere and pulling him off of Ryan, I don't know that this would have ended well for either of them.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Hughes?" Adam yelled pushing him back.

Dominic clenched his fist, eyes still fixed on his victim. "Get out of my way."

"Don't be fucking stupid!" Adam shook him by the shoulder, snapping his eyes to attention. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're getting into? Back off. It's not worth it."

Dom seemed very unconvinced and hesitant. His slight pause jolted out of my shock and I approached him immediately, holding his tensed arm tightly and trying to pull him back. "What the fuck Dominic? What are you doing?"

"Lily." He started, not expecting to see me, though his expression was warning me to shut up and back away. I didn't care.

"Don't Lily me! Are you out of your mind?" I dug my fingers deeper in his arm, trying to knock some sense into him. He was going to get in so much trouble.

Maddie ran to her boyfriend, not knowing where or how to touch him exactly. He took a beating alright. It looked like it hurt and boy was he not happy about it. He pushed her away when she tried to hold his injured face. She fell backwards onto the damp grass.

"Don't fucking touch her!" Dom snapped at him, barely restrained by Adam who inserted himself between the two. I crouched beside Maddie to help her to her feet, trying to hold myself back from murdering the already green and blue jerk.

"It's okay." She told me and tried again to approach Ryan when I held her back. She looked at me with disbelief. "Lily let go. Can't you see he is hurt?"

"Hurt?!" Dominic scoffed, fully turning to face her. She flinched from his tone, watching him with anger. "He's a liar and a cheater and you're still worried he's hurt? Why the fuck are you defending him now?"

"Just stop it!" She yelled back at him. "Why are you doing this-

"Maddie." I tightened my hold on her, preventing her from saying anything else. "Stop, please. This is not the place to talk about this." I glared at the crowd surrounding us, wishing they would just disappear.

"What does it matter to you?" Ryan still had the audacity to snicker. "Are you into her or something?"

"What if I am?" Dominic mocked, taking a menacing step forward just to be held back by Adam who shot a warning glance at Ryan. He snapped at the jerk's minions to collect him and get lost.

"You can have her." Ryan spat with twisted smugness, shouldered on both sides by his so called friends. "I've had my fill of that whore anyway."

Before another fight could break out, Adam held Dominic back so he doesn't launch himself at the beat-up idiot again. That was far from my concern. I felt the sting on my knuckles before I could realize what I'd done, shocked at my own actions. I landed a punch on the jerk's face making him yelp in pain and stagger back in his friends' hold.

I resisted the urge to massage the pain from my own hand. "You're not man enough to deserve her. But what do I expect from a spoiled little boy who hasn't even learned to keep it in his pants by now?"

"You bitc- One of his friends started to curse at me. He bit back his retort and backed off when Adam shot him an icy glare. "Watch it."

Surprise must've been spelled all over my face when I turned to look at him. "I'll handle these idiots." He nodded at me and started dragging Ryan and his friends away not heeding their protests.

I watched them disappear while Dom's scalding glares eventually dispersed the crowd. Maddie had gone unnaturally quiet for awhile now. A heavy awkward silence hung in the air between the three of us. I observed the two of them back and forth as I remembered Ben's words. They can figure things out on their own later.

"Are you okay?" I asked Dominic. He seemed to be alright for the most part. His clothes and hair were dishevelled, and his knucles bruised. A small patch on his cheekbone was turning purple, but I couldn't be too sure with the dim lighting of the garden.

He straightened up and drew back from where Maddie and I stood. "I'm okay. Don't worry."

"Dominic-

"I'm fine, Lilianne." His voice broke no arguments, closed off and hard to read. He rarely, if ever, spoke to me this way. "Will you be good on your own?"

He doesn't want to leave us alone in case we wouldn't be safe, but he looked like he needed some space to cool off on his own. It would serve both him and Madeline well. I gave him a tentatively reassuring smile. "It's fine. I'll ask Sam to lend me his car."

He looked between the two of us hesitantly, eventually sighing and turning away to leave.

Somehow Madeline managed to keep it together the entire drive back to her house. Luckily Sam could catch a ride with one of his friends and he let me borrow his car. It gave him reason to drink to his heart's content since he no longer had to stay sober to drive. I got myself and Maddie out of that party and drove us back safely.

Her parents weren't home which was not surprising considering their line of work. She often had to stay home alone for extended periods of time. I often stayed over and kept her company throughout the years. I followed as she headed for her bedroom upstairs, plopping on her bed unceremoniously and staring into nothing. I sighed and took a seat next to her, putting my arm around her shoulders trying to offer some comfort. I don't know if she was quiet in shock or just trying to hold her emotions in but it didn't take long before her shoulders shook as she let herself cry. I hugged her tighter and she clung to me like a baby, letting it all out. She probably bottled it in until it got overwhelming.

