Riley shipped her champagne and surveyed the crowded ballroom. She spotted Sean in the corner, talking with…Jade, of all people. She should have figured- introducing her boyfriend to Jade was equivalent to putting a big sticker on Sean's forehead reading "Flirt Profusely; Attempt to Steal". Oh, fucking hell, she thought angrily, watching as Jade tossed her impossibly shiny hair over one shoulder and giving a loud, high-pitched laugh. Sean was so not that funny. He wasn't charming. He wasn't smart, or anything even remotely close to smart. What- what the hell- could he possibly be saying that was so hilarious that made Jade giggle and snort like that? She took another drink from her glass, trying to convince herself she wasn't jealous, because jealousy was a sign of weakness, and Riley refused to be weak. She was Riley Corey, for God's sake! When she went to a party, all her eyes were on her. She was the top-dog, the girl that could make or break every party and every boy's fragile little heart. And now Jade had stomped back into her life, charming Sean- her Sean- and making Riley feel much like the morbidly obese, acne-faced, greasy haired girl that sat in the back of her Biology class, with all the attention she was getting. Not one boy had even asked her to dance yet. Riley concluded they all must be blind.
Well, she wasn't going to hover in the corner and watch Sean and Jade's nauseating acts of utter stupidity. She spotted Calvin ordering drinks at the bar, so she scooted over there, knowing this was her chance. She walked up behind him, smiling deviously. "Hey, sexy," she whispered from behind into his ear, her hot breath tickling the side of his neck. Ha. No boy could resist her trademark move.
Calvin turned slightly. "Riley," he muttered, glancing around nervously. "Um…you look gorgeous in that dress."
"Thanks," Riley purred. "You know, it comes off easily." She grabbed his hand. "So let's go. I'm just had a million glasses of wine and I'm feeling rather-"
Calvin pulled his hand away, shaking his head. "I told you, Riley. I can't tonight. Not with my in-laws here. You look beautiful, and I wish it were different, but I'm sorry." Riley's mouth fell open in shock. The bartender came up and placed his drinks on the counter. Calvin turned and picked them up. "I'm sorry." And he turned and walked off, undoubtedly crawling back to his miserable wife and her miserable parents.
Riley stood perfectly still for a long moment, trying to fully comprehend this terrible blow to her ego. She had just been turned down. Blatantly, flat-out rejected. She leaned against the bar and shook her head. "Jesus fucking Christ!" she said loudly, to no one in particular. "Men. They are just so….stupid! Their all fucking bastards put on this Earth to make woman miserable. I swear to God, I'm through with all men from this moment on…" She turned and saw the bartender staring at her. "What the hell are you looking at?" she growled. "Give me something to drink!"
"Um…what would you like, miss?"
"I don't fucking care. Just put a lot of alcohol in it and make it fast," she said, plopping down on a stool. The man nodded and scurried to make her drink, not caring about her obvious under-agedness. They never bothered with ages. You just didn't at events like these. The bartenders were hired to come and serve alcohol to whoever the hell paid, even if it was an eight-year-old kid missing a liver.
Roxie rested her chin in her hands and sighed. No Sean, no Calvin, she thought sadly. Fuck them.
"You know, I modeled in six fashion shows in the last month," Jade bragged, tossing her hair over her shoulder for the millionth time. She smiled and tried to look modest, but it wasn't working. "They all said I had the perfect body for runways, which I've always thought, but my agent wasn't thrilled about the shows. She told me I should start focusing on my acting career, you know, making sure people start taking me seriously. Everyone just thinks I'm some gorgeous party girl." She suddenly got serious. "But I'm so much more."
Sean itched his fore head and smiled. "Yeah…I bet you are." Actually, Sean suspected that underneath all the snobby superficiality, there was even more snobby superficiality. At first, Sean had been thrilled to talk to Jade- she was clearly interested in him, and wow- that body. But he realized that talking to her was about as interesting as talking to a wall. Conversation with a wall would probably be more stimulating, though. Ok, so Jade was boring, but it was killing Sean to know that all he had to do was take her hand, whisper a few words in her ear, take her somewhere private, and within minutes they'd be having wild, passionate sex. It would be that easy. But he had promised himself to stay faithful to Emma, and he was sticking with that.
He really didn't want to mess around with Jade much, anyway. Believe it or not, he would have actually preferred talking to Riley, which said a lot. Jade began talking about a new dress she had bought that afternoon, and Sean began searching for Riley. Please, please, God- let her be here. He finally saw a blonde figure sitting at the bar, wearing a shimmering pink dress. "Uh, excuse me."
Jade frowned. She clearly hated being interrupted. "Uh, yeah?"
"I really need to talk to Riley," he lied, smiling apologetically. He slowly began inching away. "So…I'll talk to you later, alright?"
"But-" Too late. Sean was making a bee-line for the bar.
"Riley," Sean said, walking up to her. He leaned against the bar next to her. "I never thought I'd ever say this, but boy am I happy to see you."
