Chapter 4

Secret Paint Rave

The end of school bell rang, pulling Eli out of the yearbook video nightmare he was editing. He hadn't realized how tight he was gripping the armrest to his chair until he saw how white his knuckles were. Being asked to work on the yearbook project by Fiona as a favor was not an issue. Only until the Ice Hound hockey team requested Cam's presence in it did the dark-haired teen find it a hellish experience. Every time he saw the hockey player's face, it brought him back to when he discovered his lifeless body surrounded by a pool of blood.

Why did I choose to come to school early that day? Why'd it have to be me?

He pried himself away from the rolling chair with such force that he managed to launch it across the room. It hit something with a loud crash, but he paid it no mind. His hands were shaking, and his heartbeat thumped in his ears. Eli found it difficult to catch his breath, walking out of the student council room and into the hallway for more air. The teen placed his back against a set of lockers and slid down so he was sitting on the ground.

"Shit, shit, shit…," he repeated to himself, closing his eyes and trying to work on steadying his breathing.

"You don't look so good, camera boy," a female spoke to him. Startled, Eli looked up to see who was talking. It was a student he'd never met before. Probably an underclassman.

"No, I probably don't." He chuckled at how crazy he must be looking right now. The girl kneeled next to him, reaching into her backpack for something. "Seems like everyone at Degrassi needs to blow off steam lately. Text the number and thank me later," the girl explained.

He took the flyer in his hand and examined it. It was minimal, and not a lot of info on it except the words: secret party and a number to text. "What is this?" he asked just as the dirty-blonde girl began walking away.

"The exact thing you need right now, camera boy..."

Julia got dropped at her bus stop, which meant she had to walk an extra three blocks to get to where she lived. When she used to get home from her old school, she arrived just in time to find the rest of her blended family coming in from work or already there. Julia was technically the only unemployed one, which her stepmom liked to remind her of constantly. Even though Julia didn't have a real job, she considered ballet her full-time job. From balancing her independent study, five or more hours of dance rehearsals, ballet showcases and productions, and maintaining her body fit and healthy. She was always the last to arrive at the shitty apartment. However, Julia felt nothing but stillness as she unlocked the door. She was alone for once.

Lately, her days have been so empty. During her almost week-long break between schools, she thought she would lose her mind because she had no dance practice, nothing to study for, no routine to nail, and was stuck at home. The changes in her life were so noticeable and came so suddenly. Entering the room Julia shared with her older stepbrother, she didn't bother to look at his side of the room. Gabe always kept his side messy and cluttered, and she wasn't looking to get annoyed.

The petite girl kicked her dance bag deeper under her bed at the sight of it and decided to focus her mind on getting changed. Julia was done with that grueling part of her life now. She just wanted to be a regular seventeen-year-old. Pulling out her phone from her skirt pocket, the number she texted also mentioned to dress in clothes "you don't care about." Immediately, an evil thought entered her mind as she kneeled by her bed to pull out the dance bag she had just kicked seconds ago. Unzipping the duffel, she pulled out her old leotard, skirt, and leg warmers.

Perfect!

Eli rushed home to let Cece and Bullfrog know that he had a guy's night with Mo and Jake tonight. However, he didn't divulge the part about them going to a secret party he was invited to by someone he didn't even know. His parents have always been hands-off, and in ordinary circumstances, they probably would've been okay with it if Eli had told them the truth. Lately, though, Cece and Bullfrog have been walking on eggshells around him, and he didn't need that from them tonight. That's why the teen lied and told them he was staying the night with Jake after the boy's night battle royale tournament. He felt a twinge of guilt, but not enough to call off his plans.

"Call if you need anything, baby boy. I'll be over at Annie's working on booking some talent for the bar—love you!" she called out as he headed for the door.

"Will do! Love you too, Cece!"

Eli would've driven to the event, except that Morty has been giving him a hard time lately, so he opted to give the old beast a night of rest till he figured out what was wrong with it. Jake pulled up in his dad's red work truck, honking his horn to announce his arrival.

"Get in, loser! We're going to a secret party!" Mo exclaimed, already sitting next to Jake.

"Keep it down guys," he warned as he hopped in, "my parents don't know what I'm up to tonight."

"Whoops—sorry!"

Meanwhile, Jake began chanting, "Boys night out! Boys night out!" Eli's worries and anxieties faded away as a natural grin formed on his face. He joined in the fun, as all three boys now chanted in unison, "Boys night out!"

The past few days have been a collective of new experiences for Julia, including being led to a lonelier side of town. The lonely girl was standing in front of an old abandoned building. The party's location made her apartment building look like a five-star hotel in comparison. From the outside, she couldn't tell there was an event happening. Julia wasn't sure she was at the right place until she saw a couple dressed in all white go up to a metal door and slip in. Following their example, she entered the darkness but could faintly see the flashing and strobing of fluorescent lights. More importantly, she could hear the steady beat of the music playing.

