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Chapter 12

"Alright everybody, before Miss. Sanderson gets here, I have some news!"

Everyone stopped their conversations and looked up as Tyler entered, looking very happy about something.

"My parents are visiting friends over the weekend and my sister is at something, which means I have the house to myself. To celebrate, I am throwing the biggest party ever. You're all invited, of course, in fact, pretty much everyone at Fairfall Prep will be. The booze will be flowing, we'll have the best tunes and it's gonna slap so hard. So Saturday night, starts at 8, but if anyone wants to help me set up, it'd be much appreciated."

"I'm sorry, everyone?" Hayley glumly raised a hand, "Even Loser Lizzie?"

Lizzie made a face, but didn't say anything.

"You're all my friends in Glee club, so yes, everyone is welcome," Tyler emphasised, "I'm not going to have that many freshman and sophomores, they're too much of a liability when it comes to alcohol, so Melrose, Lizzie, Hayley, Adrian and Robin are practically VIPS. Besides Hayley, no one's forcing you to come, are they?"

Hayley glared at him, opening her mouth, before deciding not to retort. She'd been invited to a party by a senior, but so had that freak Lizzie Sawyer.

"I have to agree with Mini Dawson," Diana piped up, "Do you really want to be lowering the calibre of your party by inviting certain types?"

"The floor is already set if you're there," Oliver shot back, several of the others laughing. Adelina hid a delicate laugh behind her hand, but stopped when Oliver turned to look at her.

"No one thinks you're funny, Grant," Diana sulked.

"No one thinks you're likeable, Collins," was Oliver's enthusiastic reply.

Diana slouched in her seat, folding her arms and frowning, as Tess entered the room.

"Good afternoon Top Notes! Everyone take a seat, that's good. Now, we are going to be continuing to work for Sectionals, which is just over a week away. We've done so well so far, but we still need to be sure that we are absolutely going to win this."

Melrose had been selected for the solo, after Tess had carefully considered it. She'd worked the hardest and her voice was strong, so she had picked the pretty sophomore- though several in the group weren't really impressed by that. Melrose would start the competition off with 'Hot Like Fire' by Aaliyah.

The first group song would kind of a boys v girls thing, with them singing 'Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac. The second group song would link them all together- a performance of 'Don't Look Back in Anger' by Oasis. Tess was very excited about the selection.

"Which brings me to my next topic: I've found out which groups that we're going to be competing against," she flipped open an envelope, "Who wants to know?"

There were several excited shrieks and cries, as though they were children at a circus act. Tess chuckled to herself- they were more excited than she was.

"First we're going to be against The Dancing Divas from Fair Rivers Alternative Academy."

"Isn't that the all girls' school for criminal chicks?" Jason asked.

"It's an alternative school," Tess corrected, "These girls just need a little guidance, that's all."

"So that means we have to keep our wallets away from them?" Diana asked.

"Not everyone is as lucky as you to come from solid homes and yes, while they have made some bad decisions, they are still as worthy to be a part of this competition as you are. The second school are The Sensations from Adam Clayton Powell High. Now, we may think we're the best because we have all the resources and funding, but we can't just rely on that. More than anything, it's singing and dancing well that will get us to regionals. Now, everyone get up, we're going to be practicing 'Don't Look Back in Anger.' Oliver, up front, we'll start with the opening verse."

As they got up, Diana looked around, pissed at how she'd been treated by the Glee club.

They wouldn't get away with this. Even Hayley had laughed when Oliver had insulted her, just after she agreed. Libby hadn't even jumped in to defend her, that so called 'friend.' Hayley could be like her, but she was like the Cheerios. The others, especially Lizzie, were freaks.

Smirking to herself, she decided that this wasn't going to be a party to forget.

CHAPTER 12-

The normally quiet house was buzzing on Saturday night. Pretty much every junior and senior in the school had arrived, hell; some kids from other schools had come along too. When a Fairfall Prep student had an open house party, everyone came. Deacon, Jason and Nick had come along early to help get things ready, bringing with them carts and carts of alcohol. Tyler had kept the good stuff in its safe- his parents would kill him if they touched the expensive bottles of champagne and wine they had.

