So when I said this would be done by the weekend I actually meant done by Monday haha. Hope you enjoy and as always feel free to let me know what you think!
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Gail's boots squeaked awkwardly along the polished marble floor in the hallway, muffled only by the sound of animated conversation and the thrumming of bass echoing throughout the house's large shell. She felt herself shrink inward as an unfamiliar boy flung his arms outward in the act of gesturing to his conversation partner, narrowly missing Gail's face in the midst of the broad movement. As she recoiled into Dov's side it occurred to her that maybe a party wasn't the best way for her to unwind. In fact, Gail really was not much of a party person since it more or less revolved around the novelty of interacting with people she barely knew; an activity Gail neither enjoyed nor was particularly good at. At parties she generally just stuck with the people she came with or got caught up in barbaric drinking games that she had a tendency of winning, then proceed to be mean to all of the hopeful boys that would approach her afterwards.
Gail didn't want to do that tonight, though. The mock bravado she normally wore was slowly slipping under her intoxicated state and the further she ventured into the house the more she wanted to slowly slip back in the direction she came. She cast a faint yet perceptive glance around the open plan living space the hallway opened up to, trying to gage Holly's whereabouts amongst a steady throng of strangers laughing, dancing and talking in the dimly lit room. As she sought out Holly, she told herself it was just to say hi before leaving. After all it would be rude to say she would come and never show up but her search appeared to be fruitless as she failed to locate Holly anywhere.
She was brought out of her thoughts as she and Dov entered the kitchen toward the back of the house, just as large and luxuriously decorated as the rest of the rooms. The house made Gail a little nervous to be honest, while her house was nowhere near as nice as this she could only imagine what her mother would do if she threw a party like this while she was gone. How she would rattle on about the mahogany floorboards and the marble countertops. Not that Elaine was really around enough to actually appreciate those superficial aspects of their house.
"Ah, rich kid came through with the drinks," Dov said smirking as he made his way to several large buckets full of ice sitting on the countertop, helping himself to a few bottles.
"You know, somehow I don't think his name is Rich Kid," Gail pointed out, accepting one of the ice cold bottles from Dov who just shrugged in response.
"His name's Derek, actually," a voice chirped from behind them causing them both to swing around.
A girl around their age sat on the island bench swinging her feet back and forth, smiling brightly… very brightly at the two of them.
"I'm Chloe," she offered as she smoothly slid off the bench and extended her hand.
"Dov," he replied shaking her hand and allowing it to linger slightly as he smiled down at the petit brunette.
Gail had to resist rolling her eyes as she recognised the infatuated look that was currently gracing Dov's face, a clear indicator that he was quite a fan of Chloe. Gail of course was not quite as thrilled to meet the other girl and simply nodded her head in acknowledgement, offering her name politely.
"Super! So are you guys enjoying yourselves?" she enquired, cocking her head to the side as she prepared to listen to their responses intently.
Gail's eyes followed Dov's movements as he crossed his arms and leant against the bench and shrugged, trying to exude an air of collected confidence she knew he only possessed when running on the courage of liquid luck.
"Yeah you know, pretty well so far," he said casually, taking a large sip from his bottle.
Gail chuckled into her own drink, looking away from the pathetic display as she didn't want to embarrass Dov in front of the other girl. She wasn't that horrible.
"Good," Chloe said sighing violently before launching into a tirade about how she'd spent so long setting things up and really wanted everyone to have a good time.
"Wait, is this your party?" Dov asked, confused.
While Gail would have probably been reduced to a blushing mess upon having a stranger cut her off mid-rant, Chloe seemed to bounce back flawlessly, barely blinking before answering Dov.
"Oh no, my stepbrother Derek wanted to throw a party while our parents were out of town and well you know what boys are like, am I right?" she paused, gesturing at Gail dramatically like she should know what Chloe was talking about, "and I knew he'd put no thought or effort into it and so I figured if he's going to have this party regardless of what I say I may as well make it nice, right?"
Gail's eyebrows rose as she looked up over her bottle, taking in Dov's expression which was one of both terror and awe at the rate at which this small girl was spewing words out of her mouth.
