"There are no beautiful surfaces with out a terrible depth."
-x-
Chapter One: All Tomorrow's Parties
---x---
The school is ablaze with movement. Flashes of red and white are seen from afar and the giggling of girls could be heard from outside. The incessant chatter of kids is uncontrollable as the excitement of the last day of school come to a high. The energy in the building is rising at steady amounts because of the clock ticking away the school year. Exams are over and done with, there's only one thing left now.
Summer.
And what happens in that heat is almost excusable.
But not quite.
"Party at my house, you down?" A blonde says giddily.
The brunette flips her hair. "Obvi. Where else would I be?" She says coolly. "Who else is gonna be there?" She questions, examining her nails.
The blonde hops up on the desk. "Our friends. The socially acceptable kids that go to this rank place and oh! Ken's brother is coming with some of his college friends." She says excitedly.
The brunette's eye brows shoot up. "Really?" She asks, mildly surprised. "How'd you pull that one off, Zoe?" She won't admit it, but she is impressed.
"Well" Zoe begins. "It took a lot of begging, but Ken finally gave in and asked his brother. First Sam was all like, I'm not going to a high school party but then I pleaded and he said yes!" She explains. "It was almost cake, Mimi" She winks.
Mimi likes the sound of this. Ken's brother is hot and more importantly he's a break from the norm. Because the boys around here were getting old, Sam is exactly what she needs to start off her summer right.
A new toy to play with. "I must say Z, I am officially looking forward to your party." She says with a hint of a smirk on her flawless face.
"Yeah, yeah. You can bow at my feet later." She says flippantly. "P.S. I told Matt to bring the beer, so give him you preferences if you please." She nods over to the far side of the classroom.
Where Yamato Ishida sat making out with his girlfriend and their best friend, the moody and sarcastic, Sora Takenouchi. "The two of them are the most jaded couple in history. Between his brooding and her cynicism I don't know who has a darker outlook on life." Mimi notices, with the shake of her head.
"I hear ya, chick. They just need to lighten up." Zoe remarks. "But Matt sure is hot" She adds off topic.
Mimi couldn't deny that. "Yeah…" She trails off, her eyes lingering on the blonde boy for just a little too long. Longer than she should look at a best friend's boyfriend. She shakes her head clear, she's never seen Matt as anything but what he is. A friend, sort of.
But when he meets her fleeting glance at the last possible moment, his gaze locks with hers. Keeping it firmly on his eyes. The intensity in those deep pools of ice blue is enough to send an involuntary shiver down her spine.
This isn't right.
-x-
The music is loud and conventional. There are empty cups and cans marking a trail from the front lawn into the open door and through the living room. The house looks beyond trashed and it's only nine thirty.
"We're late." The redhead notices.
The brunette shrugs a shoulder. "Fashionable so." She says nonchalantly, stepping out of the girl's car. "This party's going to be kick ass, S." She grins.
Sora rolls her eyes. "No, it'll be like every other one, M." She disagrees, slight condescension present in her voice.
Mimi ignores her tone, chalking it up to Sora just being in one of her moods. This is after all, her best friend, she knows her by now. "Try to have fun, kay?" Mimi requests, slipping her hand in the red head's and pulling her into the house.
"Right." She snorts. "Don't worry Mimi, I'm sure you'll have enough fun for the both of us." She says pointedly.
Mimi shakes her head, disregarding the way the redhead had just spoken to her. "I think Matt's here already." She says as a change of subject as she inspects the current venue.
There are half drunk teenagers convening in the middle of the living room, trying pathetically to dance in their inebriated states. A beer pong table set up where the dining table used to be, a group of four guys huddled around it. Every other seat is occupied by a hormonal couple making out. There's a girl passed out on the width of the couch. And a senior trying to con an innocent looking freshman into going upstairs.
And Mimi hated to admit it, but Sora had been right. This is exactly what every party looks like and she hasn't seen any sign of Ken's brother or his friends.
Sora mutters something about how lame all this is and Mimi cuts in. "Is Matt gonna play today?" She asks, knowing he probably wouldn't. He's too cool to perform at their high school parties, his band mates think so too.
Sora shakes her head. "Yeah, right." She rolls her eyes.
Spotting Zoe, Mimi is actually thankful to be out of Sora's company for a little while. She can't deal with all her negativity tonight. Not when she'd been looking forward to this thing.
"I'm gonna go see Zoe, kay? You can come with if you want." She offers, sincerely hoping Sora will decline.