Riley turned to him. "What? Bored with your little Barbie…princess- thing over there?" she asked, slurring slightly. She blinked and swayed. "Well, I told you, didn't I? That girl….God, I hate that girl."
Drunk. That's what Riley was- plain and simply drunk. Sean almost laughed, because drunk Riley was always more interesting than regular Riley. He remembered one time, when they had both had a lot to drink; Riley had suggested climbing onto a bridge and jumping off it into the river. So they had, and Riley had taken off all of her clothes and dived right in. Sean chuckled to himself, remembering. Good old, drunk Riley. She never failed to please. "Whoa. Somebody's been hitting the bar pretty hard, huh?" He nudged her.
"What- a girl can't have a drink around here?" she asked defensively. "Calvin ditched me- for his wife."
"And that's surprising because…"
"Fuck you. He said he loved me, Sean. At least I think he did," she said, looking confused for a second. But she quickly shook her head and gestured with her arm, her drink sloshing in her cup. "The point is, he meant something to me. And I was supposed to mean something to him. I loved him, you know. Honestly- I think I did. We had the best sex, too. We even had sex on his dining room table and-"
Sean couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself- it was all too priceless. "Alright, alright. As much as I'd love to hear intimate details about you sex life, let's keep it down, ok? You're practically screaming."
"Fine," Riley mumbled, hunching over and sighing. "All alone. We're all alone, always, Sean. Wait- you have Emma."
"Yeah, I do have Emma."
"Well, she's no prize," Riley replied, shaking her head. Sean gave her a look, which she ignored. "But at least you got somebody. Me…I'm unlovable."
"That's not…completely true."
"Yes it is," she insisted. "No boy has ever wanted to stay with me for more than a few weeks. Face it- I'm just a good fuck. That's all the boys think. Including you."
That wasn't true. He knew that he should tell her that- that she hadn't been just a good time, an easy lay. She had been so much more to him, a fact that, to this day, still astounded him. Riley was everything Emma wasn't- loud, wild, selfish, even cruel, but she had still managed to touch him in a way no one ever had. As corny as it was, it was like Riley was able to look right into his soul. God, you sound so gay, he thought. If he ever told Riley that, she'd probably burst out laughing and toss out one of her scathing insults. Nope. That information was never leaving Sean's head. So instead of making her feel better, he just grabbed a handful of peanuts from a bowl and remained silent.
Riley stared at him and sighed. "It's pathetic, really. Alright. MR. BARTENDER!" she screamed. Sean winced and glanced around in embarrassment. "Bring my good man here whatever I'm having," she ordered in her usual bossy tone, trying to pat Sean on the shoulder and polish off her drink at the same time. When she did, she slid the glass across the counter. "And refill mine, got it?"
Within seconds, a glass appeared in front of Sean, and he shifted uncomfortably. Riley did know him- and she knew that alcohol was his greatest weakness. See, he had this theory that alcohol was the best friend a person could ever have. Friends just do dumb shit and make you feel like crap, but alcohol….it simply would never let you down. It would never abandon you, or try to tell you what to do, or anything like that. Sean tapped his fingers against the counter, and eyed the glass, knowing that Riley was watching him intently. She finally laughed loudly and nudged him in the arm. "Hey. That's not gonna drink itself, ya know. I didn't get it so you could stare at it, dumbass."
So Sean took a sip. A small, tiny sip, just to get the flavor. But that sip turned into another, and that turned into another….and soon, Sean was as just as tanked as Riley. They sat at the bar, laughing about absolutely nothing and making idiots out of themselves, but what did they care? It was a party, and not even a very good one at that, But they had unlimited access to whatever kind of alcohol they desired, and for once, Sean had enough money to pay for it all. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up. So Sean kept stupidly allowing Riley to order him drink after drink, and he drank them all, without thinking twice.
"You know, we're too peas in a pod, Sean," Riley finally said, giggling. "I'm serious, though. You and me…we like, think alike, you know?" She ran a hand through his hair. "You know, like sleeping around and all that. Everyone else thinks it wrong, but we don't. We understand, that like, it's, like, necessary, you know? Seriously. You're my soul sister, Seanny."
Sean laughed. "You mean…soul brother?" God, was he plastered.
Riley frowned. "What? Whatever." She smiled at him, and twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger. "Sean, do you think I look good in this dress?"
Sean gave her the once-over. "You look….awesome. Good enough to…" he leaned over close to her. "The things I could do to you right now…" he muttered in her ear, and she giggled loudly. He frowned to himself- that had totally been the drinks talking.
"Why don't you show me?" she whispered, and he smiled and shook his head. "Oh, come on, Seanny. Just forget about everything, and be with me. For one night. I know you want too, so don't even pretend." She kissed him lightly on the lips and smiled suggestively. "I promise, you won't regret it."
