Hey! I returneth with another chapter.
I also want to say thank you for those who have reviewed.
Chapter 28
The End of the World. The party was massive and even more, it was held at Spenser. It's why everyone that wasn't an upperclassman was moved out before graduation. The rules were pretty simple. Don't vandalize. Okay, it was one rule. A big one. Otherwise it was completely free range. The entire place became a rave. And, it was.
Reid and Amelie found the others in the auditorium where a live band was on stage. The piano was gone. The lights burning down onto them flashed in an array of colors. Every one of the group was focused on the band. Nearly the entire senior class was down in front of the stage. All of them were reaching out and screaming.
"Is that…" Amelie trailed off, her jaw dropping. She jumped as two girl rushed past them to join the audience.
"Panic at the Disco?" Sarah's head cocked to the side, her eyes narrowing.
Sure enough, Brandon Urie was on stage in a half Emo half Steampunk get-up, singing 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies'. Amelie decided that it was better live.
"Who invited them?" Kate said over the music.
"That might've been my mom," Caleb said with an awkward grin. "She met Brandon a year back, helped him. She never said how, but he comes to town when he wants to lay low. Mom thinks of him as a second son."
"You never told us," Sarah groaned.
"It's wasn't for me to say." Caleb shrugged his broad shoulders sheepishly.
Pogue bopped him up the back of his head.
"You made a lot of girls' wet dreams tonight," he kidded.
Amelie smirked. While this was her favorite song by the band, she liked Snow Patrol and The Killers more. Reid's arms circled around her from behind. His chin rested on her shoulder as he swayed the both of them to the music.
The group split off after a little while.
The night was mostly about saying goodbye to people you liked, your friends and the people you didn't like because even though there was all Summer to see each other, it wouldn't be the same. These were an amazing four years for most of those here. For Amelie, not so much, but she was one them saying goodbye, though it was a gleeful goodbye.
In the Fall, everything would change. Some of these people wouldn't be seeing each other for a long while, like Sarah and Caleb. They weren't going to Harvard together as originally planned. He was Ivy League bound, but she was going to North Carolina State. Pogue and Kate weren't going to be going the distance too. It would be trying on everybody except for maybe Tyler.
Amelie and Reid wandered down the hallways. There were set-ups scattered about the entire campus. A bar in the Chem lab, History and in the cafeteria. There was also food in the cafeteria as well as the art building. There was a beer pong tournament going on in the gym and a game involving paint was going on in the art building. Amelie did not go in to play even though Reid wanted to. A lot was happening. The hallways and walkways were littered with cups, books, papers and toilet paper. Shouts and squeals of excitement echoed across the campus like there was a riot. Every building but the auditorium where the concert was being held was dark. There was a bonfire out in the quad. It really was like the End of The World.
She, Reid and Tyler were in the Chem lab. A few of their peers were mixing drinks. Some of them smoked at the top. The chemical tubes were filled with shots of liquor. Tyler did most of the drinking. Oddly, Reid was nursing a single beer as he talked to a couple other peers not far off. Amelie kept Tyler company while he threw back his third shot.
"Do you know how great it's going to be in the Fall?" Tyler bore a sloppy grin and Amelie just laughed at him. He was an idiot. She'd had one shot of tequila and was now twirling the tube over her fingers. "We get our own lives. Should I join a fraternity? I've been thinking about it."
"You…" Amelie paused "We," she corrected, "are meant to be better than those STD infested party houses. I'm thinking something bigger…"
Her eyes narrowed and she wondered if he was too drunk to understand what she was getting at. His glassy eyes pinched at the corners as he grinned. He grabbed another shot and held it up. "Damn straight."
Amelie couldn't help but laugh at that. He tossed it back and then set it down on the lab table with a clink.
"Jesus, Baby Boy. How many is that?" Reid stared him utterly amused.
"Four?" Tyler looked at Amelie for confirmation.
She nodded. Reid's eyebrows popped up and he chuckled.
Mostly she and Reid had been wandering around for the night and ended up here. Lights flashed and techno music played. There was a game of darts going on and the periodic table was the board. Tyler went and grabbed another shot from the makeshift bar at the front of the room.
