44 | 𝑀𝑦 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑝𝑎

"Party at my house."

I was holding Sullivan's hand tightly in my grasp as we walked through the school building, I was notifying people left and right about my party. It was Friday, and the last official Friday of January. It was exhilarating everything that was happening in my life and for the first time, I felt like everything was going to be okay.

I spoke too soon.

"Rhy!" He called again, "Rhy!" I caught a glimpse over my shoulder as he stressfully orbited around people and ran to me. He was out of breath, his hair unkempt and his eyes more tired. He didn't bother looking at Sullivan, but on me. "Rhy, you haven't been answering my messages? I need to talk to you--"

"Just go," I muttered to him. I noticed a few strangers walking in a cluster with Gonzalo, one of Sullivan's friends and the guy I kissed. "Party at my house tonight! Tell your friends!" I waved my hand over.

After seeing their smiles and thumbs up, Sullivan ducked closer and dipped his mouth on mine, sucking in a pinching manner. I maneuvered away and he gave a sweet smile. "I'll see you in my car, Rhy." He glared at Victor. "You doing okay?" he asked Victor. "You look a little distraught."

"Adding to your vocabulary, I hear," Victor muttered. The two of them parted and by the time Sullivan reached the back doors, Victor looked at me with desperation. "Rhy, I--"

"Sullivan calls me that now," I told him under my breath. "Look, don't show up to my party, I don't want to see you anymore. Thank you," I worshipped, "for everything, but I--"

Tears were in his eyes now, something I didn't think I'd ever have to see in a public setting, but there they were. In a strained and damaged whisper, he recalled, "you promised?"

"And you said for practice purposes. I love Sullivan--"

He swallowed his breath. "You love him?" he asked. His eyes falling to the floor. "But I miss you, Princess--"

"I am not your princess. Don't ever dare--" I was stammering, not making sense and I pulled myself back, adjusting the straps of my backpack as he cracked a smile at my mess up.

"Still adorable," he grumbled.

"Don't talk to me, Vislocky," I warned him, I needed to make a sting as I left so he'd leave me alone. I didn't want him near me, not after what Sullivan said. After further thinking, Sullivan was right, he'd never lie to me and pin my friends up against me. Victor was the one who knew that I liked Sullivan and was always flirting with me and made me do the sexual activities that I most definitely didn't need. I was done with him.

I guess you could say, I graduated from his school.

Later that evening, Sullivan laid on the couch while I cleared up the space, tidying things up, hiding vases and figurines. My mom was out working on cases, and decided to stay at a friends place also. She needed to get out of the house and without her acknowledgements, I took control of my life and was hosting a high school party. Now that I was dating the guy who throws all sorts of parties, I needed to join, especially when he asked me to. I wanted to please him.

He was already nursing from a beer when I came into the living room carrying a duster and dustpan. I held them out. "Do you mind helping--"

"I'm kind of busy," he said whilst scrolling through his phone. "Oh, Gonzalo, Wolfie, and Sam are on their way."

I halted my steps before entering the kitchen. "Wait. I only wanted a few people, Sullivan. I don't want my mom to kill me." I was serious, my eyes lowering to the duster in my hands before I helplessly brushed the dust around the TV stand. "Please tell me at most twenty-five people are coming?"

He nodded, swinging his legs over the couch and walking over. "Don't have to worry, Baby. I'll keep it controlled."

♡♡♡

My body was jostled every which way between people and the suffocating atmosphere made my fairly big house become claustrophobic. My skin was clammy and I felt feverish with heat and warmth bathed me. I was scoping out the house, noticing some guy in the kitchen holding an Air Fryer above his head.

I was jogging towards him, prodding my finger in the air. "Put that down!" I ordered, seeing as he put it back, but I was already moving to the kitchen island, swiping everyone's beers and red Solo cups into the white trash bag in my hand. Before I could process what was happening, the music increased and worsened in my ears. It led to my heart thundering harder into my chest, with each painful punch to the gut, I made my way to some guy who was drinking beer out of my mom's favorite vase.

"Get that outta your hands!" I deadpanned, ripping the blue marble vase from his hold while also collecting more beer cans. I was stuffing the vase in a cabinet when I noticed a used condom was in that cabinet on top of the pans. "Ah, fuck!"

