Awakened

Chapter Two

When the school day is over, Amanda drives me home and speeds off to go get ready for the party. She wants me to be ready by six.

“Hey Mom, I’m home,” I yelled out as I walked through the front door.

“I’m upstairs, honey,” she yells back.

I place my backpack on the side table by the front door and head upstairs. I find her folding laundry on her bed. She looks up at me and smiles. “How was your first day back at school, sweetie?”

“Meh, nothing interesting happened,” I shrugged. “It was spent just meeting the teachers and reviewing the school year plans for our classes.”

“That’s nice,” she says as she puts the last bit of folded laundry back in the basket, ready to put away.

I stood in her doorway for a second, trying to build up the courage to ask about the party. Though I cannot lie, I secretly hope I get a strong no from her.

“Amanda told me that there is a party later at Mark’s house. She wants me to go, is that okay?” I finally spit out after a minute of us not talking. “I just need to know what to tell her before she heads this way.”

“Is she the one who is driving or is someone else?” she asks. “Will there be alcohol there?”

“Yes, she is driving,” I replied. “And no, we will not be drinking,” I lied.

I do not know why I lied. I do not know if there will be alcohol, but what high school party doesn’t have alcohol, and what kids don’t drink? Amanda, especially, is known to get a bit wild. But I am not going to tell my mother that.

She would never allow me to see Amanda again if she knew how crazy she was. Amanda is my closest friend, my only friend really, so losing her over my parent’s protectiveness would suck. So, what they don’t know won’t kill them.

“Are you going to be on your best behavior?” she asked, as her eyebrows raised. “I don’t want to wait up all night, worried about you.”

“Yes Mom, I don’t plan on getting myself into trouble this early in the school year.”

“As long as you are home by ten o’clock, then I am fine with it,” she says. “But you have to promise me that there will be no drinking and no drugs, Amara, I’m serious.”

“I promise, Mom.”

“Great, then go have some fun. Just make sure you stay out of trouble.”

“Thank you.”

I head for my room before she has a chance to change her mind. Now that she said yes, I can’t wait to get out of the house. As much as I do not want to go to a party that Mark is hosting, the idea of being allowed to go is nice.

I slip into something pleasant but comfortable. Amanda will not approve, but I do not care. I am going for her. I am not going to try and impress anyone. So, a white blouse and jeans it is.

As I am fixing up my messy hair my phone starts vibrating, it is Amanda. ‘Be there in ten!’ The text reads. Great here is to hoping that the night goes by smoothly and nothing awkward or weird happens.

I step out onto the front porch and wait for her to pull up. She arrives just a few minutes later. “That is not what you are wearing?” she spits as she steps out of her car.

“Yes, it is,” I assured her.

“Don’t you have something a bit cuter that you could wear?” she frowns. “Maybe something that shows off the girls a bit?”

“Amanda, this is what I want to wear,” I said as I headed for the passenger-side door. “If you want me to go so badly, then you have to let me wear what I want.”

“Augh fine,” she huffs and gets back into the car.

When we pulled up to the party, I could tell it was already packed and out of control. We had to park a couple of houses down. Even from here, we can hear music blaring. The neighbors must love Mark and his family. They always have some sort of event happening at their house every couple of weeks. I’d hate to live near them.

“Ready to have some fun?” she asks as we make our way up the stairs of the house.

“Sure,” I said with fake excitement.

“Oh, come on, Amara, loosen up,” she says as she pushes me through the front door. She then grabs me by the wrist and drags me over to the punch table. “Have a drink with me!”

“I can’t,” I said as I pulled away from her grip. “I told my Mom I wouldn’t drink tonight. That was the only reason she let me come out tonight.”

“Boo,” she scowls. “Just one!”

“I’m good,” I assured her. “I don’t like beer anyway.”

She grabs two red plastic cups from the table and tries to hand me one. “Come on, Amara, have some fun tonight. You hardly ever come out with me to do things like this.”

