Something bad happened, something really bad happened at Gaia's after party and I can only remember bits of it.

Firstly, Alessia made me really upset the other day, when she asked Gaia for help with her dress for the party and not me. I know I was being a bitch leading up to that moment, still, she had hit me right where it would hurt.

I was stressed, I was upset and don't forget that not long ago I broke up with Amir. My conclusion is, I was emotionally distressed by the time the party came around.

"You know, you won't be able to fit into your dress if you continue eating that." My mother said entering the kitchen.

The morning of the party, I was sitting by the kitchen island enjoying peanut butter chocolate ice cream, my favorite. Little did she know, that I've had two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a whole packet of peanut butter chocolate cookies prior to her arrival. I was scraping for the last drops of ice cream when my mother suddenly rattled the whole counter placing a bottle of green liquid with chunks of god knows what in it.

"Detox juice." she said firmly.

I frown upon the sight of the floating green chunks, "No way."

"Alicia, don't you think I've noticed you moping around the house lately, all grumpy and moody." She lowers her voice, "You are having problems again aren't you?"

I sigh, "Mom I'm aloud to have ice cream now and then without it being a 'Problem'" I too whisper at the word.

"Good." She says relieved, putting the detox juice back in fridge.

"Is Alessia coming over tomorrow?"

I groan, "no, why would she?"

"Thought you girls wanted to get ready for the party together."

"She's getting ready with Gaia." I ridicule the name.

"So, no Amir, no Alessia, who's taking you to the party?"

"Err...my loving parents?" I smile showing all of my teeth.

Saturday night rolls up and my mother drags me along to the party way earlier than all the other guests.

"I just wanted to make sure that everything is perfect." She says

We stand in the empty salon that had been turned into a full blown indoor replica of Acropolis, with the high pillars, we added golden drapes (my idea) and ounces of greek delicacies, all served on a table as large as the one Jesus used during the last supper.

The clicking heels of Mrs Romano echoed throughout the empty salon, she looked to be directing a scene in a movie, she had two stage managers trailing behind her. "...then I want Gaia here so that the lights reveal every ounce of her dress, from the slightest thread, understood. The young stage managers looked to be frightened to their core by Gaia's mother, still they nodded and took avid notes.

"Mrs Romano, what do you think?" My mother said, clearly proud of her staff for making all of this happen.

"Doesn't matter what I think, It is not I who am the star of the night." she answers theatrically.

Giggles and laughter increases as Gaia enters the salon. Along with her, what I would later known as the cause of my troubles that night, a tall handsome boy, with slick sand brushed hair, who I quickly recognized as Gaia's favourite cousin Timo. He's about the same age as us maybe one or two years older, he lives in town, not near any of the picket fences of course, maybe on the upper east side? However he never attended our school, instead his parents sent him to Saint Michaels, a "boarding school for the finest young men". Now he's in university I guess.

"Alicia! you're here early?" Gaia says, the two of them approach me.

"Just helping out my mother." I say, flicking imaginary crumbs off of Jesus table.

"This is Timo my cousin, surly you've met at one of my previous birthday parties."

We have, but I was fat back then, "No I don't think I have."I say and shake his hand like he's the president.

He smirks at me as I haven't let go of his surprisingly soft hand, still shaking it up and down.

"Kids!" Mrs Romano interrupts, "leave Gaia alone for awhile, she needs to practice her entrance."

"Yes maam!" Timo shouts back at her.

"Timo, don't make me come over there." Mrs Romano sighs, but with a smile on her face. I could never dare to shout at Mrs Romano, I get nervous by just being in her presence, to me she is like this tall elegant goddess with no flaws at all.

Gaia rolls her eyes, but joins her mother and the light managers up on the stage, leaving me and Timo by the last supper.

I continue rotating the bowls of olives and grapes placed upon the table, the most unnecessary task I could come up with while pretending to look busy. Timo's eyes are on me as I do, he doesn't say much, still my skin came alive as his eyes continued to rest on me.

