7: Best years of my life

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"Why didn't you tell us?!" My mother slammed her purse onto the kitchen counter, obviously not in the mood. I jumped at her outburst, almost dropping my phone.

Richard strolled in with a cigar in his mouth, looking more carefree than usual."Tina-Jade, yet again, you've shaken us to the core!" He clapped briefly, before heading upstairs.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge."Sorry, I guess" I mumbled to no one in particular. I'm sorry you're a crappy mother, who hasn't noticed that her child was walking around with bruises all over her body.

"What were you thinking?" She placed her hands on her hips, blocking the kitchen doorway. She knew very well I was about to escape to my cave, as I always did."What if this story gets to the press?!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air for added exaggeration."Your father will never see the end of it, do you understand that? Do you understand that you're sabotaging everyone's wellbeing!?"

I stared at her, biting back the hatred sitting in my throat.

"He's not my father" I gritted my teeth.

"You are one ungrateful child..." She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief."He has done everything for us! Can't you see that?! He is your father. If not him, then who? That lowlife gambler?! Oh please...spare me the headache"

"Yes," I nodded."That lowlife gambler as you say is my father. Unlike you, he actually tried. He tried to give me everything he could. He tried to be a father and a mother. But he ran out of strength. He lost his mother, lost his life...while you were sleeping with a money bag-"

The palm of her hand connected with my cheek, cutting me off. The sound of the hard impact echoed throughout the kitchen and I clenched my jaw.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! I...I am your m-mother!" She shrieked, her hands shaking like crazy. I looked down at my feet, ignoring the stinging sensation coming from my cheek.

"Truth hurts, I guess" I spat, pushing her out of the doorway and running to my room. I locked the door immediately, biting back tears.

I slid down until I was sitting on the floor, right by the door. She banged on it furiously, shouting about how ungrateful I was. This, however, did not affect me. I was used to seeing and hearing her like this. Every conversation I ever had with my mother, almost always ended this way. It definitely wasn't abnormal, to say the least.

My phone started vibrating, countless messages coming in all at once.

Tara- What ticked her off this time?

I smiled at her message, letting a single tear slip down my burning cheek.

Me-They just got back from the meeting at school. So, as I suspected, she threw one of her daily tantrums. This time, with a side of 'what if the press find out?' and a bunch of other crap...

I leaned my head back against the wall, listening to my mother's retreating footsteps. Once she got to the top of the stairs, I could barely hear her muffled voice."Richard, I understand. But that is not acceptable! Did you hear the things she said to me? About time I disciplined her..." She exclaimed.

This is how it usually goes-

She causes a scene with me, goes upstairs to complain about my behavior for hours, cries and acts like a victim. Richard never really says anything except for the occasional "I know" and "I understand how you feel". Yeah, go figure.

Tara- There's a party tonight, wanna go? I think it would get your mind off of things...

I stared at the screen for a while, thinking about it. We all know how the last party ended...but something told me I needed to go. What's the worst that could happen? Actually, quite a lot-

Oh heck, why not?

Me- Sure, come on over.

After all, these are supposed to be the best years of my life. Right?

***

"Who's party even is this?" I huffed, pulling down the dress Tara picked out for me. Once again, I am questioning her taste...

Once Tara came over, she made it quite clear that she had the perfect dress in mind for me. Turns out, the dress she had in mind was way out of my comfort zone. She brought it from her house, assuring me that I needed to wear it. Turns out, it was a dress she bought for a Halloween costume last year. She was going to be Cat Woman. Yes, Cat Woman. So you can already imagine the type of dress she forced me to wear.

It was a body-hugging, sleek, black dress. It had a mesh cutout at the waist, mesh long sleeves and a threateningly low neckline. The dress stopped a little higher than mid-thigh, making it seem as though I had long legs. Overall, the dress displayed my body for the whole world to see. At least that's what it felt like...

Tara looked around, raising a single eyebrow."No idea..." She shrugged, pulling me towards the entrance.

"What?" I whined, letting her pull me in."How can you not know who's party we're attending?!"

"Why does it matter?" She snorted, giving me a strange look.

