About an hour after I blew out the candles on my homemade chocolate birthday cake, Cal, Tay, Em and I all climbed into Madison's older SUV a little after 7 PM.

We were five minutes into the karaoke ride when I realized, I had no idea where we were headed.

"Hey, wh..." My question was interrupted by a low, rumbling base that made the car vibrate slightly.

We were in the wealthier part of town, dozens of cars parked at the curbs. When Em turned onto another block, the music seemed to get more rhythmic.

Taylor unbuckled her seat belt and leaned up in between the center console, eyeing me in the passenger seat. I gawked at the looming house that closely resembled an end of the year frat house party.

Em somehow miraculously found an empty parking spot in the driveway of said 'frat house' and parked the car easily.

Tay smirked smugly at me, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "VIP always gets front row. Welcome to your birthday party, beotch!"

I had to blink a few times, soaking in her words. Those few seconds of silence didn't help me understand anything whatsoever. "What?" I asked clueless, slowly unbuckling my seat belt.

Madison killed the ignition, shifting so she was facing me. "Well, you heard what your mom said. You weren't allowed to host a party at your house, so..."

She flashes her eyes over to the house in front of us.

"Now come on," Taylor pushed open the back door, ready to hop out. "Let's see if Mia is as good of a party planner as she claims."

Cal and Em followed Taylor's lead, and I soon followed.

We headed for the front door of Mia's house, the music reaching my ears clearly.

I made a mental note to thank Mia for allowing this chaos.

Madison pushed the door open, letting Tay and Cal slip in.

The moment I stepped foot into the house, the usual smell of sweat and cheap alcohol almost made me gag. The house was jam packed to the point where everyone was touching one another wherever they moved.

I definitely didn't know this many people, so I could only assume the kids at my high school wanted in on the free booze, food and random hookups.

"There's Mia, let's go tell her we're here." Cal was close to my ear, making it slightly easier to understand what she was saying over the blasting music.

As we struggled to get through the crowd, I recognized plenty of people from past parties.

Did they ever get tired of the setting? Or the smell?

"Lona!" I was lost in my head, I almost jumped when someone screamed my name.

Someone pulled me into a bear hug, jumping up and down while squealing in my ear.

When I pulled away, I forced a smile. "Hey Mia. Thanks for...this." I gesture to the crowd surrounding us.

Mia laughed, swatting my shoulder playfully. I couldn't miss the pungent smell of alcohol on her breath.

"Don't thank me, silly! It's your birthday, everyone deserves a good ass party, am I right?" She lazily wrapped an arm around my shoulder, smiling brightly, like she was proud of her work.

"Right," I answer, spotting Em and Tay shoving their way towards us, red solo cups in each of their hands.

When they reached us, Tay handed one of the cups to me. "Drink up girly, tonight's about to be wild!"

I did as she said, not only because of the fact that I didn't want her to physically make me, but I thought if I drank just enough, I would forget about the smell sooner rather than later.

"There's food in the back, help yourself," Mia nudged my shoulder, getting my attention.

She glanced over her shoulder before looking back at me. "I'm hoping to speak to that hot ass guy over there. Have fun, I'll see you later!"

I didn't get to respond before she flipped her hair and strutted over to the guy across the room.

The song then changed, playing a truly over hyped pop song.

The look Em was sending me told me everything.

"Come on ladies, let's hit the dance floor." I smirked at my best friends, leading the way to the middle of the room.

* * * *

By 10:00, I was exhausted from all of the dancing. Wiping my forehead, I sneak a glance at Madison who was standing next to me, a flirtauous smile on her lips.

Raising an eyebrow, I follow her gaze and spot a cute looking blond haired guy staring right back at her.

Then I noticed a guy a little ways away staring. And another. Boys just seemed to be drawn to my cousin. It was something that I've grown up noticing.

"Go,"I coax, smiling lightly.

When she looked back at me, she blushed. "No, I'm hanging out with you."

Rolling my eyes, I finish off my third cup of beer.

I really wasn't in the mood to get drunk tonight, even if it was my eighteenth birthday. I was enjoying hanging out with my friends.

"Please, Em. We've been glued to each other's sides since we arrived. I could use some space, actually."

She knew I was joking, but considered her options.

"I'll be five minutes, okay? I have to run to the bathroom, so wait up for me, alright?" She looked almost unsure, but stepped away from me.

I sent her a thumbs up. "I'm gonna go grab a snack, then I'll meet you back here."

Madison nodded, exhaling slowly before approaching the blond.

Turning to my right, I see Tay and Em dancing together, creating these stupid moves to the beat.

My clothes were sticking to my body to the point where it acted as a second skin. Gross. I could use some air right now.

I made my way to the back patio, craving potato chips.

"Hey, Lona!" Turning towards the person's voice, I see one of Drew's friends approaching me.

"Lincoln, what's up?"

He ran a hand through his dark hair, smiling down at me. "Drew promised me another round of beer pong. Have you seen him?"