Oh, but he would. He would severely regret it. Yet, in his incompetent, drunken stupor, he was actually tempted by the proposition. Why not? He wondered. He could go with Riley, and it would be just like old times. They'd drink some more, have mind-blowing sex, smoke some pot, and just relax. With Emma, he didn't do any of that. And he meant any of that. Yes, he had yet to sleep with Emma, because she was trying to keep her "virginal perfection" intact. It was funny, because she never seemed to question why he didn't push her for sex, or try to pressure her into doing it. The answer- he was getting in somewhere else. It was horribly, disgustingly wrong, but that's just how it was. And somehow, in Sean's mind, not being able to have sex with Emma justified cheating on her.
"Come on," she whispered, grabbing his thigh and squeezing it.
There was a second of hesitation, a second of pure sanity, but he shoved it aside and stood up. "Alright," he said curtly, setting down his drink. "Let's go." He roughly grabbed her hand, and she giggled uncontrollably as he pulled her across the dance floor.
A few minutes later they jumped into the empty elevator which led to the higher floors, which had all the guest suites. Sean pressed the button, and then Riley grabbed him and began urgently kissing him, as if she was afraid it would all end at any moment. They continued making out until the elevator reached their floor, and the doors flew open. They stumbled out, both laughing and both completely turned on, and the hurried toward the room they had gotten.
They fooled around for awhile on the large bed, kissing and talking dirty and touching each other all over. Riley finally fell back against the pillows, grabbed Sean's collar, and pulled him down on top of her. "I want you, Sean," she murmured in an irresistible, breathy voice. Sean nodded. "I…want you…too," he replied, in between kisses. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. He always had one handy. She took it, and ripped it open.
It was the sound of the condom that got him. The tiny, faint ripping noise was barely audible, but it symbolized so much. What the fuck was he thinking? Was he really on the verge of starting it all over again- a volatile and disastrous relationship with Riley? He didn't care what anyone said- the girl was mentally unstable, seriously deranged. And no matter what he told himself, a one night stand with Riley was never just a one night stand. There would be another night, and another, and another, and everything would become hopelessly fucked up again. So he did the only thing he could do- he shoved Riley off the bed.
"Hey! What the fuck?" Riley asked, completely pissed off.
Sean leaned back on the pillows and ran a hand over his face. "I'm sorry. It's not happening."
"WHAT?" she screeched, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "No. No way. You do not string me along like that, leading me on and all that bullshit, and then refuse to actually have sex." She shook her head and jumped back onto the bed. "No. We're so doing this." She leaned toward him and tried to unbutton the buttons on his shirt.
"No!" Sean insisted, trying to fend Riley off. "This is considered rape!"
"Oh, Jesus," Riley snarled, sitting back. "I can't fucking believe this. What is the matter with you?"
"What?" Was she actually yelling at him for a conscience, something she obviously lacked, considering Emma was her friend?
"No, seriously. What is wrong with you?" she asked, reaching over and picking up a cigarette off the bed stand. "You're sitting in a hotel room with a girl- an extremely gorgeous girl- who's practically begging you to sleep with them, and you're saying no." She stared at him in disbelief as she lit the cigarette. "It's fucking ridiculous. What- do you think you're suddenly too good for me or something? Because, you'd be sorely mistaken."
Oh. Not this bullshit again. Sean grabbed his shirt and shook his head. "No. Why can't you just face it- someone doesn't want you. Just because you shake your hips and bat your little eyelashes, it doesn't mean people automatically want to fuck you. You're not all that." Reality check. If there was one thing Riley couldn't handle, it was being told she wasn't as extremely desirable as she had always thought. Riley narrowed her eyes at him.
"Oh, really?" she asked, flicking her cigarette so the ashes fell carelessly onto the bed-spread. "Then explain to me exactly why you were messing around with me behind Emma's back. You're such a horrible boyfriend. I mean, the worst I have ever seen."
"Oh, and how would you know anything about boyfriends?" he retorted. "You haven't had a boyfriend long enough to know, since no guy ever sticks around for more than a week. They just screw with you a few times, and then walk away and laugh. " The look on Riley's face was so priceless; he wished he could take a picture, frame it, and hang it on his wall. At least he had hit her exactly where it hurt.
"You don't know shit," she hissed. "You don't know anything about me. You think you do, but you don't."
"I know enough," he said, buttoning his dress shirt. "You're spoiled and self-centered, you only care about yourself, you sleep with anything that has two legs, and your so fucked up on drugs all the time that it's-"
"So that's it," she interrupted. "You think I'm just a junkie. A slut. You know, you don't get anywhere in this fucking world if you don't watch out for yourself first and foremost. Survival of the fittest and all that bull. So you think that just because I put myself first and do some drugs occasionally, I'm a horrible person with no feelings."
Sean laughed, although he didn't mean to. It just sort of slipped out. "Yep. Pretty much summed it up. A junkie slut."
He knew it was coming, even as the words spilled out of his mouth. He'd dug to deep, pushed her too far. Riley could trade insults back and forth with you all day, but when you hit the real stuff- the stuff she knew was true- well, you were done. She'd fuck you up, mind and body. Sean knew better, but he'd said it anyway. He'd hardly blinked before she had reached out and grabbed a courtesy drinking class, and hurled it at him. Holy fuck. It came flying as his face, and Sean ducked. It flew over his shoulder and crashed against the door. Sean turned to her with wide eyes.
