My eyes scan over the small crowd spilling out of Blake's house. All of their faces look foreign, which leaves me sighing with dismay. Maybe I should have come with Kyle and Charlotte, then I wouldn't be alone.

I hear someone yelling which makes me jolt backwards. As I peer closer, I see Ben and Blake running through the front doorway. Blake runs across the grass and then Ben springs into the air and lands on Blake's back. The weight of Ben's body sets Blake off balance. The pair tumble to the ground and burst into laughter.

Blake rolls onto his side and hits Ben as I walk over to greet the pair of them.

"Hey guys," I say.

"Ava, you made it," Blake gasps with surprise.

"What, do you want me to leave?" I nervously ask.

"No, I'm happy you could make it," Blake replies.

"Thanks for the invite," I awkwardly thank.

The house is filled with people which makes it hard to move through the space. I do notice the lack of furniture which enables more people inside the house. The living room has been converted to a dancefloor and the kitchen table is overflowing with food and drinks.

Blake grabs a cup from the table and fills it with pink punch. He hands the cup to me and then grabs another two beers out of the fridge. Blake passes one to Ben and then opens the other one for himself. He takes a long sip of his beer and then places it on the bench and turns his attention to me. Ben notices the somewhat stiff atmosphere and disappears to talk to another group.

"How are you and this fella? You could have brought him," say Blake.

The devilish glint in his eyes makes my stomach clench uncomfortably. I can imagine Blake somehow attempting to assert his dominance over Axel. Probably in some kind of tough man's handshake, or glaring competition. It would be intimidating but so hot to see that.

"We're good, not that we are anything, but well." My gaze drops to the ground. This is quickly getting awkward. "He's playing in his band tonight, actually."

"He's the guitarist, right?"

"Yeah, that's him." I nod.

"I'm sure he's a great guy." Blake tightly smiles.

When more people arrive at the party, Blake leaves to greet them. Although I fear being alone, I'm thankful for the space. I rest against the kitchen bench with my cup and watch as Blake hugs the new arrivals. I don't recall their faces, so they must be work mates.

Taking a deep breath, I leave the kitchen and head outside. The noise seems to drop significantly which allows me to relax. I drink from the red cup and look around the yard. The back door from Angela's house opens and Jude and Tori walk outside.

Tori immediately spots me and comes running over. She wraps her arms around my neck and tugs me into a tight hug.

"Finally, people I know." I sigh with relief.

"We're just going to say hi to the birthday boy and come back," explains Tori.

"Okay." I grin. "He was in the passageway when I saw him last."

"Thanks." Jude nods his head

When Jude and Tori walk away, I pull my phone from my pocket and send Axel a message. I don't think I can survive tonight by myself. I need someone who isn't team Blake on my side. I need someone's whose team me.

'S.O.S.' – Ava

'OMW.' – Axel.

'Cheers.' – Ava.

I message Axel the address and then find myself a new drink. I forcibly push myself to venture back into the house because that's where my liquid of courage is. On the way in, someone is handing out vodka shots, to which I happily take.

When I make it into the kitchen, I refill my cup and pray it's heavily spiked. As I look up from the bowl, I see Tori standing in front of me.

"Let's dance," she shouts happily.

Tori takes my hand and leads me away. As we're walking onto the makeshift dancefloor, Tori lifts my arm up and spins around. When she comes out of the spin, Tori drops my hand and looks over her shoulder. She wiggles her butt and smiles at Jude.

Jude walks over to dance for one song, and then he slithers away. Her attention turns to me and I tug on a bright smile. Thankfully, Charlotte and Kyle arrive which takes me off the hook - my dancing isn't that great. Kyle instantly stands with Jude while Charlotte dashes over to us.

I can see Kyle laughing and I wonder if it's because of me. My version of sexy dancing includes an awkward booty shake and a weird pout. I have no idea how I ended up with Blake as my boyfriend. I look like a spastic.

Possibly four drinks later, I get a text message from Axel alerting me to his arrival. I discard my cup on the table and leave. I squirm through the crowd and walk towards the back gate. As I step into the front garden, I see Axel walking across the yard.

"Hey, how'd the gig go?" I ask.

"Really good." He nods. "The crowd loved the new music."

"That's amazing. I'm so happy for you!" I grip Axel into a tight hug before walking back to the house.

"Is it okay for me to come?" asks Axel.

"He's the one who suggested it," I clarify. Despite the fact it might have been a courtesy invite, I won't tell him that. My actions over the last couple of months have been rather questionable, so why start making good choices now?

"Okay, drink time then," mutters Axel.

