Chapter 40: Cacophony:
End of part 2 :)
**Just gonna apologize for the absence of Collin in the pictures. He's in the chapter for such a brief moment, and I was having trouble with getting him integrated in the save file... He's so corrupt and idk what to do. Hopefully I can get him fixed. But that's why there's no pic of him.**
"Ugh." I put my hand over my head, it hurt to even think about anything. My throat was dry, and scratchy. All it took was a cough to send me on my feet. I grudgingly moved towards the door, slashing my hand at the light switch. The lights finally stopped burning into my freaking eyes.
I made sure to slam the door shut and lock it. The weight on my shoulders was unbearable. A crack from my neck made me cringe. Son of a bitch.
The mirror doesn't lie, it never does. It only shows the truth, that's all it knows. Staring at my reflection was like watching a horror film. I had black circles around my eyes, my hair was out of place, my lip was busted, my eyes were practically blushing red, and my skin looked so filthy.
A shower was definitely a must, but I didn't even look anywhere near the direction of the shower, I just kept looking at myself in the mirror. 'You cause all of your mess.' My mother was taunting me and she wasn't even here.
What's the point in even going to a party if you can barely even remember what happened the next day? I needed to fix myself. Alcohol had been my comforter not once, and definitely not twice either. The situation always ended up worse. I needed to stop this shit right away.
Finally, I stripped down and left my clothes in a pile next to the shower door. Cranking the faucet on, I stepped inside to the bursting of the warm jets on my back.
In the stream I stood, letting the water hit my body at every different angle. It was nice and even, not too hot and not ice cold. My hair soaked up the water, clinging around my neck in red clusters. It kind of looked like blood on my skin.
My body was covered in suds and I decided to just sit down, closing my knees into my chest. I put my head down on my knees so the water wouldn't get in my eyes. I was too tired to stand.
I sat there, angling my head down as I washed my hair. Two sections at a time. The left side first, working the product through, rinsing, and doing the same to the right side.
The water was still running, and I was still sitting there so I got up. I turned the water off and brushed a few stray bubbles off of my leg.
I stepped out of the shower, grabbing one of the ashy blue towels on Kizzy's towel rack. My wet foot landed right on my leather skirt from last night and I grimaced, picking it up along with my other remnants of clothes.
Her straightener was on the floor, cracked open, along with some electrical wires and pins that were scattered on the floor. Damn, I did that?
I felt so bad. Kizzy didn't deserve that. She let me use her room for one night and look at what had happened. My shit was all over the place. Vomit on the toilet seat, my shoes on the floor.
Collin was standing in there, looking around and then he saw me and stopped. "Oh, sorry." He smiled with that slick look on his face. "Wrong room."
‘Wrong room,’ my ass. He knew what he was doing, or at least trying to do. I frowned at him, “Yeah, you definitely got the wrong room.”
He backed up slowly, waving as if he were saying goodbye. Everything about him just gave me the heebie jeebies. I locked the door, and he still managed to barge his way into the room. Something just wasn't right about him.
My bag was right where I had left it earlier that night. I grabbed it, making my way back into the bathroom again. All I wanted to do was get out of there; I wanted to be anywhere but there.
I threw my white sweater over my head, slipping my legs into my jeans. I hopped around, pulling them up quickly as I made my way towards the door. There was no doubt that I still looked terrible.
My shoes were right next to the door, and I just smooshed my bare feet into them. The slight dampness of my feet made me remember that my socks were in my bag. But I didn't care about them, really.
I put the bag down on the floor as I walked out of the bathroom. It didn't exactly feel "correct" to just walk out without saying bye, or at least thanking Kizzy for letting me stay in her room.
“Hey-“As I walked into the kitchen, I saw a shadow of blackness peering from the corner of the room. I dropped my bag. My lips snapped shut and I looked towards the door. Was it too soon to leave? Was I supposed to stay? I kind of had no choice since my bike was at the house.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" David's face resembled the shade of blood. His soaking wet hair looked black; the tips looking as sharp as ever. He was so focused on Cris that he didn't even notice me standing behind him.
I eased back, unsure of what to really do. It was clear that I had walked in on something I shouldn't have. It was the wrong moment.
"Just tell the truth, I already told Casey!" Cris walked over to him, smiling as he looked back at everyone else in the room, even me. "Just say it." His feet rested right across from a bar stool. "You thought you could lie to me, lie to everyone in this room! You're supposed to be my friend..." There was a slight fray in his voice.
David seemed to just stand there, not saying anything. All I could see was the back of his head, and the tense stature of his body. When I looked behind David, I saw Kizzy. She was whispering something to the girl beside her, anticipation written across her lips.
"Nothing to say for yourself, huh?" Cris egged him on.
"What the fuck do you want me to say?" David responded, throwing his hands up. "I've been telling you the truth."