"Shit. What the hell? You could have fucking killed me!"
"That was the point," she snapped. He stared at her. She was still lounging casually on the bed, her feet crossed at the ankles and her half-smoked cigarette dangling from her hand. Like she just hadn't thrown a glass at his face. "Lucky for you, I have poor aim."
"I'm leaving," Sean said, grabbing his tuxedo jacket. "If you'd like your suit back, you can find it in the trash can."
"No. Keep it. Maybe you can even sell it for a few quarters at one of those white-trash markets you people have. Treat yourself to a nice Big Mac at McDonald's, splurge for once."
"Maybe. And maybe I'll send the bell-boy up here. Maybe he'd be willing to screw you….since no one else is. Not Calvin, not me, not anyone with a little self-respect." He stomped to the door and pulled it open. But before he stepped out, he turned back to her. "And just so you know, you could never, never, be half the girl Emma is. You don't even fucking compare."
Riley began to say something, but Sean didn't let her. He slammed the door shut and walked to the elevator, leaving Riley Corey sitting in the hotel room, trying desperately not to cry.
The sunlight glared brightly down, and Paige squeezed Spinner's hand tightly as they walked down Main Street, soaking up the afternoon sun. They were spending a quiet afternoon together, just strolling around and talking. Paige knew she had done the right thing now- Spin needed her so much more than Jimmy did. She knew that without her, Jimmy would be ok, come out all fine. But Spin…he wouldn't be able to handle it. She didn't think she could live with herself if she started dating Jimmy, and left Spinner all by himself, when he needed her the most. She loved Spin, and Jimmy had just been…a thing. A naughty little thing she did, but nothing more.
"Thanks for waiting while I tried on those pants," Paige said happily. Spin shrugged.
"It was fun, watching you try on every pair of pants in the store," Spin said, and Paige laughed. She swatted him in the arm. "And yet you only bought one pair."
"You know nothing of shopping, Spin," Paige said, shaking her head sadly. "It takes a certain method to find the perfect pair of jeans. Besides, you want me to looks hot at the school dance tonight, right? You can't just walk into a store and buy the first pair you try on!"
"You can't?"
Paige sighed dramatically. "No. Boys are shopping-challenged, I swear. Hey, isn't that your Dad's car?" she said, pointing to a Mercedes sitting on the curb. Spin noticed it and frowned. A cold, hard look came into his eyes, and Paige instantly regretted pointing it out. Gee, how stupid was she? Spin had some serious Daddy-issues.
"Yeah. Guess the son-of-a-bitch had a meeting here today," he said bitterly. Paige sighed and reached out and hugged him.
"Oh, Spin," she said, remembering all the things he had told her about his father. Spin hugged her back briefly, and then gently pushed her away. He glanced at the car, and walked up and peered through the window. Then he smiled slowly, an eerie, creepy smile. It made Paige nervous. "Wait here," he told her. Paige opened her mouth to protest, but Spin went jogging down the street.
He reappeared a few minutes later, holding a baseball bat. Paige frowned. "Hey-where did you get that?" Spin ignored her. "Um, honey, whatcha doing with that bat?"
"My Dad loves this car," Spin mumbled, tossing the bat up and down in his hands. "He'd be pissed. He'd be so pissed." Then, out of nowhere, he slammed the bat into the windshield. Paige jumped and gasped. Then Spin just beating in mercilessly, muttering profanities the whole time and seeming completely out of it, like in a trance. Like the only important thing in the world was fucking up his father's car. Paige watched in shock for a moment. "Spin, stop it!" she finally screamed. People had stopped to watch him. "Spin, come on!"
Paige carefully grabbed Spin by the collar and tugged him away from the car. "Spinner, Jesus Christ! What are you doing? What are you thinking?"
Spin clenched his jaw. "Getting him back. Getting him back for all his fucked-up shit. Man, is he going to be pissed." He smiled happily. "He thinks he has me all under his control, but he doesn't. I hate him. I hate him so much."
Paige took a shaky breath. She hadn't realized how deep Spin's resentment of his father was, how much it hurt him. She stared at the destroyed Mercedes, covered in broken glass. She grabbed Spin's hand. "Come on," she said urgently, glancing around. "We have to go, before you get in trouble." Then she dragged him down the street, and Spin was smiling goofily the whole time, seeming so proud of what he had done. He seemed almost giddy. Paige frowned, realizing one thing.
Spin had some real serious Daddy issues.
"Dances are so lame," Sean said, shaking his head. "'Oh, aren't we cool? Standing around and bobbing our heads to music while we drink fruit-punch." He pulled the car to a stop at a red light, and turned to Emma, giving her a look. He had made it perfectly clear that going to this dance was punishment most cruel. He'd simply thrown on a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt (after tossing Riley's stupid tuxedo to the back of the closet), and had barely run a comb through his hair. He didn't want to give off the impression he was actually trying to look nice. It went against everything he stood for.