I just rolled my eyes and grabbed the cup, “Fine, but just one. Then you must leave me alone.” I wish I didn’t always break down with her so easily. She always seems to get me to do whatever she wants. But again, she is my only closest friend and I don’t want to lose that with her.

“Yay!” she shrieks.

After we finish our drinks, she takes me to a different room, and we start dancing. Only a few minutes go by before she smiles and says, “I’ll be right back, going to grab another drink.” I just roll my eyes and go stand in a corner, away from all the dancing people on the floor. She is back within a few minutes with two cups in her hand. “Here,” she beams.

“I’m all set,” I assured her. “You can drink the one you poured for me as well.”

“Come on,” she said. “One more isn’t going to hurt you.”

“Fine, but I am serious, that’s it,” I huff, annoyed now.

We spent about an hour dancing and drinking, and after the second beer, I realized it was pointless to argue with Amanda. We were now five or six beers in, and I could feel my mind getting a bit hazy. Although I must admit, I was having more fun than I originally anticipated and felt more relaxed than when we first arrived.

I can tell I’ve reached my limit though and need to grab a seat somewhere before stumbling over my own two feet, so I stop dancing and try to grab Amanda’s attention. She seemed to be in her own little world, dancing just a few inches from me. “Amanda, I’m going to go sit somewhere for a little bit,” I explained. “I just need to clear my head a bit. I am feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Okay,” she says, still dancing. She can handle her alcohol better than I do. That is for sure.

Exiting the room, I navigate through the hallway with my hand resting on the wall for stability as I go. At the very end of the hallway, I discovered an empty sitting area and settled onto the couch tucked away in the corner. I lean my head back and sink into the comfortable cushions.

As the room begins to spin, I close my eyes tightly. However, they snap open at the sound of footsteps approaching. Once my vision clears up, I see that it's Mark walking towards me. It figured that it would be him out of everyone at the party.

“You look so hot tonight,” he smiles as he inches closer to me.

“Thanks,” I shrug, uninterested in what he thinks.

He takes a seat next to me, wraps an arm around my back, and leans in to whisper in my ear, “I really can’t get over how nice you look.”

Even though I am somewhat drunk and feel like I am having a hard time processing what is going on at the moment, I try to put some space between us on the couch.

His words sent a shiver down my spine. Does he think I am hot? I always thought he put me in the same category as the geeks or freaks. I thought he disliked me or would never even think about looking at me twice. Yet here he is.

He scoots closer to be right next to me again and wraps his arm around my waist, this time holding me so I cannot move. My train of thought gets interrupted as he suddenly begins to rub his nose against my neck. “Mumm and you smell good too.”

Our noses almost touch and before I know it, our lips collide with intense force. I feel a sudden urge to pull away, but I can't seem to move. I didn't kiss him back, but I didn't resist either. It's as if I'm frozen in place.

His lips are so soft. I cannot get over how voluptuous they are, so I begin to kiss him back. I cannot seem to help it. What has come over me? It is like I do not have control of myself at the moment. I know I am a bit on the drunk side, but this kind of loss of control feels different. Any other time I would find him to be vulgar. I would have pushed him away the second he leaned in.

What has come over me? Why can’t I find the willpower to want to throw him off me? It is like my mind is acknowledging that this is not right, but a force, much more powerful, seems to be embracing it.

Seconds pass as I begin to feel this wonderful sensation throughout my whole body and suddenly, I am stunned as I feel hands caressing my chest. I look down and realize he has turned his body completely towards me and he is fondling me. Without even thinking, I arch my back with pleasure, and he climbs on top of me. He bends down and bites my neck, causing me to moan.

“You like that?” he smirks and nibbles again.

His hands travel back to my chest but this time, instead of him just trying to fondle my breasts, he tries to take my shirt off.

That sends fire through me and brings me back to reality. What the hell am I doing? I cannot do this. For one, my best friend would hate me for life. Two, there are people right in the other room. And three, this guy is an ass wipe.