𝑅𝑜𝓈𝒶𝒷𝑒𝓁𝓁𝒶

——

Veronica and I are finally a little bit drunk to start partying, we all decided to wear matching dresses in different colors, pink, purple, and green, our favorite colors. Already at this time, Melanie has had several breakdowns and the clock hasn't even struck eleven yet. She's been crying and destroying her makeup plus our dresses, which is fine, but I just hope that if there were just someone to help her, to protect her, to show her that they care about her, 50 times more than we already do. She wouldn't have to suffer like this.

I've known Melanie and Veronica since we were just a baby, and yet I have no clue why she acts like this now. Since when we were younger, kids, and first graders, she was the wildest of all of us. Always jumping over the fences at zoos just to ride the animals, what happened?

"There's so many people here" she cries out on the floor. I still can't believe that we're doing this in Veronica's bathroom rather than her room.

"Melly, it's okay, we're literally sober." Veronica lies, pushing some hair strands of Melanie behind her eyes. We weren't sober at all, not even literally we were drunk as fuck.

"Plus, if you're scared you can lock yourself up in Veronica's room," I say, pushing her head to lean on my shoulder.

"God, I'm such a crybaby" she laughs, scrunching up her nose.

"Couldn't agree more" I laugh, pushing myself up to stand on my feet. The world spins around for a good two seconds before I slam my body to the wall for support. I think I'm drunk.

"Rose, are you drunk already?" Veronica laughs at me. Just because she's Vietnamese and can take way more alcohol than me doesn't mean that she's any better.

"No it's just my heels, you slut!" I grab my phone from the floor as I help Melanie to stand up, ready to leave this small guest bathroom.

After hours and hours of dancing and drinking, Melanie finally decided to join. She's been screaming and shouting that she loves partying and she's never going to leave. Which we all three know is a lie she's trying to hide her fear. Melanie pulls me in to dance with her as Veronica starts dancing with a stranger. I never knew that Zach had so many friends, but some people are my "friends" too so he isn't that popular, not like it matters.

"HEY!" I hear someone shout from the kitchen. I turn my head to see Zach sitting there with two shot glasses. I assume one for me and one for him. He then goes on his phone, texting something to someone. Guess it wasn't for me then. I continue dancing with Melanie until my phone vibrates against my hand as I see a text message from Zach himself.

"Join me on shots, loser cleans after the party."

I pull away from Melanie, guiding her to Veronica as I run, running to take shots with Zach. I'm not really into taking shots with exes but since it's Zachs' birthday I'll consider it as a birthday gift. Is that weird?

"Give me that," I say when I reach him, taking one of the shot glasses on the island and swallowing it down. The alcohol burns down my throat as I start coughing. I hear him laugh as he swallows down his. We used to do this every day, getting drunk together at random clubs, taking shots until we started vomiting together, and laughing so hard that it felt like our lungs were going to pop. But he doesn't want that, he wants something else from me.

"Spit it out," I say, pouring another glass for us.

"The tequila?" He asks me as he swallows down the refilled shot glass.

"No, why do you even want to take shots with me when you already know damn well that you'll lose. No matter what." I say swallowing down my shot glass. Even if we're exes, I don't want any bad bond between us, knowing that the reason we broke up is his mistake and that we used to be friends at some point.

He answers me with a cough before he taps the barstool next to him, telling me to sit down. I do as he wishes, sitting down next to him on the barstool as he slides another glass to me. I swallow this one down too, letting it burn down my throat in a painful relieving way. Another silence passes before he answers.

"I like you." My heart drops down my stomach, my eyelids fling open, almost touching my brows as I stare at him. I start to feel the food and the drink crawl up my throat before he continues talking "Jesus Christ, Bella, not like that."

"Then spit it out!" I laugh trying to hide the building anger in my blood. That guy just made me feel the meaning of an emotional rollercoaster.

"You're cool, I want to spend time with you. I don't want us to be strangers with memories, I want us to be friends. Friends that love each other." He says, his hand crawling on top of my hand as he holds it tightly but not too tight, just tight enough for me to feel it.