"Come on," Emma said, checking her reflection in the overhead mirror. She was wearing a soft white sweater and a jean skirt. "Their not that bad. Their kind of lame, but so are most things in this world. Plus, we'll be together, and that's what counts, right?" She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "We haven't been spending that much time together lately." He smiled at her, and she smiled at him. Then she glanced at the clock on the dashboard and frowned. "Do you think you could go a little faster? I promised Riley I'd meet her there-"
"No!" Sean burst out, and Emma looked at him in alarm. "I mean…I thought this was "us" time. Since when does us include Riley?"
"It doesn't. But she's my friend. Oh, come on, Sean," Emma said, smiling and poking him playfully in the rib. "You and Riley should get over your little differences. She's not that bad, once you really get to know her."
No, she wasn't that bad- she was a million times worse. Sean suddenly had unwanted flashbacks to the previous night. Kissing Riley, touching Riley… it was enough to make him want to swerve to the side of the road, stop, and throw up all over everything. To think he had messed around with Riley when he had Emma! Sweet, gorgeous, innocent Emma. She meant so much to him, and he couldn't' imagine not being with her. Not being with Emma was not an option.
"I love you, Emma." It was kind of random, but he just felt the need to say it. Not for her, but for him.
She smiled softly at him. "I love you, too. Sean…I was thinking…tonight…after the dance….well, I think I'm ready."
She didn't have to say, because he knew what she was talking about. He grinned. Finally. He didn't want to sound like a jerk, but finally. Now that he and Emma would be having sex, there really wouldn't be a need for him to mess around with other girls. He and Emma were talking their relationship to another level, and he couldn't explain how ecstatic he was. He just smiled and took her hand, squeezing it. Their hand-squeezes always meant to so much- they said everything they couldn't say out loud. Sean pressed down on the accelerator. He couldn't wait to get to the dance, and then have the dance be over, so he and Emma could go back to his place. Tonight was going to be special.
And Riley Corey was NOT going to ruin it.
"It's not much, but it's enough blow to sell to the customers. A couple dime bags, maybe," Brice was saying. "No, I don't have any crystal meth, not tonight.' He cradled the phone against his shoulder as he lit a cigarette. He laughed loudly. "Please. I'm not buying that shit again. You don't have him pay me, he's dead, hear that?" He gestured with his cigarette. "You don't have that fucking asshole pay me within the next week, I'll stick my boys on him and he'll be lucky if he can even fucking talk."
Ellie sat on the sofa in Brice's large, industrial apartment, watching as her boyfriend paced back and forth in front of the large window. She gnawed on fingernails, waiting patiently until he hung up. These things always took forever, and Ellie had learned to just be patient and quiet. Just keep her mouth shut. Brice finally hung up the phone and then turned to her, a smile on his face. Ellie stared at him for a moment. He was so skinny- all those drugs he did cut down his appetite quite a bit. His shaggy brown hair fell to his eyes and curled around his ears, and he had just a hint of stubble on his jaw. He was so tall, and she guessed a little sickly- looking in his own way, but he was still as sexy as anything. He smiled at her as he sat down at the kitchen table to roll a joint. "God, Jeff's such a mother fucker," he muttered.
Ellie curled her feet underneath her and smiled hesitantly at him. "I thought…you weren't going to do any pushing tonight…remember?"
Brice glanced at her and gave a loop-sided grin. "It's all just business, baby." He lit the joint and took a hit. "You know that."
"Oh. Yeah." Yeah, she did know that. She didn't like it all that much, but that's just how things were. That's what dealing was all about, really. Making sure the customers were happy and all that, but Ellie would never understand it. The people…there were people that were bombed out of their mind and all strung out, and they'd show up on Brice's doorstep at four in the morning, looking for anything they could snort or inject, anything to get them through the night. It was all a sad business, but Ellie had gotten used to it. Before, those people had scared her. All they wanted was more drugs and more drugs and they'd do absolutely anything to get them. What a sad way to live, really. But now…it didn't bother her as much.
"So, how's school been going?" Brice asked. "You 'bout to kill yourself yet?"
Ellie shrugged. "It's stupid. All these people I used to be friends with are like, scared of me now. They all think I'm insane or something. I don't know. Their so lame and immature, anyway. It sucks."
Brice sighed. "Look, we've talked about this. All you gotta do is move out of your parent's house again, quit school and all that shit, and live with me again. It'll be like one big party, twenty-four/ seven." She smiled at him.
"I could. But…" she bit her lip. "I've got to make things right. My parents had minor heart attacks when I left. Look, I just have to sort some things out, and then we'll see. And my parents would go crazy if I left again. They wouldn't be able to handle it. And they'd die if they knew I was living with you."
Brice shrugged. "I don't see what it matters. We're going to get married, anyway," he muttered.
