Off to the races
Growing up is a difficult task for highborn and lowborn boys and girls, lots of parties, drinks, family issues, love, sex and of course the studies and decisions for the future. How to survive to all this?
p.s: the plot happens in a modern Westeros btw
Chapter 1
Everyone
The music was too loud and the place too crowded of teenagers dressed in colorful clothes with drinks in hand dancing to the beat of some song. Arya was slim, short and merely sixteen but had no trouble in entering the club even if her fake ID was saying she was 23. The securities weren't interested in the girls age like the others nightclubs around the town specially because she was accompanied by Sansa and Margaery, two beauty queens who have never found problems in entering pubs and clubs when they were on their high heels and tight skirts, even if they were only seventeen. Arya herself was wearing a black tight skirt like the two of them, too tight and short for her liking but Sansa told her it was the current fashion on the streets and later she accepted the fact that she looked good in it. Her white tank top was baggy which made it possible to see her black bra on its sides. On her feet however no heels. She chose a black pair of sneakers.
"Are you sure you want to be here?" Sansa almost screamed to make herself audible. The shade of worrying crossed her face while staring at Arya.
"Yes." She answered in a low tone. Sansa looked at her in disbelief and before she could say anything Arya cut her off. "I said I'm fine, didn't I? So go on and find your friends, I'll look for my friends too." This time she put her best to smile at her sister and make sure everything was alright with her.
Sansa looked at Margaery who was oblivious to the two girls and paying attention to the dance floor looking for someone. Sansa sighed and looked back at her sister keeping the worrying face.
"Seriously. I'm fine Sansa." Arya said trying to keep her smile as natural as she could. Sansa opened the mouth to protest against Arya's words but this time was Margaery who cut her off. The brown haired girl made a funny noise and grabbed Sansa's arms while pointing to a direction. Arya only listened the name 'Joffrey' over the music and rolled her eyes when her sister's face lighted up when she spotted the blond hair in the middle of the crowd. Then she turned to face Arya again. Arya could feel that Sansa was hesitating in going to her boyfriend so she made things easier for her. Opening a smile again and trying to keep a positive tone in her voice. "Go to him. I'll be fine." This time Sansa obeyed and dragged Margaery by her hand while passing through the crowd.
Arya watched they disappear from her sight thinking how her sister liked a guy like Joffrey, he was a prick for sure. With a sigh she turned her head to look over the place wondering for a second if being there was a good idea. She ran her grey eyes trough the place checking if she recognized anyone .There was a bar on the left side of the place which was full of teenagers trying to get another drink and enjoy their lasts days of high school vacations. She saw some familiar faces targeting her with curious eyes probably startled to see her in a place like that. With another sigh she turned around ready to go back home but felt a hand on her shoulder pushing her back softly, she snapped her head ready to curse whoever touched her like this when she saw a pair of familiar black eyes staring at her happily.
"Arry! I can't believe you are here." Hot Pie said in his always enthusiastic tone that was audible over the beat of the song. Arya turned to face him properly. The fat guy was still holding an open smile in his lips. Arya looked to his happy face and couldn't help but feeling that she should've gone earlier. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"
She frowned wondering why the use of plural in his sentence when she saw another familiar face walking in their direction. A tall sixteen-year boy with pale blond hair and dark blue eyes staring directly at her with a big smile in his lips
"Ned..." She murmured knowing that probably nobody heard her. Ned hugged her without thinking twice which made her flinch for a second. The hug didn't last that long for Arya to hug him back. Ned stepped back and with the same big smile crossing his face looked at her from head to toe.
"You look fit as fuck." He said in his typical flirting voice that Arya was used to.
Arya grinned and realized if a great surprise that she almost laughed.
Ned's comment made Hot Pie check on her for the first time in the evening. "Why not letting us know you would be here?" His tone was something as offended but the smile remained in his lips.
"Margaery drove me and Sansa here." She said trying to ignore Hot Pie's look at her chest area. Arya snapped her fingers in front of his face. "I'm here you wanker." And then she pointed at her. "Look at my face."
Hot Pie laughed but stopped when he noticed the angry look Arya was shooting him. "I can't help."
"I mean" Hot Pie started again. "I prefer Sansa's tits but yours look good too." He concluded probably thinking this was a good way out of Arya's rage. The girl just rolled her eyes and shook her head thinking how Hot Pie could be so stupid. Ned shook his head too but he was laughing.