Sullivan's arms drunkenly wormed around my hips as he unhurriedly tugged me into his chest and began grinding against me. It wasn't doing anything for me, but by his throat growls, I could tell he was feeling himself.

"Fuck, take me to your bedroom," he moaned into my ear warmly, sending tingles down my neck. I lurked myself out of his grasp, shaking my head.

"Not right now. I'll be right back!" I told him, scurrying off in my rose gold bodycon dress that I wore when Victor took me to that nightclub. I writhed past people anxiously, stumbling up the stairs, having to fight to get to my bedroom.

This definitely wasn't twenty-five people.

I rattled with my doorknob till it busted open and before my eyes was Wolfie and his girlfriend. He was on his knees and her ass was right up in the air. Their moaning was on top of the music and floated around my head as the mortification petrified me in place.

"Get the fuck out!" I cried out, stomping my feet and jumping up and down. Thick tears formulated in my eyes and I rigidly turned away, jumping up and down in the doorway in disgust.

Wolfie tumbled off the bed, flashing me his dick. "What the hell? Get out, pervert!" he reprimanded.

"It's my fucking room!" I yelled, shielding my eyes from his blonde haired girlfriend, Amanda, who blatantly revealed her breasts to me in one flush motion quickly ducked under the covers.

My covers.

"Get out!" I whined. Wolfie fumbled with his jeans before sliding them on as the girl followed and they darted out, Amanda giving me the cold shoulder as she left as if I was interrupting something. Good thing my mom took Moose before she left.

I wandered to my bedroom, the door half-closed, but I was too tired to seal it all the way. I made my way to the covers and stared at the patches of stains and I broke down. My head was in my hands, the headache sensation getting harder. I shook my head, trying to think optimistically despite the streams of tears pouring down my face while "Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake blasted in my house, for sure making the neighbors crazy.

I swiftly compiled my tidal wave of comforters in my hands, attempting to avoid the unknown stains while trudging to my basement for the wash. With the blankets covering my face and my view, I was blindly bumping into people with a trail of the white and green comforters in my hold. That was until some male's shoulder smacked into mine and I went flying with the cum stained blankets down the stairs. Using the blankets as protection, I was riding down the stairs repetitively till slamming onto the hardwood floors with the covers, landing right at Rowan's feet.

"Hey?" I started positively. "How do you like the party?" I pretended to pump up my fists. "I like this song."

"What is that?" Rowan kicked the tip of his shoe softly into the very noticeable stain by my face while Keiona raised me off the ground. She wore a sequined purple bodycon dress with a low neckline. She passed me a soft smile, which I didn't return.

"We heard about the party," Rowan pointedly muttered, but his voice was distant sounding and that wasn't because of the rambunctious music in our ears. When I was standing, Keiona gestured to the blankets.

"Don't ask." I turned to her with a look in my eyes, opening my mouth to apologize, but she held up her hands.

"Don't apologize," she scolded me with a grin. "We are badass bitches who need to get all this bitchiness out to share it with the world. Sharing is caring." She situated a hand on my shoulder blade and guided me through the house after politely asking Rowan to help carry the covers. He obeyed, grabbing it while avoiding it at all costs.

We darted down to the basement, which luckily wasn't in use. I pulled the string and the lightbulb flickered on after walking down a steep staircase into a dusty wooden space. There were storage boxes clustered on the grounds and the washer and dryer against the wall. Rowan launched it in, gagging and wiping his shirt clean.

"I don't even want to know," he murmured tightly.

Keiona laughed, tugging Rowan into a hug which he cuddled into. I shuffled to the washing machine and pressed a few buttons till it started grumbling, but as I slammed my back up against the rumbling box, I announced, "I'm never using that cover again, am I?"

Rowan shook his head amidst Keiona's arms. "Certainly not."

When they separated, Keiona was making her way to me, hugging me quickly and squinting her eyes. "How about you start talking on why you decided to throw a house party?"

I rolled my eyes, ducking into the comfort of my hands while I persistently shook my head. Between the noise of the washing machine and the rhythmic beat drops of the music, I felt like my body was wavering between the bass and reality. Both so incredibly hazy. I felt cloudy and high, unable to decipher anything at that point.

