Lena

I storm inside, looking through an angry red haze as I fight to hold in tears. I will not let him, or anyone else see that his words have affected me like this. It's not happening.

"Le, you ok, hun?" Tonya meets me by the kitchen doors with an understanding expression. "That's why we have the no boyfriends rule here." She sighs, rubbing my shoulder with one hand a passing me a rag to dab my eyes with with the other.

"He is not my boyfriend." I snap angrily, then soften my expression towards her, not meaning to take it out my frustration on her.

She just smiles, blowing me away with how pretty she really is. "He sure acted like a boyfriend." She shrugs. "Whatever, he is he's just a jerk."

Ha! Understatement.

This is exactly why I didn't want him knowing where I worked. Is it glamorous, or what I thought I'd be doing? No. But it was a job, and it's one that pays well. The tips are great, or at least they were before Weston showed up and ruined my mood. It's hard to pretend to smile and laugh when someone comes in and tells you that you're a disappointment to your dead brother.

Just thinking of how Weston had the gall to come in here and judge me like that makes my skin crawl all over and an unexplained ache in my chest come up. This isn't what I had planned for myself. I didn't think my whole family would die on me and I'd be stuck with the responsibilities I have now. I didn't chose this life, and without this job, how do the bills get paid? How do I keep myself and Terry in our house? I'm completely alone in this, and I wanted to be able to trust Weston enough to know the truth and not freak the hell out, but freak out is what he did.

He'd basically called me a dirty whore in the process. He's such a total douche wagon and I don't know how I ever let myself for even the smallest of seconds forget that about him. I hate myself for ever believing that maybe Weston Ford was anything more than an egotistical, stuck up asshole. I should have known that people don't change, especially people like him.

I'll never let myself make that mistake again, I promise myself.

"Homeboy and his crew have bolted." Marky, the team's waitress, follows me into the employee break room at the end of our shifts. "But you got a note." She holds out the napkin to me.

I didn't want to take the napkin from her, afraid of what insult may lie on it. What else could he possibly have to say that he hadn't already? I knew I had to face it at some point or another though, so I slowly take it from her hand, flipping it over.

If you get off in time I'd still love to see you at Marco's party 330 Woodlane Dr. –Devon

I crumple it up, a little relieved it wasn't from Weston, then throw it across the room into the trash can. "So?" Marky asks, twirling a bit of her bleach blonde hair with black streaks around her fingers. I raise my brows at her and she sighs. "It's just after eleven and you're off work...you going?"

"Of course not." I say as if it should be obvious but she frowns.

"Well, why not?"

I pause for a second, thinking back to earlier today and how Weston said I'd never be at a Plexer party. Like I wasn't good or cool enough to ever attend one of the stupid things.

"You know what?" I say. "You're right. Completely right.Why shouldn't I go?" I nod to myself. Apparently I'm already an awful person for doing what I have to do to take care of myself. I might as well go to a party too. Live a little, right Weston? "I'm going." I announce with a nod.

"Yay!" Marky cheers, clapping her hands in front of her chest. "Any chance you want to take your favorite coworker with you?" She pouts her shiny pink lips at me.

I don't tell her that my favorite coworker is actually Tonya. She's more like me, whereas Marky is loud and sparkly and loves to gossip about the other girls behind their backs. But she is here, and she wants to go, and I need someone to go with so...

"Let's go." I turn for the door but stop when she doesn't follow.

"Aren't we going to change first?"

I look down at myself. Half of the football team has already seen me like this, which pretty much means that by now half or more of the whole school now knows my secret. I'll be the talk of the town by tomorrow morning. Might as well give them a little more talk about.

"We want to make an entrance, don't me?" I shrug and she smiles deviously, looping her arm with mine to lead me out.

"I love the way you think."

By the time we turn onto the busy road, cars parked up and down along the street and people walking all around us, a lot of my courage has already dissipated. Marky points out a spot that's opening up and I pull the truck up against the curb, slowly pulling out the key, then turn to look up at the house. The big bay windows drench the sprawling lawn in a warm light and my heart rockets up into my throat.

"I don't know about this." I admit, my voice shaking just a little. "I don't know." I say again, then swallow hard.

