Edit: 8/09/13: Mostly just changed the tense.
Original intro: What? Two chapters within the same year? Within a few months of each other? Talk about insanity!
I am also working on rewriting the first chapter right now, but I don't know when that'll be done. It seems I've gotten a real bad case of the writer-bug. Which is bad because I have a lot of homework that's being ignored...
BY THE WAY! I've changed the story a bit! Jennive still doesn't do drugs, nor has she ever, but she DOES DRINK when she's out clubbing or at parties! It's just way more realistic than 'only going for the music'.
Start Chapter Twelve: Party in Hell
After my nightmare last night, I couldn't really get back to sleep. I'm having trouble tonight, too. Tossing and turning in the sheets, I can't get those eyes out of my head. I hate that woman. I think I will always hate her. Everything about her. But those eyes are the worst. Colored with ice and filled with lies. Lucas' face pops into my mind. He and that Devil woman, Jane, have the exact same eyes. Every time I see him, I think of her. And every time I think of her, I feel my anger and hatred bubble over. I want to smash her fake-ass face in front of my Father and watch her facade shatter before him. It briefly dawns on me that it might actually break his heart in the process, but I immediately silence that thought. He didn't raise me to tell the truth. Only to tell what needed to be said, regardless of consequence. "The more painful the truth", he would say, "the sooner it needs to be said. And the less people listen, the harder you have to try." In his time with Jane, he seems to have forgotten that lesson.
My phone, still yet to be confiscated, buzzes on my bedside table. I lean over and pick it up, expecting a random text from Lindsay or kitten pic from Cameron. The light blinds my eyes and it takes a minute of heavy squinting to make out the text.
'Ur bf's having a party at Geiermeier Cemetery. U going?'
'My what? who're you? how'd u get my #?' I tap out.
After a moment, they reply: 'Uh, ur boyfriend? got ur number from him 2. this is Sarah Fletcher, btw.' My phone buzzes again. 'so r you going? he said it would be "a night to remember", but i dont wanna go alone so...'
'If youre talking about Lucas McCashton', I text furiously, 'he IS NOT my boyfriend.'
'Is that a no? :'[ '
Cue the deep sigh. I could stay in bed all night and not sleep, or I could go to a party and not sleep. Parties have music and booze, always a plus with me. If I go, I can hang out with Sarah and maybe become friends with her. She was after all the one who got Mac in trouble on my behalf. That put her on my good side. But I'd have to deal with Lucas.
Sarah texts me again. 'btw, u know his name's McAshton, not McCashton, right?'
I do a double take before replying. 'WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE!'
'Hahaha lol XD don't feel bad. McCashton suits him better anyways. :] '
I smile at the screen. Having a friend in the same time zone is worth more than anything Lucas could put me through tonight.
'So,' I type slowly. 'Where's Geiermeier Cemetery? :) '
I do not like this. Geiermeier Cemetery, as it turns out, is the exact same cemetery where Gregory and his family live. Which Lucas is at least vaguely aware of. Before I left, I'd checked Tony's room to find the little man stirring in his sleep. He must've been having nightmares, but at least I don't have to worry about him tonight. To be on the safe side, I'd written him a note and tucked it into his shoes.
A number of cars are parked along the street, but at least two or three are inside the actual cemetery. Their headlights on and shining as music blasts from opened doors. I'm waiting for Sarah on the side of the road, listening to the chatter, clatter of bottles, and inhaling the familiar sent of marijuana. There was no way I'd risk running into Lucas by myself, especially if there was a chanced he'd be drunk or stoned. Heaven forbid he think I'd come for him. Another shiver passes through me and I zip my jacket all the way up. There's no way to be sure if it's the cold or the bad feeling bothering me more. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Sarah jogging up to me, skin bare and hair styled.
"Thompson! You came!"
"It's Jen, and aren't you cold?"
