g w e n:

This was a mistake. I don't know what I was thinking in coming to this party. I wanted to have fun for once, forget about the ache in my heart but without even stepping foot in the celebration, my heart cracked open. I guessed this was what I got for trusting a bad boy; for letting Calum get close to me. I knew better than this but instead of listening to my brain, I listened to my heart and now it's smashed.

"Sweetie! Come here!" Charlie was out of breath as she ran up to me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I wanna go home," I whimpered into her shoulder, loosely wrapping my arms around Charlie's waist. "Where's Luke?"

"Spitting obscenities at Calum," Charlie informed, as she loosened her grip on me. With her arms still draped around my shoulders she looked at me with concern. "I hope Luke sucker punches Calum in the jaw."

"I might actually enjoy that a little," I managed to let out a chuckle, "Calum could use a little pain right now because I'm torn up."

"You know what Gwen? Fùck Calum!" Charlie declared. My eyes widened at her sudden audacious demeanor.

"What?" I breathed.

"Fùck him," Charlie reiterated. I opened my mouth to argue but she continued quickly, "not literally," Charlie smirked and I felt a rush of relief.

"What do you mean then?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side.

"Like, forget Calum!" Charlie declared, her voice booming in the evening air. Full of confidence and valor, my Australian friend exuded a willingness to fight. "He's a player; a bad boy. He used to be Prince Charming but that's obviously not the case anymore. If you wanna go home Gwen, we'll grab Luke and leave. But I don't think we should. You look amazing tonight and you deserve some fun. What do you say?"

I sighed, shooting Charlie a small smile as my mind contemplated her suggestion. As much as I didn't want anything to do with Calum at this point, Charlie did have a point. I did deserve some fun, as did she.

"I'll give it a go," I announced, causing Charlie to squeal in excitement. "I'll try it out for a couple of hours."

"Sounds perfect! And if you feel uncomfortable, we'll leave," Charlie assured. She reached out her hand and held mine with a tight grip, "let's go party!"

I grinned at the dark haired beauty and walked with her hand in hand back up the large home. On our way up the stairs, towards the booming music, the two of us saw Luke. He looked relieved when his eyes caught mine and immediately pulled me into a hug the moment our bodies met.

"How are you doing? Do you wanna go home?" Luke questioned.

"Nope," I shook my head confidently. "I wanna have some fun."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, pulling away from the hug.

"Positive," I promised. "Just stay with me and don't let Calum anywhere near me."

"Deal!" Luke stated.

He gave me a half-hearted smile before looking over at Charlie as if asking for assurance. Charlie reciprocated the grin, reaching over to hold my hand.

"Are you ready to go back in there?" Charlie asked.

I nodded my head, "let's do this."

The three of us walked back to the party, my nerves growing with each step. Without a doubt I was going to run into Calum and without a doubt I know my heart was going to surge with ache. But I wasn't going to let a bad boy player dictate my smile. I was stronger than that- at least I hoped so.

Once again, the music reverberated against my ear drums with a bang and I knew the party was in full swing. Like reflex, I grabbed onto Charlie's hand as Luke led the way. He opened the front door, and like a wrecking ball into a concrete wall, the music and smell of alcohol collided against me with great force. I nervously looked over at Charlie who gave me a reassuring smile.

In the distance, Luke was walking through the people-lined halls, giving high-fives and hugs to a bunch of peers I barely recognized. School uniforms truly were a barricade of self expression and this party was the perfect opportunity for my classmates to show who they were.

"I'm not going to force you to drink," Charlie had a hand on my shoulder, "but I think you should have a little to loosen you up. Only if you want to- I'm sure there's water or soda you can sip on."

I contemplated Charlie's suggestion. I never really drank before and didn't know my limits. Besides an occasional glass of wine or champagne at wedding ceremonies, I didn't really consume alcohol. But as I thought about all the possibilities of actually drinking some tonight, I caught glimpse of a familiar head of dark hair. Calum was on the other side of the house, drinking a bottle of beer, and his tattoos graced his tan skin.