Marky punches me in the arm lightly. "Don't back out now that we're here." She groans, her brows going up high on her forehead. "We are here, we are young, we look hot," Her list dies off as her eyes drift over my shoulder at someone behind me. "He is hot." She laughs, pointing and then refocuses on me. "We are doing this."

It's a piss poor pep talk, but I don't care. I'm going to show Weston that he doesn't know anything about me or where I belong or what I can do.

"Here, this will help take the edge off." Marky turns to reach into her little bag and pulls out a shiny silver flask with the word bitch written on the side in pink diamonds, holding it out to me.

I glance at it, then her, then back up to all the people walking around. People I don't talk to. People who don't bother talking to me. The utter stupidity of this whole plan hits me at once and my stomach turns. What's the point? Weston probably isn't even here.

I'm full out ready to apologize to Marky and slam my foot against the gas pedal to get out of here when I glance up to the house one more time. That's where I see him.

He's leaning back against the banister on the porch in his jersey, a drink in one hand while a group of girls stand in front of him, hanging on his every stupid word.

How dare he?

He can just come and insult me, ruining my night, and then come here to party the rest of his night away with a couple of girls? Seriously? How was I ever so stupid?

If he can do that to me, then so can I.

I'll go to this stupid party and I'll make sure to ruin his night too. He isn't going to be the only one dishing out surprises tonight.

"Ok." I nod to Marky, taking the flask from her. Whatever is in it burns my throat, makes me cough, and makes my eyes water, but I push past it. I down two huge gulps of it, then pass it back.

"Go slow." She laughs, taking a small swig off of it before putting it away.

Thankfully she gets out of the truck first and I have almost no option left but to follow her up the sidewalks and then the stairs to the porch. She glances over and sees Weston before he sees us and she loops her arm with mine, then looks at me and starts laughing hysterically.

I'm confused for half a beat, but then she gives me a look that says play along, and then I get it. I lean my own head back and we both pretend to have just heard the funniest thing ever as we go up the stairs. I know her plan has worked and Weston has seen us when I hear something that sounds like someone spitting their drink, then a girl's high pitched scream, then Weston coughing.

I glance over, having a real reason to laugh when I see him standing there with his eyes wide, shock all over his face, while the girl in front of him has drink and spit all over hers. I glare over at him, daring him to try to talk to me again after the things he'd said to me earlier, and he actually does try to come over, but the girl he's spit on blocks him, giving him a good slap across the cheek.

Good, his second one tonight.

If he keeps looking at me with that stupid face though he'll be going for three.

Marky and me hurry inside before he can get away from the angry girl.

The foyer is huge, this one section alone almost bigger than my whole house. To the left there is an insane white spiral staircase and to my right a few steps lead down into a big den. I can't tell much else about it though because of the hundreds of people all over the place.

Dancing, more like grinding, in the den, making out on the stairs, other couples holding hands on their way up the stairs to find a private room. Music blares around me, the loud bass keeping rhythm with the beat of my racing heart. 

"So this is how the other half lives." Marky says under her breath, letting out a low whistle.

"Well, hello." A tall guy stops dead in his tracks in front of us. "I'm Marcus." He introduces himself and I recognize him as Marco's older brother who graduated last year. He looks up to my face, up because he started at my boobs, then he freezes. "Wait," He says, recognition clicking in. "Um, Proper..." He nods to himself as he snaps his fingers, trying to remember my first name. Of course he only remembered me at all because of Beckham.

"Lena." I finally tell him and a smile crosses his broad tan face as he looks down again and then comes back up to my face.

He opens his mouth to say something else, but Marky sticks her hand out to him. "I'm Marky." She purrs sweetly, taking the attention.

I'm thankful for it because I have no idea how to talk to these people. I just stand like a statue with the two of them in the middle of the foyer. I can feel everyone's eyes on me and my face grows hotter and hotter by the second. When Marcus offers me his drink, I don't even hesitate to take it and toss back the warm beer.

When it's gone I reach out and press the cup back into his hand while he's mid-sentence telling Marky about something. I don't know what, I wasn't listening. "More." I say, cutting him off all together. He laughed, and without knowing why, I laughed too. Marky elbowed me, but it only made me giggle more.