Fluffing her hair in the mirror, Diana was ready for action. Looking around, she finally saw Hayley enter the house, still in her cheer uniform. The redhead smirked, moving her way through the crowd to get to the young cheerleader.

"Hayley!"

"Oh, hi Diana," Hayley looked surprised to see the older girl speaking to her.

"Why don't you come have some vodka with me?"

"I'm just going to have one beer."

"Why?"

"I don't want to drink too much."

"Honey, no one is going to think you're cool at parties if you stick to just one beer."

"No offense, but I don't really care. I'm already popular."

"Oh sweetie, let me give you some information that you really need to hear. You are one of three freshmen in this house, which is a huge deal. People will see you here and know that you're it. You will be invited to more parties and your social status will climb. Very few freshmen are actually cool, but you could have the chance to. I'm just trying to help you."

Hayley scoffed.

"I have Adelina and Addison, I don't need you."

"Oh really? Addison is bland as anything and Adelina has a stick up her perky behind. You can be cool without being a cheerleader, look at me. I'm hot, all the boys want to screw me and I will probably be Prom Queen senior year. Hayley, you could be me in two years time."

"What's so good about that?"

"I hope you'd asked," Diana walked over to the person overseeing the music, whispering something in his ear. He nodded, and a song came on.

I like looking hot, buying stuff they cannot

I like drinking hard, maxing dad's credit card

I like skipping gym, scaring her, screwing him

I like killer clothes, kicking nerds in the nose

She moved around the main drinks table, motioning Hayley to her.

Honey what you waiting for?

Welcome to my candy store

Time for you to prove you're not a loser anymore

And step into my candy store

Hayley found herself entranced by the promises of the song. Ok, Diana was pretty popular, if not liked. Hayley didn't need friends, she needed admirers. That's exactly what Diana had.

It's my candy store

It's my candy

It's my candy store

It's my candy

It's my candy store

It's my candy store

Diana finished with ease, as though it had not happened.

"So kid, do you want to be known as that fierce bitch Hayley Dawson, or Deacon Dawson's little sister?" Diana asked, playing with a bottle of vodka between her fingertips.

Hayley held out a hand, Diana passing her the bottle. Taking a deep breath, she took a big sip.

"How do you feel?"

"Nothing yet."

"It won't kick in until later; just ensure you have the full bottle."

Hayley nodded, continuing to drink.

"Is that a good idea?"

They stopped drinking as Libby came over.

"Is what a good idea?" Diana asked.

"She's only fourteen, downing a vodka bottle at a party may not be the best idea in the world. Do you even drink this much usually? Your body isn't used to it, none of our bodies in cheer are. Maybe stick with a light beer or something Hayley."

"Maybe you should take a chill pill, Libby," Diana mocked.

"Yeah, you're always so whiny," Hayley teased, high fiving Diana.

"That's unfair."

"Maybe you should drink some more Libby and then you can throw up a bit. It's not puppy fat when you're nearly seventeen. It might not hurt to kick start that diet after all."

Libby walked away as the two laughed, tears stinging her eyes.

She could get away with it here. Everyone would think that Libby was throwing up because of the alcohol; it'd be the same for everyone else. She'd only thrown up once or twice before, but it had made her feel a little bit better.

Her mother was always on her to lose weight; she'd only joined cheerleading to get fitter. Annette Leigh had always been a beautiful woman, a debutante and a part-time model. It burned Annette that her only child was a little bit chubby- in her opinion- and not super pretty. Annette preferred Diana, constantly praising her for being pretty and poised. She'd fuss over Diana whilst Libby was in the same room, the redhead enjoying the praise too.

Downing some tequila, Libby headed up to one of the many bathrooms. Locking the door, she lay on her knees in front of the toilet and took a deep breath, putting her fingers down her throat.

The sound of the pounding music hid her shame; she managed to then compose herself and exit. Unfortunately, she hadn't watched where she was going.

"Oh sorry Deacon."

"It's ok," Deacon held her steady, "I hope you're not already too drunk."

"Nah, just not looking where I was going," Libby laughed lightly.

