Revisiting

Chapter Two: The Party

Even from outside the house, I could hear the music; pounding and vibrating, like a million people were jumping up and down.

I told Liz and Stacy that Kyle would pick me up instead, and did you know what they said? "No, you might use that as an excuse not to go, we'll come over and wait with you and 'Kyle'." I heard a sarcastic tone in her voice when she said, 'Kyle'.

"I can't believe you guys won't believe me." I said, as they came into my house a few minutes after I hanged up the phone.

"Well, you know you. You didn't want to go, but we think it's a remedy to forget about Will and all these things in that little head of yours." Stacy said taking off her coat. She looked great, with a black halter top and faded jeans.

"What are you wearing to the party, Elle?" Liz asked me. Was she kidding? I twirled around and posed.

"What do you think I'm wearing?" I asked. I was wearing a white blouse and training pants.

"Training pants?" Stacy asked, looking at me up and down. "Oh hell no. Come," she grabbed me by the arm and took me to my closet. "We'll choose for you."

"Ooh. What about this one?" Liz took out my skirt from freshman year. "A nice red plaid mini-skirt."

I took the skirt away. "This isn't a mini-skirt, it was a skirt I bought when I was a freshman back in Annapolis. I can't fit into this."

"Obviously when she was a freshman, she had a better fashion sense." Stacy whispered to Liz. Like I couldn't hear them.

"It was a school uniform." I informed them.

"Wear it." Liz insisted.

I shook my head.

"Wear it!" Stacy yelled. They were so bossy sometimes.

"Ugh." So I ended up wearing the really short mini-skirt, that was probably five inches above the knee. I wore stockings just to feel the least bit comfortable.

"You look sexy!" Liz commented. That was the exact thing that I was avoiding. But before I could dash back into my bedroom, the doorbell rung, and it was time to go.

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So there I was, hearing the music even from the inside of Kyle's car. I heard Liz and Stacy gasp from the back seat, and they hopped out. I got out slowly and Kyle reached for my arm. "The louder the better, right?" he said.

I smiled to be friendly, but inside I was thinking, "He's lucky he saved my life or I wouldn't be here smiling like an idiot."

We went inside, and my ears vibrated with the house, because it seemed to me that they broke the sound barrier. People didn't seem to notice us as Ashley opened the door. "Glad you could make it, Kyle." she looked at me and her smile got smaller. "You too, Elle." She was like a living Barbie doll. With long, silky, blonde hair, and I was surprised that she was as tall as me too. She was skinny as a pole, though, and I wondered if she ever considered modelling. Or eating.

The place was packed. Teenagers--- ---some I've never seen around school before--- ---were all there. And it seemed like there was more room too... ...The place was a mansion. Probably as big as the white house--- ---if not exaggerating. It was covered in wooden cabinets with glass doors and gold plated things--- ---they were definitely living in a pool of money. I wished my pool was like that.

"Hey, Ashley!" Liz and Stacy chorused. It was like they were her best friends, or something. "What's up?"

But Ashley snickered--- ---which was funny because there was nothing funny. Then she looked at me and Kyle, "Who the hell are they?"

"Um," Liz looked at Stacy. "You invited us, remember?"

Ashley laughed--- --- really laughed--- ---at them. "No, no. You actually believed that I would invite... ...um... ... special needed socialists (losers) like you? I asked you two to invite Elle." she smiled at me. I thought she didn't like me with the small smile earlier. Yeah, I'm so relieved. Huh, like I really care she invited me. "I heard about you and Will." Really, from who, I wonder. "I thought it was okay to invite you. You know, to get over him." But then she looked at Kyle holding my hand. "But it seems as though you're okay about it anyways." she left us with a little wave, and "Enjoy the party." remark. Like that was ever going to happen.

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I walked around the kitchen to look for some drinks, but all I found were couples kissing and making out. I finally found the punch bowl and poured some into a red cup. This scene looked just like a movie--- ---with all those teen parties and teen trash. I wondered if bright red cups were the only choice for a teen party.

"Elle!" Kyle walked over to me, and grabbed my hand. "I want you to meet somebody." and he brought me from the kissing couples and into the crowd of people dancing to the music.

I noticed--- ---as we made our way through the crowd--- --- the people from detention I saw a couple of days ago. When I went into detention because of being late to first period class because I was stood up by Will who was just making out with Jessica--- ---it was all I couldn't forget but refused to remember.