Pushing past the black PVC curtains, she entered the main room. Mouth agape, she took in the vast chaos of paint-splattered against the white walls of the industrial building. Buckets and buckets of paint were all over the floor and lined up against the walls. Not only was it on the walls, but people were taking the neon paint and applying it on themselves however they could. With rollers, paintbrushes, with their hands, or even grabbing the paint canisters and throwing the liquid contents on each other. A twinge of excitement coursed through her. It was either from the music, the people, the paint, or all of the above. She found the experience all so overwhelming in an amusing way.

The trance-like music was enough to get her to start dancing. Even though her primary expertise was ballet, it didn't mean that she wasn't well versed in other ways of moving her body. She loved ballet, but whenever it got too stressful, a fun way to let loose was to try different dance styles and not take them so seriously. Julia fit in perfectly, even though she didn't know anyone. The teen was more comfortable entering this environment than the house party she went to last week. Wedging herself in between the dancing crowd, she started sending her arms up over her head and moving her hips to the beat of the music.

"Oh-em-gee! Love your outfit! It's so cute!" A random girl complimented, eyeing her from head to toe.

"Thanks," she answered not as enthusiastically. Julia grimaced, almost forgetting what she had on. She'd decided to come in her ballet attire, even down to her ballet slippers and bun updo. Annoyed, the naive girl regretted her choice of coming dressed in her dance practice attire to such an incredible and extraordinary experience. Initially, she thought it was a good way to shed her past and let go of it symbolically. Now, Julia cringed visibly at her stupid idea.

What am I? Twelve!

She noted how everyone else was dressed in all white, making her more self-conscious that she stood out. The ballerina walked away feeling like an idiot from the dancing crowd. Julia ended up on the opposite side of the room, where there were fewer people to potentially comment on her childish outfit. Reaching up to her bun, she started removing the hair tie and bobby pins imprisoning her hair. Maybe that would help her look slightly more mature.

"Hey! It's goth chick, right!" a dirty-blonde-haired girl announced. She's surrounded by a group of her friends who Julia didn't know.

"Yeah—you're the girl who invited me?" Julia tried to clarify. She recalled her face from school earlier today, except now she didn't look so frumpy. The girl wore all white to complement the different neon paint splattered on her body, hands, and face.

"Exactly! I'm Talia!"

Julia sensed something else was different about her, but she couldn't pinpoint it. Maybe it was because they were outside of a school setting, but earlier, she had been a lot more stoic when talking to her. This time she seemed alert and cheerful.

"Isn't this party sick?" she asked with a wide grin, dancing in place to the electric song playing.

Julia merely nodded her head in agreement with a weak smile as she finally freed her hair loose from her bun. Talia leaned in closer to the raven-haired girl. "I told you earlier to bring good vibes and energy—so here's your reward!" The girl grabbed her hand and placed a tiny plastic baggy for her to grasp, "pay me back later!" She kissed her cheek swiftly and winked at her before returning to her friends.

Being left mesmerized by the odd interaction, she merely stood there, music still playing and lights flashing as Talia and her friends walked to the opposite side of the room with the large dance crowd. Her gaze fell to her hand, where a transparent bag held four orange pills, all shaped like shields. Julia guessed she'd just been handed ecstasy pills, not being well-versed on drugs. Not wanting it out in the open much longer, she took the E and placed it in her leg warmers for safekeeping. The naive teen hadn't decided if she wanted to take random drugs from someone she barely knew just yet.

Making her way to the paint buckets against the wall, instead, she decided to draw with the scattered outcasts. Suddenly, Julia was fiercely thrown off balance by someone tall passing her by. Stumbling backward, she hit the floor with all her weight on her butt, the ache already starting to radiate up her lower back. "What the fuck—watch where you're going, you tall freak of nature!" Julia called out, her anger getting the best of her. The tall boy scrambled to grasp her arms, helping her get back up to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Ms.—I swear I didn't see you," he reassured, his tone sounding sincere. Julia took a better look at her assailant and recognized a familiarity to him. He seemed to do the same, giving her an 'I think I know you' look.

"Hey, you're the new girl at Degrassi—Julia, right?" Jake asked.

"Yeah...I met you today. You're Katie's friend?" She recalled his face from school. Jake's features scrunched up at the sound of the dark-haired girl's name.

"Umm, yeah...I'm Jake—and I guess you can say that about me and Katie." When answering that, Jake couldn't look her in the eye, divulging to Julia just a little more about his and Katie's relationship. She made a mental note to ask her new friend for more details about them soon.

"—There you are, Jake!" Eli called out to him, his face pale and eyes wide like he'd just seen a ghost. He didn't seem to notice Julia, walking right up to his tall friend. "Do you have any weed on you, man?"

"Nah, I'm fresh out," Jake answered, clearly not giving his shorter friend the response he was hoping for. He swiped his hand over his mouth, trying to steady himself from the sight of the red fluorescent paint that was giving him flashbacks to Cam's death. The incident had been a week ago, but the memory was so fresh that it might as well have been an hour ago. He started searching for the exit when he spotted her, the only person that could distract him at a time like this. It was like being smacked by an ice-cold rag across the face. It was Julia.