She liked Deacon; he was always nice to her. Most people, even in the Glee club, just saw her as an extension of Diana and treated her as such. Adelina and Addison were always pleasant to her at cheer practice, but they saw her as a teammate as opposed to a proper friend. Deacon was kind; he treated her normally and made her laugh.

Diana told her that he wouldn't be interested anyway. Libby lied, said that he was just a friend. Still, she kind of wanted it to be more, to be her own person outside of Diana. Shit, he'd probably like the tall and slim Diana more, every guy did. She was the gatekeeper; they only used her so she'd butter them up to her best friend.

Downstairs, Jay was stood on the porch. He leaned against the railings, doing nothing in particular, until he noticed someone.

He recognised the guy who sold him the prescription drugs sometimes, when the regular dealer wasn't there.

The guy recognised him too, slowly walking over.

"Hi, pleasant day," he greeted.

"It is," Jay agreed.

"I have some goods with me. Lorazepam, gives you a pick me up, might be fun. Maybe don't drink too much with it; you could have a bad time bro."

"How much for a twelve pack?"

"It's a starter, so I'll give it you for $5."

Jay slipped a five from his back pocket, handing it to the guy. In return, he received a small white packet with no markings. Nodding, the two departed.

When no one was looking, Jay grabbed a drink of water and gulped two of the pills. It would be fine with a drink or two, it was just anxiety medicine or whatever, he reckoned. As long as he didn't down stuff with a high alcohol percentage, he'd be fine. Stick to low alcohol, it would be ok.

As the pills sunk in, he started singing along to the music.

Blame it on the booze

Got you feeling loose

Blame it on 'tron

Got you in the zone

Blame it on th alcohol

Blame it on th alcohol

Hey she say she usually don't

But I know that she front

'Cause shawty know what she want

But she don't wanna seem like she easy

I hear you saying what ya won't do

But you know we probably gonna do

What you been feigning deep inside

Don't lie now

Jay felt a high he'd never felt, a huge grin plastered on his face. He stumbled around, laughing and high fiving confused revellers.

Finally, he stumbled into Jason.

"Watch it man- how much have you had to drink?"

"Barely anything," Jay promised, "Hey, you're in my way."

"I am standing next to you; I am not in your way."

"Yes you are," Jay reached out into an invisible space, "I see stars."

What he was seeing were hallucinations, not stars, but Jay didn't realise that of course. The pills had kicked in quickly, with the side effects immediate- that alcohol hadn't helped at all.

"You really need to sober up buddy," Jason told him.

"I'm not drunk," Jay insisted- he technically wasn't wrong.

"I'll get you some chicken wings and water," Nick, who was standing next to his twin, offered.

"I DON'T NEED ANYTHING!" Jay screamed in his face, causing several people around them to shut up.

"Hey man, don't speak to my bro like that," Jason immediately defended Jason.

"Go to Hell man," Jay hissed.

"What is your problem?"

Jay answered by connecting his fist to Jason's face, the two crumbling to the ground. Nick scrambled to tear the two apart, but ended up saving his brother from a punch and therefore joining the two in the fight. As the crowd around them chanted 'fight,' Deacon and Tyler rushed over.

Eventually, they split them apart. The McCafferey twins were fine, but Deacon and Tyler had to hold Jay back as he was still baying for blood.

Jay was seeing figures again, his energy pumped. He fought against his friends' grip, but they had a steady hold on him.

"What the shit is happening here?" Deacon asked, desperately trying to keep Jay from getting loose.

"He just started attacking us like a wildcat," Jason ran a hand through his messed up hair, "He's totally wasted."

"I'm not drunk!" Jay shouted again like a petulant child.

"He's right; I don't smell alcohol," Tyler sniffed, "Holy crap- Jay, are you on something? I swear to God I'll kill you if you've been doing drugs in this house."

"I'm not on anything!"

"Whatever man, I'm calling you an Uber," Tyler grabbed his phone and went on the app, "Go home and sober the hell up. You'll forget this by morning."

