A Wild Night Part 2

The next hour passed slowly as Red led John from person to person. His only comforts throughout the whole affair were several bottles of beer and the increasingly impassioned moments of affection Red showered him with on their brief trips to grab another drink. In John’s defence he acted cheerful and charming; the occasional check of his reputation through Observe showed it was gradually paying off to boot.

He was finally able to make his escape in the form of a trip to the bathroom to relieve his full bladder. He frowned out of distaste as he looked down at the toilet rim to find some guy, or several guys, had had difficulty keeping their stream in the bowl. Thankfully, John was not so **** that he added to the mess. Still, he pitied Emelia or Jayden or whoever had to clean up the mess the next day.

Walking back into the living room, John paused in front of the crowd wondering where Red had got to. You’d think picking her crimson cloak out from the rest of the crowd would be easy, but red seemed to be the second most popular color that night, losing out only to black. He began to wade his way through the crowd, hoping he’d find her. But when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, he eased up, figuring she’d found him.

He turned around, surprised to find it was not Red but Samantha Cooke that had found him. “I heard you might be coming tonight,” she said lightly. “Though I’m surprised you’re actually here; you don’t seem like the party type.”

“Oh… hi Sam,” John tensed as he looked her over. Her costume for the night seemed to be that of a vampire, given the high-collared cloak she wore and the smattering of make-up made to look like blood around her lips. The combination of dark-eyeliner and how she’d styled her lucious black hair into an angled bob-cut that almost covered her right eye gave her a rather gothic look. However, she currently lacked any teeth inserts, probably because it was easier to talk without them. “You’ve done well with your costume,” he commented.

“What?” Sam’s eyes widened in momentary surprise. “Oh, right, thanks. Yours isn’t half bad either.”

“I take it if you’re here then Chelsea’s around?” John asked, recalling the student council member’s line of interrogation earlier today. Given that, he doubted her best friend had approached him with innocent intentions now.

“Nah, Elsie doesn’t like these kind of events,” Sam shrugged easily. “Not that she ever gets invited anyway: everyone seems to think she’s a nark just ‘cause she’s on the student council.”

“But you do?”

“Course,” Sam laughed easily. “I live for parties. Anything that’ll excuse me from seeing the sun the next day is good in my books. Plus, what’s not to love? Music, ****, ****, cute boys to flirt with...” she said the last part with a suggestive wink.

“I have a girlfriend,” John replied bluntly.

“I know, much to Elsie’s dismay,” Sam let out a dramatic sigh that could have got her the leading role in a Shakespearean production. “And she lost out to another blue-eyed blonde no less.”

“Should you really be ratting out your best friend to her crush?” John asked with a bemused expression.

“Eh, you’re a perceptive guy, let’s not pretend you didn’t already know,” she replied. “But that being said…” Sam gestured behind him. “You may want to keep an eye on her.”

John turned his head in the direction Sam had indicated. Red sat on the sofa, talking casually with Emelia’s older brother. Judging from the way Jayden’s body leaned towards Red and the cock-eating smile plastered on his face, he was flirting with her. He watched the scene for only a moment longer before shrugging. The moment he started questioning Red’s commitment to him was the moment he stopped drinking. “Yeah well… while Jayden fruitlessly chats up Red, I’m totally going to bang his sister,” he replied to Sam with an uncharacteristically boastful grin.

“Oh?” Sam’s brow raised in amusement. “And that would go down well with your girlfriend, would it?”

“Sure it would,” John replied smugly before he actually heard what he was saying. “Aww, fuck. I’m sounding like a drunk ass, aren’t I?”

“Yep,” Sam replied cheerfully. “Though only half as much as Jayden for chatting up a girl he knows full well is taken. Anyway, want another beer?”

John shrugged in reply. “Sure,” he said, following Sam onto the outside balcony. After collecting a can each they settled into some lawn chairs overlooking the pool. Some idiots had decided it was a great idea to jump in fully costumed, though it didn’t seem to bother them as they happily played games of chicken. “So… which would you rather hear: ‘I didn’t do it’ or ‘I don’t know anything’?” John opened.

There was a momentary pause as Sam looked at him with keen eyes, before she let out a dry laugh. “Relax, buddy. I’m not here to grill you like Elsie. I just wanted to go over a few things with you.”