"So now I'm just, you know… hanging out in here, making sure nobody breaks anything…" Chloe's explanation finally seemed to taper off as she leant back into the bench next to Dov, smiling up at him in a manner that made Gail question how strong this girl's cheek muscles were.
As Dov and Chloe started to hit it off, Dov seemingly surprised by the other girl's apparent interest in whatever he had to say and Chloe intensely nodding on and interjecting as if they were old friends, Gail felt herself slip away slowly into the background before deciding she should probably find Holly. She allowed herself to wander back into the main living area, peering around corners and scanning the room for the familiar face that was the reason she was here.
She scowled as a drunk, sweaty boy slightly older than her began approaching her, bobbing along to the song playing as he smiled at her stupidly.
"Hey," he slurred, raising his drink toward her as he leant clumsily against the stair's polished balustrade in what she assumed was his attempt to appear inviting.
"Bye." She responded harshly, sweeping past him and up the stairs while trying to appear purposeful. As she reached the landing at the top of the stairs she peered down the hallway, detecting voices and a different, slower song diffusing with the ambience from downstairs. Deciding it was possible Holly was up here she tentatively stepped onto the lush carpet which she could feel herself sink into even through her boots and inched her way down the hallway. She stopped hesitantly just before the open doorway where the noise was coming from, debating peering in to see if Holly was in there when all of a sudden a distinct, musical laugh cut through all of the other noise swirling around her. She smiled at this discovery and allowed it to propel her through the doorway, though her momentum was abruptly stopped when she took in the scene in front of her, it only just occurring to her that other people were in the room with Holly.
It seemed to be an office or a rec room of sorts with bookshelves running along wall, a large desk in one corner and an array of leather couches and armchairs and musical instruments dispersed throughout. Occupying these couches was a group of guys around Holly's age, slowly passing a joint around the misshapen circle they were arranged in, the smell only just now hitting her.
"Hey blondie," a boy greeted from where he was reclined in an arm chair, his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him, "you lost?"
At this Gail realised she was standing awkwardly half in and half out of the room and predictably she felt herself go red, her hand automatically reaching up to tug down on her sweater habitually as she debated retreating quickly back out of the room. That was until Holly piped up from where she was sitting on one of the couches.
"Gail!" She exclaimed excitedly, her tone levelling out slightly as she added on with fond smile "you came."
"Uh yeah, sorry, don't worry I'll go," Gail muttered as her eyes dropped toward the ground, glad Holly was happy to see her but uncomfortable with expressing this sentiment in front of a group of guys who were now all staring at her.
"No, no stay," Holly rushed, crossing the room in a few long, graceful steps, her warm hand enclosing around Gail's cold yet profusely sweaty one and guiding her over to where she'd been sitting.
"Guys, this is Gail," she said introducing her as she pulled Gail down to sit very snugly beside her.
Gail lifted her other hand in a slight half wave as the boys offered her a variety of nods and grunts in acknowledgement before continuing the little 'two then pass' they had going on.
"So Gail," the boy who had originally noticed her began, "you don't look familiar, what are you studying?"
He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say but was at the same time throwing an indiscernible look at Holly that caused the older girl to roll her eyes at him in response.
At his attempt to make Gail seem more included she felt herself shrink further into the couch, sure that her answer would not particularly thrill the others. Who wanted a lame high schooler at their party, right?
"Uh, I'm actually still in high school, my last year." She responded indifferently though internally preparing herself for taunting and possible disapproval.
"Oh, preying on the young now are we Holly?" The boy smirked to himself and a few others chuckled discreetly while Holly tensed noticeably, her grip on Gail's hand tightening ever so slightly. It was only at this, though that Gail even realised she was still clutching Holly's hand and promptly freed herself in embarrassment, instead cautioning a look back toward the boy who's response to her admission had confused her.
Possibly sensing Gail's extreme discomfort the boy eased back on the teasing, replacing his smirk with a welcoming smile instead.
