Chapter 7
The Party
CREAM'S HOUSE
7:55PM
Tails drove up to Cream's house and parked in the empty driveway. He got out and walked to her door and knocked. The door was answered almost immediately, revealing Cream in a blue low cut dress that just reached her knees and exposed most of her back. She carried a gift in blue wrapping paper.
"Wow." The fox gawked. "You look… just wow. Amazing."
Cream smirked at how speechless she got Tails. She twirled a little, making her dress fan out, threatening to show more leg. "You like it?"
"I love it." Tails kept ogling her. It didn't take long for her to notice. "Are you just going to stand there drooling on your shirt or are we gonna go now."
Tails snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "Right. Shall we go?"
They got in the car and Tails drove away. The atmosphere inside the car was so awkward and tense that Tails kept taking deep breaths and squeezing the steering wheel to calm himself down. Whenever the road turned smooth, the fox would steal glances at Cream. She was occasionally turning her phone on and off as if waiting for a text.
Tails decided to turn on the radio, hoping some music will help ease things. The station he turned to however, did not help:
…so don't suffocate yourself
just tell her how you feel
or you might lose her forever
and you will curse yourself in vain…
(I totally made these lyrics up)
He hastily switched to another station, which was even worse than the first:
…but baby I still love you
even though you're with another guy
baby I still love you
it's never too late to turn away
to come back to your man, come back your…
(Totally made up)
Tails just switched off the radio, chuckling nervously. "He he. Nothing interesting to listen to."
Cream nodded, still playing with her phone. "Yeah. Did you get Clement a gift?"
Tails gestured to the back, where a neatly wrapped gift lay on the seat.
The silence returned, more oppressing than ever. This time, Tails was not going to let it linger. "So… your relationship with Clement… how's it going? You know, so far?"
Cream looked at him with surprise. "What are you getting at, Tails?"
The fox knew he had sent the message the wrong way, so he thought of a way out. "You know… has he taken your best interests at heart?"
Cream looked away. "I… I don't know."
Tails pressed on. "Does he even know your favorite songs, color, movies? Do you even have anything in common?"
"I don't—"
He did not even let her finish. "Do you even know anything about him?"
Cream was at a loss of words. "Well… I know he's good to me and everything."
Tails merely scoffed. "Cream, you're not stupid." He looked at her and saw her reaction. She just gaped at him. He pressed on. "Have you had sex with him?"
Cream was aghast. "Wha… no! Tails, why are you asking me this?"
He didn't answer, but kept driving. After a short period of silence, a small smile played on his muzzle. "He's had three years yet he doesn't know that your favorite song is 'Secret Love Song', your favorite color is red and your favorite movie is 'Tangled', seconded by 'Avatar'." he turned to her. "Thank goodness you didn't have sex with him."
Now Cream was getting angry. "Who are you to decide who I have sex with? You don't choose my boyfriends and you damn well don't control my social life! You're not my mother!"
"You're right. I'm not. But I'm your friend. And friends don't let friends get hurt." He turned to her again. "And I'm not going to let him hurt you."
This made the rabbit soften up a bit. "Really? Well… thanks. But there is nothing to be worried about. Clement would never hurt me."
Tails chuckled. "Not physically, if that's what you're thinking. I meant mentally and emotionally."
-X-X-X-
By the time Tails and Cream had arrived, the party was already in full swing. Loud music was playing and most of the partiers were crowded n the makeshift dance floor, doing all sorts of obscene body movements they wrongly called dancing. Already some of them were hopelessly drunk and Tails could smell the alcohol in the air and occasionally, cigarette smoke.
"Creamy, baby, you made it!" Clement pushed his way through to his girlfriend and immediately captured her lips in a wet kiss. When he pulled back, he noticed Tails. He turned to Cream with a questioning look.
Cream smiled sweetly. "Oh, you remember Tails, right? I hope you don't mind I brought one of my friends."
Clement shrugged. "No problem, babe." He turned to Tails and nodded. "Enjoy the party, dude. You want a drink?"
"Uh, yeah."
Clement showed them to the buffet table which was overflowing with food. It appeared the partiers did not really care about it, for they mostly went for the alcoholic drinks. Tails just poured himself some punch.
"So, Cream, after I cut the cake, can you meet me upstairs?" Clement leaned closer to her ear. "I want to show you something."
Cream rubbed her arm nervously. "OK, baby."
