- boy x; Tate Mcrae -
- Lie To Me; 5 Seconds of Summer ft. Julia Michaels -
- Why Won't You Love Me; 5 Seconds of Summer - 

Aurora Holland

"Holy fucking shit," Cameron said, speaking my thoughts aloud.

The party was much, much bigger than any party I've ever attended. Which I guess doesn't say much when you think about it, because the only 'party' I've ever been to was Logan's almost a month ago. Unless you count the fancy event for my dad's job, but even then it wasn't a party like this.

"I can't wait to get druuunk!" Elijah sing-songed, unbuckling before Carter even parked the vehicle.

It took a good minute for Carter to find a good parking spot, and as soon as he put the car in park Elijah was throwing himself out of the vehicle. Eliana arrived just before us and Z approached shortly after, all of us parking in separate places due to the lack of parking around the giant frat house.

We piled out of the van, Griffin and Cameron immediately making their way over to where Logan stood next to Paige.

Layla and Bailey linked arms as they made their way to Elijah, who was already advancing toward the house full of people.

Guin and Quinn stood next to each other, directly in front of Z and Naia - who was next to Eliana and Lila. It was very obvious who was over the top excited about the party, and who was here to just hang out with their friends.

I stood in the back next to Katherine, making sure to stay by her due to both of us having anxiety when it comes to things like this. Plus it'd be wrong to ask her to come and then immediately ditch her.

I always hated it when Paige did things like this, why would I turn around and do it as well?

"I had no idea it was going to be this big of a party," I said to Katherine, mumbling quietly enough to where she could hear.

"Yeah, it's okay." Katherine breathed out, "As long as I'm not left completely alone."

"I won't leave you, don't worry." I shook my head, holding her closer.

"I mean even if you do, as long as I'm with someone I know I'll be fine. I think." Her big brown eyes danced around the people, avoiding eye contact with anyone who looked our way.

"You think it's obvious that we're high schoolers?" I then asked, remembering that this was a college party.

"I don't know, they haven't kicked us to the curb yet so they might be a little too drunk to realize," Katherine murmured, brushing some blonde hair behind her ear.

The party only got more intense as we entered the giant house. We all walked either next to or behind each other like we were walking through the hallways of the school, half of us scared to move while the other half was greeting anyone and everyone as if they'd known them for life.

I glanced behind me, seeing Paige and Carter together. My brows pushed together as I felt a feeling I haven't felt in a long time, one I knew all too well. It was jealousy, something I didn't expect to feel so soon.

Carter's eyes weren't on Paige, but he was talking to her. She had her eyes on him, oblivious to the party around her which was unusual for her.

I thought she was done liking him.

My heart thumped harder in my chest as I began to slow down, watching them as if they wouldn't be able to see me if they looked up. My heart began to hurt, despite not having any true reason to feel this way. Just because I have a stupid little crush on Carter doesn't give me any extra access to him, especially when it came to Paige.

And sure, you might think 'they're just talking' or whatever, but it's not that. I know Paige, and the fact she'd rather pay attention to Carter than the party -- speaks volumes.

Something pulled on my right arm, and I looked over to see Katherine looking at me with a sad look on her face. Her full lips pouted slightly, a look of disappointment in her eyes as she had seen what I saw.

My eyes trailed back to Paige and Carter, and I watched as Paige rested a hand on Carter's arm. Before I could even begin to think to react to what I was seeing, Katherine pulled on me a little harder.

"Let's get away from here." She mumbled, pulling me away before giving me a chance to respond.

My eyes tore away from my cousin and crush, my heart hurting as I mindlessly followed Katherine into the kitchen.

She stopped directly next to Elijah, who was standing in a circle with Layla, Griffin, and Cameron. The others were nowhere to be seen, but if I looked around the room I could see them lingering in different areas of the big frat house.

My eyes landed on Logan, who was currently flirting with another girl nearby. My brows furrowed, not expecting to see something like that.

I then looked ahead of me again, seeing Layla grab a handful of little plastic containers that held what looked to be Jello. She looked around, her brown eyes dancing between each of us. "Jello shots?" A beautiful smile rested on her features, her eyes landing on Griffin first.