Time seemed to stand still as he let out a calm breath, and fresh oxygen filled up his lungs. A slow smile crept on his lips, his body instinctively taking a step towards her. Even under the crazy flashing lights, he's still in awe of her beauty. It was innocent and yet mysteriously sexy. Her bright doe eyes stared back at him with longing, framed by her raven-colored bangs. And her fragile plump lips made him want to go up and ferociously kiss her again like he'd done the night they met.

"I don't have any weed on me either, but I do have—," she paused, reaching into her leg warmer and pulling out a plastic baggy, "—I have ecstasy if you want some?"

Hearing her speak was the full ice bath he needed to bring him back down, making him register what she was offering. The only drug Eli had dabbled with was weed and never saw the appeal to try anything else...until now. He didn't know if it was the need to keep talking to Julia, to impress her, or both, but he surprised himself when he answered, "yeah, I'm down."

Mustering up the courage, Julia took out a pill from the baggy and swallowed it whole in one go. She motioned the plastic bag to Jake, who returned the answer when he shook his head no. "I'll be the designated driver tonight, guys," he explained over the music, patting Eli on the back to reassure him. Julia handed the teen boy an orange pill that he swiftly popped in his mouth.

"Now that that's out of the way, I think I see Mo painting," Jake announced on his tippy toes, trying to tower over people. Julia awkwardly followed the two boys, all while trying to exude more confidence than she was feeling.

She was still in awe that she'd come across him again, fearing after her first day at Degrassi that she might not ever get the chance. She almost expected him to vanish before her eyes. The petite girl also didn't know what to say to the cute teen she'd slept with a week ago, especially in this setting and under the soon-to-be influence of drugs.

Does he even want me around him?

Is this whole thing awkward?

Oh no! What if the E makes me do something stupid?

She internally struggled.

Eli and Jake found their third friend enjoying the extensive amount of paint at his disposal. Acknowledging only his friends, he paid Julia no mind, making her break out of her internal banter. Saving herself from more awkward introductions, she distracted herself by grabbing a free paintbrush and a free space on the wall to start drawing. It took her a couple of seconds but instantly, she knew it's a success around the boys.

"Nice dick drawing," Mo commented in approval.

"That's definitely not to scale though," Jake added.

"Speak for yourself," Mo reported back to his friend, causing Jake to grab a brush to splatter paint on him in retaliation.

"I set myself up for that one," the tall boy admitted.

"It's very free," Eli stated over the music, taking a step back while he placed an inquisitive finger to his face, "the wings are a nice touch!"

Julia couldn't help but giggle, his approval meaning everything to her.

30 minutes later.

She had had enough painting and following around the guys. The group was fun, but she could tell she was the tag-along. The girl longed to talk to Eli by himself and hang out with him more, so she kept stealing glances at him to see if he gave any hint that he wanted the same. He never did, from what she could tell.

It didn't matter to her anyway because the trance-like music she found entertaining when she first entered the building was starting to feel a lot more intoxicating. Almost as if the vibrations from the speakers were physically branching out to encompass her and pull her to dance. In a blink of an eye, the colors went from dull and meaningless to the most vibrant and exhilarating things she'd ever witnessed. Like a moth being lured to a flame, the bodies that accidentally grazed upon her didn't go unnoticed. Sensation on her skin was overwhelming and pleasant. Julia wanted more.

Leaving the boys to their own devices, she walked closer to the mass crowd dancing as the music changed to something with a faster beat and louder bass. The petite girl danced, a smile gleaming on her face as her eyes closed in bliss. She wished in that very moment to never be off ecstasy so she could stay happily dancing for the rest of her life.

Someone took hold of her hand, interlacing their fingers together. She stopped moving to the music, shooting open her eyes to find her favorite dark-haired boy. Through the pulsating lights, she could see his dark pupils fill his hungry eyes. Julia didn't take him for the dancing type, but she didn't care. If he were feeling anywhere near how she was, he would appreciate her next act. Using him almost as if he were a wall, she started dancing against his body, placing the most exquisite pressure that went from her chest and down to her navel.

Facing him, she slithered up and down while she swayed the lower half of her body on him. However, her favorite was skin-on-skin contact, taking moments to trace her finger along his arms and face. Eli's eyes closed, mouth agape, enjoying her sensitive stroking. She saw him swallow hard, making her want to find a new purpose for her lips. Wrapping her arms around his flushed neck, she pressed her lips against his Adam's apple. Julia nibbled on his warm skin, wishing nothing more than to cool it with her wet kisses. A low moan erupted from his throat. If she hadn't been facing one inch away from his face, she might've missed it.

Her skin on fire, Eli wasted no time, almost violently landing his lips on hers. Almost as if to make up for lost time, he wrapped his arms around her waist to press their bodies even closer. Her mind going desperate from the kiss, she opened her mouth, giving access for him to slip his tongue. She figured it was the drugs, but the sensation felt so intense that she couldn't help but let out a whimper of satisfaction.

Tangling her fingers in his hair, Julia wished never to be able to face the agony that was her real life again. If she could be forever locked in place, she would gladly take that fate. Making out on the dance floor, they were oblivious as vast amounts of paint that started to splatter over them in the mass crowd.