Fire and Rain

Eight

I never would have thought that going to the restroom would require so much energy. As soon as I entered the house, I had to stealthily dodge the rest of the group to avoid any more unnecessary teasing. Then, just as I thought I was in the clear as I was going up the stairs, Daniel caught my hand and literally cornered me to the wall.

“Dana,” he sleazily grinned, wrapping an arm around my waist and standing awfully close. I literally had to wriggle away from him and his beer-smelling breath.

“Sorry, I have to go to the restroom real quick,” I said, almost shoving him aside before sprinting to the second floor. Thankfully, he was too drunk to even follow me. I opened a few doors in search of any vacant room. You’d think that with Gareth Winds's large house, it would be easy. But everywhere seemed to be occupied by teenagers that were: A. Passed out. B. Making out. C. Getting high.

Thankfully, by the end of the hall, I found a bedroom that was empty. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I was finally able to take a breath. I wanted nothing more than to go home—to my actual home—and just sleep.

I looked around the room and found that it was Gareth’s, based on the trophies and medals with his name on them. Admittedly, he kept his room cleaner than I thought he would. From his bedside table, I noticed a picture frame. I walked towards it out of curiosity and picked it up.

“Oh,” was all I could mutter as I stared down at a photo of Gareth and I smiling, with his hand on my waist. Well, technically, it wasn’t “me" me. This girl was wearing an off-shoulder blouse and shorts, and her hair was braided to one side. Never in my life had I ever looked like that. Although, I must say, it kinda suited me.

And Gareth. I think that’s the first time I’d ever seen that face of him with a genuinely happy smile.

“This universe is crazy,” I murmured to myself as I put the photo down. I moved towards the windows and easily managed to open one. There was a back gate and no one else was in sight, but when I looked down, it was a full 20 foot drop to some shrubbery. So, I took a step back and sat on the floor. Nothing was going to stop me from escaping this god-forsaken party, and I had an idea just how to do that.

I made myself comfortable on the floor and closed my eyes. Elemental and Therian abilities in this reality were weak and inconsistent, so I knew I had to concentrate harder than usual.

“Dana? You here?” I could hear Daniel calling out from outside. I had to hurry up.

I took a few deep breaths, trying not to panic. And just as soon as I heard the doorknob rattle, I felt my body turn smaller. Without wasting another second, I jumped up the window sill, down to a small roof, and towards the shrubs. I made sure that no one was around before I changed back into myself. But when I was about to stand up, I felt my knees wobble and fell back down on my butt.

“Ow!” I couldn’t help but groan in pain. My head was spinning, and my energy was drained twice than usual, especially since I just spent some of them manipulating that damn spin-the-bottle game.

“Dana?” I looked to my right in a panic and saw Gareth approaching. s**t. Did he see me?

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, kneeling by my side. He looked suspicious, but he didn’t seem to be freaked out. He mustn’t have seen me shapeshift.

“I, uh, I was just getting some air,” I lied. “But I tripped.”

“Let me help you up then,” he said, holding me by the shoulders to help me stand up. I could smell a whiff of liquor on him.

“Thanks,” I muttered. I couldn’t believe I was thanking him for the second time that night. When has Original Gareth been this helpful? Never.

“Your mom called Maria,” he informed me as I brushed the leaves off my clothes. “She asked me to make sure you get home safe.”

“She did?” I exclaimed, remembering the number of times my mom had referred to him as “that halfling boy" with a hint of disdain. But I guess since this version of my parents liked my friends, they also approved of Gareth.

“Yeah, so come on, I’ll drive you,” he said. I followed him to the garage.

“But aren’t you drunk? Are you sure you can drive?”

Gareth chuckled and shook his head. “Louie just spilled beer on me,” he said, opening the car door for me. “I don’t like to drink.”

I got in and put on my seatbelt. Gareth took a seat at the driver’s side and turned the engine on.

“I just pretended to so the guys would let me be,” he said.

“Why did you throw a party, then?”

“Uh,” Gareth hesitated, “the guys wanted to.” I couldn’t read his face. I guess, even in this reality, he was still difficult to read.

“Oh,” was all I said, then we drove in silence. Thankfully, the ride wasn’t long and before I knew it, we were in my house's driveway. I was about to get out, when he beat me to it and rushed to open the door for me. It was definitely weird seeing a guy with Gareth’s face acting like a gentleman towards me. I hoped I’d remember this when I wake up from this crazy dream.

I stepped out, and he walked me to the door.

“Uh, thanks again, Gareth,” I said, trying to act a bit more friendly, like how Dana Maverick 2.0 would. But I was still unable to shake the awkward feeling.

He gave me a small smile. “Good night,” he said, then leaned down and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Based on what people here had been saying, I was sure that this Gareth and other Dana had done more than a kiss on the cheek, but I immediately felt my face heat up.

“Good night,” I answered back, but my voice sounded terribly squeaky. Embarrassed, I briefly smiled at him then went inside, closing the door behind me and shuddering.

I would’ve cringed for another good minute, but my mom went down from the stairs. “Hi, honey, was that Gareth that sent you home?” she asked. From outside, we could hear a car start and drive away.

“Yup,” I answered.

“Oh, good,” she smiled. “He wasn’t picking up so I had to call Maria. Did you have a fun time?”

“Uhuh, the party was… interesting,” I smiled back.

“That’s good,” she said, “go wash up and get some sleep.” She gave me a kiss on the forehead then walked into the kitchen.

I sighed. If there was anything I would miss from this world, it would be how these parents seemed to be like my own from 10 years ago—loving, caring, and not at all obsessed with my decisions. I took a bath to rinse off the stench from the night, then settled in bed.

It had been a weird, adventurous day, but I was finally ready to return back home. Whether I was dreaming or whatever, I trusted that I would be back in my own reality once I woke up.

So, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.