Maddie, despite her fiery facade and attitude, was probably the most sensitive person I know. She hated that about herself but I just think it makes her strong and brilliant. Not everyone had the courage to be honest and express their feelings and emotions so openly. Not many people had the courage to be vulnerable with themselves and other people. That was arguably ten times harder than maintaining a facade of coolness and indifference.

I rubbed her back soothingly, telling her everything will be alright. Hypocritical of me to repeat words I don't believe in but I do the best I can with the little I know of comforting people. She calmed down after a few minutes of crying. Her face was blotchy and red, eyes puffed up and swollen. I brushed her hair away from her face and squeezed her shoulder. "Do you wanna go take a shower? We'll watch your favourite movies and eat ice cream."

She let out a half-chuckle and nodded, getting to her feet. I made my way down to the kitchen when I heard the shower running. I was no stranger to the Rowanda household. I've been here more times than I can count and used this kitchen very often. Maddie's parents always talk about how they love having me around. I suspect it's partly because I can make delicious food when none of them can whip up scrambled eggs without setting the house on fire.

The fridge was practically empty, especially when compared to the freezer. The Rowandas wouldn't have survived without take out and frozen meals. I sighed and grabbed a pint of raspberry flavoured ice cream for Maddie and vanilla for me. I put a frozen pizza in the oven, then scoured the cupboards for snacks. Maddie liked to eat out her emotions and this was already one hell of a long night. Luckily I found some chips and cookies tucked away in the back of the snack cupboard so I grabbed those too. Balancing everything as I went upstairs was only possible thanks to my job at the café. I set the food on the little end table and switched the overhead lights for the softer glow of the bedside lamps. The room felt less menacing by bounds and leaps just in time for Madeline to step out of the bathroom.

"You went all out." She mumbled, looking warmly at the set up.

I let her queue the movies and went to change into something more comfortable to sleep in. She was under the blanket when I came back, scrolling on her laptop. I climbed beside her and grabbed a slice of pizza finally eating something of substance today, though I don't think pizza exactly counts as a nutritious meal but sometimes you have to make do with what js available.

We ate in comfortable silence as the first movie played out, filling in the silence for the both of us. After finishing our shared meal, Maddie turned towards me with a questioning expression. "It's true isn't it? How long have you known?"

I held her hand. "I saw him earlier today on campus with another girl. I wanted to tell you but you were ignoring me."

She whispered with watery eyes. "Why is it like this always? Is it me, am I just not worth-

"Shut up." I flicked her forehead, making her scrunch her brows and rub the painful spot immediately. It succeeded in breaking that negative chain of thought. "Don't you even dare think that way about yourself. You're Madeline fucking Rowanda. No little itty bitty boy should make you question your worth."

"Damn you woman!" Her forehead turned red making me burst into laughter. She soon joined in and we were in hysterics for no reason at three in the morning. "Honestly, what would I ever do without you?"

"Well I don't know." I pretended to consider it. "Probably make a lot of dumb decisions and have no one to knock some sense into-

"Okay I get it!" She hit me with a pillow, rolling her eyes.

I nudged her shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry, you know."

"What for?"

"Not talking lately." I sighed. "Dragging out our argument, whatever it was about in the first place."

"It was about you meeting-

"Let it go. We're having a moment here, not creating new drama." I flopped on my stomach, burying my body in the soft plush bed. God was I exhausted. I could so sleep for a decade.

"I'm sorry too." Maddie said, tapping my back tentatively.

I hummed letting her know I heard and accepted her apology as well.

"Should I apologize to him as well?"

She meant Dominic. I half shrugged making the mattress bounce, my voice muffled. "I won't tell you what or what not to do. You two can figure it out on your own. I'm not meddling anymore."

"Seriously?" Maddie flopped on top of me, squishing me to the bed. "What brought about the sudden change of heart?"

I turned my head to the side, trying not to suffocate, and let out a puff of air. "You're gonna kill me, get off." I wiggled to no avail. This reminded me of when we were children and would end up wrestling pver blankets in our sleep. "Well, I don't exactly know what the hell is going on in both of your minds so I might as well back the fuck off and focus on being a friend to both of you rather than being a friend to none."

Maddie gasped, slapping my butt. I yelped, trying to move her off me. "What was that for?"

"You're gonna fucking take that back and admit that you'd never give up on me for anyone! Not even him." She pouted and rolled off me.

"Try please." I teased her, sitting up.

She grumbled in annoyance and stuffed her face with chips, focusing on the romantic scene playing on the screen.

"Maddie?" I called. She hummed in response. "You're worthy of so much more than whatever that jerk offered, yeah? Don't let the likes of him make you believe otherwise." She was probably tearing up. I reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Dom is a really good guy. I wish you two would just make up and start to see eye to eye."

She whispered after a lapse of silence. "I'm glad to have you back."

"Me too." I mumbled sleepily. I couldn't tell when or how I fell asleep afterwards, only waking up in the late hours of the morning the next day.