Tangled Love

CHAPTER 22

As soon as the taxi parks up outside and I step out, I gaze up at Ivory's house in slight awe. The large building stood in front of me was decorated beautifully from the outside, the grass is trimmed and flowers looked after. Two expensive looking cars are parked across the driveway, their shine so bright despite the darkness of the night.

"Wow," I say under my breath, my stomach breaking out into nervous butterflies. Beside me, Trish let out a low whistle.

"Are you ready?" She asks me, holding out her palm. I glance down at it before nodding. She takes hold of my hand, intertwining our fingers together. Her warmth spreads through my palm, calming down the nerves bubbling inside of me.

When we enter, the hallway and living room is crowded with teenagers, laughing and chatting. The music blared all around the house, bouncing off the walls. I crane my neck, noticing a large group of tightly packed people dancing in the living room. Across from them, a bunch of guys are playing beer pong, clutching bottles of alcohol with silly carefree smiles on their faces.

"Emily! Trish! You made it!" Ivory grins, appearing in front of me. She hands me a drink in a plastic white cup and I take it from her, smiling back.

"Hey! Yeah I did, this looks great!" I said loudly, leaning into her ear so that she could hear me over the loud music. Any louder and we'll all be deaf within the next hour. . .

"It's one of my legendary parties, trust me. You won't forget this night!" She grins widely before wondering off into the crowds of people. I lift the cup to my nose and sniff it warily. The smell of alcohol knocks me back so I slowly put it down behind me on a table, grimacing slightly.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Trish chuckles from my side and I roll my eyes before picking the drink back up.

"I guess it is my birthday tomorrow, right?" I said, justifying my action. Trish nodded eagerly, signalling for me to take a drink. I lifted it up gingerly to my lips and let the liquid run down my throat. Surprisingly it didn't taste as bad as I thought it would, fruity with a little zing to it.

"That isn't as bad as I thought it would be," I tell her and Trish giggles, taking a large drink from her own cup. She leans in closer towards me, her features turning serious.

"Lesson number one, don't leave your drink unattended. Lesson two, stay away from the hoe's and their bro's. Lesson three, don't wonder off with a weird guy you don't know, okay?" She says firmly. I nod at her, trying my best to remember all of her tips. Trish nods in satisfaction, her head bouncing up and down.

"Good, and most importantly. . . have fun!" She grins, pulling me into a tight bear hug. I return her embrace, breathing in deeply.

"Thanks Trish."

She pulls back and smiled at me, placing one hand on either shoulder.

"You've got this Bestie, say it with me."

"Yeah, I've got this." I repeat her words, sounding confident. The volume of the music grows louder and Trish cheers loudly along with several other people.

"I'm going to get another drink, I'll be back in a minute!" Trish yells, disappearing off into the crowd. I nod and smile, watching her go before taking another sip of my drink.

My eyes scan over the crowd and land on a familiar face - Austin. I wave at him, giving him a friendly smile. We've spoken once or twice but never had a full on conversation. Austin is good looking with his caramel toned skin and large brown eyes. His lashes are long and fluttery, much to the dismay of every

girl in here. He's never short of female attention and I watch as he wonders over towards me, shooting me a cute grin. His eyes drink in my appearance and I find myself blushing, a red tint covering my cheeks.

"You look cute when you blush!" He laughs, pointing at my cheeks. I gave him a shy smile, feeling my cheeks heat up further.

"I look like a tomato when I blush, don't lie to me." I say playfully, taking another sip of my drink. Austin throws his head back and laughs, his eyes lighting up.

"Are you enjoying the party?" I ask him and he nods, taking a step closer with the same wide smile on his face.

"I haven't seen anyone I like the look of, until now." His words are suggestive and I can feel the blush deepen on my cheeks. I don't reply and instead nibble on my bottom lip nervously. Austin takes a step closer towards me, resting a hand on my waist.

"You look great Emily! Do you want to dance?" He asks eagerly, I don't respond for a few seconds as I think about his question.

Hey, why the hell not?

"Yeah, let's dance!" I respond, following him towards the crowd of dancing bodies. We both begin dancing carelessly with each other and I close my eyes, feeling free. I feel a hand on my waist and I open my eyes to find Austin very close to me, his body dancing against mine. I let out a little nervous giggle, glancing around warily for a familiar face.

His hips press into mine and I shuffle backwards, feeling uncomfortable. Austin's hands settle on my hips and I pause, my body stilling. I suck in a breath as he massages the area where Trevor beat me.

My body is still tender, covered in bruises.

Austin's hands are directly above the bruises.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...

I lean towards his ear, a frown fixed on my face from the dull pain in my sides.

"I think I'm going to go find Trish!" I yell into his ears, placing my hands over his in an attempt to move them. His hand's tighten, causing an instant flare of pain to shoot through my body. I yell out, yanking myself away from him.

"Stop." I tell him, my hands beginning to shake. He's staring at my body with hunger in his eyes and I watch as they turn shades darker.

Oh no, this doesn’t look good.