"Hey, you made it." A guy's voice comes from behind me and I turn to see Devon coming over. I also see Weston lurking in the back corner like an annoying creep.

How long had he been there?

"Devon!" I call out, choosing to ignore Weston all together, then throw my arms around Devon's neck, squeezing him.

Woah, Lena, that's a little overly friendly. Oh well, friendly is nice. Who doesn't like friendly people?

Devon hugs me back and as he releases me I take his hand, turning back to Marcus I grab my cup back from him and then look to Devon. "Let's go make this not empty anymore." I laugh, pulling him towards then den, but he pulls me back and leads me around the stairs into another room instead.

"The keg is in the kitchen." He explains.

I let him lead me, feeling Weston's eyes in my back the whole time, until we are in a giant kitchen with wall to wall cream colored cabinets and a shiny marble topped island covered in booze.

"I'm glad you decided to come." Devon tells me as he fills up my cup.

I spin around on my toes and laugh. "Yeah, me too." Devon's deep brown eyes sparkle as he watches me and I raise up to do a pirouette like I haven't done since I was a young girl in dance class. I do it perfectly and I beam, proud of myself. "I wasn't going to come at all, but then I was like, why the hell not? I can do parties, right? I'm allowed. S'nobody to tell me I can't, you know?" I go to spin again but sway a little, having to catch myself on the counter. "Woah, dizzy."

Devon steps forward, steading me by the elbow. "I bet you are." He hands me my drink and I nearly snatch it from him, raising it up to my lips.

"So much better not hot." I murmur more into the cup than to him, but he nods with me anyway. I don't even know why I'm nodding.

"I'm surprised you like beer." He says matter-of-factly. "Actually I'm still a little shocked that you actually came tonight."

I roll my eyes as I slam my now empty again cup onto the counter. "Whys everyone keep sayin' that? What's so strange about me at a party-I like to party." My head bobs a little. "Woo!" I yell out, trying to sell my point and I get a few woos echoed back to me. I throw my hands up over my head and do it again, getting even more replies this time. I freeze mid laugh and yank my hands down, turning to face Devon who is looking at me like my face has turned orange or something.

Maybe I should check. Can faces just turn orange?

I ignore the thought. "Devon, you know what we should do?" I say excitedly, grabbing his big shoulders and making him look at me.

"What?" He laughs, shaking his head.

I turn from him and back to the island covered in bottles of alcohol.

"Shots!" I shout out and people cheer, a few more guys and a couple girls moving into the kitchen to stand by me.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Devon asks warily and I put a hand on his shoulder, chugging a beer I have no idea how I got.

I give him a few pats, then throw my empty bottle across the room. "Hey, I've seen the movies, buddy." I say as I turn to fill up the shot glasses that someone lined up in front of me. Or maybe I did it, I don't know. "In the movies, they go to parties and do shots, so you and me bud are doing shots too."

"Ok, but you seem a little..." He breaks off.

"I seem a libtal, I mean little what?" I demand.

Devon shrugs and then looks across the room and then back to me. "Also, have you noticed that Weston Ford keeps following us around? And staring?" Of course he is. "Is there something going on between you two, because I don't want to get in the middle."

I pick up my shot glass filled with a dark amber liquid. "I hate him." I tell Devon and then turn to the others with their shot glasses ready. "Cheers to how much I fucking hate Weston freaking Ford!" I shout out and then toss it back to the sounds of cheers.

I shouldn't have closed my eyes.

That was a bad idea. Everything spun and I knocked into the guy beside me who was pretty handsy about helping me. Weston was there suddenly, trying to help me since I was somehow or another on the floor now. "No." I kick at him. "Go away. I hate you."

"Lena,"

"Don't talk to me." I turn, crawling on my hands and knees.

He comes around to block my path and I glare up at him. "Lena, listen-."

"No!" I yell, holding my hands over my ears. "Blah, blah, blah. That's all I'm seeing, I mean, hearing."

Some guy I don't know pushed in front of Weston and reached a hand out to me.

"Leave the girl alone, she's just having some fun." He says to Weston, then looks down at me. "Come here, sweetheart, I'll get you another drink."