"Ah, what the hell--" He stopped for a second, taking a red one from her. "That's what we came here for, right?"

Cameron followed and took one as well, his being a green color. Elijah sent a beautiful angelic smile toward Layla, holding his hands out. "Hit me, baby!"

Layla smiled brighter as she tossed two to his hands, one blue and one pink. Her eyes then landed on Katherine, who seemed to be really thinking about whether or not to take one.

Instead of waiting for her response, I looked back in the direction we walked from. My eyes landed on Carter immediately, watching as he continued to listen to whatever Paige said. I didn't know what was being said, and part of me was glad as I knew it'd do nothing but hurt my feelings.

She laughed, smiling her beautiful smile. It was the same one where her eyes crinkled at the sides, her perfect teeth shining in the dim light. She was absolutely beautiful, and I found myself filling more and more with anger the more I watched the scene play out in front of me.

As much as I wanted to sit and blame Carter and Paige for this, I couldn't. It was my fault, and I couldn't blame anyone but myself.

I knew the moment I'd come to realize my true feelings that it'd all come to shit, and of course, knowing my luck it's happening very close to what happened to me before.

"Rory!" Layla exclaimed, causing my eyes to shoot back to her.

She held out two blue containers of Jello in her right hand, waving them around a little dramatically for me to take. "Gonna take one with us?"

I wanted to say no because it would be completely out of character for me to do. I've never drunk before, except for the time when my dad let me take a sip of his wine once. It's nothing compared to drinking at parties, and I'd always been adamant about not drinking despite being around it often thanks to Paige.

But my eyes traveled back to Carter and Paige, and the moment I saw her put her hand on him once more, I knew I needed to distract myself.

I turned back to Layla, smiling the fakest smile I could muster out. I took them gratefully, nodding. "Sure, why not?"

Maybe if I'm more like Paige, Carter will like me more.

"Is this your first shot?" Layla asked me, grabbing a red one for herself.

I nodded, feeling my cheeks heat up at the stupid confession.

She smiled even bigger if that were even possible. "We're definitely taking these together!" She squealed, flipping off the plastic cap.

I followed suit, my eyes moving to Katherine to see if she was doing okay. She was, and her attention wasn't on us at all. Elijah was in the middle of talking to her, and she looked very interested in whatever it was he was saying. Her eyes looked into his, not breaking eye contact. It was the most open I'd ever seen her around other people, not including when it was just the two of us. I turned my attention back to Layla, deciding to let Katherine have her fun.

Layla wrapped her right arm with mine, the one that was holding her Jello shot. "On three we're gonna just throw it back okay?" She asked, her voice slightly loud due to wanting to be heard over everyone else.

I nodded, looking at the blue substance in front of me. I didn't know how strong it would be or if I'd even like it, but I was going to troop through it so I didn't look like a weenie.

As our arms were linked together, Layla kept her eyes on me as she counted to three. As soon as she yelled out the number three, she pulled her arm toward her to consume the Jello. I copied her actions so I didn't look stupid, our bodies pushing together closely so we could get the Jello in our mouths.

I struggled a bit at first to get the Jello out of the container and into my mouth, but eventually, I got it. I broke down the Jello immediately and swallowed, cringing as the yummy flavor of Jello was quickly replaced with the bitter taste of alcohol. I didn't know what it was, but it was extremely strong and almost too much to handle for it being my first shot ever.

"It's vodka," Layla giggled at my reaction, downing another one immediately.

I held the second shot in my hand, reminiscing on the good taste while the alcohol burned down my throat. It wasn't horrible, but it definitely wasn't anything I expected and I wondered how Elijah was able to take shots so easily.

I'd seen him down a couple at the last party I attended, and even then as I looked over and saw his arm linked with Katherine's, he had absolutely no reaction as he down the Jello shot.

"Go ahead, take the other one!" Layla exclaimed happily, "They get you drunk quicker than you think."

I nodded, popping the cap off with ease. I downed it like it was nothing, ignoring the burning feeling moving from my throat to my chest. It was bitter as well, but I was able to handle it much quicker than the first one had.

Layla let out another squeal, jumping up and down. "Oh my god, guys! I took Rory's Jello shot virginity!"

"Please do not say it like that," Griffin cringed, popping the top off of a beer. I had no idea where he'd gotten it, but I hadn't been paying too much attention to anyone else except for Layla within the last five minutes.

"What? It's true!" Layla defended, resting her hands on her hips.

I continued to listen to their banter, ignoring the burning feeling in my stomach. Because I've never gotten drunk before, I assume it's going to be extremely easy to accomplish. Already I felt a little bit tingly, which says a lot considering I only had two Jello shots.

"Here you go, my love." Elijah held something out to me, stepping between Katherine and me. "It's a drink I made, so it's safe." It was a red solo cup, and I took it happily.

I felt nice. I felt like I could forget about who I truly was and all of the problems that exist in my life. I felt like I was free, like I was finally turning into who everyone wanted me to be.

The drink was a blue color, a lot like the Jello shot. I took a sip, barely able to taste the alcohol. It just tasted like Hawaiian Punch, and I was thankful as the two Jello shots were already too much at one time.

It went down with ease, and I began to chug it quickly as I was very thirsty and due to the low taste of alcohol, I was able to stomach it quicker.

I could still feel the burn in my tummy but ignored it as I stood between Layla and Elijah.

"Let's go dance, yeah?" Elijah asked, wrapping an arm around Katherine's shoulder. The girl blushed but follow suit, Layla shouting out in joy as she grabbed onto Griffin and pulled him with her.

This left me and Cameron, who stayed behind since I'd yet to move a muscle. I felt a little dizzy due to the chug, but I knew it was simply because I drank so much in the little bit of time I'd been here.

"You doing okay?" He softly asked, a look of worry resting on his features. "You just downed two vodka Jello shots and an entire cup of punch. That's a lot for someone who doesn't drink."

"I'm fine," I told him, although my voice was much slower than I intended it to be. I wasn't exactly stuttering my words, but I couldn't speak as fast as I usually did. To prove I was okay, I began to turn and make my way to the living room where the others went, stumbling as I did so.

Cameron chuckled, and it was soon after I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist. Cameron held me up, helping me walk with ease so it didn't look like I was struggling to move.

"I think you're already a little tipsy, Ror." He spoke calmly. Knowing he probably had to deal with this a lot since Bailey was a party animal as well, I felt safe in his arms. He led me to the area where people were dancing together, their bodies grinding against each other as they moved to the music.

I'm not a dancer, at least not if you don't count Just Dance. So as Cameron and I approached the rest of our friends, I stood awkwardly next to the blond boy. It made me feel better that he wasn't dancing either, and instead held me firmly by my waist.

Layla and Elijah stood in the middle of us, dancing as if their lives depended on it. Griffin kindly spoke to Katherine, who stood just as awkward as I did -- if not more.

Cameron bobbed his head to the music, laughing at Elijah's silly dance moves. I found myself envious of Layla and Elijah at that moment because I'd never be confident enough to dance the way they were.

Elijah knew he looked silly dancing the way he was, I could tell by the look on his face. But that being said, he didn't care. He could care less if anyone was watching him or nobody paid him any attention, and maybe that's why he was so popular.

Not only could he be very intimidating and extremely charming, but his personality was a whole nother thing. He was able to be himself without any worries about how people would react, and I so badly want that.

I so badly want to be Paige.

My stomach turned in distaste at the thought of Paige, because all it did was remind me of Carter. I'm like a little lovesick puppy when it comes to crushes, acting like something so small such as Paige and Carter talking was the end of the world. It sucked being this way, and if I could change that about myself, I would.

But my feelings are what makes me human, and when I crush on someone it makes me feel something other than hurt, which is what I'm so used to feeling all the time.

My eyes bounced around the party, unable to find Carter or Paige. They were nowhere to be seen, and I pouted as I realized what this could mean.

Had Paige finally gotten Carter into bed?

It was just so sudden, and I hated that I'm so in touch with my feelings. If I was still denying it to everyone and myself I'd give it no second thought, and I'd be able to have a good time at this party without a care in the world.

Realizing how hot it was getting in the room, I excused myself from Cameron. He tried to come with me but I shook my head, knowing he really wanted to spend time with the others. The last thing I was going to do was pull someone away from the others and cause them to have a bad time simply because I have a schoolgirl crush on someone I'll never be with, feeling jealous of my perfect cousin.

I had a slight stumble as I maneuvered my way around the giant house, attempting to find the front door. I'd finally found a side door after a couple of minutes of looking and smiled to myself as I made my way out.

It was quieter outside, although some people still lingered outside. It was chilly, considering it was getting closer to the fall months of the year. I hugged my cardigan closer to my chest as I walked to a nearby table, one that was empty minus the trash sitting around it.

I sat down, leaning my head back against the wall behind me. The air felt nice, and despite the burning feeling in my stomach, I felt as if I was finally beginning to cool down.

It was a huge contrast to the busy frat house filled with sweaty bodies. I was able to breathe deeply, and the dizziness subsided.

I'm glad my first experience with alcohol isn't anything bad, I was always too afraid to try it before due to not wanting to embarrass myself in front of people. I've seen Paige do a lot of things, not including what I'd heard from others.

"Hi," A soft voice said, causing my eyes to shoot open at the sudden sound. I looked to see someone I didn't know, but that wasn't really surprising considering I didn't even know ten percent of the people here.

The boy had curly brown hair, part of it hanging over his forehead. He had pretty brown eyes, and although they reminded me a lot of Carter's, I pushed that thought deep down to get the boy out of my mind.

Carter was with Paige, and I needed to accept that.

"Y-you okay?" He asked, looking at me with a timid look.

"Yep!" I exclaimed, smiling at him. I don't know what I found so funny suddenly, or why I was all excited, but I'm going to assume it's because I'm very under the influence right now.

"Mind if I sit here?" He then asked, pointing to the empty spot on the bench next to me.

I shrugged, looking ahead of me again. He took that as a yes and sat down, setting his red solo cup on the table in front of us. "I don't think I've seen you before," He said. "At Arrowway."

"Oh, I'm not from here," I told him, tapping my fingers on the table. "What drink is that?"

"Something my brother put together," He looked into the cup, making a face. "Wanna try it?"

I shrugged again, taking the cup despite not giving him an answer. I took a small sip, my nose immediately scrunching up at the taste. "What the fuck is that?" I coughed as I put the cup on the table, rubbing my hand over my chest.

The burn of the alcohol went down my chest and into my stomach, much like the vodka and whatever was in the Hawaiian Punch.

The boy -- whose name I didn't know -- shrugged as he examined it, drinking the last of it in one go. "I think he said something like Jack Daniels or something? I don't know, I just kinda went with it."

I wiped my mouth against my cardigan to get any residue from the drink away from my lips, not liking that alcohol in particular. "Well, it's disgusting," I said, fixing my position on the bench I was sitting on.

"Does its job," He responded. "What's your name then?"

"Ro-- Aurora," I cleared my throat, brushing some hair behind my ear.

"You don't go to Arrowway?" He asked, fiddling with the empty red solo cup. "Explains why I've never seen your beautiful face around."

I looked at him with a blush, butterflies pooling in my stomach at the compliment. Was this random guy flirting with me?

"I go to Riverway," I said.

"I'd heard some Riverway students were coming. You came with Layla Harrison and her posse, right?" He asked with a cute smile, one I found myself staring at.

"Yes! She's amazing," I couldn't help but smile at my new friend, remembering how happy she was I took a shot with her.

The alcohol was definitely settling into my system now, and I felt myself loosening up. I feel if I were to only have taken that one Jello shot or even not taken the drink Elijah made, I'd have been fine. But the more I sit here and let the alcohol go through my system, the more giddy I felt.

This made me want to drink more.

"I'm not usually one to hit on students from Riverway, but you might be an exception." The boy spoke with red cheeks, glancing over at me from where he sat on the bench.

We were close, but not too close. I could feel his body heat, although I didn't let it bother me because my own body heat was noticeable. The alcohol made my body feel hot, and I found myself pulling at my sleeves to rid myself of the jacket.

Once the jacket was off, I felt more comfortable. I laid my head back against the wall again, feeling the cool air hit my exposed skin. It was just my face, neck, shoulders, and stomach, but it still cooled me off tremendously.