Sora gives her an amused look. "Right. That's what I want. No thanks, you and Malibu Barbie do what you do best." She says with a grin. "I'm gonna go find Matt." She pats Mimi's arm patronizingly before leaving.
Mimi takes a steadying breath, sometimes Sora could be a real bitch.
Grabbing a drink of whatever is in the cup and tips it into her mouth before following the path to her blonde friend. She's grateful that the girl isn't making out with her on and off boyfriend, for once, so she can explain where the hell the college boys she'd been promised are.
"Hey girl, when'd you get here?" She asks perkily as the boys that were surrounding her begin to dissipate. Having a boyfriend has never stopped Zoe from flirting and her nature has always caused Ken to be jealous.
Mimi could feel the makings of a big fight beginning to brew.
She doesn't care though, because that's Zoe's problem. "A little while ago." She answers, looping her arms through the blonde's. "Now, Z, please explain to me where Sam is." Mimi asks impatiently.
"He's here, brought a friend with him too. A guy named Michael." She grins, her eyes slightly glazed as she reaches for another drink. "They call him Mike, but dayum Mimi, he is hot with a freakin' capital H!" She says animatedly.
Mimi's expectations of the night suddenly skyrocket. "Hm, and Sam?" She asks, stealing a swig out of her friend's cup.
"An older, more mature, version of Ken." Zoe says, a wicked twinkle glimmering in her ocean blue eyes.
Mimi feels butterflies of excitement in her stomach. Ken is sexy, she's told Zoe this on numerous occasions. The guy is sexy and if his brother is just an older version of him, Mimi is in luck.
"How do I look?" She asks just as a formality. Simply because everyone at their school knew about Mimi Tachikawa, she is the epitome of hot. And every bit the role a queen bee should play.
Zoe rolls her eyes. "You looked in a mirror before you got here, right M?" She questions.
"Yeap." Mimi replies.
"Then I don't think I have to say a thing, you compliment whore." She hip bumps her friend lightly. "So go find Sam, you're gonna make him a happy guy tonight." She winks, pushing her in the direction of the party.
Mimi throws a smile over her shoulder. "Love you Z!" She calls, feeling a sense of renewed confidence coming over her.
-x-
As expected, Sam is everything she remembers. Back when she had been a freshmen and he'd been a senior. Sam Ichijoji was the king of their high school and time had only served him nothing but the best. He is almost more gorgeous then he had been the last time she'd seen him.
But she too, had changed. From an unshapely, somewhat awkward freshmen with braces to a soon to be junior with a body to prove it.
"I must say, you're a lot more grown up." He notices appreciatively.
Mimi gives him a wicked grin. "Well, it's been a while." She murmurs, feeling his arm snake around her waist.
He nods in agreement. "That it has." He lightly pushes her back against the wall. "I'm actually glad I came." He muses.
Mimi's grin deepens. "Hm, and why would that be?" She asks innocently, her eyes intently staring into his dark blue ones. God he has pretty eyes…
"Well…" He begins, touching her bangs with the lightest touch. "You." He says simply.
She blinks up at him. "That was smooth." She says huskily, reaching an arm around his neck.
Sam smiles, the dimples on either side of his cheeks deepening in the most appealing way. "I…am the essence of smooth." He whispers against her lips, leaning in to take them.
She's a bit hesitant for a moment, not because she doesn't have experience or she's new at this. She knows exactly what she wants and what to do, but because he seems to feel a bit more personal. More, real. Less like a stranger now than before. And she isn't sure if when she wakes up tomorrow, it will be okay that he won't be there.
"You don't want to…?" He asks confusedly.
She shakes her head immediately. "No, no I do." She says forcefully, leaning up to kiss him.
From the corner of her eye, she sees a fleeting glance from a familiar face. Matt. And the way he's staring, she isn't sure what to think. Because the look in his eyes are too intense for a friend.
She closes her eyes to him, he doesn't matter now. Whatever his problem is, he'll deal with it himself, it doesn't concern her.
But even with her eyes shut, she can feel his burning gaze on her, relentless.
"You okay?" Sam asks, "You wanna go…" He nods towards the stairs.
This is what she'd been waiting for, hadn't it? Wasn't this the moment she'd been pining for since this afternoon?
Why did it all of a sudden feel wrong?
"Y-yeah, lemme just—
She's cut off by a menacing stare from her so called best friend, who trudges up to her in an angry huff. "I'm leaving." She informs the brunette curtly.