"I don't know. Sullivan said it would be controlled," I grumbled into my warm palms.

They were both silent and I could sense their exchanged expression, but I didn't push it and started heading up the stairs. Just as I was taking off on the first step, I heard a loud shattering of glass and started to sprint to the door. I twisted the handle, rapidly opening and smacking a rigid body in their face.

I heard a loud grunt of disapproval and swiveled around to see Sam sitting on his butt with a hand to his nose. "Ow!" he cried out. "Fucking hell, you hit me!" He scrambled to his feet. "You threw the door in my face, mother bitch!" he drunkenly slurred, stumbling to me.

Keiona and Rowan were on the last steps, hands on the banister as they worryingly looked to me then Sam as the music seemed impossibly louder. My whole body went rigid and my chest was consumed by the air, which was filled with stagnance and music.

I nodded, holding my index finger up briefly to pause the situation with Sam. I looked at what had smashed. My heart dropped at the sight.

Oh no. Oh no. Fucking shit.

"Grandpa!" I cried out, running and sliding on my knees, looking at his ashes displayed along the floor. The shattered urn was beside it. "No! Grandpa! It's alright! Stay calm! I'll get you help!" I declared, running in the opposite direction and squeezing past Sam as he followed me about his broken nose. I grabbed the dustpan but searched widely for the duster.

I tugged on some random girl's blouse. "Have you seen my duster!?" I shouted.

She shook her head, pointing to her ear and dismissing me as if she couldn't hear what I was saying. I waved my hand, dismissing her also as I crazily searched the house, knocking rapidly on the bathroom door before I opened the barricade and saw the absurd scene.

I screamed bloody murder.

My duster.

I slammed the door shut, heaving breaths. I was shaking my head, unable to get rid of the sight. I'm never getting that duster back, nor would I want to. I was wandering drunkenly, though I was only drunk on the air. I grabbed a paper towel to scoop up my grandpa with my dustpan in hand.

I walked through the living room, squeezing my shoulders up tight by my neck as I met Sam who was now screaming in my ear, but I prodded his abdomen with my dustpan mindlessly and he fell on his ass again, knocking into the crowd and denting it.

I found my grandpa again, but as I nudged someone's shoulder to let me through, he bumped into the girl who's beer slipped right out of her hand and crashed to the ground.

I screamed out, "not on my fucking grandpa!" The liquid streamed from the bottle as she bent down but I held out my hand. "You don't want to drink that." I threw my hand in my hair, but accidentally smacked my forehead with the dustpan, making me stumble into the guy who tripped. Then the domino affect began and I landed head first into the guy's lap on the floor.

"Gonzalo?" I asked, cringing.

He looked at me, the beer once in his hand now down his face and drenching his white t-shirt. "Nice seeing you again, under odd circumstances might I add, as usual."

"No shit." I licked my lips awkwardly as people's feet danced way too close to our bodies, mine still sprawled atop his. "So uh..." My voice trailed, then I motioned to the urn. "Meet my grandpa."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he apologized. "Was making out with some girl and she sat up on the TV stand and kicked the urn--"

I nodded, adjusting to it sorrowfully. "Yeah, some horny girl kicked my grandpa." I paused, giving a thumbs up, trying to distract the minor sadness. "Gotcha--" I was scooped up by Olivia Marshall.

"What happened to you?" Her hands were holding mine. She looked so pretty in her creamsicle colored bodycon. "You look like you've been through hell and back!" she hollered over the music.

"I have." Then looked down at my grandpa. "Sadly I haven't been to heaven."

"What are you--"

"Doesn't matter." I shrugged my shoulders as she began to hurry me to the far side of the party. My arm outstretched to the crowd. "My dustpan!" Just as she was beginning to get me close enough to fresh air, Sam stepped in my way.

"My fucking nose!"

"Is always up people's business!" I chided, shoving him in the chest. "Now, go home! Everyone!" I was still holding Olivia's hand as she gave me a reassuring squeeze, especially when no one heard me and they all continued dancing as if I wasn't there.

Though they didn't listen to me, they listened to the person who rounded up everyone shouting, "the cops are here!"

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