"Well it's nice to meet you Gail, any friend of Holly's is a friend of ours," he informed her sincerely, leaning further back into his seat, "I'm Derek by the way, this is kind of my party."
"Thanks for the hospitality," she said chuckling quietly while raising the bottle of beer he'd inadvertently supplied her in an act of explanation.
"Anytime," he replied with a smile she was sure had been used to charm many a girl in his time.
The lull in conversation that had been provoked by her arrival soon disappeared, with one particularly tall and lanky guy getting up to change the song which was met with unintelligible noises of appreciation which slowly transformed into actual conversation.
"Sorry about them," Holly said softly, her warm brown eyes reflecting concern and something else Gail couldn't quite trace.
"Don't worry, they seem nice," she reassured Holly as she finished off her drink, "and anyway I'm not exactly the most subtle person when it comes to entering a room full of strangers, apparently."
As a laugh of self-derision flowed out of Gail's lips, Holly leaned into her slightly and momentarily squeezed Gail's leg right above her kneecap before removing her warm presence just as quickly as she'd offered it, turning in the other direction to accept the communal joint which was coming her way. Gail was a little taken aback when Holly gladly and effortlessly accepted the joint, her lips lightly securing themselves around the end, inhaling the potent smoke deeply into her lungs like she had done it many times before. Maybe this is what Holly had been talking about when she said she knew how to have fun. Gail was beginning to realise she had probably been underestimating Holly's ability to be anything other than the giant science nerd she'd gotten to know so far.
Holly caught Gail's gaze out of the corner of her eye, the corners of her lips quirking up as she exhaled long and slowly, shuffling herself a bit closer to Gail as she extended the joint toward her. Gail looked up in surprise from the offending object in question, tentatively raising a hand to grasp it, not missing the way Holly's fingers brushed ever so slightly against hers during the transaction. Gail let out a shaky breath at the contact that sent a wave of fire rippling up from her fingertips to her chest, averting her eyes quickly from Holly's and contemplating the joint in her hand instead. Holly seemed to mistake Gail's sudden skittish demeanour as her being unsure about the joint and she moved in again to press up against Gail, ducking her head down to effectively force the younger girl to look at her.
"You don't have to smoke it you know," she suggested softly so that the others couldn't hear which caused Gail to chuckle, peer pressure definitely wasn't what she was worried about.
She was becoming all too aware of Holly's presence enveloping her, her scent somehow rivalling the pungent skunkiness dominating the room, causing her mind to bubble uncontrollably with a million questions she didn't have the answer to. To silence the frenzy in her head she took a long drag from the joint, sucking the smoke down deep into her lungs and holding it there for as long as she could muster. As she exhaled cautiously she could feel heaviness descend upon her already, calming her frayed nerves before she leant forward to pass it along to the next person.
When she finally felt like she could look back at Holly the older girl was smiling at her, amused.
"What would Mother Peck say if she could see you now?" She taunted good naturedly, still trying to adjust to this vulnerable but less uptight version of Gail before her.
Gail shrugged, not really wanting to think about her mother as she partook in activities that went against every fibre of what a Peck was supposed to stand for.
"Are you going to have to cancel your nerd membership now that you've finally ventured out of the library?" Gail countered, a dopey smile replacing what would have usually in this scenario been a smug grin as she dug her elbow into Holly's side teasingly.
Holly shook her head, a lock of her usually restrained hair falling into her face, obscuring Gail's view of the other girl as she lent in slowly, her lips ghosting over Gail's ear as she whispered into her ear.
"Not unless you keep this a secret."
Gail could feel her ear burn red hot as Holly retracted herself slowly, fixing Gail with an intense gaze that she could not place, the other girl's pupils were full blown and her eyes so very dark compared to the usual warm, comforting caramel orbs she was used. Gail put this down to the drugs and no doubt alcohol coursing through the other girl's system though all of a sudden Gail felt an unfamiliar sinking deep within her stomach, burning with the same intensity as her ear had only a few seconds earlier. It was with this that Gail felt herself being catapulted into a state of panic at the strange reaction Holly's simple touch had evoked in her. She stood up abruptly, mumbling something about needing the bathroom as she desperately scurried out of the room as to avoid looking at Holly's probably freaked out face. Little did she know however, those same dark eyes that had rattled her so much now followed Gail as she left the room, dripping with concern but also tinged with disappointment on their owner's behalf.