"I think he's really happy about graduating," Amelie joked. She slipped her arm through his.
"I think he's happier to get out of this town."
"I didn't know he and I had so much in common," Amelie quipped. It was pretty shocking. He'd had such a strong disliking toward her and it had been pretty mutual.
Reid smirked.
Kate and Sarah stumbled into the lab in a fit of giggles. Amelie couldn't fully catch what had them in hysterics. Their cheeks were flushed rosy pink. Amelie watched, smirking. She;d never seen them drunk before. It was adorable.
"Ames!" Kate called, pointing at her. She stumbled a step.
"Oh this isn't good," Amelie muttered with an arched eyebrow.
Kate grabbed Amelie's wrist.
"We're taking her." Kate's words slurred.
There wasn't any time for Reid to protest, not that it looked like he was going to, because Kate was already dragging her away.
"So are you really okay with me rooming with you?" Kate asked as they made their way down the dark hallway. Amelie wasn't sure where they were going, but it looked like that cafeteria.
"Actually…" Amelie stopped, her brows furrowing.
Both girls paused turning. Kate blanched, swallowing hard. Amelie avoided making eye contact. Drawing this out really was fun.
"I, uh, pulled out of the dorms…" she said, looking down at her feet.
"Oh," Kate said. Her face pinched, hurt.
"I just don't like the idea of sharing a bathroom with an entire floor. I did that for the last four years here," Amelie said, shaking head and shuddering.
"I get it," Kate bit out. Amelie smirked. Kate was funny when she was angry.
"I got an apartment not far from campus. It was a little difficult, but I was able to get my dad to go look at places and he'd send pictures and it was a fiasco, but I found a really good place." Amelie waved her hands and shook her head as she remembered it. It had been a mess, but Dad had been determined to find her a place that was suitable.
Kate shook her head, getting more upset. Sarah took a step back, the lip of the beer bottle in her hand at her lips. Her eyes moved from Kate to Amelie and back.
"Well, that's good. I guess you don't have to deal with us lower people," Kate snarled, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked away.
Amelie nodded her head side to side thoughtfully. Her smirk didn't waver.
"Yes, this is true." Amelie couldn't help the grin on her face. Kate was just so pissed off. Her dark cheeks flushed an angry red.
"I can't believe I thought we were friends. You're such a bitch. If the rooming thing was such a big deal you could've told me."
Kate stormed away, but Amelie spoke again, quickly stopping her.
"You know what I didn't say?" Amelie tapped her head with her finger. "It's a two bedroom."
Kate turned slowly, looking at her through slits.
"I also signed you out of the dorms too."
It dawned on her. Her face slackened and her eyes lit up. She bit her lower lip as she smiled really wide with excitement.
"We're living in an apartment?" Her head shook with disbelief.
"I didn't want to have to go through that whole process of interviews for roommates, and what if they're like that one movie? I can't deal with crazy." Amelie grimaced.
Suddenly Kate's arms were around Amelie and squeezing too tight. Amelie could barely breathe. Her elbows dug into her sides from the boa constrictor hold.
"This is awkward," Amelie squeaked, patting her on the back.
Kate let go and looked over at Sarah who was laughing so hard that she had to lean against the wall for support.
"You couldn't lead with that?" Kate said to Amelie.
"And miss that look on your face?" Amelie arched an eyebrow. A subtle smirk, cool and very much like her, played across her lips.
"Did you know about this?" Kate asked Sarah.
The drunken blonde shook her head and took another swig from her bottle. As the three of them wandered down the halls, Amelie had come to the conclusion that this wasn't as hopping as the Halloween party had been up at that asylum, but it was much bigger and widespread.
Amelie was glad when she could finally escape the girls. Pogue and Caleb had found them. She snuck off easily and was walking across the campus. A raging bonfire was licking the night sky. Embers flew upward, trying to become stars. Watching them swirl was mesmerizing. Several people were standing around and socializing. There were a couple of kegs.
"Amelie!"
Amelie stopped and rolled her eyes. Who wants to talk to me now and what makes them believe I want to talk to them even though we've graduated?
Kira came up to her and she actually looked nice in her denim shorts and bohemian top. Assorted shell bracelets decorated her wrist. Even more odd, she looked happy. Actually happy. There was none of that fake stuff. Her eyes were alit with eagerness.