I don't know what to say, though, I don't want to be his friend to love, I don't want anything to do with him, especially after what happened and he knows what happened. The pain is still in my heart, he can't just remove it unless he physically operates it away, and that wouldn't be possible, except by trying to murder me. He's always going to be the guy I loved, but how can I continue loving someone who destroyed me like a piece of candy?

I swallow hard on my saliva as I place my hand over his. Biting down on my freshly glossed lips, I look him in the eyes, not daring to say anything until someone, thankfully, breaks the awkward space between us.

I hear the door slam open as a deep male voice shouts "GUESS WHO CAME!" I move aside trying to see who it is. I've never met him before and not his two friends or brothers. I move back, shooting Zach with a questioning look.

"Let me introduce you to my friends, Bella," Zach says, dragging my hand as he starts leading me to the door with the three guys. I instantly yank my hand away from his, feeling the sticky touch from him.

These people aren't just people, they are attractive people, especially the one with the scrunched-up sleeves and halfway unbuttoned shirt. He's gorgeous, his hazel brown eyes piercing through my mind, sending a wave of blush spread across my face. I'm lucky that he can't see the red blush underneath all this makeup.

Behind the three guys are six young men and an older man, all six crossing their arms and a bulge on their hips. I assume it may be a gun hidden in their suit pants. They look strong, scary, maybe even terrifying. The way their eyes sucks my soul with just a look makes me wonder if this is more hilarious that they're playing bodyguards or horrific as they are actually bodyguards.

"Meet the Castillo brothers" Zach introduces them to me with his arm around my shoulder, which I awkwardly remove after his little chit-chat with the guys.

"What's your name darling?" The messy haired dirty blonde almost brunette guy grabs my hand as he bows down to kiss it, why does everyone have to touch me?

He was attractive, not anymore with that cocky personality of his. The way he's trying to be romantic makes me want to vomit on the spot, making the blush on my face fade away. Before he can lay his disgusting lips on my hand, I yank his grip off.

"Ew, what the fuck." I react, shooting him a disgusted face. I glance to look at the other boys, one wearing a neat and dark tuxedo and the other one wearing a tuxedo without a tie. Woah no wonder these guys are brothers, they look like models out of a magazine.

"Hello, I'm Devon, excuse my brother." Devon says, giving me a soft wave as Zach whispers "The smart one" in my ear. I give Devin a soft wave back with a smile.

"Alex," he says with a wink. To me he must be the least attractive brother, even Zach could do so much better than him. "The awesomest one" I choke on a laugh, before the dirty blonde boy introduces himself.

"And I'm Nathaniel."

There is something about him, under his dark and bold face that reminds me so much of Melanie it just melts my heart as if that's even possible. It's just the way he introduced himself that squeezes my heart so tightly.

Under his dark mask of emotionless eyes and words, I'm so sure that he's exactly like Melanie in his heart.

"So, since when did you get a girlfriend, Zach?" Alex asks with a laugh in his throat. I pull myself away from Zach, my eyes wide open as my brows are almost touching my hairline. "Woah there!" I say, almost shouting.

"Haha" Zach laughs awkwardly, we just had an awkward conversation, and now this?

Why Alex? "Yeah she's my ex" he chuckles.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for you guys." Nathaniel meddles in the conversation. Such a sweetheart.

"Hah, there's no sorry in that," I say, offering a discomforted smile.

"I mean, quite sad that a beautiful girl like you, is single," Alex says teasingly. I bite down on my bottom lips so hard it might as well start bleeding.

"You know what, Melanie is probably crying now, so I better-" I try to excuse myself to leave before Alex grabs my hand, again with his veiny ones, making a line of goosebumps run along my arm. Pull away, NOW.

"A dance won't hurt." He offers with a wink. I huff, leaning closer to him, getting a scent of his soothing cologne as I whisper to his ear. "You're not my type" before I start walking away.