Clement smiled and soon disappeared into the sea of bodies. As soon as he was out of sight, Tails grabbed her arm.
"Don't do it, Cream. You know what he's going to do."
Cream wrenched her arm free. "I know what he's planning. And I told you I can handle it."
Tails sighed. "Look, Cream, I just want to know if this guy is really the best choice. As far as I'm concerned, you've been dating this guy for so long yet you never took the chance to know him better. But from what I've seen…" he gestured towards the loud, booze fueled party. "… I can already tell a great deal just by looking at this. So I would really be reconsidering if I were you."
Cream just stared at him, her anger brimming up. "Maybe bringing you wasn't such a good idea. You lecture me about who I choose as my boyfriend as if you're someone better. Well you're not! Three years ago, you left your friends, left me, just so you could 'make the world a better place'." She air quoted. "But you wouldn't know in the slightest the world you left behind." Tears were threatening to trickle from her eyes, threatening to ruin her carefully applied make up.
Sobbing lightly, Cream ran off into the crowd. Tails sadly watched her go.
-X-X-X-
Everyone gathered around as they watched Clement cut the huge cake. Cheers rang around and beer bottles and cups were raised in the air. Tails rolled his eyes at them but clapped nonetheless.
Other than the fight he had with Cream, the night passed smoothly and without event. Tails was able to mingle with a select few of Clement's friends, those who weren't hopelessly drunk. But he still couldn't get Cream out of his mind.
Even though they were no longer dating, it didn't mean he couldn't stop looking out for her. He didn't want to see her hurt in any way but with someone like Clement, that wasn't a guarantee. Despite what good Cream would say about Clement, Tails could easily read him like a book and figure out his true intentions. And from what Tails could read, he knew that his intentions would not sit very well for Cream.
After the cake had been shared and some people returned to the dance floor, Tails looked for Cream and found her just about to head upstairs. "Cream, wait!"
She turned to him and her voice filled with venom. "What? Do you want to lecture me again about who I choose to date? Well forget it."
Tails moved in front of her. "I actually wanted to apologize for that. I was acting like an overprotective father… and a jerk. You're in charge of your life and therefore, you can make your own choices. And I, as your friend, should be supportive and not discouraging."
Cream's face softened. "Really? Thanks. It's about time you came to your senses. Apology accepted." Her cheery attitude returned. She hugged Tails for a brief moment and then pulled back. "Well, I better get upstairs."
Tails didn't move out the way. "Before you go, can we have a forgiveness dance?"
Cream raised an eyebrow. "Dance? You, Miles 'Tails' Prower, want to dance to this kind of music with me?"
Tails had a devious grin on his muzzle. "That's the idea."
"Are you sure you won't get embarrassed? There are a lot of people here." She was teasing him.
"I could say the same for you, Cream." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"
What the hell? She thought. "Alright." She took his hand.
-X-X-X-
Clement sat on his bed, frustrated out of his mind. Where the hell was she? It had been a good twenty minutes if the time on his phone was correct. Yet she still hadn't arrived.
He ruled out the possibility of her getting lost. He had brought her here before, the first time he had tried to coax her into giving it up. Of course she hadn't. Maybe she left early. But she couldn't have because he had already told her to meet him. Yet she was a storey down and still wasn't coming.
Oh, well. He decided to use his backup plan whenever he ended up in a situation like this.
Clement pulled out his phone and wrote a text:
"Can you come upstairs?"
He didn't have to wait long for the reply:
"On my way ;-)"
Clement smiled to himself.
-X-X-X-
Cream giggled as she stepped out of Tails' arms on wobbly feet. "You, Miles Prower, must never grace a dance floor again! Not with moves like that."
Tails chuckled. "Really? I wasn't even trying."
Cream laughed as she walked away and made her way upstairs. Just when she thought Tails had ruined her night, there he was to make it better again.
As she approached Clement's room, she banished all ill thoughts she harbored for Tails after his little self righteous lecture. Whatever hammer that him on the head finally got him seeing that Clement was actually a good person.
Cream grabbed the doorknob and turned it. "Sorry I'm late, ba-" She stopped and stared at the scene with with wide eyes that were now threatening to spew tears.
There on the bed lay Clement, her boyfriend and right on top of him, was a slutty pooch, riding him senseless.
A/N: Finally! Hopefully I can update the next chapter in two weeks.
J.W.H. 10