"Kira," Amelie said, not an ounce of sounding thrilled.
There was a brief smile from Kira and the two stood there awkwardly for a minute. Her strawberry blonde curls wafted in the heat that he fire gave off.
"Crazy party, huh?"
"Not really," Amelie replied, and it was true. Though this was just the bonfire. She hadn't gone to see everything. "What do you want?"
Amelie was deeply confused by the confrontation. Was there a point?
"I broke up with Aaron," she said after a beat.
And, there it was. Damn. Amelie's eyebrows shot up. In all honesty, Amelie expected Aaron to dump her, not the other way around. Kira was happy about it too. Amelie remembered back to telling her that she'd be better off without Aaron and wondered if that was the reason why Kira did it or if she did it because she was ready to be on her own.
"Wow," Amelie managed. "Ummmm, okay."
More awkward silence. What was she supposed to say? Congratulations? She didn't like Kira. It didn't really matter if she was dating Aaron or not. It did surprise her though. She'd give Kira that.
After another minute of letting Kira think the two of them were on the cusp of friendship, which really was pushing it, Amelie wandered off.
While Amelie had seen a lot of people this evening, but she hadn't seen Aaron at all. Not since the ceremony, and the last bits of sun were gone now. She made her way toward the library. It was dark with on signs of life inside and she wondered if it was open.
Surprisingly, the door opened with ease. The entire place was quiet and enveloped in night's shadow. It was a good place to hide out and other things. Nothing was going on in there and nobody was around. Amelie walked between desks and back into the stacks.
"How did I know you'd end up here?"
Amelie jumped at the voice. Reid just bared that usual cocky smirk as he lounged on top of the front desk with his legs out in front of him. The librarian would shit a fit if she saw this. Amelie scowled playfully.
He jumped down from his comfortable spot and made his way over to her. They made their way deeper into the library.
"This place is so nice in the dark," Amelie commented. "I like being swallowed by the dark with all of these books. It's magical."
"Yeah, it has charm," Reid said flatly.
Amelie sought his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. They climbed some spiral stairs and sat down in a familiar corner. Renaissance art section.
Reid remembered kissing her here like it was yesterday. It was more than just a kiss, but still. He caught Amelie biting her lower lip and smiled. She was thinking about it too. If his mind wasn't so preoccupied he wouldn't've minded reliving said memory. Amelie had been worried a lot lately even though she was trying to hide it, so he hadn't shared the latest bit of news with her yet. However, this was a good time and a good place. He snorted softly to himself. They would be the only ones here.
"There's something I need to tell you," he said. "Well, actually, I think I'll read to you instead. It's been a while since we've down that."
Amelie looked up at him shiftily through her dark lashes, but didn't move from her comfortable spot of her head lying on his shoulder.
He pulled out a book from the shelf just above his head. Now she did lift her head. He'd hidden it in here moments before she arrived in hopes that this would be how the night went. He was glad that it did.
There were no actual novels in this section. Amelie snatched the book form him and looked at the cover which was nothing more than a title page. The Covenant. Her jaw dropped. His name was at the bottom.
"It's done?"
"I told you that you could read it when it was done," he said. "It's very done."
Amelie turned the book over in her hands. It was perfectly bound. Publisher bound.
"It's getting published," she said in realization.
"Like I said, it's very done." He smiled triumphantly. Even in the darkness, he could see the excitement in her eyes.
Amelie opened to the first page and laid her head back down on his shoulder as she started reading. A lip biting smile spread across her lips. This was definitely how she wanted to spend her night. This was perfect.
She glanced up at him here and there. It was perfect for him too. He didn't care so much about drinking. He just wanted to spend the night with her. So they took turns reading. Amelie would poke him whenever she came to a part that she liked.
They didn't finish it all that night. They went back out to the bonfire, but she didn't let go of the book, clutching it to her chest tightly. She was never letting go of it.
The bonfire was still going and there were some people still around it. They stayed by the fire until the sky started to get lighter. Tyler found them. He was barely conscious, but not puking. Little by little the group collected and watched the sun rise. It was fiery and quiet and beautiful. It was the end.
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