LXXVI. Heartbreak Weather

Warning: mentions of sexual harassment

If Eli had anything in common with Oliver and Grayson, it's that he loved a good party. All three of them were having the time of their lives. "WHOO!" Grayson, or Casanova Hamilton as he'd been saying the whole time, yelled and tossed another empty cup of beer over his shoulder.

"How many is that?" Hailey questioned, her and Odessa standing off to the side and watching the group of boys have their fun.

"Four, I'm keeping count." Odessa answered. She laughed as she watched Eli put his empty solo cups onto the spikes of his mohawk.

Oliver tossed his cup like a basketball and it landed on one of the spikes, which was surprising seeing as it was hard to see anything through his light up sunglasses. "OHHH!" All of the boys plus many of the partiers around them cheered.

"Who's the man?" Eli chanted like a mad person.

"I'm the man!" Oliver replied loudly and they high fived.

Demetri's tall figure joined their sides. "It's like I'm watching an episode of the Jersey Shore." He stated with a look of disbelief on his face.

Hailey scoffed a laugh. "Oh please, it's not that dramatic."

"Really?" Odessa raised her eyebrows. "Remember that time Gray and Oliver had a Jersey Shore obsession and literally acted like Pauly and Vinny for three months straight?"

"They did?" Demetri asked in shock.

She nodded. Hailey rolled her eyes. "Yes, I remember.
I just choose not to ever bring it up."

"I just can't believe this. I mean, Brucks getting into MIT? Two years ago, our English teacher had to explain to him who Anne Frank was. What the hell bas our world become?"

"What does Brucks getting into MIT have to do with you getting into MIT?" Odessa asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Dess, it's so simple!" Demetri exaggerated. "If somebody as intellectually inferior like Brucks can get into MIT, then it doesn't make it as sacred for somebody like me to get in. I'm just another incoming freshman at that point." He explained, his facial expression turning into a look of dread.

Hailey's eyes narrowed. "You lost me at intellectually inferior. I'm going to find the bathroom." She walked off.

"Be careful!" Odessa yelled to her. She directed her attention back to Demetri. "You're reading too much into it. Stop focusing on other people and focus on yourself. You've wanted to go to MIT forever. Nothing, not even Brucks, is going to stop that. Rightttt?" She dragged out.

Demetri paused for a second and then he sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks for always being my voice of reason."

She smiled cutely. "Always a pleasure." She responded proudly.

"Spikes! Spikes! Spikes! Spikes! Spikes!"

"Hammy! Hammy! Hammy! Hammy!"

"Red! Red! Red! Red! Red!"

Almost everybody chanted for the three boys as they continued to chug their beers. "Should we tell them to slow down?" Odessa asked, starting to feel worried that they were going too fast.

"Dessa baby, come here!" