CHAPTER FOUR
THE PARTY

Letting the warm water run down her back and over her shoulders, Jess softly messaged her scalp with shampoo.

The water temperature was just right. It wasn't burning hot nor was it freezing cold. She didn't know why girls always burn themselves with acid-like water.

It gently caressed her bare skin as any worries were temporarily washed away.

"Come on, Jessica!" Delilah pound her fist on the bathroom door. Jess rolled her eyes and ignored her. After a minute, Delilah kicked the door.

"I'll be out in a minute!" Jess shouted, then added under her breath, "Geez."

After applying conditioner and coconut oil on her body, Jess turned the water off. Jess had a system when it came to showering. First her body, then shampoo, then conditioner which she left on as she applied oil then rinsed out with cold water.

Once she patted herself dry she wrapped herself in the towel and rolled up the top so that it would stay. The worst part about a shower is the wet hair. It would take forever to dry.

Finally fed up with her hair, Jess tousled or quickly, sending water droplets flying into the mirror. She looked at herself to admire her work. Her hair was really a rat's nest now.

"Geez what took you so long?" Delilah asked with her arm leaning against the doorframe. Jess was halfway out the door when Delilah pushed past. "I have problems, Jess!"

"Ew!" Jess exclaimed. Delilah locked the door with a soft click of the turn-able lock.

"Lady problems!" Delilah corrected.

"Somehow that's worse," Jess said from the otherside of the door. She couldn't resist laughing as she went to get dressed, leaving Delilah to handle her business in the bathroom. Her parents were out working so she and Delilah could be as loud as they wanted.

Jess didn't tell them that she was coming over, but she was practically family now. They were planning on going to the Halloween party at Tina's, despite Jess's apprehension. Everyone already thought she was a cold-blooded killer- what would happen if she showed up at a Halloween party with fake blood and body parts? It's safe to say she'd rather keep the rumors to a minimum.

But then again, everyone will be so drunk and they probably won't act the same as they would at school.

Jess stared at the Halloween costume that she and Delilah had picked out. This was her one chance to be as slutty as possible.

Staring back at her was a Playboy Bunny costume. To tell the truth, Jess could use the confidence boost. What better way to feel empowered than a slutty costume?

Jess was messing around with the bunny ears when she heard Delilah come in.

"Woah, you look hot," Delilah commented as she closed the door. Jess turned back around to the mirror and stopped fidgeting with her hair and bunny ears.

"Thanks, I guess. I didn't expect to feel this... bare," Jess said, turning around to glance at the floof ball on her ass. "And slutty."

"That's the fucking point, Jessica," Delilah said matter-of-factly, grabbing a tube of fake blood from her purse. Without a moment of hesitation, she squirted it all over her face, and Jess watched in horror as the crimson drops dribbled down her cheek.

"What are you doing?" Jess asked as she watched Delilah smear it on her face. Her eyes traveled down to her costume and the whole scene started to look weird to Jess. "What are you?"

Delilah was wearing flare polyester pants and a matching sequin crop top with bat sleeves. She looked like she was straight out of the seventies.

"I'm Agnetha Fältskog if she were dead," Delilah said simply.

"You mean the lead singer of ABBA?" Jess asked.

"Duh," Delilah rolled her eyes as she pointed to her pants.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," Jess said and she grabbed her car keys. "I'm going to be so cold."

"Yeah, you're basically naked," Delilah said, pointing at Jess's ensemble. She was wearing a strapless bodysuit and some thin stockings.

"Hey, this bow tie is very warm," Jess yanked on the fake, Velcro bow tie on her neck that matched her fake cuffs.

"Whatever," Delilah said as she once again pushed Jess out of the way as she walked out. Jess just smiled and followed her out.

Jess turned the key in her Dodge Challenger and immediately, Cum On Feel The Noize turned on.

"Oh," Delilah laughed. "Fuck yeah!"

"Come on, feel the noise!" Jess sang at the top of her lungs along with Delilah. "Girls rock your boys!"

"Wooo!" Delilah whipped as she grabbed the volume dial and turned it each direction so that the music went up and down.

They arrived on a good note at Tina's house. It looked like any other house party. People puking on the front lawn and music blaring as loud as the speakers on the boombox could allow.

"Yeah!" A loud voice called out in the middle of a crowd in the front lawn. "That's how you do it Hawkins!"

"Ugh he's here," Jess groaned and the chanting of Billy's name flooded her ears.

"No shit," Delilah said as she picked up a forgotten Solo cup. "He's tryna get popular."

"No, Delilah, don't-" Jess said, slapping the cup away.

"Whatever," Delilah shrugged. "I'm going inside for a real drink."

"Fine," Jess nodded and Delilah walked briskly into the house. Jess started to follow her when she heard a catcall. She turned around and Tommy H was looking at her in a way that made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Woah there Carlisle," Tommy laughed. "Didn't know psychos knew how to be slutty."

Jess didn't say anything as her eyes traveled to Billy. Billy didn't say anything to Tommy or to her for that matter.

"Fuck you, Tommy," Jess spat.

"Strong language for a girl who's the size of a pebble," Tommy laughed. Jess rolled her eyes, that wasn't even a good comeback.

"You seem very confident for a guy who has a dick the size of a speck of dust," Jess shot back. Tommy cleared his throat, called her a cunt then walked back inside.

Billy stayed behind though. Jess rubbed her arm awkwardly as he looked at her.

"Playboy Bunny?" He asked after a while.

"Huh?" Jess asked but then she realized that she was a Playboy Bunny. "Oh, yeah."

"Nice. You pull it off," Billy nodded. Jess gave him a funny look as he flicked his cigarette on the grass, burning a hole. Jess watched the small fire fizzle out.

"Asshole?" Jess asked, pointing to Billy's "costume".

Billy let out a hearty laugh and walked closer to Jess, putting his arm over her shoulders. "I like you, kid. That was actually funny."

"Get your arm off of me or else I'll chop it off," Jess growled. Billy slowly slid his arm off and wandered in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a breath of fresh air," Billy said as his eyes traveled down the side of the house that seemed to be throbbing with every beat of the music. He turned to Jess and brought a toothpick up to his mouth. "Is that a crime?"

"No," Jess said, trailing her eyes over the drainpipe and up the roof. "Just kinda weird for a guy like you."

"A guy like me..." Billy huffed and threw the toothpick away. "What kinda guy is that?"

"You know," Jess said. Billy didn't say anything but kept on staring at the house. Once Jess concluded that he wasn't going to say anything she crossed her arms and walked back to the front of the house and decided to head on inside. She searched for Delilah all around, not able to find her.

"Delilah?" Jess called for her best friend. She opened the door to the bathroom but was met with Steve and Nancy. She was about to close the door again in case they were in the middle of something, but by the look in Steve's eye she knew that this was something else.

"Nancy?" Jess called for the drunk girl. Steve just shook his head and stormed out of the bathroom. "Nance, what hap- oh."

Nancy leaned forward and fell onto Jess, making her struggle to keep her upright. "Jesus, Nancy can you walk?"

"Bullshit..." Nancy mumbled. Jess had no idea what that meant but she decided that Nancy was way too hammered to be trusted alone. Making herself into a makeshift crutch for Nancy, Jess carefully guided them back to the front door.

"Oh God, Jonathan," Jess breathed when she saw the socially awkward boy. "Nancy's hammered and Steve left. Do you mind taking her home? I need to find Delilah."

"You left Delilah alone?" Jonathan asked as Jess transferred Nancy over to him.

"I didn't mean to, she just marched into the house and I lost her." Jonathan shook his head disapprovingly and started to turn around to walk Nancy out of the house.

Once they left, Jess turned back around at the raging crowd and started to push, shove and elbow people out of the way. Her elbow made contact with someone's head and she turned to apologize but it turned out that it was Billy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I knock your brain back into place?" Jess asked him.

"You better watch yourself," Billy said in a low voice.

"Or what? Fucking idiot..." Jess rolled her eyes and started to move through the crowd again. The crowd started to thin out and Jess thought that she was finally getting through with her elbows.

But all of them were staring over her head. "Jesus no..." Jess groaned as she turned around. "Can you leave me alone? I'm trying to find somebody."

"Who?" Billy asked as he shoved some guys away. He brought the bottle of beer up to his lips and titled it to down it all.

"Delilah," Jess said plainly. She didn't expect him to know who she was.

"That crazy chick?" Billy asked as he threw the beer bottle down on the ground making it shatter into a thousand pieces.

"Don't call her that, she'll claw your eyes out." Jess said as she broke through the crowd and made her way up the stairs.

"I don't doubt it, she's terrifying," Billy said while he followed closely behind. "More than you."

Jess gave a maniacal laugh. "You really haven't heard the rumors?"

Jess turned around on the steps and faced Billy Who was a few steps down. She grabbed the railings and leaned down so that her face was close to Billy's.

"I'm a fucking murderer, Billy," Jess said to him in a whisper. "I can throw you out the window and watch you fall to your fucking death."

"Yeah I've heard that rumor." Billy walked up the steps and closed the gap between them so that they were only inches apart. "But that's what it is: a rumor."

"Wow how saintly," Jess rolled her eyes and she turned around and stepped onto the landing.

"I'm trying," Billy shrugged behind her. Jess opened the first door on her right, ignoring the open space on the other side of her that looks over the party.

The door swung open and there was Delilah, sprawled out on the floor with blood rushing down her body.

"Woah," Billy commented. "Looks like Crazy is dead."

Jess faced Billy with an annoyed look. "She's not dead."

Jess approached Delilah and yanked her upright, grabbing her arm and slinging her over her shoulder.

