Party all night?

I was just supposed to be hanging out with a few friends, that was all I’d agreed to. Lord knew my Friday night would be dead boring if I didn’t. But I wasn’t expecting that when Nadia came to get me she’d be in her boyfriend Tom’s monster truck; or that they’d planned a double date for them, and me and Tom’s cousin.

So there I sat, in jeans next to Nadia in a leather miniskirt. She was stroking Tom’s thigh in a way that was obviously preventing him from concentrating on the road. With every hectic turn I bumped into the cousin, Evan, and tried not to make eye contact. Whenever I did have the misfortune to turn and look that way he always had a corny grin prepared. Gag me with a spoon, I thought unhappily.

Then suddenly the truck lurched to a halt and Evan came flying onto my lap. He took his time straightening up too.

“Oops,” Tom said dumbly. Nadia clutched her heart, looking dazed, and fluttered her eyelashes becomingly.

“Is this it?” Evan asked his cousin. Tom nodded, and only then did I notice why we’d stopped. The house in front of us was one of those new, rich suburban ones that practically still had the price tag dangling from the new landscaping. Only the landscaping here had obviously been worn down a little bit. Tire treads and footprints dotted the grass with muddy brown, and the front door was wide open, releasing deep bass. I could see people huddle down in small groups outside as we walked up the dark street to this house party.

“Nadia!” I hissed, grabbing her shoulder. She shrugged my hand off.

“Cool it babe,” she responded nonchalantly.

“Nadia, I’m going home,” I threatened. She turned her baby blues on me and I realized she wasn’t all there.

“And miss this party? Go ahead,” she jeered and kept walking. I followed, regretting every step. If my parents caught me…

I looked around suspiciously but no neighbours were looking out of their windows disapprovingly-yet. I was ready to bolt at any hint of a siren.

I followed Nadia and Tom into the front hall of the house and was immediately attacked by noxious fumes I tried not to inhale. Evan had this annoying habit of lingering just behind my shoulder, like he was gonna grab me or something. I tried to put barriers between us, but to no avail. When I went to hide in the bathroom there were three people already in there, making out. I turned to leave and Evan was there holding a drink for me.

“Whoa!”

“Thought you might like a beer,” he grinned, handing me the Dixie cup. I sniffed it suspiciously.

“Date rape drugs wouldn’t be identifiable by smell,” Evan said, nodding at me. I stared at the yellow brown stuff in my cup and decided to take a chance. What the hell. I downed the cup fairly quickly, and felt a little better. The music was hot, and no one seemed to care that I was wearing about twice as much as any of the other girls. A couple more beers and I had somehow come detached from my shirt.

“You drank those pretty quickly,” Nadia smiled as she passed in the arms of Tom. I waved cheerily and let Evan drag me into the backyard. Somehow there was another empty cup in my hand.

“Wha-” I started but Evan hushed me. I didn’t like the way he was leaning in, but I was saved from rape by the shriek of a police siren.

“Fuck!” Evan leapt up, and I followed, somewhat clumsily. Evan had run to the back fence and was starting to climb over it. I tried to follow but tripped over some ground cover and then couldn’t figure out which way was up.

“C’mon!” A girl I didn’t know pulled me up and pushed me towards the fence before climbing it herself. I wandered over to it and finally managed to touch it. For a scary second I thought it was going to evaporate, but it stayed in place. I scratched at it uselessly, and felt my legs weakening. A hysterical laugh was starting in my chest. Hands grabbed me from behind and none too delicately shoved me up. I clung to the top and turned about indignantly. Tom was there, now boosting Nadia up too.

“Get down you idiot,” she growled, and shoved me from my perch.

The ground on the other side was soft, fortunately, and I rolled onto my stomach and managed to stand by myself.

“Where’s Evan?” Tom demanded. I pointed my finger vaguely towards the sky and started to spin. The most light headed feeling was creeping up on me…

Nadia grabbed my arm and tugged me after Tom, who had started running towards the street beyond the house whose yard me were standing in.