“Uh-huh,” John hummed doubtfully before taking a sip of beer.

“You’re an interesting guy,” Sam continued without missing a beat. “One: I mean no offence by this but until a few weeks ago you were a nobody at school, and now you’re the talk of the school. Two: you’re uncharacteristically competent socially despite claiming to be just a gawky nerd. Three: your grades in gym class have improved ridiculously over the span of a single month.”

“You’ve looked up my grades?”

“Yes. Four: you suddenly started hanging out with Moira Brighton who’s an odd case on her own. Five: just as suddenly you’ve pulled a blonde British bombshell from your butt who you’re apparently dating. At least on that account I don’t think you’re lying though, ‘cause you smell a bit like her dog or something…”

“Wait what?” John blinked, Sam’s barrage of points for the first time eliciting surprise from him. John new for a fact that the only thing Red smelled like was apples and cinnamon thanks to a perfume Saccha helped her make.

“I have a keen sense of smell,” Sam offered in response with a shrug as if to say it was perfectly natural. Of course it wasn’t. No normal human would be able to pick up the scent of wolf on her, let alone a second-hand smell on John. He peered at Sam with renewed interest, deciding he ought to cast Observe on her.

‘Very helpful, Gaia,’John thought irritated that the Observe had left his question open ended.

Sam suddenly rubbed her neck nervously and looked around as if she felt the weight of someone watching her.

‘Oookay, that is not normal,’ John arced his brows in surprise. Even Moira and Red could never tell when he was using Observe on them, the fact that a supposedly mundane individual like Sam reacted to it was bizarre to say the least.

“A-anyway,” Sam continued, seemingly more tense than before. “Where was I up to?”

“‘Six’, I believe,” John put forward helpfully, putting the question of what exactly Sam was aside for now. In any case, she was better off never learning about the Abyss as far as he was concerned.

“That’s right. Six: all the blood Elsie and I found in your house. As far as I could tell, at least three people died there… actually come to think of it… huh,” Sam faltered as she thought to herself; her eyes flickered inside to where Red had been sitting on the couch. Red and Jayden had both disappeared, though John spotted the boy moments later chatting up another of his sister’s friends. Evidently he’d given up on Red, though where the girl in question had gone was beyond John. He didn’t muse on it any longer. However, his attention quickly snapped back to Sam as she pulled out her phone and quickly typing away, as if texting someone.

Just as quickly she pocketed the phone, her focus now locked back on John, leaving him wondering what exactly she’d figured out. “As I was saying, you were missing and people definitely died in your house, but now you’re suddenly back at school without so much as a drop of information on the news about any murders. Hell, even the police are now acting like there was never even an incident. Then they had the audacity to tell me to my face that Elsie and I never called them. If it wasn’t for Frank telling everyone you killed somebody, it would have been like the entire incident never happened,” Sam paused as if waiting for John to say something.

“It never happened, Samantha,” John replied, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

He’d meant it as a joke, but the odd girl recoiled backwards, jumping several feet away like a skittish cat. “Nope,” she said. “Nope I say. You won’t be mind wiping me!”

“Uhmmm,” John looked at her in bewilderment. “That was a joke… I assure you I don’t know any Jedi mind tricks.”

Sam looked at him incredulously for a long moment before hesitatingly shuffling closer again. “R-right.”

“You’re a strange one,” John commented, taking another sip of beer.

“I’ll own that, but you’re just as strange,” Sam threw back.

John had found himself shrugging a lot tonight. “If you say so.”

“I do,” Sam affirmed before her attention shifted behind John. “Hey there, you must be John’s girlfriend.”

John turned, and sure enough Red had stepped out on to the balcony supported by Emelia. One of Red’s arms was looped around Emelia’s waist as if they had been lifelong friend. What was more, Emelia’s face was as bright as a tomato while one of her fingers idly traced her lips and her eyes glanced guiltily towards John. ‘Oh for fuck’s sake, Red,’ John sighed as his mind speculated on what had just transpired.

“Uh, h-hey,” Emelia greeted nervously when they got close and gestured helplessly towards Red in a silent plea for help.