"What made you become friends with Layla Harrison?" The boy asked, sparking another conversation.

"My cousin," I murmured, looking ahead at the trees in the distance. "My beautiful, perfect, annoying cousin."

"Annoying?" He asked, and I looked over to see him looking at me in confusion.

"I love her, but she's perfect," I murmured. I'm not the type to just open up about my feelings, but it was like something in me just switched and I began to admit my feelings to this beautiful stranger I'll probably never see again. "She gets what she wants and she's everything I'm not."

"I see," He said, at a loss for words at my sudden confession.

"Can I tell you something?" I asked, looking at him with the most serious look I could muster.

"Sure," He said. I watched his eyes look down at my lips but ignored the butterflies as I leaned closer.

"I think I'm drunk." I giggled, "I don't know. What's being drunk like?"

He smiled a beautiful smile, looking around at the scenery before back at me. "You came to a college party and have never drunk before?" He asked.

"Who are you, my dad?" I asked.

"No, I'm just another senior in high school sneaking into parties. Although it's easier on my end since my brother attends Uni." He smiled, leaning back.

I leaned back into my spot, nodding. "Yeah, I've never been drunk before," I admitted, twirling my ring around my finger. "Is that what this is like?"

"Depends on the person. Everyone reacts differently to being under the influence." He shrugged, "You can clearly see not everyone here are happy drunks." His hand motioned outward to a bit of a distance away from us, and I looked to see a college girl bawling her eyes out.

She sobbed over something I couldn't understand, one of her drunk friends consoling her softly. She and another girl nearby shared a look, one knowing they made a mistake by letting her drink as much as she did.

This made me feel a little bit better about my state, and so I giggled despite how rude it was I was laughing at someone else's pain. "She's crying."

"Yes, it would appear so." He shifted his body on the bench, so he was fully facing me. One hand was leaned on the back of the bench, one leg curled up under him as he gave me his full attention.

"That's sad," I said, my laughter quickly going away. "Although I don't blame her."

"Why's that?" The unknown boy seemed completely interested in what I was saying, but I think he was just amused at my state of drunkenness.

"Because life is sad," I answered, grabbing the sleeves of my cardigan.

"You're not going to turn into Sadness from Inside Out over there, are you?" He asked, looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"No, I don't think so. I think I'd be more angry than anything." I said, "What was the dude's name from that movie?"

"Anger," He told me, and I quickly nodded with a smile.

"Yeah! That dude."

He chuckled, shaking his head at my reaction. I frowned, looking over at him. "What's your name?" I asked, "I told you mine, and we've been talking for like ten minutes but I have no idea who you are."

"Oh, I'm Garrett." He greeted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Have we met before?" I asked, recognizing the name.

"No, definitely not." He told me, resting his hand on my knee. "I would've remembered someone as pretty as you."

I nodded, believing we hadn't met before now. I still recognized the name, although I couldn't put my finger on it. Then again, Garrett's a very common name so I could just be thinking of someone else I knew.

"You think whoever threw this party is going to get in trouble for letting high schoolers in?" I then asked, changing the subject.

"No, they do this all the time. Students are always sneaking in. As long as the college students don't do anything stupid it should be fine." He glanced behind us, his eyes landing on the sobbing girl.

I played with the ends of the cardigan, my mind distracted with different thoughts. They went back to Carter, wondering if he was still preoccupied with Paige. 

Maybe I should go find them.

Wait, no. That's not a good idea.

The last thing I need is another repeat of Asher. I think that would break me and I would turn from Anger to Sadness very quickly.

"Maybe I should go find my friends," I said, "They might be looking for me."

"Here, let me come with you." He offered as he stood up. He held his hand out for me to take, and I took it, grabbing my purse and jacket with my free hand.

I let him lead me away from the little patio and back into the house, staying close to him so I didn't get lost. I couldn't see any of my friends at this point, but then again it felt like some type of rave in here.

Flashing lights, loud music, dancing bodies. All of it.

Eventually, we found ourselves in a room that was empty minus a group of people sitting around. I couldn't tell if they were teenagers or college-aged, but by the way, Garrett knew them, I assume they were high school students.