When we return to the group, Kyle and Charlotte hug Axel and they easily welcome him into their dance circle. Axel's dance moves are purposely terrible and they make me feel better about myself. Axel places one hand behind his head and extends the other arm to re-enact the sprinkler. Charlotte laughs while Kyle joins in.

I see Blake just as he seems me. Blake stops his conversation with his other friend and walks over. A tight smile overcomes his usual, relaxed façade. I grin at the sight of his uncomfortableness.

"Hey man, you made it," he says. "I'm Blake."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Axel, and Happy Birthday." They shake hands.

"Enjoy yourself. There's punch on the table and beer in the fridge."

"Cheers man," Axel replies.

Blake cautiously looks him over before walking away. I take his hand and lead him to the kitchen. I pour myself another drink while Axel grabs himself a beer. We meet on the dancefloor and keep busting our moves. Axel stops his weirdness in favour of wrapping his arm around my waist.

As Axel and I dance, I notice Blake wrapped up with another girl. I don't allow my gaze to linger in fear of him catching me out. Instead, I take a large sip from the cup and I feel the pain, more than I thought I would.

When I finish drinking, I spin around to find the punch. Despite my feet being firmly placed on the ground, the world continues to spin around me. One foot moves in front of the other as I place the cup on the table. One step later, I'm on the ground.

"Shit, Ava." I'm hauled into the air as Axel gabs me from the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel so good," I note.

"Here, let me take her." Axel passes me to Kyle and I rest my face on his chest and snuggle in. I think we're going outside but I notice we're walking up the stairs and groan.

"Take me to the garden," I say.

"We're closer to the toilet," replies Kyle.

"No." As I protest, the churning feeling in my stomach worsens. I clutch my stomach and leap into the bedroom. "Fuck the garden." I scramble into the bathroom and hug the toilet. Everything leaves my body except for the sickness feeling.

Dropping to the ground, I roll onto my back and look at the white ceiling. I burst into laughter which earns me a strange look from Kyle.

"What's wrong with you?" asks Kyle.

"The whole world, this." I wave my hands in the air.

"Sometimes it has to rain to see the rainbow," says Kyle.

"What if I can't see the rainbow?" I ask.

"You will, Ava. Just stop looking for it."

"Okay." I nod.

"I'll get you some water." Kyle leaves the bathroom and I stretch out on the cool tiles. I think about what he's said and my mind wanders to the rainbow theory and I scowl. I want to know when the fucking rainbow is coming because I've had enough of this bullshit for once.

There's some shuffling noise and then the bathroom door opens. Blake walks inside with a girl clinging to his side like a stink bug.

"Ava, are you okay?" he questions. Blake's shift in attention to little old me which earns me a funny look. I internally smile at her annoyance.

"Slowly dying," I answer.

"There's a bathroom next door," he tells her.

With an unimpressed look on the girl's face, she storms off. Blake walks further into the bathroom and scoops me off the floor.

"No, you don't have to do this," I say.

"You're sick, Ava, let me take care of you."

"But your booty call?" I frown.

"I like your booty better." He laughs.

"Good because I don't like her." My drunk self-informs her.

"Is that so?"

Blake places me on the bed and I snuggle into the pillow. When I don't get comfortable, I throw the pillow away. With a chuckle, Blake hands me another one and I get comfortable. Blake's pillow has always been lumpy and uncomfortable. I prefer the squishy one because it feels like I'm sleeping on a cloud.

"Sleepy Ava," I mutter under my breath.

Kyle returns to the bedroom with Axel following.

"What's happening?" Kyle inquires.

"Ava is tired," answers Blake.

"Be quiet." I hush.

"Is she going to be okay there?" Axel ponders.

Somehow, Tori pops up and lays on the bed beside me. She snuggles under the covers and steals them away from me.

"Don't worry boys, I'll look after her," Tori announces.

"Well, this is fucking weird. Both of my ex-girlfriends are in my bed," says Blake. I didn't want to point out the other things, so I roll onto my side and ignore the comment.

"Don't worry, Axel, you can head home if you like. Ava's mother is next door and she's the deso," responds Kyle.

"No worries, and thanks for having me, Blake," says Axel.

The three leave the room and Blake remains. He turns the lamp on and tucks me under the covers. He strides across the room and turns the bedroom light off. Before he leaves, Blake walks back to the bedside and stands before me.

"Thank you." I sigh happily.

"You're welcome," he replies.

"I love you," I mumble.

The air is quest but as he leans in to press a kiss against my forehead, I hear, "I love you too."

The weather might be stormy now, but perhaps Kyle is right. Maybe the rainbow is coming and I need to stop chasing after something that might already exist.  

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