Chapter 674

Chapter 674: The Real Party Time

It was buzzing, moderately electrifying. From the rattling in my ribs, to the thumping in my feet... the moment I walked back outside my bedroom walls, I could immediately feel it all.

Adalia wasn’t lying when she said it had gotten louder. Even for me, I was half-tempted to scurry back inside to shield my hearing from an early expiration date.

I didn’t recognize the atmosphere outside anymore... beforehand, even at its highest peak, there was still a sense of sense to be found somewhere amidst the revelry. But now, hearing what I’m hearing marching across the hall, it was just... chaos.

Then the view opened up-turning, my eyes peering over the railings, and I promptly realized that chaos was putting things mildly. Like ants, crawling, swarming ants, they were everywhere. I couldn’t have been gone for more than ten minutes, fifteen at most... so why... where... where did all these people come from?!

All of a sudden, there were enough people spanning from one end of the house to the other to sell out an entire movie theatre, and fuck I wish I was being hyperbolic.

The why and how? Well, I spotted my answer swimming among the crowd in the form of a handsome patch of long, flowing blonde hair. Even smack dab in the middle of a sea of strangers, Leon was just simply too main-character-looking to ever go unnoticed in a crowd.

He spotted me, looked straight at me, like had a sixth sense for me, and with an acknowledging smile, he lifted a hand and waved. I waved back at him, feeling my own smile twitch as I did, before he got roped in by a group of admirers and fans.

.....

Didn’t Amanda say it’ll just be a few people he’s bringing along? Did I mishear, misremember? Or did I just get duped? As I slowly made my way down, rave music churning out my speakers, bumping shoulders with dance fanatics, smelling the smell of intoxication prevalent in the air... can’t help but feel that it might be the latter at play here.

Someone had repurposed the dining table as the perfect place for ping-pong matches, leaving just enough space to spare for its more popular cousin, beer pong. Over the pounding music, I could hear someone popping confetti all over the place like it was the 4th of July on a military base. I also almost landed myself a trip to neck-break city ’cause someone decided to make a little pond on my floor with their drink.

So many somebodies, too many to even count, and try as I might, I couldn’t find any somebody that I personally knew.

“Oh hey-ey-ey, Big Man! There you fuckin’ are! The hell you’ve been the past million seconds?!”

Scratch that, somebody’s found me instead.

Tyler shimmied and squeezed himself through rows of rowdy strangers to get to me, reeking like he made a cologne out of alcohol... and judging by the smell of his breath... probably a tube of toothpaste too.

“Dude, your party’s fuckin’ wild!” He shouted over the anarchy, his eyes wandering all around like a kid in the candy store. “Coulda’ mentioned earlier we’re doing things open house! Would have brought a lot more peeps if you just said the word!”

“Yeah, not my party anymore, I don’t think...” I said, spotting Sammy in one corner stacking a pyramid of cups without lifting a finger to a packed audience of the drunk and ditzy. “Who are these people anyway?”

“Friends of friends of friends of friends,” Tyler went on and on and on. “I know some of ’em too. See, when Amanda mentioned Leon was bringing some folks and you were cool with it, I guess that sorta meant you’d be cool with it if his folks brought their own folks, and those folks brought their own-you get the point.”

“I see.”

“Why, what’s up?” He cocked a brow at me. “You ain’t cool with it?”

Cushions all over the place, got crumbs all over the floor, shoe marks, kitchen counter stacking high with plates and plastic cups, rubbish bin’s overflowing, beers are flying...

“Nah,” I gave him a smile. “I’m cool with it.”

Tyler smiled back. “Now that’s the Big Man, I know! I’m telling you this is the highlight of the month right here! A lotta big names coming through your door just get a piece of this action, ya know?”

“No, I don’t know actually.”

“Bruh, duh!” He gave his own head a loud smack. “You got Amanda, Hayley, got fuckin’ Leon pulling up at your driveway ten minutes ago... and most importantly, yours truly! Big names in the social-sphere, if you forgot. Why else do you think you got people flocking from all over the city trying to get over here?”

“Wait, hold up,” I lost my smile. “All over the-? What, there’s more coming?”

And with the widest, stupidest smirk forming on his face, Tyler raised his arms wide up high and cheered, “Merry fucking Christmas, there’s more coming!” and planted them straight down atop both my shoulders. “Let’s make this a night one we ain’t never forgetting, ‘kay? Not in this lifetime.”

Too deep now to even stop, too late now to do anything else about it. I could only stand by and watch as a continuous stream of headlights pull up from the other end of my driveway, bringing it with another group ready to let out their roaring Christmas spirit.

Sammy had moved on from stacking cups to stacking small pieces of furniture now, and on and on, her growing audience insisted on trying to find where she hid all her strings. I found Sera tucked away in one corner of a hall, tugging at my shirt so suddenly I could feel my neck cracking back with the force.