I bit my lower lip, cocking my head to the side. "Yeah he was with me a little while ago. Julian said he needed his help getting the keg out of the garage."

Lincoln nodded, glancing around. "Alright, thanks Lona. Let him know I haven't forgotten, eh? See you around, birthday girl." He sent me a playful wink before disappearing around the corner.

I continued my journey to the back porch, grabbing another beer bottle from the kitchen counter as I went.

After eating a few handfuls of chips, I was heading back for the living room, remembering I had to meet up with Em.

When I saw Em leaning against the wall by the staircase alone, I approached her quickly. "Hey, what happened?"

She smiled lightly, grabbing the beer bottle from my hand. "He was a cocky jackass. I'll pass."

I rolled my eyes at her when she handed back the now almost empty bottle. "The usual, huh? Let's head to the bathroom, the line's probably a mile long already."

Em looped her arm through mine as we climbed up the stairs. She was a few steps ahead of me when she stopped, almost making me bump into her. She pulled me over to the side of the stairs, staring at someone who I assumed was coming down.

The person appeared to take their time walking down the stairs.

Time seemed to slow down as they passed. She was wearing a very tight spaghetti tank top with denim shorts that looked like they belonged to a five year old.

Let me tell you, they would look much better on said child.

She was raking a hand through her long tangled hair, trying to smooth out the mess.

When she passed me, it seemed like her smug smirk grew into one that belonged to satan himself.

I raised an eyebrow as she spoke with a chirp. "Malona, nice to see you here! "

Yeah, well, it is my birthday party.

She didn't bother to wait for my response. I blinked a few times before Em dragged me up the rest of the steps.

Because Em and I grew up with such a strong relationship, it was only expected that she soon became the sister I never had. One I trusted. One I told everything to. Everything.

She knew exactly who that girl was and knew exactly what she was like.

"Come on, I have to piss." Em offered a sad smile.

I smiled back.

The bathroom line was much shorter than I had anticipated. It only took a few minutes before it was Madison's turn, leaving me alone in the hall.

I sighed, leaning back against the wall with a sigh.

I pulled out my phone a second later, deciding to send a quick text.

A few seconds after I hit send, I heard the familiar sound of someone receiving a text.

That's weird. Was Drew up here?

I waited a few minutes, hoping he would text me back.

Growing curious, I crept down the hall, peaking into the first room that had an open door.

Their back was facing me. It looked like he was fumbling with his shirt or something. My eyes bounced to the lit up screen on the night stand right in front of them.

"Drew?"

He jumped at the sound of my voice, spinning around so fast, I'm surprised he didn't topple over. Drew had had a few more drinks than I did, but I didn't think he was wasted just yet.

"L-lona, hey." He offered me a cheesy smile, running a hand through his dark hair.

I leaned up against the door frame, crossing my arms with a raised eyebrow. "Did you not see my text?"

Drew glanced back, grabbing for his phone. "Yeah I was just about to head down to look for you," he said cautiously, like he didn't know if that was the right response.

"Lincoln's looking for you. Something about another round of beer pong?"

He chuckled, approaching me slowly. "Yeah, he's just mad I beat him the first time. I don't think I'm gonna drink anymore tonight though."

He was standing in front of me now. Leaning forward, he kissed me on the corner of my mouth before pulling away.

"Hey, you helped Mia plan this party, right?" I asked before I could think about it.

Andrew nodded, eyeing me curiously.

"So all these people were invited by the two of you, yeah?"

He licked his lips, nodded once more. "Yeah, for the most part."

"Then can someone tell me why the hell I just saw Ryan head downstairs?"

Drew was silent for awhile, opening and closing his mouth before saying, "Ella's here. She's been hanging out with some of the juniors at the school. I guess she invited Ryan. Why, what happened?" He shrugged casually, taking a hold of my hand.

Oh nothing, babe. She just had this sinister smile on her face. I wonder what she was plotting against me.

Em made her appearance before I could speak. "There you are! I thought you ditched me or something." She pouted her lips before looking over at Drew.

They met earlier that night for the first time. I'm not sure what Em thinks about him, I was meaning to ask her.

She gave him no greeting before she said, "Tay and Cal are still downstairs, we should probably go meet up with them."

I nodded, following Madison's lead as she directed us back towards the staircase.

I didn't miss the way Madison seemed to glare daggers at Drew and I's intertwined hands as she turned around.

"Yeah...good idea." I tried to keep my tone neutral, but it came out quiet, almost suspicious, but I brushed it off easily. I wasn't going to question anything just yet.

It was still my birthday. It could all wait another day.

* * * *

Hey my loves! I don't know if you've noticed but, we're almost to 2k reads! Only about 100 more reads to go y'all!

I'm not going to mention the last time I updated, but I really hope you like this chapter, it's pretty long if you ask me! I think I know how I'm going to end Malona's journey, so I hope you'll stick with me a little longer!

As always, please make sure to comment, vote and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!<3