I felt my body shudder from anger and embarrassment, especially when some girl started to flirt with him. I felt fury rising within me and before I knew it, my fists were clenching. I was hurt yes, but what I felt more than ache in my heart, was rage.

"No, it's okay," I promised, giving her a subtle smile, "I want to try to have a little fun. Give me a drink."

"Are you sure that's what you want Gwen?" Charlie asked again, making sure my decision was what I really wanted.

"Yes, now come on," I seized her hand and tugged Charlie through the crowd of people with a new found confidence.

Once in the kitchen, Charlie darted her eyes across the selection of alcohol bottle. After finding one that she deemed worthy enough to consume, she poured some into a cup filled with ice. She mixed the liquor with some juice before handing the plastic up to me. I hesitated slightly, letting my lips kiss the rim of the cup before closing my eyes and tilting my head back.

"This is surprisingly very good," I complemented, taken aback by how nice the concoction was.

"Well be careful because that will creep up on you," Charlie advised. "I think you'll be good with that one cup. You are a lightweight Gwen Guzman."

I took a few more gulps of the drink in my hand, waiting for the alcohol to hit me. Charlie stayed right by my side in the kitchen, sipping on something too. Right when I felt my head feel a little lighter, that's when I realized that the alcohol beverage was kicking in.

"I see you smiling over there," Charlie poked my cheek, "I'm guessing that the alcohol is hitting you?"

"Yea, what is in this stuff?" I questioned, amazed by Charlie's drink-mixing magic.

"The good shit," Charlie laughed, "want to dance?"

"Yes, please!" I almost pounced at the girl with excitement.

As awkward as I was, I actually enjoyed dancing. I was absolutely horrendous and no one should ever witness me dancing, but when I liked the song and I was feeling happy, I couldn't help but to bust a move. And that's exactly what I did. Following Charlie into the large living area where a ton of people were dancing, I found myself swaying to the beat.

I finished the entire contents of the cup in my hand, and laughed endlessly as Charlie and I danced around. We were two goofballs at a party but hey, I was having so much fun and even forgot about Calum for a little while. I was sweating and breathing hard when I stumbled back into the kitchen to find something to ebb my dry throat. I should've opted for water, as there was a cooler full of them, but when my eyes landed on the clear glass bottle of tequila, I chose a different kind of poison.

Grasping onto the neck of the bottle, I popped open the cap and poured it into a new cup of ice. Mixing it with random cartons of juice that was on the counter top, I took my own blend and tried it out. Maybe being a bartender was in a my future because whatever I created tasted like paradise.

"Baby Dumpling? What the hell are you doing here?"

I knew that deep voice anywhere, and the familiar cologne that wafted into my nostrils was a scent I could never forget even if I tried. I felt my muscles tense up, and my stomach did a backflip. I turned on my heel and when I did, I was face to face with none other than Calum Player of the Year Hood.

"Gwen, I thought that was you but I didn't recognize you at all," Calum's eyes hungrily trailed up and down my body, impressed with my choice of wardrobe.

"Well it is... bye," I tried to push myself passed Calum to get back to Charlie, but before I could even take two steps, Calum had grabbed ahold of my wrist.

"Princess, where are you going? And what are you drinking?" Calum questioned, his eyebrows furrowed at the cup in my hand.

"It's none of you business," I told him. I took a step to the left, but he followed suit and blocked me.

Without warning, Calum grabbed the cup in my hand to inspect its contents. He took a sip, smelled it, and before I knew it, he tossed it into the sink. My jaw dropped to my chin and I threw my hands to my hips.

"What the heck Calum? That was a perfectly good drink!" I shouted, pushing the bad boy in frustration.

"Exactly," Calum sneered, "too good. Gwen, I don't want you drinking alcohol. You can have a soda."

"I don't think you get to dictate any part of my life Calum," I retorted in a huff. "It's not like we're together or anything."

"And who's fault is that?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Who's fùcking fault is it?!"

"This conversation is over!"

