Ruby led me quickly to the car, leaving me to climb into the back seat as she climbed back into the drivers chair. Inside the small vehicle already was three other girls, all wearing outfits similar to that of Ruby. Low-cut bodysuits, crop tops, heels, bikini bottoms, and the like. I stood out like a sore thumb.
"Girls, this is Addy! She may not look like it, but she's hella fun at these things. Right Addy?" Ruby prompted me, and I gave the surrounding girls a chuckle and an enthusiastic nod. I hated parties, I hated drinking, I hated all the people. But I was the life of the party. Drowning out something I hate by pretending I loved it always seemed to work.
We were at the party in a matter of fifteen minutes, and before we even stepped out of the car I had a headache. We'd sung along to shitty rap music that Ruby had chosen, the whole car thumping with the bass, our voices spilling out of the windows in the same instance. I already wanted to go home.
I followed the little troop inside to where we were immediately greeted by even louder music, a mess of people, and the reeking smell of cheap beer. My hand was soon filled with my own cup, and I was downing the sour alcohol like it was water. I stuck close to Ruby, following her about as she danced and socialized like she always loved to. I would dance right beside her, my back or my shoulder pressed against hers.
There was always a signal that she'd give me when she saw someone cute, and a different signal when she saw someone cute with an equally cute buddy. We had an effective system. In the case of the latter, I'd be her wingman. 'Just entertain the other guy until I can get the other guy around my finger, okay?' shed always tell me, until I just knew. I'd been to enough parties with her that I already knew who she'd go for before she gave me the signal.
Her drunken fingers wrapped around my wrist, squeezing three times. My gaze immediately flashed up to follow hers, landing on a pair of twins that were lined up at a table, ready for their turn to do a line. Ruby wanted in. And thus, I was roped in too. I couldn't say no to Ruby.
Not even five minutes later, the twins were dancing with us in the middle of the hot-bodied crowd that had formed in the living room. Some popular Pitbull song played around us as our ears rang with noise, throats burned with alcohol, and noses stung with drugs. It certainly wasn't my highest moment, but it certainly felt like it.
In what seemed like no time at all, Ruby was lip-locked with her preferred twin. I was keeping the other entertained, but was sure to direct my attention to others surrounding us as well. I didn't want to lead him on- Ruby could do that all she wanted, but I wasn't that type of girl.
I hadn't touched him until I felt him place his hands on my hips. I respectfully placed my hands on his own, tugging his fingers away from my clothing. He forced my hands away, his hands landing on my hips once more. I pulled away this time, stepping into a small crowd of girls to dance with them instead. I couldn't let Ruby down, I knew that. But this boy was making my heart race- and not in a good way.
The buzz of alcohol in my head tricked me into tripping on the foot of one of my fellow dancers, sending me to the floor. My pursuing twin made his way over, drunkenly chuckling as he reached down to help me up. When I had my footing, I attempted to pull my hand from his own. His response? His fingers tightened around mine, and he jerked my arm as he began pulling me from the dance floor.
"Let go.." I slurred, noticing as I looked up at him that my vision was particularly hazy, too.
I must've blacked out, because the next thing I knew, he had me pinned underneath him in what seemed to be a garage. From what I could see there was a car parked beside our couch, and work tools on the wall beside us. The lights were flickering, as though the lightbulb was about to give out. They were flickering just as quickly as my heart was beating in my chest.
"Off-" I shoved my hands against his chest, just for him to quickly regain his balance and shove my hands above my head. Under his grip, they were rendered completely useless. The alarms in my head kicked into high gear when his other hand pushed up the bottom of my sweater, already searching for the waistband of my leggings.
It was dark, now. The lights had completely flickered out. Unable to see anything, my terror sky-rocketed. That terror seemed to sober me up pretty well.
"Get the fuck off of me, you fucking perv!" I screamed, leaning back and trying to pick up my legs to kick him, or possibly knee him in the stomach. He had himself positioned perfectly to avoid it, as though he'd done this before. The thought made me even sicker.
I kept screaming, yelling, kicking, trying to pry myself away from him as he kept advancing on his quest. I called for Ruby, for help, anything. The music seemed too loud. It didn't even register that I was sobbing until I felt a cold tear drip onto my bare chest.
My whole world went black for what felt like hours. In reality, I'd been there for ten minutes. The torment ended when another drunken couple stumbled in, and he stopped. Perhaps it was the fear of getting caught that made him leave. I'd never get to know, would I?
All I wanted to do was lay there and cry. I wanted to sob until my body was completely deprived of water, and someone found my dried-up shell on the grease-stained couch. I would've done it, too, if I hadn't wanted to go home just as badly. The tears didn't stop as I blindly searched for my clothes, pulling on my sweater and leggings and leaving my undergarments in the dusty room. I couldn't find them and there was no use looking.
As soon as I stepped from the room, I heard the door slam shut behind me. The couple must've been thankful for their new privacy, of which I was more than happy to give them.
I was shaking badly- so badly that through my eyes, it looked like we were in the middle of a terribly rough earthquake. God, I hoped I could find Ruby, and quickly. I would rather suffer through the walk home than have to stay here another moment. My body was protesting in pain with every movement, and I knew walking wasn't actually going to be an option.
I had almost given up my search when I spotted Ruby shoving her chosen twin against the wall, landing a harsh slap against his cheek before she spit a few choice words in his face. Maybe she'd caught wind of what his brother had done? But how?
When I got closer, I quickly realized that was not the case. She was soaking wet, her skimpy bodysuit drenched in cheap block-party beer. Upon noticing me there, she grabbed my hand and made her way for the exist. I followed gladly, overjoyed that she decided on her own accord to leave the party. I wanted to get home, take a bath, and fall asleep. A nice cry thrown in the mix didn't sound too awful. I just wanted to forget about the entire night. I couldn't believe I had thought this was going to be the night that finally made me love parties.
Ruby's friends were huddled outside, passing around a joint that they'd gotten from inside the party. The group of three easily joined us, still happily passing their blunt around as we all climbed into Ruby's car together. I huddled myself into the backseat with two of the other girls, still visibly shaken from my own ordeal. No one seemed to notice. They were all focused on Ruby, and whether or not the smell was going to come out of her outfit. I didn't know what I expected from them, but the fact that I was being completely overlooked made me start to cry once more.
She pulled the car away from the curb, and started on the short ride home. I could just imagine pulling my pajamas on after a bath, cuddling up with a pillow, and falling asleep. Hopefully I wouldn't have any nightmares about him, like last...
Never mind.
I watched out the window as the trees flew past at an alarming rate. At this hour, there were barely any other cars on the road to help illuminate the woods on both sides of us, but it was easy to tell that we were going a bit too fast. I was fine with the speed, however. It just meant I got to go home and got to forget about tonight quicker.