"Elle, this is Josh, and his main squeeze from the longest anyone he had to date, Mary-Ann." There was this big, buff guy and a small, red-headed girl. I barely noticed her because she was hugging Josh's huge arm.

"Nice to meet you." I greeted.

"We met before, right detention girl?" Josh nodded at me.

"I'm sorry about you and Will." Mary-Ann screamed. I barely heard her with the loud music.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." I told her. Whoa. Where did that come from?

Mary-Ann smiled. "Then you're okay that he came to the party too?"

I felt my face heating crimson. After the incident at the pool, I was even more nervous than I could of been before that he was here. If it weren't for the fight at the pool, I would of been going to this party with Will. Oh, curse you, King Arthur!

I quickly looked around the living room, and didn't see him anywhere. "I suppose not." I lied.

Kyle noticed the awkwardness and pulled me to the other side of the room. "Sorry about that." he said. "I guess the whole school is buzzing about this, huh?"

"Well, there's nothing else to talk about, so I guess a big break-up with the all-around good guy and a track star is the biggest thing to ever happen here."

"I don't think so." Kyle said. He looked around him and said, "Let's get some privacy, huh?"

"What do you mean... ...privacy?" I asked, because I totally knew where this was going.

"I need to ask you something." he pulled me upstairs, where the music died down a little--- ---maybe because we were on the fifth floor or something like that. We went into one of the bathrooms--- --- this place was huge, may I remind you?--- --- and he closed the door behind him.

"What do you need to ask me, in the bathroom?" I asked, scared where this was going.

"You know what." he said. "What happened two days ago in the football field."

"Oh," I breathed, totally relieved. "You just wanted to know that."

"Just wanted to know that?" he asked. "This is something big."

"You don't remember any of it anyways... ...And I want to forget it. There's nothing to talk about." I said, going to the door.

But Kyle threw his hands over the lock. "I saw you and Jessica in the field on a stormy day--- ---and Jessica was about to stab you--- ---and then I wake up in the middle of the field with bright blue skies and you and Will standing over me." he shook his head. "That is something big."

I crossed my arms and sat at the edge of the tub. "How long have you been in Avalon High?" I asked.

"Since freshman year." he answered.

"I've only been here for Junior year, and already things have been going hectic around here."

"Tell me what happened in that field." he said. "And what happened to Jessica, and Jennifer, and you and Will. What the hell is going on?"

"Ever since I first came into this school, Mr. Morton has been suspecting me--- ---and Will and Jennifer and Lance--- ---to be reincarnations of King Arthur and his court... ...Of course I didn't believe it, but when Marco, Will's brother, almost shot us down at gun point, I had doubts about the whole thing being fake..."

"So, this happened before?" he asked.

"Yes." I said. "Then two weeks after that, I saw Will and Jessica, and I knew Will could of never done anything like that to me--- ---or anybody else--- ---but then I heard a loud whistle. It was like a screech, and my head started hurting, and all hell broke loose... ...Jennifer didn't make it out of that bathroom the way I made it out at first. If I didn't dash out of there, I would of been stabbed also... ...and Jennifer would of been dead too... ...But hundreds of years ago, Guinevere didn't die by getting stabbed, but the Lady of Shallot does from saving Will--- ---King Arthur." I was repeating what I heard from Mr. Morton when he explained this to me after the battle--- ---whether it was true or not... ...

Kyle was silent, so I kept going. "So I went to the first place I thought of, and I went to Mr. Morton. And he explained everything to me, and so I brought the sword of King Arthur to school--- ---and that was how everything started."

"With her stabbing you and everything? But what about me?" he asked. "I remember fighting her--- ---and then nothing! What happened to me?"

I hesitated. How was I suppose to tell him that he was stabbed in the heart? Because I couldn't explain why he was still breathing. "You were killed by Jessica too, and I--- ---I guess I healed your wound with my hand... ... As crazy as that sounds."

"Fucking yeah! You think I would believe this? This is some crazy shit I don't think... ...I'm sorry, Elle."

"For what?" I asked.

"I know how hard this is for you... ...Especially with everything going on... ...You must be terrified."

Finally, someone who understands. Why couldn't Will see that? "Thanks, Kyle. And I am."

He hugged me real hard--- ---but it was a nice hug--- ---something that made me feel like there was someone who cared--- ---genuinely cared.