"Not at all." Sarah looks down at herself then back up at me with a blush. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Not really," I lie with a shrug. I'm not a fan of girls parading around in skimpy clothes, but Sarah's a big girl, not to mention the only one speaking to me. If she wants to go around like that, it's entirely her choice. As her hopefully, future friend, I'll do my best to look after her. "Give me a holler if someone puts their hands where you don't want 'em to be."
She nods and we walked towards the music. "Just so you know, I'm not that kind of girl. I just really like Nathan."
"Nathan?" I try to put a face to name, but it doesn't exist.
"Yeah. You know, Lucas' friend? The ginger?" I see her desperately try not to roll her eyes at me. "Anyway, he loves this type of thing and he pays more attention when I dress like this, so..."
"I get it." I don't like this Nathan guy already. "Is he here tonight?"
"I'd imagine not. He's been sick with the flu for the past few days."
We walk up to one of the cars. Surprisingly, I'm just as welcomed as Sarah. One boy reaches into the trunk (or 'boot' as they call it here) and hands us each a beer. I wonder just how much weed it took for someone to hand me, the American, a beer like I was their equal. Another guy tosses me a lighter. Though I'm now convinced this is secretly poison, I still maneuver the bottle open before handing the lighter to Sarah.
"Why dress up if he's not coming?"
"I dunno. Just in case?" She shrugs, thanking the guys— Andy for the beer, Danny for the lighter— before taking a big swing. I want to tell her that that's stupid, and that going after a guy who only likes you when you wear revealing clothes is stupid, and that wearing those clothes on a cold-ass night when you know he's not even going to be here was even stupider. Instead, I nod, take a swing, and keep my mouth shut. Turns out, being friends with Sarah is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
Sarah is currently shit-faced, sobbing into my shoulder over something she doesn't entirely remember and I can hardly understand. It's only her fourth drink. I'm tempted to go find some hard liquor to deal with the headache she's been giving me, but stick with beer. Andy faithfully brings me more every time I shout. It's not hard to figure out why everyone's suddenly being so nice to me: they think I'm Lucas' girlfriend. Girls have been coming up to me, talking about hanging out over the weekend, and boys keep offering drugs and party invitations. Though most of them can't figure out why or how it happened, I can't either, none of them want to risk getting on Lucas' bad side. So no one asks. They don't question their leader, they only accept and act accordingly. As a result, I've been catapulted from poverty stricken leper to Her Royal Highness in less than twelve hours. Teenagers are funny that way, no matter what country you're in.
I've yet to see Lucas himself tonight, not that I'm complaining. It's likely due to the fact that Sarah has literally anchored me here for the past two hours. So I'm waiting for two things: 1) for Sarah to pass out. Not entirely sure what I'll do afterwards, but as long as she stops crying all over me, it doesn't matter; Or 2) for Lucas to come out of hiding and set everything straight. I don't like these random douche bags coming up to me, acting like we've been friends for years. As if they hadn't thought I was lower than scum only hours before. It's annoying and aggravating and every time someone offered me a hit of something, it's getting harder and harder to say no.
"Sarah," I say finally. "Go home. You're drunk."
She blubbers something, turns away from me, and begins vomiting in the grass. I feel my face pull in disgust. This night's really turning into an infuriatingly, depressing fiasco. Someone turns off a car radio and shushes the people around him. Other car owners follow his example. I, and most others, have no idea what's going on. Ears perk up, eyes dart around; just like that, the party is still and silent. I can feel the collective strain to catch wind of whatever it is. That's when I hear it. The unmistakable sound of wailing sirens blown in by the breeze. The world around us grinds to a halt, the pregnant tension impatiently waiting to shatter.
"It's the goddamn police!" Someone shouts.
