Chapter 2
The night of the party, I had already arranged it with Charlie to spend the night with Alice. I think he vaguely knew about the party, but it was more of a don't ask, don't tell thing. He gave me some warnings, a mini-lecture about making good decisions, but that was it. I drove myself to Alice's and the two of us dressed there at my begging because I didn't want Jessica and Lauren turning themselves loose on my hair and make up. This thrilled Alice, who had done her research on 40s hairstyles. When I looked in the mirror, I was genuinely impressed and happy . . . until she pulled out a pair of shiny red heels.
"No."
"Oh come on, Bella. They're perfect!"
"I will kill myself!"
"You won't. I'll make sure you won't fall. You can wear your converse to Lauren's, but then you're wearing the heels to the party and that is not up for discussion."
Going to Lauren's was slightly pointless, but she insisted. She wanted us girls to show up together, and it also meant fewer designated drivers. Alice had already been working on me all week that I needed to relax and go crazy since the boys would make sure we got back to her house safely. I didn't know that I felt comfortable trusting my safety to the boys, much less while under the influence.
When we arrived, Ben opened the door for us, the only one of the boys willing to wait and ride over with us girls. Really the boys just didn't want to sit around twiddling their thumbs for the lengthy preparation process. I didn't blame them; it was another reason Alice and I had dressed at her house. He went back to watching the television room while we stumbled up the stairs to Lauren's room. It was hot in the house so I pulled off my coat as soon as we were inside.
Angela gasped, "Bella, you look amazing! The boys are going to be falling at your feet all night."
"Ow ow!" Alice teased, slapping my ass as she slid past me. I yelped and glared at her but she just winked playfully.
"You know, Bella, I bet if you asked Edward to fuck you, he would," Sarah Henler commented off-handed. I didn't know her well at all other than that she was Lauren's cousin; a sophomore, she usually kept with her own clique. Now she was pressed against the mirror, carefully applying eyeliner, so she missed my wide-eyed gape. She hadn't been at the costume shop to hear his comment . . . so probably she was just referencing the rumors – not the rumors about me, the rumors about him. Because of his ambiguous link with senior sexpot Tanya Denali, his lack of other relationships at school, and the ease with which older women fell under his spell, there were constantly rumors about him and nameless college girls. He never denied anything.
Lauren snorted, "I don't think she would even have to ask for it. Just bite her lip and he'd be kissing his way up her legs – I mean, Jess, you saw how he looked at her at the costume shop. Like he was going to lunge forward and devour her."
Jessica giggled and admitted, "No offense, Bella, but I don't get it. It's not like you really are putting out or anything . . . if he doesn't make a move, you sure won't." I resented her tone and sat up straighter. I wasn't completely incapable. Maybe I'd never had a boyfriend before or anything, but if I wanted to, I mean . . . I could be seductive!
And just like that, my temper fizzled out. Really? Seductive, Bella? I'm as sexually adept as an octopus. Awkward octopus, that's me.
"That said, you should totally go for it if he tries to start something," Lauren suggested. "For our sake if nothing else. Can you imagine? Edward Cullen!"
"Well, unfortunately for Edward Cullen, Bella isn't that type of girl," Alice quickly insisted, grabbing my arm as though she were my knight and I her delicate princess whose honor needed defending. "No matter how pretty the boy is. And really, you girls are making a big deal out of nothing. If my brother can date Rosalie, then why shouldn't Edward Cullen be attracted to Bella? I think it makes perfect sense." I appreciated her defense, even if I certainly didn't think that was the case.
Jessica just giggled, "That's right, Bella. Make him work for it. Especially because he's pretty. He needs to learn he's still going to have to work for what he wants."
"She's just glad because if you're tied up with Edward she can work on Mike," Alice muttered, which made me laugh. That was very true. I knew for a fact Jessica had harbored a deep crush on Edward for as long as she'd known him, and only managed to shove it aside for Mike because Mike was at least somewhat more attainable for her.
"Why don't we go keep Ben company until time to go?" Angela suggested, and I would have thrown my arms around her shoulder with gratitude if I wasn't afraid of crimping the feathers dangling from her hair. And I never had been really big on hugs.
When finally it was time to go, we piled into Ben's and Lauren's cars and made the short drive to an unfamiliar house.
"Does this mean we're stranded if Ben and Angela leave without us?" I whispered to Alice, clutching her arm as she helped me walk in my heels. She was so tiny, and I was now even taller than normal; this was not going to work.
She giggled, "Well I can get a ride home with Jasper, which means I guess you'd better choose between Mike or Edward . . ."
"Alice!" I hissed, giving her a shove. This was a bad move because as soon as she stepped away I teetered but somehow managed to regain my balance.
Lauren had purposely made us late so that by the time we arrived shortly after eleven, the party was in full swing. We stepped through the double front doors only to be assaulted by blaring music, loud laughter and yells, and the strong smell of vodka, beer, and rum.
"Hey baby, can I take your coat?" I jumped as the voice right at my elbow, but it was just Mike, who laughed at my shock. "Impressive heels, Bella. But here, I'll take your coat." I didn't argue, just slid it off and handed to him, trying to ignore his eyes. I could feel where they trailed, like a snail leaving its gooey trail all down my torso and legs. I suppose Jessica had assumed he was taking all of our coats because she slid hers off, but he brushed past her without a second glance.
I cringed for her but was unprepared for the bitterness in her voice when she suddenly looked me up and down and snorted, "Well, I suppose when Hester Prynne finally lets the girls out to play." I gasped; Alice gasped.
Tyler laughed, insisting, "Okay, girls, let's wait until you're effectively drunk before the cat fights start."
Mike reappeared, having missed Jessica's comment and offered, "Bella, a drink? We've got . . ." I was still gaping at Jessica and her eyes narrowed. What was her problem! I hadn't done anything to encourage Mike, so it wasn't fair for her to stand there and take things out on me.
So I did something I certainly didn't expect of myself. Blame it on the noise or the costume; I was superman in costume. I let my claws out. Putting my hands on his upper arms, I grinned, "Sure, chief. Lead the way." Then, not wanting to be too mean to Mike, I pulled my hands back and looped my arm through Alice's as Mike led us through the house to the kitchen. The counters were covered with various bottles of liquors, a bowl of limes, bottles of soda, and a dozen towers of red and blue solo cups. Four coolers were packed with ice and cans of beer, and more boxes were pushed against the far wall.
"Please tell me that this means you're going to drink," Alice pleaded. "I don't want to be the only one." I had been going back and forth. It wasn't that I had never had alcohol before. I had gotten drunk once but it had been with my mom – which I didn't share with people, of course. Typically, back in Phoenix, if I even went to parties at all, it was as designated driver and I just wound up taking care of everyone and trying to keep things from getting broken. It wasn't much fun, hence why I had never been a big fan of the party scene.
Well why the hell not? Maybe it would help me forget that my ass was practically hanging out of my dress, my legs were bare except for thigh-highs, I was showing more cleavage than I had since I'd had cleavage, and I was balanced precariously on bright red heels. Maybe alcohol will make me love my body, said the whore.
"All right, what are we having?" I sighed, leaning against the counter to keep from falling. The first thing they gave me was a shot of Jaeger, which tasted like licorice that had soaked in rubbing alcohol. It burned my nose and eyes as I knocked it back at the same time as Mike and Alice. "Wow."
"No?"
"It wasn't too bad."
"Okay, try a shot of this then," Mike suggested, pouring an amber liquid into the shot glass. When I lifted an eyebrow, he explained, "Spiced rum. Cap'n Morgan to be exact. Girls tend to like rum better than Jaeger." So the three of us knocked those back as well, but this just tasted like straight rubbing alcohol. I felt like I'd buried my nose between Alice's toes while she gave herself a pedicure.
The look on my face must have said it all because Mike laughed, "Ok, not a rum girl. Of course not."
"Oh, Jasper's here!" Alice squeaked, suddenly gripping my arm with an alarming strength one wouldn't expect from her.
I rolled my eyes, "Well go talk to him." She looked at me wide-eyed, then sprinted off, her gossamer wings flapping behind her. I turned to Mike but he had mysteriously disappeared.
"He said he would be right back. Wanted to go say hey to one of his buddies," the guy on the other side of the island explained. I hadn't noticed him before. "Another shot?" I started to turn him down but what the hell. I wasn't even feeling the alcohol yet except for a burning in my nose and eyes, and I was still all too aware of my own ass. I felt up the back of one leg with the other and cringed, then nodded.
"But no more spiced rum."
"Malibu maybe?" he suggested, coming around to pull up the white bottle. He grinned at my from beneath long blonde hair pulled back in a stunted ponytail, his dark blue eyes watching me closely. Not bad looking at all. After pouring shots for both of us, he nodded, "Bottoms up," and we knocked them back. Malibu was much better than the spiced rum, though the sweetness felt thick in my mouth and down my throat.
"It's so sweet," I made a face. "But not bad . . ." He poured another shot without me asking, we knocked those back, and then I decided that was quite enough.
"The name is James, by the way. James Stevens."
"Bella Swan."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Bella. I don't think I've seen you around before . . ."
"Oh, I just moved here in September."
"That explains it. I graduated two years ago. Go to the same school as Rosalie in Seattle—"
"How many have you had," a little fairy suddenly piped into my ear, her chin resting on my shoulder.
"Um . . . four?" I had to look at James to confirm, which clearly meant it was time for a break. They had just all happened very quickly.
"Three for me. Careful . . . I don't want you puking in my bed tonight."
"Oh, we'll have plenty of other things to do beside puke," I giggled, then let my jaw drop open. Had I just said that?
She laughed and clapped her hands, "You're going to be drunk!"
"I didn't mean to."
"It's okay. Really, the boys will make sure we get home safely."