It was John’s duty to oblige, putting his arm around Red’s back and pulling her into him. Best keep her close so she couldn’t run off and go making out with any other girls. Either way, Red seemed happy to be back in his arms. “Darling!” she greeted, meeting his eyes with a wolfish hunger and dived forward with surprising agility to meet his face in a sloppy kiss that caused everyone except Red to collectively wince. John barely had time to register the noxious smell of booze on her breath before the kiss unceremoniously ended with Red loudly burping. His girlfriend reared back, covering her mouth in surprise before letting out a loud cackle. “Oh my, I might be feeling a little tipsy.”

“You think?” John grimaced and spat over the balcony railing.

“Maybe just a little,” Emelia squeaked.

John shot the brunette a look of apology. “Yeah, well… I hope Red hasn’t been giving you too much of a hard time,” John told her sincerely.

“Umm… no! She’s been really… n-nice,” Emelia stuttered.

“Yeah, darling,” Red leaned into him with a lecherous grin plastered on her face. “We’ve just been getting to know each other better.

“Uh-hum,” John sighed and looked apologetically at Sam. “Anyway, this is Charlie,” John introduced on her behalf.

“Red!” Red snapped at him.

“She likes to go by ‘Red’,” John explained. “Red, this is Sam.”

“Sweet, more friends!” Red cheered before her eyes turned seriously to Sam. “Wanna fuck later?”

Sam and Emelia both understandably choked on their drinks at the sudden and shameless question.

“Umm… Red, h-how many people-” Emelia began but faltered as a commotion inside drew their attention away .

“WHO’S GAME FOR SHOTS, PEOPLE?!” Jayden’s voice loudly called out in challenge.

Red’s eyes lit up like fireworks, and if she’d grown her tail out, John was sure it’d be wagging up a windstorm. “Down girl,” he laughed. “I don’t think you should drink anymore…”

“Shut your trap, darling, you don’t own me!” Red declared before seizing him by the wrist with one hand and Emelia with the other, marching them both towards the living room. She paused, however, when she realised Sam wasn’t following. “You’re coming, right?” she asked the girl whose name she’d probably already forgotten.

“Umm… sure,” Sam agreed, seemingly still baffled by Red. Emelia seemed to share her sentiment.

“She’s, uhh… not normally like this, I promise,” John swore to Sam and Emelia as Red pulled them all inside.

Jayden had cleared the kitchen counter and was in the middle of ceremoniously placing bottles of booze on top one by one. Several bottles of vodka, a Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, Kraken, a bottle of tequila… “So, do we have any contestants?” he scanned the gathering crowd.

Red’s hand immediately let go of John’s wrist and flew up. “Right here! Three,” she said chipperly, pushing John into a stool before claiming his lap.

Sam took a seat beside them, her own eyes showing a mild excitement as she looked over the bottles.

“Only four?” Jayden roared in challenge to the crowd.

“Three,” John corrected. “Red really shouldn’t be drinking anything more.”

“Kindly shut the fuck up, darling,” Red smiled with her cheeks at him, but there was no warmth in it.

“Yes, ma’am, message received,” John sighed.

His response prompted Red to pat him affectionately on the head. “Good boy.”

“If that’s settled then,” Jayden nodded and looked around the room. “Any more contestants?” Jayden paused for a moment. “No? Seriously? Y’all are a bunch of pansies. No mat-” a loud commotion at the back cut Jayden off before he could continue. “-The fuck is going on?”

John likewise turned and his heart sunk as a familiar brutish manchild shoved his way through the crowd. It was not an elegant procedure, with something like 40 people crammed into the one living area.

“Aww, shit,” Sam muttered under her breath.

“I don’t recall you getting an invite tonight, Frank,” Jayden scowled. John couldn’t claim to like Jayden, but he felt a small spirit of kinship with the boy now as his face reflected a familiar loathing for Frank.

“That’s okay,” a brattish voice interjected, causing John’s heart to sink further. Vanessa calmly walked down the path Frank had cleaved through the crowd as if she owned the house. “Frank’s my plus one. Strange though, I don’t recall getting an invite myself, but I’m sure that’s just because it slipped Emelia’s mind — isn’t that right?”

The glare Vanessa shot Emelia looked near lethal. The poor girl shrunk back into her stool under the bitch queen’s piercing eyes. “Uh… y-yeah. I’m sorry!” she squeaked.

“Who are these arseholes?” Red whispered in John’s ear.