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Gail had eventually found solace outside on a porch swing which she assumed was an attempt by this family to appear quaint and familial. Either way, the plush cushions made of fabric probably more expensive than her entire bedroom suite embraced her in a non-intrusive hug which coupled with the crisp night air had slowly abated the paranoia that had crept up on her. It was stupid really, she knew from experience during her and Dov's little rebellious when they spent a summer raiding his brother's stash that she got extremely panicky when she smoked, especially when alcohol was added into the equation. For now she just allowed the swing to soothe her as it rocked back and forth gently in the breeze, her head tilted up to gaze up at the unusually clear night sky.
Her comforting momentum was interrupted though as another body lowered itself onto the seat beside her, reclining against the cushions yet not saying a word. Gail turned her head slowly, both annoyed and overjoyed to see the body belonged to Holly.
"Hey," Holly murmured softly, though her voice sounded incredibly loud compared to the relative silence Gail had been immersed in prior to the other girl's arrival.
"Hey," she croaked back, returning her eyes back up to the sky.
"Sorry about earlier, I can get a little touchy feely when I'm like that."
Gail scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion, turning her head slowly to consider Holly.
"I didn't mean to freak you out or anything so uh, we can just you know, forget about it or whatever," Holly garbled, avoiding eye contact with Gail by appearing to inspect an undetectable speck of lint on her top.
Gail still wasn't quite sure what Holly was talking about. Yeah she'd freaked out a little but those sensations, that heightened sense of alarm – it had all been because of the weed right? Gail shrugged and stuck her foot out to kick off, propelling the swing into a slightly more intense rocking that she eased into, closing her eyes. They sat like that in companionable silence for what seemed like hours but must have only been a few minutes.
"Is everything okay, Gail?"
Gail's eyes snapped open at this, ready to reply with her automatic response to such questions, yet felt herself pause. She wasn't really okay, was she? In fact she was pretty not-okay as far as that spectrum goes yet she found herself floundering over how to express this to Holly. Every time she tried to formulate a response she would squash it just as quickly as it came. But, why? Holly had asked, had she not? So why did Gail still feel like she was burdening Holly with something she didn't want to know about?
Holly felt her heart rise in her chest as she watched the scared and confused girl before her, her face a rollercoaster ride of conflicting emotions as she kept opening her mouth to say something before closing it in a resolute line. It was as if Gail was flicking frantically back and forth between what she thought she should say and what she wanted to say.
"No," Gail finally breathed out, her voice managing to crack audibly on that single syllable.
Before Holly could even prompt her further and ask why, Gail launched off onto the tangent she'd clearly been conflicted about elaborating on.
"I mean look at me. I can't even function like a normal human being and just let loose without having a fucking panic attack. Even fucking weed puts me on edge instead chilling me out. Typical me though, right? Able to screw up the most simplest of tasks…" Gail shook her head as she trailed off, biting the inside of her cheek as she looked away from Holly.
"Gail," Holly broached carefully, "plenty of people experience paranoia when they smoke, especially if you're anxious or over-thinking beforehand. Don't be so hard on yourself Gail, it sounds like you're under a lot of pressure at the moment and I'm sure that can't be good for you. Nobody is good at everything. Nobody."
"What? Even you, the perfect Holly are bad at something?"
Holly chuckled at Gail's impression that she was somehow flawless, not really sure why this girl of all people would think that about her.
"Nope," Holly popped, bumping shoulders ever so slightly with Gail, "I'm a terrible dancer."
The blonde rolled her eyes at this admission but appreciated Holly's attempt to cheer her up, not that it was working that well.
"I don't know. It's just every day I wake up and I just wait for it. Just wait for the moment I fuck something up and inevitably disappoint somebody."