"I dunno mate. I think I prefer Arya's…"
Arya snnaped her head to face the blond boy. "No. We are not gonna talk about my sister's tits….Or mine." Ned and Hot Pie looked at each other grinning and Aya knew this would be her doom. "Oh fuck, you're not gonna talk about this the whole night, right?" This time they laughed and Arya didn't resist and smiled with then.
She missed them. Ever since her father's death she shut herself and spent the entire year dismissing her friends. They were always there to help her but she felt uneasy with their company and preferred to spend the hours alone in her room, which was unusual for the old Arya. Hot Pie tried to cheer her up with food and bad jokes but even when she smiled and laughed he could feel it wasn't sincere. Her feelings never reached her eyes and she felt empty inside like something was missing. Her father was missing.
By the other hand Ned said everything he could to comfort her. Maybe he thought it was his role as they being close friends. But just like Hot Pie's cakes and jokes his words never reached her.
"So are you ready to have a blast tonight?" Ned asked. Arya blinked twice making herself back from her thoughts.
"Sure." She answered reluctantly.
He smiled again. Ned was the type of boy that every girl in school would fall in love with, especially because his family was wealthy and well-known around the country. They knew each other since their childhood when they played as knights and princesses. She remembered the first time they talked, he was angry because Sansa never chose him to be her knight always preferring Joffrey over him. Arya hated to play the role of a princess in the game so she decided they would be knights looking for adventures. Since then they have been best friends. And since then he had loved her.
She wasn't oblivious to his feelings but she knew she didn't feel the same way as he did. So she decided to put his feeling aside and continue to be best mates. Sometimes he would make jokes about them two being together in the future. The jokes were encouraged by their families, unfortunately.
"I'm happy to see that the old good Arya is back. We missed you around here." Ned said approaching her to make him audible. "How about a drink?" She nodded staring at his blue eyes that strangely looked like purple in the nightclub's lights.
Arya looked from Ned to Hot Pie. They were waiting for an answer and she knew they were waiting for a positive one.
She shrugged and answered the first thing that came into her mind. Something that she used to do a lot.
"Let's get fucked."
Joffrey's hands were on her waist but he wasn't paying any attention to the red-headed girl. He was talking and making cruel jokes with his friends from the football team. The girl sighed after listening the word 'hot' for what seemed to be the thousand time, she knew the subject of their conversation have changed and now they were checking up on the girls. She was used to it by now. Joffrey had always been a kind of womanizer and in the past it would be the main problem of their relationship, they had huge arguments about his behavior but none of them seemed to have changed him so she decided she would have to put up with it.
After all she loves him.
I love him…
These words echoed in her mind as she closed her eyes trying to organize her thoughts. Since she could remember she has loved Joffrey. She always thought of him as some kind of prince like she used to hear in fairy tales and in the beginning of their relationship he was sort of prince like. His gold hair and blue eyes always caring and searching for her, his courtesy was definitely prince like and she fell for him easily. But now this seemed like a different life and all she could see was a selfish rich boy with a difficult temper and spoiled behavior. She sighed again correcting the sentence in her head.
I loved him…
The thought scared her and she shrugged feeling like a total strange. Joffrey looked at her probably noticing her body's reaction under his hands.
"What's the problem?" He said in a groan getting annoyed because he stopped his important conversation. Suddenly she felt really small under his gaze.
"Nothing, love. I just need to catch some fresh air." She said in her usual lovely tone and made herself free of his hands.
Joffrey did not protest and just nodded like giving his permission to her. She stopped for a moment feeling uneasy. Sometimes she had this feeling that Joffrey maybe thought of her as an object or some kind of pet. Something that he owned, pretty and obedient.
Sansa begun to feel nauseous and quickly made her way out of the club. She only realized she was in the smokehouse when she smelled cigarettes. Sansa wasn't a big fan of cigarettes but the cold air was more than welcomed now.
She glanced the back of a tall boy with dark hair and immediately recognized him. How could she not? He is one of her sister's best friends. Or was. She wasn't sure anymore. Before she could think straight she headed to where Gendry was. On her way she got the attention of some guys who looked at her like she was a piece of meat. Another thing she was used to. She stopped by his side leaning over the wall beside him.
"Long time no see." He said letting the smoke out of his lips.