"I'm sure we've met before?" He suddenly says, tossing a grape into his mouth. His jaw clenched tightly when he chews.

"No, why?" I ask.

As smooth as water he says: "I could never forget a face like yours."

I chuckle while heat rises to my face, "Oh yeah? when do you reckon we've met?" He opens his mouth to speak but I quickly interrupt, "And don't say in your dreams because I will vomit."

He seemed to always be wearing this cold smug, seeing his face lit up at my words though, made me feel accomplished for making him break character.

And there it was, the beginning to my troubles. I remember us lingering in the salon for a bit, just chatting innocently, I found myself pouring about Alessia, which I regret a bit now, considering he's Gaia's freaking cousin, still, I needed that I guess. I followed him out to the garden where he had a quick smoke, god he looked so cool lighting his cigarette, it was a image taken straight out of a magazine.

"You seem like a girl who needs to just fuck all and let loose." he said, a cloud of smoke left his mouth.

"You think, I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown."

He smirks, "Wait here." He says. Soon he returned with two glasses of prosecco.

I stutter, "I...I don't think we're suppose to take anything from the bar yet, it's not open."

" I won't tell if you don't."

I nod timid, he hands me my glas. I'm about to put it against my lips, however he quickly lowers my arm, while his other hand is fiddling in his pocket.

"Take this with it and you'll be able to let loose."

A million thoughts suddenly roams my head as my eyes zoom in on the palm of his hand, a tiny pill makes a white dot in the center of it.

I know what it is, still I ask, "W...what is it?"

"Happy hour." He says, nudging his hand towards me.

Now I know that I might have given him the impression that I was in need of this sort of thing, but I don't do drugs.

"Come on, it's yours." He pressures.

"Don't you want it?" was the coolest way I could reject the pill.

"No worries, I've got heaps."

"Great!" I squeal, I couldn't believe that I was contemplating taking drugs. I needed more time to think.

"Are they prescripted?"

Once more I make him break character, "yeah got em from the pharmacy last week." He jokes. His hand has begun to wither.

"Urgh, I can't take it anymore, my mother won't stop...." Gaia suddenly enters the garden, "I keep telling her that everything is perfect, still she make more changes, I mean the party is today right?" Her eyes wonders between us, finally taking notice. "What are you guys doing?"

"Err...nothing" I belt out.

Timo frowns at me and then looks to Gaia, "happy hour, I found some prosecco to go with it."

I swear I thought that I was about to have a panic attack, was she going to tell my mother , if so, kill me now.

"Happy hour, without me?"

My mouth falls open. Timo shifts his hand towards Gaia who without hesitation grabs the tiny pill and tosses it into her mouth, he then hands her his glass of prosecco.

"Now I can get through the rest of this night." She swallows and collects herself before turning around and returning back inside. I couldn't believe it, she just walked away like someone had only handed her a tic tac or something.

Timo put his hands in his pocket again and retrieves two other pills, "Your turn."

I remember taking a deep breath before reaching for the pill, If little miss perfect could be on drugs and still look stunning, so could I.

"Cheers!" He said as we raised both of our glasses, swallowing the pill.

******

I remember feeling warmth around my ears throughout the night and occasionally around my neck as Timo was all over me. Most of the time I felt like I was floating around, like a tiny bubble in the sky, the only time i felt other than pure happiness was when I was looking at her. Occasionally she would notice me but she would quickly look the other way. Some of her words I could still remember "...someday, you'll notice that you aren't a very nice person." Who is she to tell me who I am. The memory of the night just keeps spinning and spinning around my head and the more I think about the more I would like to vomit.

And now here I was, half naked. The light from between the curtains hit me right in the eyes, only god could tell what time it is, or what day it was. I head a headache, I was sure someone had kicked me in the head, most likely a football player. I look around to see a neatly furnished room, we're still at the palace. I don't remember getting a room? The cotton sheets softly caresses my naked skin as Timo groans and pulls it towards him. I feel like vomiting even more now.