Mimi looks at her, completely caught off guard. "Uh…why?" She manages to ask, with Sam looking from one girl to the other.
"Because this party is lame, my boyfriend is gay and these people are morons" She spits. "So you coming or what?" She asks, already walking away.
"Five minutes Sor?" The brunette begs.
Sora throws her an annoyed look over her shoulder before saying. "Five minutes, M, and I'm gone" She warns, heading out the back door with her hands tucked into her leather jacket.
"Sorry, about that." Mimi apologizes, feeling like a total high school girl. She wanted to look so much more mature for him tonight and Sora just had to go and ruin that. As usual, the redhead has horrible timing. "Are you terribly upset?" She asks.
Sam grins, his navy eyes twinkling. "No. It's actually a good thing." He answers.
She gives him a weird look. "It is? Why?" She asks in confusion. "Should I be offended?" She asks warily.
He chuckles. "No, because I think this gives us the chance to do this the right way." He explains.
This? The right way? And more importantly, Us?
If Mimi was confused before, she's down right bewildered now. What is "this" and what does he mean by "the right way"?
"I don't want to sleep with you and never call you again, Mimi." He goes on to say. "I wanna take you out first, get to know you. If that's okay with you…" He suggests.
She's in shock. "I…uh" She isn't sure how to answer. Boys don't offer "dates", in fact she's never really "dated" at all. Sex is easy, sex is fun. Dating, now dating is hard. "Well, I guess so." She recovers.
He scratches the back of his head. "You want to? Coz you know, you don't have to." He says, slightly offended now.
She shakes her head fervently. "No, no. Seriously. You just caught me off guard is all." She says quickly. "I'd love to go out with you." She says, not entirely truthfully.
He seems to believe it though. "Great, so I'll call you?" He smiles and the way he does makes her knees go weak.
"You better." She leans in to kiss him one more time. "I should…" She trails off.
"Right." He nods. "I'm gonna head out too, I'll see you later Mimi." He sweeps a kiss across her cheek before turning in the other direction.
Now, because of Sora, she has to go on a date with Sam.
Sure, Sam's hot. But he's in college, she doesn't expect him to want to be in a relationship with her. Nor does she expect him to date her. She just wanted to hook up with him, simply because he'd be a break from the ordinary. Not get caught up in a pseudo romance that wouldn't work out anyway.
She finds Zoe to say goodbye before walking out of the door that Sora had left through minutes before. Her heels make clicking noises against the walkway as she surveys the scene before her. The lawn is littered with every kind of garbage imaginable, there's a car rocking back and forth in the driveway and a group of kids leaning against the garage, smoking pot. If the police were to show up, Mimi didn't even want to think about the kind of trouble Zoe would get into.
She walks further down until she stops at the spot where Sora had parked her car. Except, there is no car and no Sora in sight. "That bitch left me!" Mimi says in disbelief.
She had known that Sora was pissed but she didn't think the redhead would leave her best friend stranded with out a ride.
Well, not exactly stranded, she's at Zoe's house. But still, Sora just showed that she didn't have an ounce of concern for Mimi tonight.
-x-
The brunette crossed her arms over her chest and stomped back into the house, knocking back drink after drink until the night began to look hazy.
"I'm gonna have to cut you off soon." A brunette with wild hair grins, plopping beside her.
She shakes her head uncoordinatedly. "Nuh-uh, Tai. You're just gonna have to catch up" She slurs through heavily lidded eyes.
He carefully takes the cup from her hand. "Come on, M. I thought you were gonna start this summer off right." He scratches the back of his head in slight disappointment.
She shrugs, reaching for the cup again.
Tai pushes it further along the table. "Don't you think you've had enough?" He asks, clearly irritated. "Look at yourself, it's almost embarrassing." He comments.
She rolls her eyes. "You're such a drama queen." She snorts.
"Attractive, Mimi. Really." He says sarcastically. "I'm trying to look out for you, okay?" He explains.
Mimi laughs mirthlessly. "Coz you're such a caring guy." She makes a ridiculous face, reaching for her drink for a second time. "Face it, Tai. You're only here coz you want some." She leans into his ear, "And if you let me get drunk enough, it'll probably happen." She giggles.
Tai sighs, distancing himself from her. "No, it's more because I don't like when you do this, Mimi." He corrects.