"No you haven-"
"Wooo! Party people what is going onnnnnn!" My sister chirped into the room, bouncing her hands in the air as if she were dancing. Her makeup was all smudged and discolored, it only made things more cringe worthy.
I knew I looked like a pale ghost. Did she not hear all of the arguing?! My hands covered my face like a mother shielding her child's eyes when people sunbathed at the beach. "Jess!" I knew it wouldn't end well, but that didn't stop me from trying to make things better.
"Oh wow, look who it is!" Cris got excited, but I grew more and more terrified. “The LSD Queen.” It took a while before I realized why he called her that. I instantly hated Collin even more.
Jess didn't even acknowledge him. Her lingering glare rested upon Cris like the laser on a gun. If looks could kill....
My mind was going a mile a minute. It was like little people in a burning building were running around up there. Open the door over there- no! Open the window! The smoke was just clouding up my brain. Get your phone! Grab your jacket! What about that wallet with that special photo of- Everyone was just racing around up there, panicking; picking up the pieces of their past as they tried to save themselves. A tragedy. Pure tragedy.
"This is just the perfect timing, isn't it?" Cris clapped slowly, that smile growing wider by the second. "Both of the sisters are here!"
I always knew Cris was an asshole, but not that much of an asshole. All eyes were on us now, and I was even more mortified.
"Jess, do you have anything to say for yourself?" The tone of his voice really irked me. It was like there were a bunch of red ants crawling over my skin, biting me in all the little places I never knew were there.
"Leave." I was so relieved to hear Jess say those words. "Take your skank with you!"
Of course Cris didn't move. I wanted him to, but he didn't. It was in that moment when he directed his gaze towards me, and I felt alive. "What about you, Melody?" He was smiling again. "You're awfully quiet, but maybe you have something to say?"
I looked at David, watching the way his eyes dashed right over to mine. My lips wouldn't move, I just couldn't speak.
There was nothing but silence in the air, and the twisted laughter coming from Cris. David was just staring at the trash laden floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
I watched as his jaw line shifted a bit, and then his fists tightened. It all happened with one swift motion. The barstools crashed against the ground, and I stood there nearly blinded.
David was holding onto his shirt, pulling him in right to his face. "This is not the fucking time." I watched as his eyes kept chasing cris.'
"You wanna fight, bro?!" Cris was nearly bouncing off of his feet, ready to go. "Let's go, man! Come on!" Cris was shouting as he landed on his back. The thrill and the rush could be felt through his eager smile. I felt it. "Let's go! Woo!" They rumbled back and forth on that floor, and it didn't take long before streaks of blood oozed from the both of their skin.
A punch here, a punch there. I looked at Casey, and she was just watching it all happen, not saying a word. David was muttering something, holding onto Cris as they rolled over the red solo cups on the floor. Crush! They split in half, sputtering across the room from all of that pressure. I felt like I was watching a destruction derby.
I tried to look away, but my eyes forced me to see what I didn't want to see. David was on top of Cris, striking him left and right. More blood emerged.
"Stop!" My voice was screeching. Everyone was staring at me as if I was the one beating up my so called friend. I knew better than to jump in.
"Guys, come on!" My sister ran over to them, but I didn't stay there to see what happened. I headed for the room, and I didn't look back.
There was a constraint in the room. It felt like the entire house would collapse from all of the pressure. The force was unbearable.
A string of booms banged their way through my chest. My heart was a boombox; beating so fast and hard, it wanted to be heard. I tried to calm myself down, grasping onto my breath that just kept running away from me.
I had to leave. The smell of alcohol and delusion still misted the air. It was like I caught a whiff of an air freshener when I opened the door to Kizzy’s room. My bag, there it was. I rushed over to it, slinging it over my shoulder.
Clack! All the sounds of rage were still blaring in the background. I approached the door with caution. Did I really want to walk back out there? It was the only way ou-
“Hey!” Tingles ripped all along my arm, freezing me dead in my tracks. Elliot was in the doorway. “Where are you going?”
The lights were still on, so I shut them off. My eyes glazed behind him, at the floor, at my feet; anywhere but at him. “I’m leaving” Heat was cushioned in the small space between us, but I maneuvered through that tiny space.
Just as I was about to slip through the cracks of embarrassment, he kept me there a little bit longer. There was so much strength in his grip as he held onto my arm. “Why?” He was staring into my eyes, connecting the dots on my face. “What’s wrong?”
All I could focus on were the noises. Those noises of hatred. He let go of me. I shivered from the fear, and he was just standing there behind me. My back was turned towards him, but I felt his gaze. “Everything,” I said. Things weren’t supposed to be like this, and I knew that. Girls like me, didn’t hang out with guys like David.
I could see my room. My real room. “Everything’s all wrong.” A room that was once so neat and quiet, so bland and drab; was now cluttered and cacophonous. It needed some serious cleaning, and I knew that. But, I wasn’t sticking around to clean up the mess. I didn’t need to clean anything. I needed to abandon it all.
