It was early Friday evening, and the Lieberman house was already a hive of teenaged lust and debauchery. The lightweights had already started to throw up, and through the thin walls of the house, you could hear people growing up. Russell nervously edged around the makeshift dance floor, her foot narrowly avoiding a slippery pool of god knows what. When she finally reached her target, Hope, she tapped her on the shoulder. One, twice; and when that did not work, she yanked her away from her dance partner, almost hitting Celeste and Mary who were rather involved with each other's lips. It was just as well; since coming out, Mary had been even quicker to anger than usual. Hope spun, glaring at her. "What the hell do you want, Russell?" She flinched back slightly. "I was just wondering if I could home now. I'm not enjoying myself." Hope shook her head. "You're not leaving until we find you a boyfriend. The more of us that date the football team, the better it looks to the school. The more control we have over the school. So, get out on the dance floor and snag yourself a man, okay?" She sighed. "Look. Have something to drink. It will loosen you up, make you freer." Russell nodded. She really didn't want to be here, really didn't want to drink; but she needed the squad.
When she went to move, there was a hand around her waist. She turned to see Kyle smirking at her. "Hello, beautiful." His lips ghosted over her ear, his voice a mere whisper in her mind. "Might I interest you in a drink?" She nodded, fighting back a scream that had caught itself in her throat. He was a member of the football team. If Hope wanted her to find a boyfriend, she would find one. She found a shot glass in her hands, and looked at the clear liquid, surprised. "Vodka?" "Only the best quality. Don't drink it too quickly, now. We don't want you doing anything you'll… regret later." The smirk which he was currently wearing hinted otherwise, but she nodded, and knocked it back, clinging to him slightly as the liquid burnt her throat, making her eyes water slightly. There was applause, and she realized that the music had stopped, that everybody was staring at her. "You were the first shot of the night." She looked at him. "That means you get the first kiss from me." He lent down, letting their lips touch slightly. She could already feel the affects the liquor starting to kick in, but it still wasn't quite enough for her to want to do more than simply cling to Kyle. Instead, she stared, not moving away, but not responding to his light kisses either. If he was frustrated, he didn't show it, rather pouring her another shot, just before Leanne grabbed the bottle from him.
She was about to swig straight from the bottom when Shawn grabbed it. "No. Leanne. No alcohol. Last time you went out drinking and I came, you stole my pants, and I had to explain to my parents why I returned home without them." She whined. "Please, Shawn. And if you'd stayed the night…" "I didn't want to, Leanne. You know I won't sleep with you, so stop trying." Kyle pointed them out to Russell. "I don't envy those two." She looked at him, slurring her words. "Wazzat?" "I said I don't envy them." She nodded, and watched in amazement as Leanne climbed up on a coffee table, and pointed to the DJ, who was, interestingly enough, actually DJ nodded, and the backing of the now famous Lady Gaga song started to blast itself through the speakers. Somebody had handed Leanne a mic, and she began to sing, staring pointedly at Shawn.
"Let's have some fun, this beat is sick, I want to take a ride on your disco stick." He tried to turn and leave, but the press of people was pushing towards him toward the coffee table. He felt strong hands hoisting him up, and he was crowd surfing towards Leanne.
"Let's have some fun, this beat is sick, I want to take a ride on your disco stick. Hutt!" Trying to resist the pull was like swimming against the current. He was no salmon. He wished people were magnets. Him and Leanne would both be negative; they would repulse each other. She repulsed him, but he could not escape her. Quicksand, that's what she was. The harder he tried to pull away, the more she sucked him under.
"I want to kiss you, but if I do, then I might miss you, babe." Somebody, presumable Jake, had climbed onto the table with Leanne. She let her lips hover just above his, but she pushed him off, turning away, teasing. If only she'd date him again. They used to be the golden couple. They worked so much better than her and him.
"It's complicated and stupid, got my ass squeezed by sexy cupid." He was almost at the table now. His resistance had done him no good. But there was Jake again, goosing Leanne. He wanted her. He liked her. Why wouldn't she leave him alone, and go with Jake?
"Guess who wants to play? A love game, a love game." He certainly didn't. He was set on the table, and she grabbed him, winking, leaning up to whisper in his ear. "You're mine, white boy."