Then, as if perfect timing, another group of people walked into the room.

I looked over, seeing Paige, Layla, Bailey, Eliana, and Lila.

"Rora?" Paige asked, looking at me in confusion. She then looked down at mine and Garrett's joined hands, a look of worry hitting her features. "What are you doing?"

"Why does it matter?" I snapped without thinking, unable to keep my thoughts to myself. "Did you get bored with Carter already?"

"What?" She asked, her face twisting in confusion. "Wait, no, that's not--"

"Layla Harrison!" One of the girls sitting in the group of people exclaimed. She stood up and walked over, hugging the girl tightly. "I'm glad you came!"

"Of course we did!" Layla drunkenly said, a smile on her face.

I glanced over at Lila, seeing her watching me with worry. It was probably because I was drunk for the first time ever, and she knew how closed off I was. But I don't care, anything to get my mind off of stupid Carter and stupid Paige.

"We were just about to play truth or dare, you in?" She asked, holding Layla's hands.

"Hell yes!" Layla exclaimed, the same beautiful smile on her face. She grabbed Bailey and dragged her over to the group, causing the other girls standing behind her to follow.

"That the annoying perfect cousin?" Garrett asked in my ear, chills running down my spine at the closeness.

"Yep," I said in response, leaning into him slightly. He smelled good, despite not knowing what exactly it was that he smelled like.

"Let's go play, yeah?" He asked, to which I just nodded in response.

He pulled me along with him, and I managed to make my way over to an empty spot on the couch next to him. A random boy I didn't know sat on the other side of me, but I ignored his presence as I waited for the game to start.

The game started, and it was just your usual game of truth or dare. I've played it before with Paige, but it wasn't anything like this. This was much more mature, with the questions being more personal and sexual than anything I've ever been used to.

Everyone seemed to be fine with it, considering most of the people were drunk except a select few. Out of my friends, I know for sure that Eliana wasn't drunk as she was a DD for the night. I couldn't tell if Lila or Bailey were, but I knew for a fact that Layla and Paige were.

Or maybe Paige isn't, I don't know.

"You--" A girl nearby pointed at me, catching my attention. "Truth or dare?" She asked, taking a long sip of the beer in her hand.

All eyes were on me, including my friends. I swallowed at the sudden attention, my mind dizzy as I thought about it. "Truth," I finally said, rubbing my sweaty palms on my thighs.

"Who's the last person you kissed?" She asked, a smirk setting on her features at the simple question.

It was probably the least sexual question I'd heard since the game started, but it was still very intimate to me considering I'm not like the others here.

"Nobody," I answered quickly, despite how embarrassing it is.

"You've never kissed anyone?" She then asked, a look of shock on her face. She probably wasn't expecting it, simply because I was at a party with people like the ones here. I just shook my head, my cheeks flushing.

"Nope."

"Wow, that's surprising. You know what? Good for you!" The girl smiled a polite smile, probably realizing how embarrassed I was.

I felt my cheeks heat up more, and I twirled my ring around my finger. Garrett leaned over to my ear, "It's your turn."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, forgetting that was the point of the game. "Paige, truth or dare." I looked at her, moving my left hand to my right out of habit.

"Truth," She murmured, looking nervous.

"Who's the last person you kissed?" I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing I was going to regret this decision.

"Aurora--"

"Okay, fine." I cut her off with a deep breath, "Why are you such a shitty person?"

Gasps echoed throughout the small room, nobody expecting that comment to leave my lips. Paige's eyes widened at the question, obviously not expecting it either.

"Okay!" Layla exclaimed, slapping her hands on her thighs. "You--" She pointed to a random dude, "Truth or dare?"

The game continued, ignoring the tension growing between Paige and me. My eyes continued to stay on hers, and I watched as she glanced around to make sure nobody was listening.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Aurora?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked in return, leaning forward in my seat. "You never know when to quit, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, acting innocent.

"It's always the fucking same with you. You-- you fill my head with these delusional thoughts and then you go and stab me in the back." I couldn't help but say, tears pooling in my eyes at the hurt in my chest.

