Warning: language, mention of substance

Amelia's POV

People were flooding into the house as I parked outside it, while avoiding running over tipsy college students as I did. Lily and Veronica were jumping out of my Jeep before I could even put it into park.

They'd both had a round or two of shots in the car on the way here, and it clearly showed. I got out and ran to the other side to catch up with them. I didn't know anyone at this party except Veronica and Lily, and as much as I wanted to make some new friends, I didn't want to be in unknown territory without them by my side.

Veronica grabbed me and Lily by our wrists. "Come on, let me introduce Amelia to Hunter," she said excitedly, deciding what we were going to do first. As we got closer, I realised the place was packed. A queue had formed, and two boys with clipboards managed the entrance.

"Vicky, Hunter put us on the list right?" Lily asked, squinting at the boys that were playing bouncers for the night. "Yeah he did, but this is gonna take foreverrrr," Veronica elongated the r at the end, and I made a mental note to remember that she's obviously a lightweight.

Lily was holding out much better, and it seemed she wanted to take advantage of Veronica's state, because she said, "Vicky, you're Hunter's girlfriend. Are they seriously going to make you wait to go see your boyfriend?"

Lily's prompting worked perfectly, and she gave me a wink over her shoulder as Veronica mumbled her agreement and dragged us to the front of the line. Some of the people we passed made snide comments as we went, but one glare from Lily had them throw their hands up in surrender.

I found this version of Veronica quite amusing. She was never this outgoing and bold when she was sober. I couldn't help but think that Hunter was one lucky man.

The two boys in front of us didn't seem impressed by our cutting the line. "To the back ladies," the shorter one ordered, waving his pen towards the line of people before him. Veronica stood up as tall as she could and looked straight at him with an expression that told him she wouldn't take his shit.

"I'm Hunter's girlfriend, Veronica Reeds," I thought, and hoped, that I imagined Veronica puff out her chest in pride. The taller, lankier boy looked at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. "And I'm Britney Spears, bitch," he said in a high pitched voice, his comment getting laughs out of the people nearby.

Veronica deflated instantly and flushed a light shade of pink. "Excuse me?!" Lily screeched at him as I took a step forward, hoping to hide an embarrassed Veronica from their view. "You did not just call my friend a bitch," I said as I mustered up the most venomous look I could and aimed it at him.

"Would you rather I be more specific and call her an entitled bitch? Because I will if you don't go right fucking now," he spat back, and while the people waiting yelled things like 'burn' and 'served', his friend grabbed him by the arm and told him to calm down.

My frustration reached its boiling point, and just as I was about to tell the guy what entitled bitches are made of, a voice boomed from behind them, "who the fuck do you think you are, calling my girlfriend a bitch?"

At the sound of her boyfriend, Veronica turned and ran to him, almost tackling him with her hug. He held her to his chest instantly. "Hunterrr," she said, slightly unsteady on her feet, "I missed you baby. Can you tell these guys that I'm your girlfriend, pleaaasee?" she practically whined. Her words were dragged because of the alcohol in her system.

Note to self: Veronica and drinking can't go in the same sentence. Hunter held Veronica with care, but he was glaring daggers at the two bouncer boys, who looked scared out of their minds.

"S-s-sor-ry Hun-t-ter," the taller one stuttered, turning red. Look how the tables turn, everyone. "Apologise to her, not me you little shit. I'll deal with you later," it was interesting, seeing how a person can go from turning red to ghost white.

After the boy, who I didn't feel the least bit sorry for, apologised to Veronica, Hunter turned to me and Lily and waved us in. Hunter was tall, Veronica didn't even reach his shoulders, and he was lean in a way that blatantly showed he was a hockey player. His hair was long and curly. It was in a half up, half down hairstyle with a bun at the crown of his head.

"Hey Lils," he greeted Lily with a warm smile, "why is my girlfriend arriving at my party totally hammered?" he asked, and I couldn't tell if it was amusement or concern in his eyes, or both. "We did pre-party shots, babe. Don't you know about those?" Veronica answered for Lily with full seriousness in her expression as she spoke to her boyfriend.