"Hold me and love me, just want to touch you for a minute, maybe three seconds are enough for my heart to quit it." She was grinding against him, pulling his arms around him, placing gentle kisses over his face and neck. He hated her at this moment. There was nothing more in this world that he wanted for her to get away from him. He noticed Celeste and Mary in the corner of the room, and looked away. Leanne wouldn't give it up, but he had to.
"Let's have some fun, this beat is sick, I want to take a ride on your disco stick." Yes, she was attractive. Gorgeous even, a good kisser, and really sweet to him, provided he gave her what she wanted. But she wasn't what he wanted, at least not like this. He wondered vaguely if the problem was his sexuality, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.
"Don't think too much just bust that kick, I want to take a ride on your disco stick." He noticed Russell and Kyle leaving the room together. She didn't like him. But they were all over one another. She was drunk. Maybe that was it. Maybe you needed to be drunk to enjoy certain people's company? Jake was offering him the vodka, smirking, and he took the bottle, and chugged it, ignoring the burning, ignoring the pain. If you can't beat them, join them.
"Let's play a love game, play a love game, do you want love, or want fame; you're in the game." He didn't want her love, but all the same, he wanted love. And if she wanted his love, it surely couldn't be wrong to give it to her. It was just making her happy. Jake was laughing, and he stopped drinking long enough to look at him. Jake took that opportunity to steal the bottle from him. "Dude! Don't chug it too fast. I don't want a dead body."
"I'm on a mission, and it involves some heavy touching you." He winked at her, the world starting to blur. She was so much more appealing when he couldn't see her clearly. He grabbed her, feeling her body shiver with excitement, and pressed a kiss to her lips, a kiss she responded to instinctively.
"I can see you standing there from across the block, with a smile on your face, and your hand on your Hutt!" She grabbed his crotch, and he slurred into her ear. "Let's get out of here, babe." Maybe sleeping with her would make him forget Celeste. She nodded, excited, and jumped off the coffee table, helping him down. As they stumbled out the house, he vaguely remembered tripping over Russell's clothing, and laughing with Leanne at the fact that Kyle's car was shaking slightly.
It was a Friday night, and everybody was doing what they had to, to survive.
"Hey. Hey, babe. Why are you ignoring me?" Russell looked up, into Kyle's beautiful eyes. She flushed, and looked down. "I thought you didn't make commitments." Kyle chuckled. "Is my reputation really that bad? No. What happened over the weekend was actually pretty amazing. I was wondering if you wanted to make a habit of it." "A habit of what, Kyle? Sleeping together." He shook his head. "Well, yeah, sleeping together. But I mean, being together. Like dating? How would that sound to you." She smiled, nodded, and to his amazement, began to dance down the hall, leaving her bags at his feet and heading toward the choir room. Chuckling, he picked up her bags and followed, grinning at her joyful sounds.
"I dance around this empty house; tear us down, throw you out." She grabbed Echo's papers and threw them in the air, winking at him, and dancing off. He looked after her, flushing. Kyle noticed, and pinned him to the wall, growling at him. "That fine piece of ass is mine, clear?" Echo nodded, swallowing, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Kyle didn't notice, too busy staring after Russell.
"Screaming down the halls, spinning all around and now we fall." Russell found her sister, and swung her around, kissing her on her cheek before dancing off. Kyle, still following after, shrugged at her, smiling slightly. "She hasn't spoken to me in over a year. What's changed?"
"Pictures framing up the past, your taunting smirk behind the glass." She stopped to check her makeup, deliberately smudging her eyeliner a bit more. She winked at herself, and continued down the halls, stopping just at the door of the choir room. She stopped, and turned around, smiling at him. "It's almost time for Glee club." She offered her hand out, and he took it. "Shawn and Echo have a duet. It should be interesting." Echo came running then, almost running into them in his haste to get into the room. "Oh. Hi Echo." He didn't respond, and Russell's face fell. "Why didn't he respond?" Kyle shrugged, looking as innocent as he possibly could. "Nervous? That kid hardly has nerves of steel." She nodded. "Well, let's go hear them then." They entered the room of the sound of old guitar and brushed drums.
"It's so funny seeing you after so long girl." They took their spot next to DJ. He noticed their hands, and how they were intertwined, and his face fell slightly, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, into the smiling face of Louis. He grinned back, and nodded. He understood what Louis was trying to do, and he knew he still wasn't certain of his feelings, but it was still nice to know that somebody cared. Louis also nodded, and withdrew his hand, smiling his wide, wonderful smile. For some reason, that smile made DJ incredibly happy.