She scowls at him. "First of all, you aren't my boyfriend anymore. So it doesn't matter what you think." She hisses through her teeth, snatching her cup off the table. "Second, you shouldn't give out advice you don't take, since you're exactly like me." She attempts to get up, stumbling on her feet for a few minutes.
He looks away from her. This isn't the girl he knew, she'd become so distant and cold. The world turned her hard. "Your right, I'm not your boyfriend anymore. And this is why." He shakes his head, before walking away from her.
She narrows her eyes at his retreating back, before sitting back down on the couch. She doesn't care what Tai has to say, because he just didn't matter anymore. Their on and off relationship that spanned over the coarse of two years had ended for good a month ago and she couldn't be more relieved.
Because as she's learned, sex with no strings attached is so much easier than a relationship with expectations.
She watches as he approaches Zoe, leaning into her ear. He's probably whispering something about keeping her here for the night because he thinks she's too drunk to drive. He's probably right about that, not that she has a car to drive anyway.
She just hopes, for Tai's sake, he isn't telling Zoe that he'll drive her home.
Mimi's attention is so intently on her best friend and ex-boyfriend, that she doesn't notice the weight shift to the other side of the sofa.
But when it's his voice that speaks to her, her neck twists back in surprise and disbelief. "Sora broke up with me." He mutters, a cup of his own tipping lazily off his fingers.
"I'm drunk." She mentions lazily, her heading dropping slowly.
Suddenly, both of them have the same thought. Strung up by desire and consumption of alcohol, it's clear what they have to do.
They turn to face each other simultaneously, their glances meeting for the second time tonight. However, now, it's more personal. As if there isn't anyone else left in the house and there's only one thing left to do.
His cool gaze sweeps across the room hastily as he mentally calculates the damage his actions could cause. Would this get back to Sora? He wonders, but his glance ends up on her lips.
Her ruby red lips, glistening from the alcohol on her tongue. He leans in to her.
Their lips meet in a haze of fire and passion. Timid, yet confident, like greeting an old friend.
"Zoe's room." Her breath is ragged and her voice is husky.
He nods in understanding getting off the couch immediately. He pulls her up to her feet and slips his hand in hers subconsciously. He weaves them in and out of the crowd, being as discreet as possible. When he reaches the stairs, he knows their home free.
She takes her hand out of his, taking another drink from her cup. If she's doing this, she's gonna do it right.
He sees a door marked with a large pink "Z" and assumes it to be the blonde's. He feels her lips against the back of his neck and he wants her so bad.
He twists the door knob, throwing the door open violently. The second she's inside, he closes the door behind her, pushing her body against it. "You want this?" He asks, his voice barely above a whisper. His lips are so close to hers she can taste them and it makes her legs shake with anticipation. She can see him now, better than she ever could before.
That straight nose, the strong jaw, high cheek bones, slight blonde stubble and those icy blue eyes. The determined look in his eyes, the way he looks just about ready to devour her, it makes her want to rip off her clothes.
She takes a last drink, throwing the cup to the side. She pulls off her shirt and looks up at him, as if it was the answer to his question.
There's a hint of surprise in his eyes as she wordlessly conveys her message.
So he takes a page from her book and crushes his lips on top of hers. Giving into the passion and longing he's felt for the past couple of months.
-x-
They lay side by side, panting and sweating. Each sobered in a new way, they didn't know was possible. He sneaks a glance in her direction, her eyes are glued to the ceiling. He searches silently for anything to give him insight to her thoughts. But her face is, for the most part, calm, serene. Like the ocean before a storm, it's too still.
He looks for regret. Remorse, maybe. Guilt? Anything that could give him some sort of clue as to what she could be thinking.
But there's nothing.
"This can't happen again." She finally murmurs, her hazel eyes still open wide at the crème ceiling. "You know that, right?" She asks softly.
His initial answer would've been "yes". The logical answer would be "yes." The only answer should be "yes." Because the elephant in the room was beginning to get mighty hard to ignore and it looks a lot like a familiar redhead they've both deceived.
"Matt?" She asks, "This was mistake…right?" Her voice is wondering out loud now, her eyes falling on to his face.
He averts his gaze for a moment, not wanting to meet her eyes just yet. But as her face turn towards his, he finds himself being drawn to her anyway. Beyond his better judgment, he looks at her.
And damn it, she's beautiful.
"Why?" He asks, a small smirk forming on his lips.
Her eyes widen as she gawks at him. "What?" She hisses.