Ellie smiled. She loved when he talked like that- about them getting married. Oh, they weren't engaged or anything, not yet. But they both seemed to take for granted the fact that they were going to get hitched. Brice really loved her- he'd told her a million times how much he needed her, how she was the only thing keeping him sane. The thing was, Ellie wasn't sure if she loved him yet. He was usually really great to her and always a gentleman, and even though he was a drug-dealer, she still wanted to be with him because she knew he was genuinely a good person. But love…that was all tricky stuff for her. Sometimes Ellie thought that Brice cared about her more than she cared about him, and that made her feel guilty. She wasn't going to dump him, no way. Brice was the only thing that had kept these last couple of months good for her- without him, she'd be nothing. She'd have nothing.
"So, since you apparently love school, you're not going to like, get involved with really gay shit like cheerleading or anything, right?" he asked, looking worried. Ellie laughed and shook her head. She considered cheerleading right up there with the KKK and Nazism. But what would Brice know about high school? He'd dropped out after ninth grade.
"No! How can you even ask me that?" she said, pretending to be offended. "I'm not getting involved even a little bit. Like tonight. There was this stupid school dance and all, but…"
"A school dance?" Brice asked, perking up a bit. "Like, with a bunch of kids standing around and dancing?"
Ellie gave him an odd look. "That's usually what dances are, yes."
He smiled slowly. "Wow. Well, I think we should go."
"Are you shitting me?" When Ellie had heard about the dance, she had immediately just forgotten about it. School dance had never been her thing even before she'd run off, but now they were just unbearable. Besides, there was always that possibility of running into Sean….
"Nah. Let's go! There will plenty of desperate kids to sell too. I bet they'll all be looking to score, especially at something as lame as a school dance."
Ellie swallowed and sat up. "Wait- your thinking about selling to the kids at my school?"
Brice shrugged and stood up. "Sure. Drugs are always big with kids- you know, all the teenage angst and shit. Their just dying to rebel against Mommy and Daddy and get all lit up."
"But…but you can't," she stuttered. "I mean…no you can't just do that. Come on, Brice. I don't even want to go."
"El, look, I've got bills to pay and food to get, and I'm running a little low on money right now," Brice explained, pulling on his jacket. "Look, how about this? There probably won't be that many kids interested, anyway. No one will probably want any, and you and me can just go and try to have a good time."
Ellie stared at him doubtfully. Stupid Brice- he was always such a good liar, but she saw right through him. She slowly stood up and ran a hand through her long red hair. The last thing on Earth she wanted to do was attend a school dance, but, what the hell? So what if it was stupid and boring? At least she could tell her parents she'd went, make them think she was actually trying to get back into the flow of things at school. They'd hardly let her out of the house since she'd gone home, but she'd sneaked away to visit Brice at his new apartment. Her parents didn't know anything about kids. Her mother was to drunk to know where the hell she was most of the time, let alone where her daughter was. And her father…well, he'd just gotten back from war, but he wasn't home much. Ellie thought it was because he couldn't' stand being around her mother and all her drinking. "Fine. We'll go. But I'm warning you- you're going to hate it."
Brice shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."
"Going somewhere?"
Craig turned around and saw his father standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Craig. Craig smiled hesitantly and shrugged. "Um…yeah. There's this dance at school…"
"Craig, I thought we agreed we'd watch some movies tonight together," Albert said slowly, his voice slow and chilly.
"Oh." Craig did remember- they'd decided to order takeout, play some cards, and watch B-rate action movies. But Craig hadn't actually thought his Dad was serious about it- he'd only come over this afternoon to help his Dad assemble his new grill, and he'd just thought he'd go straight to the dance after. "Well….this dance is kind of important."
Albert made a weird noise. "Is it because of that girlfriend of yours?"
"Dad…I thought you liked Manny."
"I do," Albert replied evenly, stepping into the room. "But I don't' like the fact that you seem to be devoting most of your life to that girl. She's a nice girl and everything, but she's not going to get you anywhere good, Craig. And I certainly don't like the fact that you're ditching your father to attend a dance with her. There will be plenty of other dances, Craig."
Craig swallowed as he glanced into the mirror that hung over the dresser in his old room. "Well…..there will plenty of other nights to watch movies together, too."
"Are you talking back to me?"
Craig opened his mouth. He didn't know how to respond- if he said no, his Dad would get angry at him for lying. If he said yes, his Dad would get angry at him for being a smart-ass. It was one of those no-win situations that Craig seemed to get into quite frequently. "Dad…come on. I wasn't talking….I promised Manny I'd go."
"Craig…" It was a warning. Craig knew what his Dad wanted him to do- forget the dance and hang out with him, so they could pretend to "bond" again as father and son. Well, Craig was sorry and everything, but he was going to the dance. He was going to go and dance with is girlfriend and have a good time, because damn it, he deserved it. The days of his father pushing him around were over.
"Dad, I'm going to the dance."