I pulled my belongings into my arms, my fingers beginning to feel fidgety. Garrett sat between us, watching the scene play out. He completely forgot about the game, the game that Layla kept going so nobody saw the theatrics playing out in this half of the room.

I didn't wait for Paige to respond, and instead, I stood up from my spot. I stumbled very slightly as I exited the room, doing my best to make my way out of the party.

I'll call a Taxi or make an Uber if I have to, I'm leaving this stupid ass party.

"You can't just say shit like that and then walk away from me!" I heard Paige shout from behind me, and I turned to see Garrett and Paige leaving the house.

Garrett stopped right next to me, whereas Paige stood a few feet in front of me.

"I can't? You do it all the time!" I exclaimed, not caring that I was making a scene. "You-- you say things constantly that bring me down, insulting my personality, my looks, anything you can to make yourself look so high and mighty--" I waved my hands around dramatically. My purse and cardigan fell to my feet at the action, my belongings long forgotten about.

"You're drunk." She stated bitterly, crossing her arms over my chest.

"Maybe so, but it's still complete truth. My entire life it's 'Paige this' and 'Paige that', Paige Paige Paige." I mocked, "You're a spoiled entitled brat and every day that I have to live I have to deal with the fact that I was born as myself and not you."

"You don't mean that," Paige said, tears pooling at her waterline.

I was crying as well, and I knew for a fact my mascara was going to run down my cheeks. I don't care, as I'm finally getting my feelings out.

"You knew what you were doing with Asher, and you know what you're doing with Carter," I muttered.

"Of-fucking-course!" Paige exclaimed with a dry laugh. We were standing a good distance away from the party, although the people who were standing outside were watching the scene unfold. "I fucking knew this shit was about Asher. God, Aurora can't you just let it go?"

"It would be like you to say that," I muttered. I took a step forward, but I felt someone grab my arm roughly. I looked over to see Garrett holding onto me, preventing me from going any further.

"Look, I'm sorry that Asher didn't like you, okay?" Paige continued, causing my eyes to shoot back to her. "I'm sorry he had absolutely no interest in you, and you blame me for that. Asher didn't like you, and he never will. Get that through your head!"

By now, our friend group had slowly begun to make their way out of the frat house. I didn't bother looking to see who was standing in what order, as my angry eyes were sitting on Paige.

Her tears were long gone by now, replaced by the same heartless look I'd seen her wear numerous times before. She didn't care that our friends were now witnessing what happened and instead continued to speak.

"I'm sorry that people don't like you, or ever want to be your friend the way they do me. I'm sorry that you're such a disappointment to your mother to the point where she'd rather have me as a daughter, and I'm sorry you want to put the blame on anyone else around." The words were more than enough to make me feel less drunk and more sober.

She just aired my dirty laundry out in front of everyone. It's not something she's done before, despite the way it seemed. However, I knew I couldn't put it past her which is why I never chose to tell her about anything that happened with my mom.

If Logan hadn't gone and run his mouth, she wouldn't have had this to use against me.

I stayed silent, and Paige just stared at me. She knew she hit a nerve, and my face twisted in hurt and anger mixed.

"You're such a fucking bitch, Paige," I muttered, although it was so silent that only Garrett could hear. I was out of energy to continue arguing with her, knowing her words were going to affect me for a very long time.

Drunk or not, I wasn't so fucked up to where I couldn't remember any of this. I'd remember it in the morning, and probably for the rest of my sad life.

"We should go," Garrett mumbled, catching onto the fact that I was done yelling. He pulled at my arm, but I just shook my head.

He didn't take that as an answer, however, and continued to pull at my arm. I stumbled to the side, whimpering lightly as I struggled to get my foot.

"Hey hey hey! What the fuck are you doing?!" Cameron exclaimed as he and the boys began to advance toward us.

"No, let her go. She's done enough damage." Paige spoke, not caring that I clearly didn't want to go with Garrett.

"Paige, you've said enough." Layla snapped to the girl. I couldn't look at her face because I was too busy tripping over my belongings, my body getting pulled along the sidewalk.