Chaos erupts around me. Kids trample over one another, screaming, shrieking, and shouting, stumbling into cars and bushes. Trying to get away or hide like it was the fucking apocalypse. Sarah jumps up and rushes away from the sound. I race after her, caught off guard by her sudden, sobering run. She bolts past headstones as I nearly trip over them. I don't know why I'm following her, darting through wave after wave of panicked teenagers. All I know is that she's drunk, I'm drunk, and we're about to get busted. We run across the open cemetery before Sarah falls. This time, I trip. I stare at the ground. How drunk am I? Sarah hadn't just fallen. She disappeared into the earth. Like Hell itself had swallowed her whole.
"What the fuck, what the fuck," I mumble crawling towards the random hole in the ground. "What the actual fuck!?" Peering down, I see Sarah sprawled across a hard, dirty floor. "Sarah? Sarah!?" She doesn't move. The sirens practically upon me. I curse again. She'd fallen into a catacomb.
"What on Earth are you doing, Jenny?!" I barely have time to register the voice before being hurled onto my feet. "How high are you?"
"I'm not high! I'm buzzed!" I glare at Lucas as he tries to pull me with him. "Wait, wait, wait! I can't leave Sarah down there!"
"Sarah? Sarah who?"
"Fuck if I know! But she's down there and she's not responding."
"That's her problem." He continues to move.
"She'll be your problem, too," I rip my hand from his, "if any of my friends find her."
He stops and the both of us realize what I just said. She was alone and unresponsive in what we both knew to be vampire territory. I don't like to think Gregory or any of his family members would be inhuman enough to devour a young, innocent, unconscious girl. But she's a stranger. They could, and probably would, if they were hungry enough. The sudden realization of just how dangerous they could be was incredibly sobering. I need another beer.
"What's the hold up?" Mac shouts, running up behind me. "We gotta move!"
Lucas nods towards the hole as another, shorter boy runs up to us. "She says her friend's down there."
"So?" The newest addition asks. "The coppers 'll find 'er."
"Doubt it!" I scream.
"Well, sweet 'art, they'll find us if we don't move. And I don't know 'bout you, but I got a clean streak to keep." I tower over the cocky little bastard, debating on whether or not to push the little prick in after her. Attempting to take the higher road, I leave him alone and march back to where Sarah lay.
"Sarah, if you can hear me, I'm coming to get you!"
I throw my legs into the hole, lowering myself as much as I can before letting myself fall. The landing is terribly sloppy and I wined up on my ass, but if I'm in any pain I can't feel it. Though my mind is growing more and more clear, my body's still loose from the alcohol. I desperately try to drag Sarah away from the opening, intending to hide until the cops are gone. To my surprise, the boys tumble in after me, scrambling towards the shadows. That's when I hear the shouting.
Fuck. The cops had seen them, or me, or all of us. Either way, fuck fuckiddy fuck fuck. Fuck! I tug Sarah's body harder until somebody else grabs her. Mac lifts her up and stumbles over with her in his lap. At the very least, they wouldn't be seen from up top. I back against the wall staring at the ceiling as more voices make themselves known. A few men shout into the hole before shinning their flashlights around. The four of us make ourselves as small as we possibly can without moving. After what feels like an eternity, the lights disappear and the voices withdraw. No one moves. Not yet. We wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Finally, one by one, we each let out the breath we'd been holding in.
"Fuck me," Mac breathes. I mutter a thanks in his direction and he grumbles in response.
"Now what?" Short-y complains.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Uh, Dale?"
"Okay, Dale. Here's what we're gonna do: You're gonna shut the fuck up, number one. Then we're gonna get the hell out of here, drop Sarah off near a hospital, and then I'm gonna go get wasted. Because I literally cannot take anymore of this fucking night."
The boys look at one another, at Sarah, then me, then back to each other. Mac and Dale turn to Lucas who nods.
"Sounds good."
End Chapter Twelve
I had been planning for Jen and Sarah to become buddies since her second appearance in, like, chapter eight. But they didn't end up letting that happen and I doubt they ever will. It's really weird. I've heard of characters doing their own thing against the writer's will, but I've never actually experienced it. I guess it's a good thing? :\