The party was at its peak, with the loud thump of music and sweaty drunk people scattered everywhere your eyes fall. It shouldn't be difficult to enjoy the night for a few hours, and I was in a good mood too. Making up my mind to have some fun and loosen up a little, I headed towards the kitchen. I could ignore the continuous unwavering attention from a particular curly-haired guy in all black for a while.

I couldn't find a non-alcoholic drink. The fridge was full of different kinds of tonics, which didn't look that safe to drink. I settled for the fruit punches served on the counter, knowing they weren't safe either, but at least they looked tasty. I poured a handsome amount into the red cup, still unsure whether it would be nice to get drunk.

"You know they are not just fruit juices, right?" Chris said, making his presence known as he walked into the kitchen. His gaze traveled down my body, and the way he did that made me a little alerted.

"Yeah, I guess this is the only thing that's near to a juice," I said, taking a sip. The smell instantly made me scrunch up my nose, and the liquid burned my throat. It was nothing near to a juice; it was pure vodka. I heard a light chuckle beside me.

"Was that good?" he slurred with a smirk and took a step closer to me. I wasn't ready for his advancements, and his red eyes were something that I needed to avoid. It won't be good to have a situation with him.

"Didn't expect it to be," I responded and walked away from his presence. I didn't bother to check whether he was following me or not.

Though I would have preferred avoiding Jake's presence, I still wanted to be around my friends. A few minutes later, I found myself seated beside Leah, who looked way too drunk. There were a few more people on the couch. Xavier and Jess were among them. A handsome guy with a lip piercing was sitting on my other side. He had his left forearm inked with two black stripes, which looked like an armband. He introduced himself as Tylor. All this while I was very much aware of the tension between Jake and me. He was still giving me that burning gaze from time to time, which I was trying my best to ignore.

"Hey guys," a new girl joined the group, and what took me by surprise was the seat she took. She settled herself on Jake's lap, pushing away some of her long red hair to expose her shoulder and neck. Her hair resembled slightly with Liz only a bit of a darker shade and longer. They whispered something into each other's ears, which made the girl let out a girly giggle. I had an urge to separate them, not because of the uncertain feeling that crept on my skin but because I saw the sad expression on Leah's face.

"I need another drink," she said, trying to get up. She joined a group of girls on the other end of the hall. She was safe with Sophie and her sister Kate which meant I didn't have to follow her around.

"You certainly have a type, don't you?" Jake's voice forced me to look in his direction. The red-haired girl was playing with his curls, which he wasn't very much liking the way he jerked her hands away from time to time. "You have hots for geeks and nerds." he mocked, pushing the girl off his lap gently. The girl whined but latched on his bicep again, and he let her. "I'm not surprised to see you with Seb."

"Yeah.. and what do you know about my type." I sassed, gulping down the remaining fruit punch (or vodka). The alcohol must have kicked in, and I was glad it did. "Maybe all you need to know is that you are not my type."

That was a nice comeback. I patted my back mentally.

"Trust me, you ain't my type either," he scoffed, and for some reason, that hit me harder than expected. Why did I care? Not like I wanted him to like me but, the way he always looked at me had me thinking maybe he was interested.

"Good for you," I huffed, not wanting to be anywhere around him. Not when a mop of red hair was pressing herself to his side. I stood up, glaring at him, and walked away from there. No one was acknowledging my presence anyway. Elizah was, as usual, held in place by Liz. We could only have friendly smiles and nods. And others were busy among themselves while I had no intention to be a witness of another make-out between Jake and his female acquaintance. I decided to look for Seb and ask him when we could leave the party. I heard him snort when I walked past him, not that I cared.

I made my way through the psyched crowd, not knowing exactly where I was heading. My head felt a little fuzzy, and my legs were wobbly, but I tried my best not to fall over someone. I spotted Seb at some distance, surrounded by frat boys who were drunk and whistling around. That place didn't look very welcoming to me, so I turned on my heels.

After stumbling my way to whichever direction my dizzy mind took, I found myself back in the kitchen. It looked like hell broke in there; the drinks were out in the open, and some empty half-filled bottles were lying on the counter along with the used cups. I wished to sip some more of the fruit punch I had earlier, but all the bowls were empty, so I grabbed a bottle with clear liquid and gulping down whatever the hell it was. It certainly burnt down my throat, and the same burning sensation reached my stomach too.

I put the bottle back on the counter and looked on the other side of the dance floor only to see what I wanted to avoid all the while. The red girl was once again back on Jake's lap, and she buried her face on his milky smooth neck. The scene was enough to make me feel like puking the shit out. I quickly turned around only to be hit by the full effect of the drink, the room started spinning, and I stumbled back. I was ready to touch the ground, but I felt a grip on my waist, making me stabilize.

"Easy there, pretty girl," the voice sounded familiar, but my mind was fuzzy so, I turned around, getting out of his hold. It was Chris looking a lot more wasted than before. Was he stalking me or something? I took a few steps back, and as my legs were still wobbly, I supported myself against the counter.

"Thank you, I need to go." my voice was barely audible. I pulled all my consciousness together, or whatever was not in control of the alcohol, and tried walking out. But before I could take even a step, Chris trapped me against the counter. I tried pushing him away from me, but he didn't budge from his place. Chris pressed himself more on me, his face inches away from my face, and I felt disgusted by the way his fowl breath hits my nose. "Don't kill the fun," he slurred and tried kissing me. A sudden wave of panic rushed through me, and I pushed him again with more force. It made him stumble a few steps back. I took my chance to escape past him, only to be pulled back once again by his strong hands. At that moment, I hated being skinny; a little strength would have at least made it difficult for him to lug me like that.

"Get off me," I yelled at him with a shaky voice.

"Where's the fun in that?" he smirked and gripped my waist a little too harshly. I jumped, and instantly my eyes scanned the place to realize that everyone was too occupied to help me. And I didn't know what made me look at the opposite end of the dance floor, and my panicked eyes met Jake's. I saw he visibly stiffened, and the very next moment, he pushed the girl off his lap, hastily making his way towards us. But I didn't want to be treated as a damsel in distress, and the feminist in me kicked the guy real hard.

"Fuck!" he groaned in pain, releasing his grip on my waist and taking a few staggering steps.

That felt nice!!