Garrett suddenly stopped, and I bumped into him roughly at the sudden halt. I looked up to see Carter standing in front of Garrett, his arms crossed over his chest. "Let go of her, right now." He demanded, his eyes burning into the rough grip Garrett had on my arm.

"Jackson," Garrett coldly said, "I wasn't aware you'd be attending today."

"Oh, he's not the only one!" I heard a familiar British voice from behind me, and I'd never been more thankful to hear Elijah's voice than right now.

The fact that if our friends weren't here, Paige would've let this boy drag me off to God knows where.

Then the realization hit.

Elijah was talking about this guy in the car. This was the Garrett they were talking about, the one who attends Arrowway High who's got bad blood with the boys.

Oh, God.

Garrett glanced behind me, and as his eyes met Elijah's he immediately rolled his eyes. "I should've known of Layla Harrison was here that you guys would be." He spoke in an annoyed tone.

"I said let her go, Garrett." Carter spoke up with a clenched jaw, "I'm not going to tell you again."

"What are you, her boyfriend?" Garrett asked sarcastically, his tone the complete opposite of what it was only moments ago.

"Something like that, so you better listen to him, mate!" Elijah was so close, I could feel his breath on the top of my head as he spoke. He reached forward and snaked an arm around my waist, steadying me from Garrett's pull.

Garrett didn't listen and instead scoffed, "I feel bad if you're dating her, then, considering she's not even telling anyone you're dating. Funny you went from one unloyal bitch to--"

The rest of whatever Garrett was going to say was cut off. Carter didn't hesitate to punch Garrett, causing him to let go of me with ease. I gasped and bumped back into Elijah's grip, watching as Garrett fell to the ground from the punch.

"Shit!" Logan exclaimed, and it was then I realized he was still there. Along with everyone else, including Paige.

Carter stepped over Garrett with one foot on either side of the boy, watching as he held his bleeding nose. He bent down, his head cocking to the side as he looked at him. "If you ever touch or try to touch my Rory again, you'll pay."

I could barely hear the words, but I heard them. And despite how mad I was at him for going off with Paige -- as much as I had no right to be -- all I could think about was how hot he looked like that.

"We have to get out of here," Logan breathed out as he pulled at Carter's arm. "You're fucking stupid for hitting him."

"Fuck you." Carter shoved his brother's hand off, causing Logan to roll his eyes. "I don't give a fuck who his brother is, he shouldn't treat people like that."

Elijah, who was still holding onto me, swooped me up in one swift motion. He carried me toward where the van was parked, and I just let him carry me. My head hurt from the sudden drama that just happened, and I really hated myself for being the reason for it.

I hate drama, and I know I shouldn't have said the things I did to Paige, but I couldn't help it. It was like with this alcohol running through my system, I couldn't keep myself or my feelings under control.

Elijah sat me in the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt for me. I grabbed his arm before he could walk away, causing him to look at me with a soft expression.

"My things," I said.

"Katie's got them," He responded. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "It's okay, Rory."

I watched as our group of people began to head toward the cars to avoid getting in any trouble for Carter hitting Garrett, and I smiled at Katherine as she sat my belongings in my lap. "I'm sorry I left you," I said, touching her arm.

"No, I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I was fine because I was with Lijah the whole time, but that got you into trouble."

"Eh, I'll be okay." I smiled at her. She just nodded as she shut my door, getting in the van shortly after.

I avoided eye contact as everyone else filled the car, the van full of silence as Carter sped out of the frat house and toward the direction of Riverway, Minnesota.

When I looked over at Carter, I saw his knuckles were bloody and his eyes angry as he focused on the road in front of him. I remembered how he was supposed to be staying the night tonight, and my head began to hurt even worse.

This was going to be a long night.

++

Fun fact: I've only been drunk a handful of times, so I based Aurora's personality when drunk off of mine. The only thing I added was the confrontational personality of hers, but that's because despite only being drunk a few times I've witnessed quite a few people get drunk in my lifetime. Also enjoy this 6900 word chapter.

Another also, I picture Garrett to somewhat look like Joshua Bassett. I hate that in my head that's who I picture him as cause Garrett's a dookie head, but yeah

AND sorry for the lack of updates, hopefully this chapter made up for it <3

* This chapter is not edited *