"Yeah. It's been a while…"
Gendry was in some of her classes but the school wasn't the place they first met. The seventeen year old boy was the kid of one of the Stark's maid who had worked in their house since Sansa could remember. Catelyn, her mother, always had a deep appreciation for Gendry's mother services and loyalty and used to allow the eight year old Gendry play with the Stark children. Gendry was closer to Sansa's age but his friendship grow bigger with her sister. Sometimes Sansa thought that it wasn't only friendship but she always kept her thoughts to herself. Arya didn't seem to bother about Gendry's background but Sansa knew her mother, and the rest of the wealthy families of Westeoros, wouldn't appreciate if Arya had some kind of relationship with a lowborn guy, despite Catelyn's consideration to his mother.
"Why are you here by yourself?"
Sansa finally looked at his face thinking of what to answer.
"It was too damn hot inside." She lied.
Gendry made some understanding noise with his throat while hanging the cigarette between his lips. She could feel his gaze on her like he knew she was lying so she said the first thing that came into her mind.
"Arya is here."
For one moment he stopped the action of leading the cigarette to his mouth hanging his hand in the air. He didn't look to Sansa but she knew he seemed almost…scared. She frowned feeling the curiosity rise inside her after seeing his reaction to her sister's name.
"What happened between you two?"
"Nothing, we still mates." Gendry snapped and Sansa startled for one second to his fast answer.
"Are you sure?" She insisted knowing that maybe she was pushing too far. " Cause I haven't seen you around for a while…"
"I have my own issues" He answered quickly and began to smoke again. Sansa crossed her arms over her chest feeling annoyed for the lack of understanding; she would have to go after Arya to know what was wrong with these two.
Besides the current happenings…
Maybe she was being just stupid; of course they would not be alright. Not after all the death and loss around their families. Sansa cursed herself regretting she started the conversation in the first place and there was an awkward silence.
Sansa listened to a sigh, she turned her head and saw Gendry throwing the cigarette butt on the ground to smash it with his foot. "It's not that we are not friends anymore, it's just…complicate." He finally said.
Before Sansa could take in the information given something caught her attention. On the opposite side of the smokehouse she could see the slim silhouette of Margaery. The brown haired girl was talking to an older man, tall and suspicious. Sansa saw perfectly when the man passed a small package to Margaery who accepted it and handed an amount of money back to him. Sansa blinked twice before finally understand the situation.
Oh, no.
"I…I have to go back inside." She turned her back to Gendry. "Arya is inside too." She added and rushed inside having Margaery on her sight without giving time to Gendry react.
By the corner of her eye she saw the suspicious tall man disappear among the crowd on the dance floor so she hurried her steps finally reaching Margaery. She pushed the girl by her shoulder and Margaery looked at her in surprise.
"Sansa" She smiled politely like always did, hiding her surprised features. "You scared me."
Sansa looked around making sure no one were paying attention to them "Were you buying drugs?"
Margaery gave Sansa a half smile. "Of course I was." This time Sansa looked genuine surprised and Margaery just laughed at her friend's reaction. "Just some pills. We need to relax a little bit, don't you think?"
"This…I…" A loss of words in the fucking worst time. Sansa thougt, she didn't notice Joffrey until he wrapped his long arms around her waist in a possessive way.
"Hey love." He said kissing the side of her neck. She could see Margaery staring them interact. "I was looking for ya"
Margaery frowned looking suddenly annoyed which was untypical for the girl. She was the kind of person who was always polite and tried to please the others.
"I brought the pills, Joff."
The girl pulled from her bra the small package that was hidden and handed it to Joffrey.
"You're awesome." He said and Sansa saw Margaery grin to his compliment.
"I don't think we should use it…" She said turning her body to face her boyfriend, he wasn't paying attention to her. Instead he was staring at the pills like analyzing them.
"They are what I asked, right?" Sansa knew the question wasn't for her. Margaery quickly was by her side grabbing one of Sansa's arm.
"Of course they are. I caught them with the same guy from the last time."
Sansa raised one of her perfect made eyebrows.
Now this was some new information.
"Last time?" She asked curiously.
"I was with the boys the one night and we used these pills." Joffrey said in a casual tone, like it wasn't a big deal. Sansa felt betrayed. Why was she the last one to know about things?
She pushed her hair to the back of her ear and suddenly feeling the urge of leaving the place. By her side she could feel Margaery's hand squeezing her arm gently.
"Don't worry Sansa. You will love them."
Something in Margaery's face didn't give Sansa that much sure, but she was her best friend and so she decided to go along with it. She saw Joffrey smile at them and open the package giving one pill to each girl and turning to his stupid friends to give the rest of the drugs to them.
Sansa stared at the pill in her hand with a blank expression. She lifted the pill holding it between her fingers. She didn't want to use it.