"Oh, yes." I nod, reaching for his hand, but it disappears when Weston slams the full force of his entire body into him.

"Back the fuck off!" He yells angrily.

The movement was too fast. The two guys' bodies becoming a blur in my eyes. I'm hot. Super-hot. Like my body is on fire and when I look around everything is smeared. Once my eyes focus I find faces. Lots of them. Too many people looking at me. I stare down at my hands pressed against the cool tile floor and I choke back a sob.

The big guy is back in front of me when I look up, reaching for me, but I don't know him. I don't know anyone around me and my heart is pounding and I don't feel good. Fear pools in my stomach and my head aches. "I'll help you." I hear the guy say but his words sound like they are coming through a wind tunnel.

"No." I finally gasp out, swatting his hand away. "Weston." I whisper, then try again louder. "Weston!" I scream it until I feel hands grip me under my arms and lift me up. I don't like the motion, my stomach rolls again. "I want Weston." I almost cry, but when I lean my head back into the person holding me up, I smell who it is.

"I've got you." He says gently to me, right in my ear. "Get out of our way." He turns his head to the others and I hear people shuffling out of his path, along with a few whispers and laughs.

"Weston," I whimper, my feet hardly moving under me. "I'm scared."

My feet sweep out from under me and I'm cradled against something hard and warm that smells good. There's a thumping sound inside of it and I realize I'm against his chest. I twist inward, hiding my face in his jersey.

"I've got you." He whispers to me again, and the words soothe me for about two seconds until my stomach lurches again.

"I'm going...to be...sick." I gasp and I can feel the pace which he is walking in pick up. The lights fade back and the noise falls away as a breeze wraps around my body. "Down, down." I urge and my feet barely hit the back porch before I start puking everywhere.

Green? That's weird. What the heck did I eat that was green?

Even more comes up, over and over as soon as I think surely it's over, it keeps coming.

All the while I'm vomiting all over the porch, Weston keeps one arm securely wrapped around my center, keeping me from falling over into my own puke, and the other hand holds my hair in a wad, keeping it from also going into my vomit. "Vomit protector." I start to laugh, but can't around more green puke.

When it finally all stopped Weston pulls me back into him and backs us up until he is sitting somewhere, a chair I guess, and he pulls me toward him. I stumble and end up sitting across his lap. I hold onto one shoulder to keep myself upright as I look down at him. "I don't feel good." I nod, pouting my lips. My stomach aches and my head is full of fluffy clouds.

"I can see that." He says quietly.

I narrow my eyes at him, something about the general set of his face getting on my nerves. "Is this the part where you scold me for drinking so much when I'm not a drinker and making a complete fool of myself at a party that I shouldn't even be at?" I sigh.

The wind blows and my hair fans across my face for a second until his big hand slides behind it, brushing it away from my face and he looks up into my eyes. "No," He shakes his head. "It should be the part where I apologize to you, Lena, but I want to wait to do that when you're sober and you'll remember it."

Somehow I manage to giggle. "I'm very unsober right night, I mean now."

Weston shakes his head and his body rumbles beneath me when he laughs. "You are quite trashed. Impressively so." He adds. "You'll feel better after you get some water and sleep it off."

"I'm sorry too." I blurt, unable to look away from his sparkly blue green eyes.

He furrows his brows and cocks his head to the side. "For what?"

I open and close my mouth twice before sighing. "I don't know at the moment, but I do know that I'm really glad you're here right now and I don't have throw up in my hair, and you smell really nice." I cover my mouth with my hand, then slide it away slowly. "I didn't mean to say that out loud." I admit, then shrug, leaning down and cuddling into his chest and he tightens his arms around me. "I know I'm mad at you, but right now I don't know why. I'm just happy you're here with me."

He's quiet for a minute and I am almost asleep when he whispers my name. "Lena?"

"Yeah?" I breathe, then yawn.

"Why did you call for me?" I lean back and look up at him but he doesn't meet my eyes, he's staring off into the distance at the woods that line the back of the property.

"Because..." I think of that other guy reaching for me and all the faces. "I knew I needed someone, and you're the only one I trust."

A sad smile crosses his lips, but I don't have time to wonder about it or even question because too soon I'm being drawn into the ever tempting darkness of sleep.