"Well that's a great idea, whoever thought it up," I snorted. "Let's go to a party scantily clad, drink copious amounts of alcohol, and then trust our well-being to boys whom we know don't have good intentions."
"Bella Swan, I will make sure you get home safely if need be," James suddenly offered, gently touching my forearm. "Just yell my name if you need me. Bitter lemon?" He slid a drink closer to me.
"Uh huh! Likely story," Alice snorted, then all but dragged me away from James's laughter. But not before I pulled the drink from the counter. I might have winked at him; I'm really not sure, because I was beginning to feel like I was watching myself from the couch with a slight time-delay.
"There you are. Went sprinting off pretty fast," Jasper greeted, kissing Alice on the cheek. He grabbed her hand, a clear effect of however much alcohol he had already consumed, but she didn't seem to mind at all.
Instead she sighed, "I had to go rescue Bella. Boys are already trying to steal her away from me."
"Not surprising," he smiled at me, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. "Pleasure to see you, Bella, always."
"You too, Jasper."
"We were just trying to decide if we're safe because I can't remember if Ben and Angela are giving us a ride home and we might not be safe with the way boys are eying Bella here," Alice tried to whisper.
Jasper kissed the back of her hand and assured her, "I will make sure you get home safe. As will my dear friend Edward and your charming brother Emmett, who are both here somewhere . . . Emmett might be throwing up, I'm not sure . . . but I don't even know if Edward is even drinking tonight . . ."
The mention of Edward made my stomach do some strange acrobatic move, or maybe it was the four shots I had tossed down my throat in rapid succession. To alleviate it, I demanded, "But Jasper, why are you talking to me when you could be dancing with Alice?" He grinned like he hadn't thought of this and dragged her off, and she mouthed 'thank you!' to me before turning to face him with a dazzling grin.
Then more weird stuff started happening. When some random guy grabbed my hand to dance with him . . . I did. I allowed myself to be pulled into the center of the living room where a bunch of drunk teenagers were grinding and twitching to the music. Even tipsy – I'd admit to that by this point – I thought it was hysterical. No one was in rhythm at all. The good news was that everyone was so tightly packed that I really didn't have to worry about falling off my heels. I was held up from all sides by writhing bodies. Any time a guy began to get the slightest bit too touchy-feely, I just had to turn a bit and suddenly I was dancing with a whole new guy. It was something I would never have the guts to do while sober, but with alcohol beginning to soak into my brain, I felt fine.
It was a surprisingly long time before I finally needed to sit down. My feet were aching and my legs felt like rubber. My cheeks were flushed and I could feel the beads of sweat rolling down the back of my neck. Gross. Besides, my head was really beginning to spin a bit from the heat and the alcohol; lights were brighter, noises louder, and everything so much funnier. I spotted Jasper across the room, and probably Alice was still there dancing with him, and certainly I didn't want to interrupt that. Instead I stumbled my way back to the kitchen to grab a handful of pretzels from the bags strewn about the kitchen table. Jessica and Lauren were both there, talking animatedly to James as he mixed some drinks in the blender.
I winced at the sound, which was what drew Lauren's attention to me. She giggled, "Well hello, sexy," and held her arms out for me to come closer. Wanting to hug me: a clear sign Lauren Mallory needed to be cut off. I tripped into her arms as she explained, "James, this is my duckling, Bella Swan."
"A gosling. Is that what you call a baby swan?" Jessica asked, screwing up her face in thought and tapping her chin.
"Your duckling?"
"I take credit for this," she insisted, motioning from my head to my toe like the Wheel of Fortune Alcohol Edition. "Bella's what some might call a prude . . . I didn't say it, Bella, but you should know what is said about you. But we got her all dolled up and now here she is, not half so prudish! Our swan!"
I gave James a desperate frown and he slid a margarita towards me, insisting, "Well the transformation is spectacular, Lindsay."
"It's Lauren."
"She doesn't look prudish at all. In fact, I'm stunned speechless"
"Wait, did you just call me an ugly duckling?" I began to ask, but suddenly James was around the island and taking my hand.
"Care to dance, Miss Swan?" Grinning like the cat that just got the canary, I accepted, loving the glares I felt Lauren and Jessica shooting at my back for stealing the boy they were talking to. I chugged the margarita as we walked, wincing as it gave me a brain freeze, which James noticed and laughed about. I stumbled; he caught me and helped me walk the rest of the way to the dance floor, even taking my glass and setting it down somewhere for me. I vaguely wondered if it would get broken, but then we were dancing –sort of. My skirt was already short enough, and his leg found its way right to my crotch, rubbing against me as he put his hands on my waist to keep me from falling. At first I thought it was his knee that my own leg kept bumping against, but when I realized exactly what it was, my eyes widened and my face flushed an even deeper crimson. By this point I wasn't doing much besides standing there, though, and it didn't occur to me to tell him that having his erection pressed against my thigh creeped me the hell out. Even alcohol couldn't make me forget my fear of the male body.
Awkward Octopus, that's me.