"Joffrey I think I will pass…" She was caught by surprise by Joffrey's hands grabbing her face and leaning for a kiss.
And it was not a gentle one.
Sansa could feel the pill dancing in their tongues inside her mouth. She listened to his friends and Margaery laughs while she was fighting with him wanting to be free from his embrace but it was too late. She had swallowed it.
He easily spotted Arya on the dance floor. She was dancing to the beat of a song that she probably didn't know, moving her head from one side to another which was making her hair flip. He noticed she was smiling and her eyes were closed.
She must have drunk a lot. He concluded with a grin.
He knew her very well to know when she was drunk and he couldn't tell if it was a good or a bad thing.
"Gendry"
Gendry snapped his head to the direction of the voice, dispersing his thoughts.
"Ned"
The blond one leaned to the bar's counter besides him. Gendry shifted the weight of his body feeling uncomfortable with the other boy's presence.
"She is something, isn't she?"
Gendry didn't have to look in the same direction as Ned to know what he was talking about. With a sight he turned his back to the dance floor and asked for another drink deciding to not answer to Ned.
When the barman came back with his beer Ned turned and asked the same drink as his. Gendry sipped to the beer tasting the familiar bitter drink. That was when he noticed some girl's giggling by his other side. Ned and he turned their faces to meet some of their schools girls staring at them and smiling.
"I think they are hitting on us" Ned said before drinking from his beer.
Gendry tried not to laugh and kept a sarcastic tone. "You think a lot of yourself, don't ya"
Ned shrugged. "If I don't who will do it for me?" This time Gendry laughed.
Ned was a funny lad and together with Hot Pie they were unstoppable. Gendry used to hang out with them a lot in school, especially Hot Pie since they were in the same school year but now things were different. Since his brother went missing his life became twisted and school wasn't really something he was putting much effort, his social life either.
One of the girls waved her hand calling the boys attention, both looked at her but she was clearly staring at Ned like she knew him.
"I think she wants to talk to you"
"I know her." Ned groaned and Gendry had the impression the blond guy wasn't that found of her.
"I think if you don't go there she'll come over" Gendry watched with a hint of amusement the insistent girl who seemed to be angry at Ned's indifference.
"Shit" Ned sighed and gulped his beer. "Be right back" Gendry's eyes followed the guy with curiosity until he reached the girl and they started to talk.
His view was blocked by Arya. She came out of the dance floor stumbling and smiling until she reached the bar leaning her upper body on the counter and calling the barman's attention to ask for a drink.
"Tequila?" He said in an incredulous voice which made her look at him for the first time in a few months.
Her smile faded slowly as she recognized the blue eyes. He stared back at her noticing sadly that her eyes were dark with the blinking light of the club. He remembered hers as grey and with a fiery fire that she had since they first met. The fire was still there but now her eyes seemed like two marbles looking through him like a reminder of feelings he didn't want to handle right now. Even though, he looked back at her. They stared at each other for what seemed hours until the sound of a glass cup against the counter woke them up.
The barman poured the drink in the small cup and left it there for Arya. She had her eyes down focusing them at nothing and didn't seem to notice the drink in front of her. Gendry looked away drinking his beer while thinking of what to say; never in his life would he have imagined his relationship with Arya to be that messed up.
He knew she was hiding herself under the 'Im okay' mask that she's been using for the past few months. And she probably could sense his hesitation in talking to her since her father's death.
He sighed.
She probably thinks he was just a terrible friend who wasn't there when she needed. But that was not what was truly bothering him. He actually was a feeling like a coward for not facing his fears and worst of all, a liar. And for that he could not face her properly again.
Maybe he should just leave.
"You're here."
The sound of her voice almost scared him and by the corner of his eyes he could see that she hasn't moved.
"So are you." He said quietly.
She made a quick move and grabbed the cup in front of her leading it to her lips and swallowing the drink in one gulp without even flinch. Gendry knew it was a strong drink but Arya didn't even make some funny face like most of people usually make while drinking tequila and he liked her even more for that. Despite the mask the fierce girl was still inside her.
"I didn't know you liked this kind of drink."
"I bet there are lots of things you don't know about me now." She snapped dryly, her eyes wandering through the counter trying to find something to focus on but the task seemed to be difficult.
She is drunk.
Gendry knew what Arya was referring to. He had set a distance among them and he was aware of it, tough it was questionable if it was entirely his fault. Arya was difficult to handle too and even more stubborn than him, but her words hurt him more than he imagined they would.