"She's obsessed with blood capsules. She'll be fine," Jess said. "Can you move out of the way?"

Billy slid out of the way generously and Jess did her best to walk upright as she stumbled out of the room. She tried going down the stairs but Delilah was dragging behind.

"Delilah, don't go boneless on me!" Jess grunted. Delilah slipped out of her arms and was sprawled on the stars with her back against the railing and the party.

"I can carry her," Billy said. Jess held her hand up to his face to stop him.

"Don't touch her," Jess said firmly. She tried to yank Delilah up by the arms but she wouldn't budge.

"Fuck off..." Delilah mumbled and her eyes fluttered between open and closed.

"Fuck this shit!" Jess groaned as she let Delilah's arms go and they fell against the railings. "I didn't even get to have one drink!"

"Shut up," Billy said as he hauled Delilah up and sling her over his shoulder. "Show me to your car."

Jess's mind dug out that moment with Taylor where he demanded her to show him her room and Jess's breath got caught in her throat.

But this was different.

"This way." Jess grabbed a hold of the railing and started to rush down the steps. The pair got some glances thrown their way and Jess internally groaned.

They stepped outside and Jess felt like she could finally breathe. "Just so you know, there's gonna be a rumor tomorrow that we killed Delilah."

Billy laughed. "Not if she shows up."

"I guess you're right," Jess chuckled a bit, twirling her keys in between her fingers. "But it's just a heads up."

"Thanks for that, babe," Billy smirked. Jess didn't bother to look at him. She knew that he didn't mean it.

"Here we are," Jess said, unlocking her Challenger. "You can put her in the backseat."

Billy opened the backseat door and leaned inside to place Delilah on the cushions carefully. She finally mustered up enough energy to grab Billy's leather jacket collar and pull him closer to kiss him.

"Delilah, what the fuck?" Jess exclaimed as she pulled Billy away. Her face burned hot red at the fact that she may be a bit jealous that Delilah kissed Billy but it was too dark to notice it.

"No worries," Billy snickered. He turned to Jess with a knowing look. "Not a lot of girls can resist me anyways."

"Goodnight, Billy," Jess smiled and pretended to ignore him as she rounded her car and opened the door.

"I'm gonna steal a kiss from you one day, Killer," Billy declared.

"Bye!" Jess called out as she shut the door. She turned over the engine and drove away from the party.

There was a long silence in the car with the occasional groan from Delilah. Jess didn't mind the silence. It soothes her to know that nothing was going to distract her.

But suddenly her spine shivered. A small feeling of dread crept up her back and clasped her neck like a hand with long, cold fingers. Her eyes clouded over with darkness and she could feel her body being controlled. She snapped her eyes shut and shut her mind down, blocking whatever was creeping in from clouding her head.

Jess opened her eyes again and saw the road ahead of her, clear as day. No fog, no dreadful feeling, just the road and her best friend in the back.

What the hell was that? Jess wondered. It got her thinking that maybe her seizure wasn't a seizure. Maybe...

"Why do you hate him?" Delilah spoke up from the back. Jess jumped a bit and breathed deeply to calm her beating heart.

"Who?"

"Billy."

"Oh..." Jess didn't want to answer. It was complicated. She didn't want to work out her feelings just yet.

"Jessica," Delilah coaxed in a sing-song voice.

"'Cause the guy almost killed me!" Jess laughed. "Honestly, I think I have a good reason."

"Taylor almost killed you and you don't hate him."

Jess resisted rolling her eyes. That was totally different.

"Yeah, well, I almost killed him in the end," Jess retorted.

"I'm just saying," Delilah mumbled. "Billy doesn't see you as a cold-blooded killer. That's a plus."

"That shouldn't be the deciding factor of a boyfriend," Jess looked in the rear view mirror to see Delilah running her finger up the backside of the seat.

"I didn't say boyfriend..." Delilah shot her head up with a sly grin.

"Shut up!" Jess lowered her head so thanDelilah couldn't see her blush through the mirror.

"Aww, Jessica, you like him!" Delilah chortled. "That's so cute! So sorry for kissing him earlier, I didn't know you called dibs!"

"I don't like him and I didn't call dibs! He made fun of me at lunch," Jess gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Blah blah, I make fun of you at lunch. Besides, he stopped Tommy from going further."

"That proves nothing. Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore." The final tone of Jess's voice made Delilah roll her eyes.

"Fine, I just think you're a fucking idiot," Delilah drawled.

"What would I ever do without your kind words?" Jess smiled softly and looked at Delilah who was fast asleep through the rear view mirror.

-

[EDITED]

a/n thank you guys for reading this far! i'd also like to say thank you for helping me reach 1k followers! you guys are truly amazing.

SPECIAL DEDICATION TO awesomexgurl ! you are truly the best wp friend anyone could have asked for and i'm so happy we are working on this story together!