“Career bullies,” John replied quietly. “Bitch queen and her meethead bitch.”

Red frowned at his words. “They bullied you?”

“Used to, yeah,” John replied honestly. “But don’t worry about it. I couldn’t care less now.”

Red’s expression seemed uncharacteristically dark, leaving John with a sinking feeling that this encounter was going to go poorly.

“Get out,” Jayden ordered sternly, rolling up his sleeves to show a nice amount of muscle on his arms. Several spectators in the crowd began pulling out their phones now, sensing they were about to witness gold for their social media feeds.

“Oh, damn,” Frank grinned like a goon. “You’re real scary, big man.”

“Please,” Vanessa folded her arms icily. “I could count the amount of people over 21 here on one hand. What do you think would happen if I called the police?”

“Oh, you can count, can you?” Jayden snarled. “I guess that makes you moderately more intelligent than your boyfriend.”

It was amazing to see how both Frank and Vanessa’s right eyes twitched in unison at the older boy’s words. Frank took a heavy step forward, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to intimidate Jayden. “The fuck did you say?!”

Emelia’s brother looked Frank dead in the eye, seemingly cooking up a reply before Red hopped off John’s lap to interject. “Excuse me,” Red called sweetly, causing the collective gaze of everyone in the room to swing her way.

Frank blinked in the face of this mysterious blonde. “The fuck are you?”

“I’m Charlie, John’s girlfriend,” Red greeted cheerfully.

Frank’s eyes widened as he peered over Red’s shoulder, seemingly spotting John for the first time. “Newman?” he said in disbelief, eyes flickering between the beautiful blonde and the kid he’d been bullying since high school. “You’re with John fucking Newman?!”

“It surely can’t be that surprising,” Red smiled in reply. “I mean a bloody pretty blonde is dating you, too.”

“Yeah,” Frank mumbled in reply, apparently not realising that Red had just insulted him.

Vanessa’s sneer, on the other hand, only darkened. “I didn’t realise you were so **** you needed to hire a British whore, John,” she smirked as if the words she spoke were pure poetry before she turned to Red. “And you can really do better than a pathetic little beta like…” she looked imploringly in John’s direction; “that.”

If Red was hurt by Vanessa’s comments, she didn’t let it show. “You reckon?” she asked innocently. “Well, we were about to start taking shots. Why don’t we see exactly what kind of men we have, ‘ey?” she said, turning to wink at John as if trying to convey that this was her plan.

If it was, then truly it was the plan of a mad drunk woman. John was already several drinks in, and while he clearly wasn’t as **** as some of the other folks in the room, Frank was completely sober. There was no way John could compete shot for shot with him.

Vanessa paused and looked between a clearly drunk Red and John, seemingly thinking along the same lines. “Alright,” she nodded and gestured for Frank to take a seat.

John glanced towards Jayden, who still seemed miffed about the entire situation. “I’ll tell you what, their drinks will be on me,” John announced, pulling out 60 bucks from his wallet and sliding it across the kitchen counter towards Emelia’s brother. It was double the amount he would have had to pay otherwise, but John hoped the higher sum would appease the boy.

Jayden’s eyes drifted slowly between Frank, Vanessa, John, and the cash on the counter. “Fine, then,” he mumbled darkly as he pocketed the cash. “Take a seat.”

Frank looked back towards Vanessa who curtly nodded before he took a seat by Sam, who had watched the situation unfold with great interest. “Well, this makes the competition a little more interesting,” she grinned before her eyes turned to Vanessa who stood impatiently behind Frank. “There’s still one more seat, why’d you come if not to drink? Free drinks no less!”

Vanessa seemed to consider her words for a moment before slowly sitting down on the remaining stool. “Fine,” she said sourly.

Jayden shrugged and pulled out seven shot glasses and lined them up on the table, seemingly intent on participating himself. His eyes glazed over the bottles of liquor before picking out the Jack Daniel’s and delicately filling each glass before sliding them across the counter to each participant.

“Well, then, ladies,” Jayden grinned darkly across the entire table as he raised his glass. Everyone else took their own glass and did likewise. “Bottoms up,” the older boy said before tilting his head and swallowing the first shot of the night.

One by one the other participants followed suit. John hesitated momentarily, peering warily at the amber coloured liquid before shrugging and downing it.