Arya must have noticed his pained look. "Hot pie…" She started but it seemed difficult to find the words now as the alcohol did its effect. "He offered me and I took it."
Gendry made an understanding noise while drinking the last gulp of his beer. He set the bottle on the counter and it took everything he had to look at her again.
For his surprise she was with closed eyes and moving her head slightly probably feeling kind of dizzy, on her face was a thoughtful expression like she was thinking about lots of things at the same time. He took the time to linger his eyes in her face, lips, body…She looked stunning with her outfit, make-up was almost perfect and her hair tangled as some strands were stuck in her neck with sweat probably because of all the flips she had been doing while dancing.
"Gendry" Her voice caught in her throat, not quite a sob and called Gendry's attention back to her face. She was still in the same way but in her lips a shadow of a smile could be noticed and what she said after caught Gendry by surprise. "I miss you."
For some moment he wasn't sure if he truly understood what Arya said until she finally opened her eyes. Dark as they were before but this time something in they were different, something that Gendry didn't have the name for. She stared directly at him so intensely that he thought she could see through him and which made his heart sank. Arya always had this effect upon him and he never learned how to put up a guard.
Gendry opened his lips slowly trying to form the words for feelings he had been feeling for ages but never said out loud when Ned's voice became audible breaking the whole moment. Arya glanced the counter again as Ned approached with the girls from before and Gendry could swear that there was nothing in this world he hated more than Ned right now. Although Ned and the girls were still engaged in some kind of conversation on their own he could sense that now and then Ned was paying attention to Arya and him. He closed his mouth swallowing his words and an uncomfortable silent was set among them.
Arya didn't seem happy by his lack of answer.
She caught the small glass from before and knocked it on the counter.
"More tequila here." She demanded from the barman who was not pleased with her lack of manners. Clearly Arya wasn't sober enough to care about the man's opinion.
"I don't think you…" He started.
"Shut up" Arya demanded angrily changing completely her personality from moments ago. This time she glanced Gendry by the corner of her eyes. "Don't act like you care about me"
He clenched his jaw feeling the anger fill him in. He does care about her and that was the fucking problem. It was because of his caring for her that their lives were now fucked up.
He did feel guilt for everything without having her reprimanding him.
Or reminding him of what he did although he doubted she was conscious about everything.
She is just upset for losing her friend. He repeated on his head calming himself.
Gendry didn't see when the barman poured another shot for Arya but now she was drinking it a little more desperate than the last time. He recognized her urge to get drunk. The usage of alcohol to dull some feeling was really useful but only for some hours. He had done it before a lot so he sympathized with the situation.
"Arya." He reached her elbow grabbing it gently but she freed herself aggressively.
"Don't." She hissed.
And he recognized that too.
She was doing what he did to her, pulling him away more and more. Running away from her emotions just like he was doing and he couldn't help her because he didn't even know how to help himself.
"So girls, these are my friends." Gendry saw Arya stepping away giving space to Ned and the girls to stay between them. Ned passed an arm around Arya's shoulders bringing her closer to his body. Gendry noticed with a displeasing look that she didn't pull him away like she did with him. "This is Arya. And this is Gendry."
The girls said their greetings and Gendry answered them noticing now that there were actually three of them and one he knew from his class, a dark haired girl named Willow. And she was the one who started to talk to him. Gendry gave short answers not really paying attention to her as his eyes now and then wandered to where Arya was. Ned's arm was off her by now but he kept her close.
And he knew this night wouldn't end up well for any of them.
Her eyes were still closed but she was awake already. The pond in her head was too strong to let her fall sleep again. She moved feeling sore in all kind of places, her back, her neck and especially her thighs.
Shit.
Reluctantly she opened her eyes. It was all blurred from the beginning as her eyes adjusted to the clarity of the room. She felt confused for a time without knowing where she was. It was definitely not her room, but something in it made it look strangely familiar.
White walls and blue curtains. Her eyes widened with recognition.
Shit.
Now she noticed there was an arm around her waist holding her tight against someone's naked body. On her back she could feel his breathe gently caressing her neck. A desperation feeling started to rise inside her and she turned around quickly without caring if her movements would wake up the other person or not. She immediately regretted it feeling sore again.
She closed her eyes waiting the pain goes away and only opened them to see Ned's face close to her.
Oh, shit Arya.
What have you done?
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So…
This is the beginning. Hope you liked it. Comments and critics are welcomed.
This is my first fic in English and I'm not a native speaker, so I apologize beforehand if I made some mistake. I know I need a beta but I dunno anybody with free time to revise my fic :((
xx
