You and Me (Plus Everyone In Between Us)

We Collide

I staggered alongside Janelle and Grace off the pathways of another nearby house around here. The house reverberated with bass, and lights streaked out of the open window panels.

"Are you ready?" Grace asked, looking down.

Grace was in a dark green suit oversized, even for her tall frame, wearing a black corset top underneath it. Janelle wore a pink skirt and a cardigan alongside chunky, you guessed it, pink boots.

When we entered the front door, the music burst out in a tapestry of song. The music was so loud I could feel it all the way in my chest, which was revealed to the world a bit more than I would like to.

There were people everywhere inside the big couches. The layout was kind of similar to the contestant's house. There were people talking on the steps, the living room, the kitchen, and even further into the backyard. They were either talking, not talking, or drinking.

I suddenly felt a prickle of self-consciousness pool in my stomach. Everyone here looked so beautiful, so important. Could they see I was pretending?

We walked through, going nowhere and everywhere. As we closed in, I recognized an influencer known for her clean eating and anti-alcoholic diet stumble with a cup in her hand and a famous guy making out with a girl decidedly not his girlfriend. I averted my eyes in fear I came off as a complete weirdo.

"Isn't this loud?" I yelled over to them over the music.

My gaze turned back and Grace and Janelle weren't there. Panic swelled in me. I must have lost them in this intense crowd. I tried glancing around, but I couldn't spot their faces. Everyone beyond me was a shapeless blob.

Now what would I do?

What would I do?

The music switched, and it was low and dark.

An adrenaline surged through me. Somehow I felt confident. Heightened on something, despite just getting here. I stepped to the beat of the rhythm, and slowly but surely I ended up on the floor, my body swaying and moving to the beat. The music guided me.

I began swaying my body to the beat, finding myself in its hypnotic melody. Lights flashed around me, making everything a vibrant hue of tapestry.

It was just me and the music. As all things should be. I found my way to the area where all the food and drinks were. I scanned the area for Grace and Janelle but kept myself synced with the movement.

I was too aware. The dancing had kept me alive, but I needed to be less aware. More in tune. I saw the colourful, gleaming bottles in the atmosphere. Maybe I could find Grace and Janelle here again. I truly wonder where they went.

I grabbed one into my hand, hoping it wasn't expensive, and tentatively looked around. Everyone was too busy, in the throes to notice me. But, I never knew, there could be someone lurking.

Perhaps Emmett wasn't the only one who could have fun. Perhaps maybe I could have some of my own fun.

I poured the amber liquid down the glass cup grabbed it, and quickly downed it.

My eyes and throat stung from the sudden burning of the tangy liquid, but I swallowed it with a gulp. I couldn't stand out in a place like this. I tried again and downed it, feeling it hiss against my throat.

The music around began to blur, the lights became brighter, and the crowd echoed like a distant melody. There was something vibrant in the air.

The dance floor swallowed me whole once again, and I threw my hands up feeling the beat of the music slip down upon me. I returned to bottles one or two more times, just to get used to it.

Suddenly, a wrist grabbed my hand. My palms raced. It didn't grip onto me like they wanted something. Only this hand, connected to an arm covered in tattoos and a silk black shirt ran down my arm slowly.

This stranger was tall, with a woody, scent trailing around him. He was behind me so I couldn't see him but I was suddenly drawn like a moth to a flame, caught in the delicious thrill of the unknown. A shiver coursed through me, but then it ignited something. My heart pounded as I felt the brush of hairs down my neck.

Together we began swaying to the music that soon became a backdrop to our silent conversation. I surrendered myself to the dance, guided by his steady presence. It felt slow and sure, and I allowed myself to get lost in him.

Look at me. Dancing with someone.

Our bodies moved in rhythmic motion to the pulsing beats. Slowly his hands trailed down from my shoulders, to my waist, to the bare skin revealed by my dress, and into the crook of my hips. I pressed further into him.

Then he was gone.

I swiftly turned around and whoever might've been there disappeared into the throes of the night. I stood there both flustered and frustrated.

Maybe that was just a moment.

Suddenly it was like my mind went naked. What was I doing? Yes, I needed to look for Grace and Janelle.

The hallway was a small thing, lit up. My feet toppled over themselves like an uncoordinated dance. The hallway began to wrap its arms around me and suffocated me with its harsh lights and presence. The music was a faint pulse in the backdrop.

Where was my bag? My phone. I couldn't tell if it was on me, or if it was the ghost of the stranger's hands.

Suddenly, I bumped into a figure. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Ezra?" a voice laughed in front of me.

My eyes opened to see Ray standing in front of me, hand on her hip. Instead of a dress, she wore red leather snakeskin pants, and a matching bustier top, with a drink in her hand. This was no runway, just a party, and she managed to look ready for it.

"Yeah," I slurred, blinking myself awake from no sleep. "What?"

"Are you drunk?" she asked.

"No," I blurted in slow motion. My tongue felt tied in a knot, oh my gosh. "I'm fine. I just need to find Grace and Janelle. They're somewhere around here."

"Let me help," she said, wrapping a warm arm around my shoulder. It was definitely a contrast from today's coldness.

"Have this," she handed me her drink, which was clear. She saw me looking. "It's just water. Nothing to worry about."

I quickly downed it, feeling cool relief down my throat. It felt salty and bubbly on the way down my throat already coated with bitterness. Even regular water tasted strange.

"Thanks," I hissed.

"No problem," she assured. "Maybe you should go home now. I tell Grace and Janelle if I find them."

I should've. I pulled my purse open to find my phone at a low battery already telling me it was already past one in the morning. It had already been three hours.

I should leave now. I suddenly felt very sleepy.