He and Deacon helped Jay to the door, hustling him into the car when it arrived a few minutes later. The Uber driver looked less than pleased to have a seemingly drunken teen in his car, but Tyler handed him extra money in case Jay threw up in the back. They watched as the car sped away.

"Well that was something," Deacon commented as they headed back into the house.

"Yeah, I'm sure he just drank too much at once and acted like an ass," Tyler agreed.

As soon as they walked in, Addison ran over to them.

"You need to see this," she told them both, before high tailing into another room.

Confused, the boys followed her. As soon as they entered the sitting room, they both stopped in shock.

Hayley was dancing on top of a table; hair messed up and body swinging randomly to the beat. What looked to be beer stained her top and skirt, a deep brown cast onto the white. In one hand was a half empty bottle of tequila, in the other an overflowing glass of something. What seemed like everyone in the party was surrounding her, phones out filming her drunkenness.

"HAYLEY!" Deacon yelled over the din of the party, "GET DOWN, NOW!"

The younger girl ignored him, continuing to dance. Suddenly, she stopped and clutched her mouth. One second later and she vomited all over the table. Everyone stopped, gagging at the sight and smell.

Deacon and Tyler looked at one another.

"Ok, so this is worse," Tyler quipped.

"I am going to kill her," Deacon added.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE-

After the spectacle that was Hayley Dawson losing every piece of her dignity, Jack decided to call it a night. There wasn't much he could do, as drinking a lot in his condition could be dangerous. An Uber was called and he chatted pleasantly with the driver.

"Ugh kid- is that your house with the police cars outside?"

Jack looked up, squinting slightly. In his blurred vision, he could make out several police cars parked neatly outside of the gates. His heart dropping, he let the driver help him out. Grabbing his stick, Jack rushed up as quickly as he could.

"Jack!"

His mom was stood at the door in her dressing gown and slippers, clutching a cup of coffee. Next to her was a cop who seemed to be taking a statement.

"What's going on? Are dad and Michael ok?" he asked.

"They're fine," Sherry's voice was shaky and teary, "We got burgled."

"WHAT?"

"We heard crashing and banging downstairs. At first we thought it was one of the dogs but your father went downstairs and saw the back door open and glass broken. They've taken my nice china, family jewellery, the big TV, stuff from the kitchen, they've taken everything of material value. They even broke all the photo frames in the living room. Whoever it is, they've long gone, but God Jack, it was so scary."

Choking out a sob, Sherry wrapped her arms around her son.

"How bad is it?" Jack asked the policeman.

"They've taken a lot of stuff; I think it may have been planned. Fairfall is usually very safe, but they target the rich houses because they know there's stuff worth taking," the officer grimaced, "Forensics are here, you'll have to wait outside until they're done."

Jack nodded.

He felt fear all down him. A lot of kids could have challenged the burglars; someone like Oliver could beat their asses. Jack could barely see in front of him, he'd have no luck. There was a gun in the house, but there was no way he could safely use it- he could easily shoot someone by accident.

Even with his disability, he'd always felt safe in his little bubble. Fairfall never had any major crimes; it was one of the safest places in America. His house, however, had been targeted. The material possessions could be replaced, but the safety wouldn't. Sherry was shaking like a leaf, and Jack bet his brother and father weren't too much better.

Standing outside in the November cold, he watched police and forensic swarm his house. He was glad he wasn't in the house when it happened, but it was scary to know his family were asleep upstairs. What if they'd been the type of robbers who wanted to hurt people? Jack couldn't imagine coming home to parents battered by heavy objects.

Gripping his walking stick, he felt the world spin around him. Jack had thought about the offered surgery a lot- would things be safer if he could fully see? It wouldn't stop crime, but he'd be one step ahead.

Right?

Hello all, I hope you enjoyed it! Lots of juicy drama. It's Sectionals net chapter.

Next Time: Libby and Jay struggle with their vices. Hayley's actions have devastating consequences for her and Deacon, leaving the group wondering if they'll be able to perform Sectionals.

Questions:

Will Libby continue her bulimia?

What will happen to Hayley?

Is Jay going to get worse?

What will Jack decide about surgery?

Will the group see a win at Sectionals?

Thanks again, don't forget to review xxx