It was a close one, but Nadia got me onto the other side of the road.

“I’ll get the truck later,” Tom said gruffly, and started walking.

“Where are we going?” I whispered into Nadia’s ear. She shrugged.

“I think Tom and Evan are rapists,” I whispered again, and Tom turned to give me a dirty look.

“Settle down,” Nadia hushed me, and we kept following him. The reflections off of dark puddles were exceptionally fascinating.

Forty five minutes later my head was starting to clear and I had the persistent feeling that I was not going to like what I saw when I opened my eyes. I chanced it anyway. I was lying on my back under bright lights, in what appeared to be a garage. A scummy looking guy was watching me as if he’d been about to do something before I woke. I shivered and jumped up. Clothes still on, I checked, and nothing seemed to be missing…

I glanced at the dude but he just grinned creepily. I coughed and walked towards the door at the far end of the garage, turning back quickly to make sure I wasn’t being followed. By the time I got down the dark hallway to the well-lit kitchen I was running.

“Nadia!” I yelled when I saw her sitting at the table with Tom and two others. She looked up at me and rolled her eyes.

“Guess we’ll be going now gentlemen,” Tom said, standing. One of the men remained seated, but the other stood as well, and handed Tom a packet of some powder. Tom handed the guy a roll of cash, and started towards the front door of the ranch. I followed quickly, and Nadia came after.

When we were outside I burst out.

“Nadia, how could you do that?!” I demanded, grabbing her shoulders. She shook me off.

“Nadia, you left me in the garage! With a creepy guy watching me sleep! Completely unprotected!” She ignored my yelling and followed Tom to the truck. Apparently I’d been out longer than I thought if he’d had time to go back for it.

“Fuck,” I swore, and got in. Evan was sleeping in the cab already, but he woke up when we got in.

“Hey,” he smiled at me. I glared.

“What’s up,” he tried to put his arm around me.

“You abandoned me in the backyard you asshole,” I said, and shoved him away. Tom and Nadia didn’t seem to notice this exchange, and we started driving.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Another party,” Nadia supplied. Before I could object Tom piped up.

“This one’s more hardcore,” he said, patting the pocket he’d put the baggy in. I didn’t even bother to answer. I was in a state of shock.

After driving for a timeless period of time we pulled up behind a warehouse in the industrial side of the city. I got out and followed Nadia, clinging to her nonexistent apron strings. She patted my arm reassuringly.

“These are some really cool people,” she said, and we waited while Tom knocked on an old, graffitied door. It was opened by your typical biker, and we walked in. I groaned inwardly; it was an enormous room, with door and hallways branching off. The walls were covered in dirty paints smears and unknown substances. There was a sleazy band playing on the floor, surrounded by some of the most fucked up people I’d ever seen. Fuck me, I thought.

Evan pulled me towards the crowd, and try as I might I couldn’t stop him from trying to dance with me. I tried to ignore the steadily overwhelming feeling of nausea, and concentrated on not fainting.

“Hey good looking, watcha got cooking?” a stubbly man who must have been at least ninety asked in passing, after pinching my ass. I jumped away from Evan.

“Okay, that’s enough, I’m leaving,” I stated, and started trying to push past all the people. Evan followed.

“Hey, wait a minute, we’re having fun, come back,” he tried to garb my arm but determination pulled me through the grimy crowd. I reached a deserted hallway and started down it.

“You don’t even know the way home!” Evan called after me. I didn’t care. I came around a corner and almost tripped over a guy slumped on the ground.

“Ahh, fuck off,” he mumbled slowly, and put up a halfhearted finger. He was dressed up like KISS, had on a blue wig, and vaguely resembled someone I knew.

“I…wanna rock n’ roll aaall night…an party every day.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I rolled my eyes skyward. “C’mon Dad, time to go home.”