He sort of expected it. But then again, do you ever really expect someone to beat the crap out of you? It was just like old times- his Dad would knock him around, calling him names and making him feel horrible. Craig had been used to it before, but now that it hadn't happened in so long, it made it so much worse. Craig couldn't even defend himself as his father began wailing on him- he just stood there and let his father hit him. He was taller than his Dad, but his Dad had just a temper that no one could really slow him down.
It ended with Craig lying on the floor. His Dad just muttered something and stalked out of the room, just like he always did. And just like always, tomorrow he'd probably apologize and promise it wouldn't happen again, but of course it did. It always happened again.
He still the same, Craig realized as he sat up and touched his swollen lip. He was trying not to cry. He still is.. He'd been so sick of being his Dad's little punching bag, that's why he'd left like he did. He couldn't take it- he wouldn't take it.
He was stupid for coming back. Craig stood up shakily. But his Dad had this power over him, but it was something he couldn't explain. Craig grabbed his jacket and hurried out of the room, down the staircase, and out the front door before his Dad could even notice. He walked around in the dark for awhile, because he wasn't ready to go to the dance, not yet. It wasn't the fact this his Dad actually hit him that bothered Craig the most.
It was the fact that his Dad hadn't changed at all.
"This…dance…is…the….worst…thing…ever," Riley said slowly, trying to emphasize her point. She shook her head in disappointment. "Well, it's not like I had high hopes for this or anything, but it's just so awful. The decorations looked like they were picked out by a ten-year-old." She opened her mysterious bottle and took a long swig.
Manny glanced at her. "Hey-what are you drinking?"
"Vodka," Riley said. "Want some?" She shook the bottle at Manny. Manny shook her head.
'No. You go ahead and drink yourself into oblivion," she said, glancing around the crowded gymnasium. "Have you seen Craig? I don't see him anywhere."
"Wait- isn't that him in the corner, dressed in that flamboyantly gay pink jump-suit and flirting with Marco?!"
"Shut up, Riley."
A few minutes later, Emma bounced up to them in all her perfectly perky glory, her natural blonde hair shimmering and her face flushed pink. "Hi, guys! Having fun?"
"Only severely retarded people would have fun at this," Riley said. Manny nudged her in the rib, and Emma smiled wearily.
"Come on, you two!" she said, shaking her head. "You two have been so depressing lately. The Gloom-Twins, that's what you are. Look, you need to stop moping around and have some fun. Manny, you have a great boyfriend that loves you. And Riley….well…..um, you know."
Riley gritted her teeth. Emma was her best friend, but God, did she despise her sometimes. It was hard to hate Emma- she just had that open, sincere quality that made her so easy to get along with. But why did she have to be so damn glorious and perfect? And why did Sean have to be so in love with her? Breaking them up was proving to be seemingly impossible, and Riley had decided that she needed a new approach. How do you break up Degrassi's super-couple? Step one- befriend the enemy. A.k.a- Emma.
"So, where's Sean tonight? Not coming?"
"No, he's just getting us something to drink. He's in such a good mood, though."
"Why?" Manny asked distractedly, still glancing around the room. Emma bit her lip and smiled shyly.
"Well, tonight….we're going to do it for the first time," she whispered, her face flushing.
"Emma, are you serious?" Manny squealed, looking animated for the first time that evening. "Wow. This is big." Riley just frowned. "I know," Emma said. "So big. I'm just a little…nervous. It's my first time."
Gee, you're kidding, Riley thought sarcastically. So, virtuous little Emma was planning on losing her virginity. Well, Riley just couldn't let this happen. With her luck, Emma would be good at sex, just like she was good at everything else, and Sean and Emma would form this deep bond, blah, blah, blah- the point was, if Emma was putting out, Sean was most likely going to stay faithful. And Riley was permanently out of the picture.
"Well, you should be!" Riley said suddenly, looking at Emma. "Sex is…sex is big. You know, I hear that waiting-till-marriage thing works out great for some people. I'm thinking of trying it myself."
Emma and Manny stared at Riley for a second, and then Emma burst out laughing. "Riley, you're so funny!" She nudged Riley in the shoulder. "God, you have to love this girl. Well, I'm going to go find Sean. Talk to you two bitches later. Bye!" She gave a little wave and disappeared into the crowd. Riley waited until she was far enough away. "God, what a little slut!"
Manny snorted. "Yeah. Coming from the girl that gave three-guys head in one night, that doesn't mean much."
"Alright, that only happened once…or twice. Ok, irrelevant. The point is, Emma isn't ready to sleep with Sean. She just isn't. And as a friend and decent person, I think you should go and tell her that."
Manny smirked. "Yeah, right. If Emma wants to sleep with Sean, then more power to her. The sexual tension between the two is getting a little out-of-hand, anyway. They just need to screw and get it over with. Besides, sex is good for a relationship."
"Just because you and Craig screw like dogs in heat doesn't meant everyone else has to," Riley said bitterly, unscrewing the cap of her bottle again. She desperately needed some more alcohol. Manny just laughed and shook her head. "We do not! We have a healthy sex life, and both very much enjoy sex, but-"
"Ok, stop. Too much info. You know, if you're not careful, you might get pregnant," Riley said lightly with a shrug. She saw Manny frown.