"Let's go back to the party, huh?" Kyle said.

I smiled and nodded. And I didn't smile just because I wanted to be friendly. I unlocked the door and opened it--- ---but stopped when I saw Will standing there.

"Will," I started.

He looked at me, and a little above my head, and I turned around and saw Kyle and saw the bathroom and I looked back at Will and said, "No, no. It's not what you think."

"I guess I'll just use the other bathroom." He said. He glanced at me--- --- and for a while it felt like a hard look--- ---and walked away.

I banged my head on the door. "Oh, shit."

"You think he'll be mad?" Kyle asked me.

"He is mad! And for all the wrong reasons." I cried.

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I went downstairs and looked for Will. I wanted to settle the record straight, and I wanted to talk to him about the King Arthur thing. Now that I talked to Kyle, I felt more confident about it.

I went into the kitchen, and I went through the living room, and then I spotted Liz and Stacy. "Hey, guys, have you seen Will?"

But Liz waved her hands into the air and I smelled her breath. "Did you know... ... Ella... ... That this place has a pool?...But...hehe... you wouldn't care because you have a pool too!"

I looked at Stacy. "Some football jocks put some alcohol into the punch, and Liz drunk a lot!" she cried.

I looked into the cup I was holding and quickly threw it away. Good thing I only drunk a sip. "Have you seen Will?" I asked again.

"I saw him by the pool" Stacy said.

"You got this?" I pointed to Liz.

"Unfortunately, she's able to tame." she said.

I went outside into the backyard and saw that there were two pools adjacent to each other and some patio chairs and I proved to myself even more that these people were as rich as hell.

I saw Ashley talking to some girls and I asked them if they'd seen Will.

"Elle, I thought you got over Will... ...with Kyle." Ashley said.

Then I realized that she had something for Kyle. "Ashley, if you want to make a move on Kyle, go ahead. But I need to talk to Will."

Ashley smiled, and tilted her head. "Aw. What a cute little girl. Wanting to find Will. We saw him over there."

"Thanks." I said. That was weird.

I went over to the patio tables (heard Ashley saying, "Let's go find Kyle.") and saw Will drinking some of the punch. "Will, don't drink that!" I warned.

"Why... ...not?" he asked.

"Because... ... they've put alcohol in it!"

Then I noticed that he laughed. "Oh, Ellie. So juvenile." Oh, no he's drunk too.

"Will, I need to talk to you, but now's not the time, I guess."

Then he reached to one of the patio tables... ... and he got out a beer bottle. He drunk it all the way down, and threw it on the ground, making the glass splatter everywhere. "Guess what, Ellie, I'm the 'they'." He laughed a little. "That sounds funny."

"What?" He put alcohol in the drinks? "But Will..."

"You know what, Elaine. The Lady of Shallot!" he yelled.

"Shut up." I said looking around making sure no one heard him.

"You're afraid of everything... ... I don't think you can face the fact that you're in the dangerous world... ... with no one to guide you but your mummy and and" he tapped the shoulder of one of the girls who were talking to some football jocks. "What's that fella's name with the beard...and, and...who's breath smells like coffee?" The girls walked away, but looked back to check out Will.

"Will, you're drunk."

"Oh, shut up, Ellie! You think I don't know that!" he got another beer bottle, drunk it down, and banged it on the head of the guy wearing a football helmet.

"Arthur, you're insane!" he said spitting.

"Hey, Will!" Some guys appeared behind me, and gave Will more beer. "When you said that you wanted to spike up the punch, I thought you were kidding! I mean, a guy like you! Imagine that." the guy looked at me. "Who's your friend." he said, looking at me way to closely.

Will drank some of the beer and said, "She's no friend."

Suddenly I felt my chest clogging up on me, and my throat closing. I realized I was crying when I felt warm water on my cheeks.

The guy and Will clanged bottles, and cheered for free life.

I just got out of there as quickly as possible.

"Elle!" I heard Kyle behind me, but I didn't stop, "Elle. What's wrong?" he grabbed my arm and turned me around.

"Everything!" I said. "... ...Can you just take me home?"

"Sure." he said. "Sure."

I grabbed Liz and Stacy because I didn't want Liz to go home alone and went into the car.

I looked out the window and saw my reflection through the tinted glass. A girl with tears and red eyes. Some free life.

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