"And with the way you look, I understand you're not impressed." Natty for once, wasn't near the piano. Her head was resting in Patrick's lap, and they were whispering quietly about something to one another. Skyler was sitting next to them, and even her sour face couldn't destroy the sweet and light atmosphere around them.
"But I heard you let that little friend on mine take of your party dress." Echo was staring at Russell. People were saying that she and Kyle had slept with one another. He didn't care about that. She was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He wanted to pet her hair, hold her in his arms. But Kyle was danger. He couldn't dare touch her.
"I'm not going to get too sentimental, like those other sticky valentines." Shawn glanced at Celeste. He still wasn't over her, but it was getting better. Leanne wasn't his one, but she was a temporary fix. He knew somewhere in his heart that she had been broken long ago, that he was just really to her what she was to him. He sent a smile her way, grinning again when she flushed, looking happy for the first time in a long, long while.
"I don't know if you've been loving somebody, I only know it isn't mine." He was Leanne's for now, and that really wasn't that bad. Echo was faltering over the words, the tears coming into his eyes again. He felt an arm on his shoulder, and realized Louis was comforting him. That was the thing he liked about Louis. He understood him. He never needed to speak. Which was just as well. Words only confused Echo.
"Alison, I know this world, is killing you." Kyle was stroking Russell's hands, and he felt the scars. He turned her arms over, gently ghosting his lips over the cuts. They were no longer recent. They were fading, but they would never disappear. Russell smiled at him, the tears coming to her.
"Oh, Alison, my aim is true." Echo didn't care about Kyle, but if he was what Russell wanted, he would be happy for them. Love was beautiful, wasn't it? He leant against Louis, glad for a friend. Louis was staring at DJ, and Echo wondered vaguely if people would think they were dating. Louis knew Echo wasn't like that, and Echo was too childish. Echo knew Louis thought of him as a brother. Echo was an only child, and his parents had never been around for him. He'd never learnt, but he could be taught.
"Well, I see you've got a husband now." Shawn looked at Celeste, and caught her looking back. They nodded at each other, and Mary, realizing what had just happened, mouthed her thanks at Shawn. Celeste smiled, and let her legs rest on Mary's, which were propped up on the piano stool.
"Did he leave your pretty fingers lying in the wedding cake?" DJ looked at Louis, realizing how much he must care about everybody in here. He also realized how little they all knew of him. He knew the full names of most everybody in here, their age, their grade, their family life, even their religion. All he knew about Louis was his name, and his neighbour.
"You used to hold him right in your hand." DJ glanced at Kyle again, noted how he seemed to be so gentle with Russell. He hadn't been gentle with him in their short time together. She looked so petite, so fine, so wonderful next to Kyle. They fit. Him and Kyle never had, and he realized it now.
"I'll be he took all he could take." Echo realized what sort of man Kyle was, though. How long would he continue to be sweet to Russell? When would he get bored with her? Kyle didn't date girls, he played with them. He was one of those children who would kill ants with a glass, just to watch them burn and die.
"Sometimes I wish, I could stop you from talking, when I hear the silly things you say." Skyler had leant over to Leanne, tried to tell her something, but Leanne shook her head. "I don't want to play your games at the moment, Skyler. I'm happy. I don't need to crown. I've already got my prince. If I lose him, and win my crown, there won't be any point. I'm sorry, Sky. Maybe you should think about somebody else for once?"
"I think somebody better put out the big light, because I can't stand to see you this way." Skyler glared at Leanne. "You're in my world. If you don't play by my rules…" Leanne shook her head. "Skyler, you're not the leader of this club, you're not the head of the cheer squad. You don't have any power. Look, you're an awesome person, and I want to be your friend, but we can't keep the fire going when there's no wood. I have no urge to injure people."
"Oh Alison, I know this world is killing you." Skyler stood up, and stormed off, but nobody noticed. Nobody cared. When your breed anger and hate, all you end up with is empty promises and half full glasses of tears.
"Oh Alison, my aim is true." Leanne wasn't nice, she wasn't sweet, but she did care. There would be no more destruction by her hand, at least not with reason and pain.
"My aim is true." But then again, there is always a calm before the storm.