"I think I see Craig," Manny said curtly. Riley looked around, but didn't see him. "I'll talk to you later. And easy on the vodka, alright?" Then she turned and hurried off. Gee, Riley must have said something to upset Manny, but she couldn't' remember what. Oh, well. Manny always was too emotional and sensitive for her own good. There was always so much drama with that girl- Riley supposed that's why they were friends- Riley absolutely thrived on drama. Sure, Manny was a little messed up, but weren't they all in some way? Riley sure knew she was. She leaned against the wall and narrowed her eyes when she saw Sean and Emma across the room, dancing slowly and staring longingly into each other's eyes.
Gross. It was just…gross.
"This is so wrong," Ellie said, tugging at her black leather jacket as she and Brice stepped into the crowded gymnasium. "Alright…well, we've seen what a school dance looks like," she said lightly. Ellie grabbed his hand and began tugging him toward the door. "So we can just go now…"
Brice laughed. "Ellie, come on. Hey, maybe I'll even dance with you. I wore my dancing shoes."
Ellie snorted. "Please. Brice, this place is practically crawling with teachers…" she whispered, glancing around. She saw Mrs. Kwan standing in the corner, staring at Brice suspiciously. Across the room, Mr. Raditch was holding a cup of punch and awkwardly bobbing his head to the music as he watched the students.
"You're right," Brice said. "I guess I'll have to nix my idea of getting onstage and announcing to everyone that they can see me for any drugs." Ellie just frowned at his obvious sarcasm. "Relax. I'll keep it on the down-low, that's how I work."
Suddenly, Riley flounced up, smiling. "Brice! What are you doing here? Oh…you're dating Ellie." She glanced at Ellie, not looking very enthused. "Anyway…what a coincidence you showed up. I'm going to need your services tonight." She laid a hand on his arm, and Ellie gritted her teeth. She absolutely loved it when girls flirted with her boyfriends and then acted like she wasn't even there. It always made her feel so good. Brice nodded. "Well, you know I'm your man."
"Always," Riley said flirtatiously. Ugh, Ellie couldn't stand to watch Riley throw herself at her boyfriend, so she simply turned and walked off. Whatever. Riley just rolled her eyes, grabbed Brice's arm, and pulled him into a corner. "Look, you got anything tonight?"
"I'm in rare form. What do you need?"
Riley bit her lip. "Actually, it's not for me. It's for my…friend. See, she really needs to loosen up and just like, loose all inhibitions, you know? Or something that'll make her…pass out."
Brice frowned at her. "Your friend asked you to hook her up with something to make her pass out?"
"Look, you don't know her, alright? She's kind of a freak," Riley said testily. "You know I have enough money, so do you have anything?" Brice shrugged and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, clear bag with a single white pill in it. He handed it to her, and she took it. "What is it?"
Brice smiled knowingly. "It'll do the trick."
Riley peered at it. "It won't like, kill her right?"
Brice shook his head. "Nah. It's not that bad, really." Riley stared at him skeptically. "Really. Look, do you want it or not?" Riley nodded. "Alright, pay me, then."
Riley shook her head and smiled. "No. I'll pay you if it gets results."
Brice frowned. "That's not how I work."
Riley smirked smugly. "Well, that's how I work." With that, she turned and flounced off, the pill clutched in her hand. Brice may deal with fucked up druggies all the time, but he'd never dealt with Riley Corey before. She glanced around the room and spotted Emma. She hurried over. "Emma, hey! How's it going? What's up?" She knew she sounded like a spaz, but this just had to work.
"I'm having fun," Emma said, sipping her punch. "Are you?"
"Uh…sure. Listen, I was wondering, do you need a ride home after the dance?"
"No. Remember, Sean and I are going back to his place…"
"Oh, right!" she said, pretending to remember. Like she could actually forget. "Duh. I bet you're nervous."
Emma shrugged. "Kind of. But Sean and I are ready….ok, I'm kind of chickening out right now, to be honest."
"I completely understand!" Riley said, patting her arm. "You know, you need to loosen up a little. Relax, and it will be so much better." She reached into her purse and pulled out her vodka. "It works like a charm."
Emma stared uneasily at the flask. "I don't want to be….drunk the first time I do it."
'You won't be! It will just give you more confidence, make you surer. What can it hurt?"
"Um…ok." Riley smiled and Emma held out her cup. Riley poured some in. "Ok, just a little. That's enough…Riley, I said that's enough!"
Riley smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Didn't hear you. I promise, this will do you good."
Emma smiled hesitantly and took a small sip. Riley just smiled.
Authors Note- Finally updated...what's going to happen to Emma? Keep reading to find out! Thanks for reviewing, and alot more is going to happen in this story. Some chapters are a bit slower than other, and I think this chapt is one of them. But no chapter is unimportant...so keep reading and giving any ideas! Check out my other stories. Thanks!