I thought I was in for a stern silent lambasting for dropping her in this ridiculous situation, but continuing on with her puzzling behavior towards me as of late, simply wanted to know when she could finish with the tree-and honestly, after everything, I forgot the tree wasn’t even finished. Wasn’t the only one too. Yeah, people were dancing and celebrating underneath a half-decorated tree here... didn’t even have the lights on just yet either.

“Soon, I hope,” I said, giving my best guess. “After the party’s over, you can get straight to it anytime. Still want my help, then?”

For an answer, Sera unlatched her grip, turned around, and promptly slinked back into the shadows leaving me alone once more on my own. Mmm, what did Amanda say again about this behavior of hers-something about her reflecting on things?

Well, I certainly do hope this ain’t reflecting poorly on me, alright...

Also, speaking of Amanda...

“You!” I shouted on impulse, bursting a few people’s eardrums in the process, stumbling upon the blonde-haired vixen herself, laughing and conversing with a red-faced Hayley to her side. I marched up close to them both, staring straight at Amanda in the eye. “Let me hear it. Do it. You’re the culprit. Say it.”

“Oh, whoops,” slurred a hiccuping Hayley, smirking from the corner of her lips. “Think that’s my cue to go. Lover’s quarrel.” and staggered off to join another giggling group of gals.

Amanda took one look at my face and hissed in a breath. “Co-culprit, actually. Tyler, Leon, and I are in the same circles. It was Tyler’s suggestion that we bring more life to the party. I gave the go, Leon let everyone know, and the rest is history.”

“And when does my consent come into the plan exactly?” I asked. “Is it much later? Oh, wait. Never?”

“You already gave it, didn’t you?” She said with a smile and then repeated. “The more the merrier.”

“You said this was supposed to be helping Ash!” I shouted as another faceless somebody cranked up the music. “How exactly is this supposed to be helping her?”

“Trust me, it is, and-no, hush first!” Amanda pressed a finger to my lips just as I was to open them again. “See, you whine and complain now and it probably seems justified... but later, much, much later, you’ll be thanking me for this, alright? For now, just trust me, okay? Trust me, won’t you?”

She lifted her finger away, leaving me free to express myself... but instead I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking as a ping-pong ball flew past my head, pondering as a energetic Mr. Black darted across my feet after it, considering as the entire place continued to just spiral out of my control.

“Fine,” I relented. “You still got my trust.”

Amanda beamed at that, approval glittering in her hazel eyes, chuckling feebly as she said, “Now if it’s only as easy trying to get you with me...”

I looked at her, peered into her eyes, both Hayley’s and Adalia’s words still echoing in my mind. “You have me,” I told her. “You’ll have me.”

“I know I will,” tenderly, she replied. “But in the meantime, let’s move on to phase two.”

“Phase two?”

“Yes, phase two,” She said again with added emphasis. “Helping you.”

“Me?” I blinked. “Sorry, you lost me.”

“Oh c’mon you! I mean just look at you!” She squirmed in place, affectionately exasperated. “You’re gonna be graying in a year at this pace! All you do is worry and worry all day, you know? I’m beginning to think you spend more time there wondering in your head than actually using it.”

“Hey...”

“I mean that in the most loving way possible,” She cooed. “But there should be a limit to it. And I think you’ve far exceeded that limit. You need to take it back a notch, put the worrying aside, and have some fun every once in a while.”

“Yeah, easy for you to say...” I said, still feeling damp and sticky in the soles of my feet. “It ain’t your house getting completely trashed right now.”

Amanda giggled. “I’ll take full responsibility for it if you do.”

“Me? Take responsibility for what?”

“For having me worry about you,” She said. “Really, you have no one to blame here but yourself for me initiating phase two.”

“Oh, come on, Amanda. Fess up-this is all just an elaborate excuse to throw a big bombastic party just for the sake of it, isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” She mused. “But it doesn’t mean I didn’t also do it to try and help you. Like I said, you need to add some fun to your life, sweetheart.”

“I must be the biggest lost cause ever, then,” I said, sighing in disbelief. “If I actually need help in having fun, I must be in serious trouble.”

“Yes, a lost cause if there ever was one,” Amanda affirmed blunt and straight, before slowly, fondly, reaching out and taking me by the hand. “But you’re my lost cause.”

Slowly, she moved through the crowd, and with my hand in hers, I was strung along keeping pace close right behind her.

This crowd, this noise, this ambiance... all for my sake too, she says... seems a bit much, if you ask me.

“There’s a stain on the sofa...” I muttered.

“And there you go again with the worrying,” Amanda moaned from the front, “For a time, for a moment, forget the stain, forget everything. It’s like you never had fun in your life before! Starting to doubt you even took a girl to prom before. Have you?”

“Was taking care of my mom when prom night happened,” I answered. “So no, can’t say that I have.”

“Well then, I guess tonight’s your lucky night!” She said, and that was when I noticed we were in the middle of the rave party, the jingle of a dance tune just commencing, and suddenly I found myself with both my hands entwined in hers, our faces inches apart, her eyes reflecting the purest form of joy, as out from her lovely smile, she spoke, “You have now.”