My eyes widened, spotting a couple dry-humping each other at the entrance. Tara laughed at my expression, pushing me into the house despite my visible objection.

"Have you ever seen an episode of CSI? Or Law&Order?!" I shrieked, ignoring the disgusting stares I was receiving from random guys as we walked into the kitchen. She strolled ahead of me, still holding onto my hand.''Tara... let's leave!'' I begged.

Completely ignoring me, she grabbed a bottle of beer from the kitchen counter."Untwist your granny panties" She dismissed me, taking a swing of her beer.

"If we get killed, it's on your conscience" I picked up a water bottle.

She eyed the bottle in my hands, giving me a sour look."Sorry to say this, but if you're really going to drink water at a party...my conscience will be clean" She shrugged.

I slapped her arm, rolling my eyes."I'm not going to embarrass myself like last time!" I defended myself, eyeing the water bottle in my hand. No way was I drinking today. Or any day.

"Look who it is!" Caleb's voice knocked me out of my thoughts. He wrapped his arms around me, sighing in content."My besties" He mumbled into my hair, pulling Tara in for a group hug.

"Knock it off, Caleb" Austin stood in front of us, wearing his famous pissed off expression.

"Want some jelly with that peanut butter?" Caleb smirked, punching Austin's stomach lightly. Earning him a slap across the head.

"Who's party is this?" I wondered out loud.

Everyone turned to look at me with dumbfounded eyes."Who cares?" Sebastian chuckled, appearing from behind Austin. He grabbed a beer from the counter, flashing Tara a charming smile. Hmm...what have we got here?

"I care..." I muttered, looking down at my water bottle.

"What is that?" Caleb gagged, pointing at my water bottle.

I looked up at him, confused."...water?" I finally answered, unsure of what he was so disgusted by. Caleb scrunched his face up with disgust, getting as far away from me as he could.

"Get it away from me" He covered his eyes, pretending to throw up.

I raised an eyebrow at him, oblivious to the chuckles of others."Never seen water before, Caleb?" I mocked.

He burst into laughter, wiping tears from his eyes."Ginger chic really wants to drink water...at a party?!" He laughed, asking Tara.

"Tell me about it..." She rolled her eyes.

"Girl," He grabbed my water bottle."...this is unacceptable at a party" He pointed at the bottle in his hand."Say goodbye"

"...goodbye?" I said, unsure of how to act.

He threw the bottle across the room, hitting a random guy. I gaped, watching as the guy fell forward from the impact."Whoops, my bad" Caleb winced.

I watched as he made his way over to the counter. He examined every drink for a good while, before handing me a clear bottle with a blue liquid in it."Say hello" He smirked.

"Oh shut up..." Austin muttered.

I unscrewed the cap, taking a whiff of the drink. It smelt like bubblegum and blueberries."What is this?" I asked, generally interested in the concoction.

Caleb wrapped an arm around my shoulder, sighing."Oh child, you have so much to learn. Just drink it!" He chuckled.

Austin pulled Caleb's arm off me aggressively."Stop making her feel uncomfortable, you idiotic baboon" He told Caleb off.

"You're just jealous she wants me, not you" Caleb smirked, winking at me. My eyes widened, bile rising in my throat at the thought.

Before Austin had the opportunity to beat Caleb up, Tara burst into fits of laughter. Everyone looked at her, confused. She waved them off, giving me a knowing look.

"What's so funny?" Caleb rolled his eyes at her, looking offended.

She wiped away a tear, grinning like the Cheshire cat."You guys don't know Tina at all. Like at all..." She wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me towards her."She doesn't swear, doesn't really drink, hardly ever goes to parties, never had a b-"

"Shush" I cut her off, my hand on her mouth. Her eyes widened as if she just realized something. I groaned internally, knowing she would never let me live this down.

"Never had a what?" Austin wondered out loud, staring at me with his curious grey eyes. I could feel my cheeks growing red as he examined me. His eyes slid down my figure, an unknown emotion in them. Finally, he looked into my eyes again. His eyes grew dark and I couldn't stand looking into them any longer.

Caleb rubbed his chin, pretending to think hard."I vote...boner" Caleb sighed, taking a quick sip out of his cup."She never had a boner!" He nodded to himself, looking proud of himself.