I turned away from Calum, stomping away in utmost irritation. I wasn't sure where I was going but it didn't really matter anyway as Calum caught up to me. Putting his hands on my waist, he turned me around before pushing me up against one of the walls in a carpeted hallway. He glared down at me with anger on his face but pain in his eyes. Calum was warm to the touch as his hands continued to grip my waist, which was slightly exposed between my top and skirt.

"Gwen, don't try to turn the tables on me because I tried calling and texting you," he angrily pointed out. "You refused to respond to me. If you didn't want to be with someone like me, then you should've had the decency to at least break up with me via text instead of just ignored me."

"Fine, I did ignore you. Only because I was frustrated with you," I told him honestly. "But I'm not even mad about that anymore. I realize that it's going to take more to crack you open."

"Then why the hell are you being so cold with me?" Calum asked through gritted teeth. If he wasn't close enough to me already, he was definitely close now. There wasn't even an inch between us, as he towered over me with a tight grip still on my waist.

"Because," I started, feeling my heart race and my eyes begin to water from anger.

"Because why, Gweneth?" Calum pressed on.

"I saw you kiss that girl earlier," I revealed. I blinked, causing a few tears to trickle from my eyes and like reflex I wiped them away.

"Baby, I'm sorry about that," Calum's fuming expression softened a bit, as he witnessed how upset I was getting. "But you hadn't spoken to me in ages, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. I thought we were done."

"Just because I wanted a little space to think, doesn't mean we were over," my voice cracked slightly, "you basically cheated on me. You know how much that hurts me? I don't know how to deal with that kind of pain."

I swallowed hard, turning my face away from Calum. I wiped my reddening cheeks again, feeling the hot beads roll down my face. Calum loosened his hold on me, but only to cup my face delicately in his large hands. With a sigh, he leaned in to kiss my forehead.

"How was I supposed to know we weren't over if you didn't even text or call me back? This relationship lacks communication," Calum stated.

I scoffed at his statement, rolling my eyes and shaking my head, "I already knew that when you refused to share your feelings with me."

"Well I'm sorry for not being an open book, okay? Some people like to stay guarded," Calum snarled, backing away from me. "You're better off without me Gwen Guzman."

And just like that, he walked away. I was still willing to talk but it was obvious that Calum didn't want to. I guessed this was what I get for actually trying to make it work with the local bad boy. He certainly was no good for me and I knew that now. What I also knew in that moment, was that I was in dire need of another drink.

So after drying my tears, I was back in the kitchen remaking my drink before Calum so rudely tossed it aside. With a new beverage in hand, I tried looking for Charlie but I seemed to have lost her in the crowd. The more I walked around the house to look for the girl, the more I felt my head getting dizzier by the second. My legs felt like jello as I wobbled my way through the masses of people.

Nervousness sunk in the moment I took my last gulp from the poison in my cup. Throwing it into a nearby trash bin, I switched my motives from finding Charlie, to finding fresh air. I pushed myself passed the mob and back outside. The sudden burst of cool air hit my body and it felt so good to breath into something that wasn't tainted with alcohol or weed.

I sauntered away from the house, wanting to sit somewhere not near people so I'd have time to be by myself. I was seriously so wrong about my future: bartending would not be a part of it. Whatever I made would be the bane of existence because I was for sure certain that I was going to die. I slowed down my steps, rubbing my temples from the raging throbbing in my head. I felt myself plummet onto the sidewalk, lying on the cool concrete, just waiting to die.

Then, before my eyes completely closed, they locked eyes with a pair of dark ones that belonged to a bad boy I so desperately wanted to eschew.

"I told you that drink was too good,"

//

Yikes! Maybe it wasn't a good idea for Gwen to be drinking at a party especially since she's still new to it.

Also, MAJOR APOLOGIES to everyone!! I'm sorry for taking 500 years to update! I've been busy with school that I just wanted to concentrate on one story. Now that I'm on summer break, I finally have time to update more. I do have a part time job but I'll do my best to update!

Thanks for being so patient with me and for reading this story!! 40K reads?! Holy guacamole! That's freaking amazing!!!!