Wow, Gail thought. She was being such a cliché right now. Getting drunk and high and then spilling her worst fears and issues with some girl who had probably just been wondering if Gail needed a drink of water or something less profound than the insight Gail was now shedding.
"You've never disappointed me."
Gail's head snapped up at this, searching Holly's eyes for anything but the immense sincerity and worry that currently occupied them. When she couldn't find any hidden agenda though, her newfound intimate position felt incredibly suffocating and she slowed the swing to a stop before getting up.
"Well, then you haven't known me long enough. I'm going to go find Dov."
"Is Dov your guy from the café?" Holly enquired, her toned laced with the slightest tone of bitterness as she examined her shoes with great interest.
At this Gail had to laugh because no, Dov was definitely not her guy from the cafe and he would never resemble anything similar to what she had had with Nick.
"No," Gail reassured her, still smiling somewhat, "Dov is my best friend and anyway that guy from the diner is not 'mine' in any sense of the word."
Gail made sure she made that last point abundantly clear and was met with a stiff nod from Holly in return who now appeared to be blushing as she continued to avoid looking at Gail, which while intriguing Gail, it also gave her the perfect opportunity to slip back into the house.
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Gail was still shuddering slightly as she descended the stairs after checking the upstairs bedrooms for Dov. She'd found him alright. Half-naked in Chloe's bed with the other girl in a similar state of undress sitting atop him, which was more than enough of what Gail was comfortable seeing of her friend. At least now she had plenty of ammunition to use against him, especially since he'd carried on so much about her not ditching him too hook up with anyone. What a hypocrite.
She couldn't be too mad though, Dov could definitely use some more exposure in the lady department and who was she to try and stop that. Anyway, she was fairly sure if she'd gone back to Dov's house after the party as planned, he would've noticed she'd been smoking which while she knew he wouldn't say anything about would probably still upset him. Ever since his brother had overdosed six months ago, Dov had been very touchy about drugs and she could tell he worried about anyone close to him taking them, no matter how innocently or recreationally.
"Heading home, huh?"
Gail looked up as she finished closing the front door behind her, surprised to see Holly also making her way down the front path to the street.
"Yeah, not really in the mood anymore."
Not that Gail had really been in the mood at all that night but now more than ever she just wanted to curl up into a ball and fall asleep.
"How are you getting home?" Holly queried as the younger girl fell into step with her and they made their way to the street.
At this Gail paused as it occurred to her she hadn't really thought about it. Originally she and Dov were going to split a cab back to his house but without him she really couldn't afford a fare home and by now none of the buses would be running.
"Probably just walk," she replied nonchalantly.
"No you will not," Holly corrected her sternly.
"Says who?"
"Says me! There's no way I can in good conscience let you walk home alone at this time of night," she retorted though toning down her outrage slightly after her initial outburst.
"I can look after myself Holly."
"Fine," Holly concluded stopping and grabbing Gail's shoulders, swivelling the shorter girl to face her, "don't do it for yourself but do it for me. I will be out of my mind worried all night if you walk home."
Gail cursed at herself internally for being a jerk as she took in Holly's earnest expression, her watery eyes suggesting that Holly was just as concerned as she proclaimed to be.
"Fine, what do you suggest instead?"
Holly sighed, knowing how this would sound but figured it didn't really matter as long as Gail would be safe tonight.
"Just catch a cab with me back to my place. It won't cost much between the two of us and at least this way I'll know without a shadow of a doubt that you are alright."
Despite the obvious platonic tone of Holly's suggestion, she was still worried Gail would refuse, especially after she'd completely freaked out when Holly had tried to touch her and flirt with her earlier.
"Is this how all lesbians convince girls to sleep over?"
At this Holly felt herself go red up to the tip of her ears, scolding herself internally for making Gail feel uncomfortable. That was until she braved a look back up at Gail's face and was met with a trademark smirk and eye roll which put Holly at ease knowing Gail had only been joking.
"Only the good ones, Gail. Only the good ones."
So I'm guessing most of you expected something big to happen Golly wise this chapter but never fear, IT is coming… eventually.