Everyone stared at him for a few seconds, trying to understand if he was being serious or not, before Austin slapped him across the head again.

"That's physically impossible" Sebastian pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah. Which means...I'm not wrong!" Caleb reasoned, once again rubbing the back of his head.

"You need to seek medical help" Austin shook his head at his best friend. Caleb just grinned from ear to ear, happily drinking his beer.

"I'll be right back..." I excused myself, before making my way out to the backyard. To my surprise, the pool was empty. A few people were drinking and dancing on the grass, but no one was in the water.

I sat down on the edge of the pool, taking my strappy heels off swiftly. The water engulfed my feet, sending chills through my body. No wonder no one's in the pool, the water is freezing!

"Not exactly pool weather" Austin appeared in front of me, on the other side of the pool.

I smiled at him, before looking back down at my feet."I don't mind" I shrugged, swishing my feet around in the water.

He chuckled, also sitting down on the edge.

I looked up, meeting his gaze.

There was a rather big body of water between us, yet it still felt like his gaze burned right through me. As if he was standing right in front of me.

"Why'd you come here?" He blurted out, surprising himself."I mean, you never come to parties. Except for last time..."

Flashbacks of the last party I went to made my cheeks redden."Yeah, parties aren't really my scene. Usually..." I cringed.

"So what made you go to one again?" He asked.

I threw my hair back, over my shoulders, and his eyes followed this action."I felt that I needed to let loose...perhaps" I blushed as his strong gaze traveled from my hair to my lips.

"After today's drama?" He wondered, meeting my eyes again.

I nodded, looking away. And that too.

"Well, doesn't seem like you're letting loose" He laughed, motioning to my feet in the water. I laughed along, pulling my feet out.

"You're right, this is lame" I let my laughter die down as I slipped back into my heels.

"It's not lame" He met me at my side of the pool.

"Do you come to parties often?" I switched the subject as we made our way back into the house.

"Yeah," He nodded, grabbing a beer."I'm usually the designated driver" He explained.

"So who has that honor tonight?" I asked, noticing how both Caleb and Sebastian held beer bottles.

"No one" He smirked, mischievously.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow."Don't tell me you drink and drive, because that's just a whole new level of imm-"

"Relax" He cut me off, placing his hand over my mouth."This is Sebastian's house"

I gently took his hand in mine, pulling it off my mouth. He watched me, smirking at how flustered I appeared to be."So why didn't you guys tell me?! I was freaking out the whole way here!" I exclaimed, sending Tara a death glare.

"Because Tara said you might not want to come if you knew" He shrugged, leading us back to the group.

"Well, that's true..." I muttered, sipping on my weird bubblegum drink.

Sebastian had his arm wrapped around Tara's waist, whispering in her ear. Caleb was nowhere to be seen all of a sudden.

"Ahem" I coughed, eyeing Sebastian's arm on Tara's hip. They both pulled apart, awkwardly.

"What?" Tara fixed her hair as if nothing abnormal happened.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, ignoring her tipsy laughter.

"Okay, why are you acting so psycho?" She laughed, pulling her arm out of my grip. I looked back at Austin and Sebastian. They were both sipping their beers and laughing about something.

"What are doing?" I asked her, cutting straight to the point.

"Having fun...?" She managed to say without laughing.

I rolled my eyes at her already tipsy state."You hardly know him" I pointed out, trying to knock some common sense into her.

She dragged a hand down her face, exaggerating her frustration."I didn't do anything wrong, mom!" She argued.

''I see the way you guys are acting...'' I sighed, giving Sebastian a once-over.''He seems like a nice guy, but you don't know that for sure. Jay seemed nice at first too...and we both know how that turned out!''

She eyed me, all emotion drained from her eyes.

''What?'' I tilted my head, examining her reaction.''What happened?''

She looked away, scanning the crowds.''He cheated on me, with her. I found out this morning'' She nodded towards a blonde girl who danced wildly by the pool table. Dancing with her, was Jay. He looked completely out of it, most likely high.

''No way'' I whispered to myself, still staring at them.

