Unexpected

Gabby the Uptight Virgin

Austin keeps one hand firmly placed on my upper thigh, the ease in his voice as he converses with the others juxtaposing the intensity of his grip. I keep up with the conversation as well, ignoring the urge to squeeze my thighs together to smother the fire between them. Austin and I are no strangers to each other's body language by now, so I know this little game of pretend won't last very long once we step foot out of his car.

Party or no party, I'm focused on one thing tonight.

That said, the group is lively, only becoming more animated as we get closer to our destination. I'm the only one who hasn't been to one of these annual Halloween parties, so basing what I know off of their reactions alone, I don't quite know what I'm in for. That fact doesn't bother me since I have my friends to accompany me, but it does pique my interest when before I could only be bothered to use it as a distraction from family drama.

Austin wasn't kidding when he said the kid's property is isolated; we end up following a line of headlights along a dark private road that has long since left the entrance gates. I hear the party before I see it, a cacophony of voices ringing out as if to greet us. By the time Austin parks somewhere off the road of the massive lawn, the party feels like a heartbeat with the music coming from inside the house pulsing in my chest.

People are strewn about the lawn, some just hanging about and talking, with others displaying the kind of behavior you'd see at a college rager. What they all have in common though, is the costumes. I'm glad to see I wasn't reassuring Catrina and Sarah with a lie that other girls would be going all out.

One girl in particular is braving the October night in nothing but a metallic green miniskirt and nipple pasties designed as sea shells. She doesn't seem at all phased by the same wind that's making me shiver as I step out of the car, and for that I applaud her.

As we advance towards the entrance of the house, Austin takes my hand in his. When I turn to flash him a smile, he's preoccupied with surveilling the area around us with a set of worried eyes.

"Don't go wandering off, okay?" He leans down to say in my ear, the music intensifying as we step inside of the house. Red solo cups occupy every surface in sight, with some crumpled up and discarded on the floor.

Just as I'm beginning to comprehend the sheer amount of people that must be in this house, a group of boys dressed in Top Gun costumes approach us, causing Austin's grip on my hand to tighten.

"Funny seeing you here." One of them says to Austin and I, snickering along with some of the others. I can pick out Cameron amongst them, even from behind the aviator sunglasses that shield his eyes.

"You're looking good, Gabby. Are you going to raise a little hell tonight?" The same guy says, leering at me as he takes a sip from the cup in his hand.

"Are you all supposed to be Tom Cruise?" Austin answers for me, tense and unmoving beside me.

"Are you supposed to be an angel? I think you and your girl have got the roles reversed." He counters with ease, his mouth curling into a smile as Austin remains stone-faced.

"We'll catch up with you later." Austin says bluntly, tugging me further into the house with our friends not far behind.

"Oh, you better!" I hear him call out from behind us. Austin tugs on my hand once more, leading us into a room alive with movement. People are dancing, if you can call it that. We've arrived only an hour or so late, but people are already swaying uncertainly on their feet, some opting to lean against the walls or other shoulders for support.

Sarah and Catrina make a beeline for a table stocked with different bottles of liquor and I shake my head as their boyfriends rush after them, most likely about to advise them against chugging any random liquids. As for Robert, I think we lost him back at the entrance of the house, for his bulky costume is nowhere in sight.