Hunter chuckled at his girlfriend's innocence, and I knew I approved of him immediately. The way he looked at Veronica, as if she was the only person in the world, said all that needed to be said. It was then that he looked at me. "I'm assuming your Amelia?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, it's nice to finally meet you. This one won't shut up about you," I told him, pointing to Veronica. She stuck her tongue out at me, earning a smile from all of us. "I hope you've been telling her good things, Vicky," Hunter asked, laughing. "Of course baby," Veronica mumbled into his chest.

Lily, however, shook her head at Hunter and waved her hand under her chin, as if to say, oh hell no, and Hunter looked down at Veronica questionably. I couldn't help but giggle, it was cute seeing them interact like that, showing that the three of them had a tight knit relationship.

A wave of nostalgia ran through me at the sight of Hunter and Lily chatting, with Veronica joining in to say whatever was on her not so sober mind. I wondered if my old friends missed me as I missed them, even though I had just up and left without so much as a goodbye. When I got to BU, the first thing I did was change my number, so none of them could contact me even if they wanted to. Did they hate me?

"Anyway, it was so nice to meet you Amelia," Hunter was saying, bringing me out of my thoughts "Please know that any friend of Vicky is a friend of mine." I gave him a nod in appreciation and a small smile. He was a kind person, and Veronica had good taste. "Thank you. I'll let Veronica know you've been approved. You know, when she's sober enough to process it," I told him jokingly.

Hunter turned to Lily. "Mason was asking about you Lils, I think he's near the back," Hunter informed Lily. "I'll take care of Vicky, if she's too wiped out she can just stay in my room," he added. "Let us know, eh?" Lily told him as she head off to find Mason, taking me with her.

"Who's Mason?" I asked the second Hunter was out of earshot. I wiggled my eyebrows at Lily suggestively. She wasn't the kind to bother with a guy without reason; that much I had picked up. Lily shoved my shoulder when she saw my expression. "Just a friend," she grumbled at me. "You don't seem to be every happy about that," I said, holding back my laugh. "Oh shut up, Mia," Lily rolled her eyes at my words, but I saw a hint of red on her cheeks.

"I'm gonna go get a drink, I'll come find you," I told Lily. I wasn't exactly Cupid, but I felt like playing Lily's little match maker in that moment. She liked this Mason guy, and he would an idiot to not like her. I didn't mind giving them some privacy, even if that meant being alone in a house full of strangers for a little bit. I could suck it up, for her.

I didn't wait to hear Lily's objections as I broke away from her and tried to find the kitchen. This place was huge and the further I went in, the louder the music got. There were so many people, I could smell a mix of their perfumes and sweat as they danced like there was no tomorrow.

Lily hadn't lied when she said this was one of the biggest parties of the year. The kitchen wasn't as crowded as the rest of the house. I went to the cooler and grabbed a bottle of some blue looking juice, making sure it was sealed, before looking for a place to sit.

All comfortable surfaces were either occupied by couples too infatuated with each other to care about anyone else, groups of individuals using drugs or beer pong games. I spotted a door near the back of the kitchen, tucked away in a corner, and let out a sigh of relief. It was hot, stinky and suffocating; I could do with a breath of fresh air.

At first, I thought that the area was deserted, but when I went out onto the deck, I realised I was wrong. The back garden was huge and slightly lit, and in the middle of it was a lap pool. It wasn't too big, I'd guess about 25 metres long. At the end that was closest to me stood two figures. One was a tall person in a red and black hoodie, the light too dim to make out any other details. The other seemed to be a child, judging by how short they were. I guessed it was a girl from how her long hair blew in the gentle breeze.

I could hear the faint mutter of conversation, but I was too far away to make out any words. I was more than a little confused. What was a little kid doing at a party like this? Was she on her own? And the hooded figure she was with seemed sketchy. Did she know the person?

I didn't get the opportunity to comprehend the situation and try to understand what was going on. Without a chance to react, I watched the hooded figure shove the little girl into the pool.