''Yeah, so don't stress about him finding out. He doesn't care enough to make a scene...to hurt me. Not anymore.'' Tara shrugged, making me look at her again. She had a frown on her face but her eyes gave away nothing. I didn't need her tears to know how hurt she was inside.

They had history that went way back. Both of them attended her old school until Tara got admitted into rehab for her eating disorder. Jay was the only one who reached out to her from her old school. He was a shy guy, with no friends. Tara was one of the popular girls. They were from different worlds. After rehab, Tara transferred to my school. Jay stayed at their old school and became popular because of their relationship. Along with his new friends and status, he gained some bad habits. He started using drugs as a way to stay in the popular circle until it grew into a serious addiction. Tara tried to help him, forgave all his mistakes, ignored his abusive behavior...she did everything for him.

''Tara, I'm so sorry. I just attacked you like a crazy overprotective father...'' I pulled her in for a hug, surprised when she chuckled into my hair.

''Oh, Tina. What would I do without your goofiness?'' She hugged me tightly.

I bit my lip because I overreacted a little."I'm really sorry, though. I was being a hypocrite..." I hugged her even tighter.

"Forget about it-" She stopped talking, pulling away with a look of realization on her face."You little slut!!!" She shrieked in my face.

All signs of color drained from my face as I realized what she was talking about.

''I'm being a hypocrite''

Goddamnit! Me and my big mouth...

"That's not what I meant! You've got it all mixed up!" I rushed out as she covered her mouth with her hand, in shock.''Tara, listen to me!''

"Oh no you don't!" She shook her head at me just as the badboy squad came right up to us. I panicked, picturing the inevitable humiliation I would go through as she would tell them what we just discussed.

"What's going on?" Sebastian asked curiously.

Caleb and Austin stared at us expectantly and I gulped.

"Is someone being naughty-naughty?" Caleb wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively."Are you being a bad little-"

"Manwhore!" An unfamiliar female voice interrupted him with a scoff. We all turned to see a furious girl staring at Caleb with one hand on her hip. She had tattoos all over her body and was undoubtedly drop-dead gorgeous.

"Baby!" Caleb popped his mouth open, suddenly speechless as fear took over his previously goofy features."You know I'm just acting a fool!" He finally spoke, a sheepish look on his face.

Sebastian and Austin fist-bumped each other and erupted with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah! I've heard it all before, Gray" The girl rolled her eyes, still holding her pissed off stance."Might as well go find me someone to act a fool with too!" She turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.

"Baby, wait!" Caleb gulped and scampered after her, flashing us a 'help me' look before disappearing into the crowd.

Austin wiped his eyes from laughing so hard."Ah, I love those two!" He smiled in the most genuine way. I found myself smiling at the sight of him. He looked nothing like he did at school, in the hallways. At school, he always wore a pissed off expression. It was a rare sight, to see him smile. And I felt glad that I had the honor.

"That was Sasha, by the way." Sebastian explained once he calmed his laughter."She's Caleb's girlfriend of 5 years. There's never a dull moment with them, that's for sure"

"Yeah, he's definitely whipped" Tara nodded, smiling at Sebastian in a shy way. Aww!

Austin came up behind me and I stiffened."So, what was Tara saying?" He asked, smirking at how flustered I was with him so close to me.

Tara's eyes lit up immediately and I groaned loudly. Goddammit! He just had to remind her...

"You guys did something and now I'm sure of it!" Tara squealed proudly."She gave me a lecture for hanging with Seb, but then she started feeling bad about it and was like 'I'm being a hypocrite'.Yeah, she's dumb as hell for that!"

I facepalmed myself.

"And why would you say something like that, Tina?" Austin asked me, a strange glint in his eyes."We both know nothing happened. So, who you messing around with?"

I gulped.

"Aaron" I blurted out.

His face fell, all traces of humor were gone. Tara's head snapped my way and I swear, if looks could kill, I'd be dead.

"What?" She seethed.

"I didn't want you to find out this way!" I sighed, trying my best to not give anything away. Austin visibly tensed at my words and I refrained from asking him what was the matter.

"What the hell, Tina Jade White!?" Tara shrieked, looking like she was about to be sick.

"We only kissed!" I defended, biting back a laugh.

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