He realizes what he's just proposed and tries to take it back. "I mean, no, it can't happen again." He clears his throat uncomfortably. "But you shouldn't feel guilty." He goes on to say.
She gives him a weird look. "Why?" She asks cautiously.
He raises himself up on his hands. "Me and Sora broke up, remember." The smirk returns as he gets up from the bed.
Her eye brows shoot up. "But Matt…" She trails off, the full effect of their decision falling on her shoulders like the weight of the world. "I don't—
He shakes his head, stuffing his legs into his pants. "Relax." He turns his head to meet her eyes. "I won't tell if you don't." He promises with a careless shrug, collecting his shirt and throwing it over his shoulder.
She gulps, he's the only guy who's had such an effect on her yet. Not even Tai made her feel this way, and she'd be lying if she said she isn't turned on this very moment. "Okay." She breathes out, shifting her gaze out of his ice blue one.
He nods curtly, his hand resting on the doorknob. "Wait." She calls out to him.
He turns around to face her. "Sora can never find out, Matt." She stresses. "I mean it." Mimi emphasizes.
Matt frowns lightly, his eyes trained on the gold knob. "Yeah, I know." His tone is cold. "Get dressed, you're starting to look desperate." And with that, he's out of the door.
Leaving Mimi alone, angry and thoroughly confused.
-x-
A/N:
My, my, don't they know how to start things off with a…bang. S was quite the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tonight, any guesses why? Maybe she's just PMSing, or maybe it's because her boyfriend is an asshole. Or maybe, she's just a bitch. Who knows, all we know for sure, is she's one fiery red head with a very mean streak. She doesn't care who she burns in the moment, as long as she isn't caught in the blaze. Well S, you may be a bitch, but karma is a bigger one. Watch your back, red.
But speaking of karma, I wonder what it has in store for our naughty blonde and brunette. Because let's face it, M: Cheating with any girl's boyfriend is a direct violation of girl code, but a best friend's boy? That's grounds for immediate disownment. Our girl may be scrupulous, but she isn't devoid of a conscience. And like breaking any rules, this one will have it's one set of consequences. We just hope M can handle them, especially when complications come packed in the irresistible body of a certain Matt Ishida.
With the addition of college hottie Sam, who is looking to court our independent brunette beauty and Tai vying for her attention as well, it's a wonder she had time to squeeze in Matt at all. Impressive itinerary M, aren't you just a busy little queen bee?
Whatever the case maybe, who ever their feelings may be for, the only thing I can say is: Things are about to get really interesting.
Stick around kids, I'm sure you won't want to miss Chapter Two.
And just to keep you all interested, here's a sneak peak at what you should be looking forward to!
---x---
Chapter Two: Same Old Game, Brand New Rules
"I…I slept with Matt!" She blurts out hastily as the blonde whips around in surprise.
"What?" She asks sharply.
Mimi sighs. "Me and Matt, we…you know." She looks away, slightly guilty and a little angry that Zoe of all people would be judging her.
Zoe is quiet for a moment, speechless almost. But then breaks into a smirk. "Score, bitch." She grins.
Mimi laughs, hearing the response she'd been expecting. "It can't happen again Z, I'm so serious about it." She says immediately, trying to push the memory of him away from her mind. How good he felt on top of her, the way he moved inside of her. It all just made Mimi weak in the knees.
Zoe laughs at her this time. "Give it up M, I'm willing to bet he'll be back on top of you by next week." She winks. "Coz from what I've heard, Matt Ishida isn't easy to forget." She smiles wickedly.
Mimi can't deny that. He's been running through her head all day, the way his skin felt against hers, how his lips made her tingle from her head to her toes. The way his eyes gazed down into her intently, his pools of blue looking into her soul. Making her feel naked in a way she'd never been before. "I think not, Z. He got lucky last night, I was wasted." She contradicts everything she believes in that statement. "It won't happen again." She says her voice dangerously certain.
The blonde rolls her eyes. "Lie to me all you want, M. I can see through your bull shit." She shrugs a careless shoulder in the air. "But please, don't lie to yourself."
---x---
There you go! Hope it was up to expectations, stay tuned!
Song Credit- All Of Tomorrow's Parties: Velvet Underground
Recommended stories (AKA, Must Reads!):
The Maiden by SincereFriendship
Letters To and From a Stranger by Skipper713
Texts and Emails by Lazy Girl
Thirty One Days by .
Theory 101 by Cassandra's Destiny.
Ciao!
-Christina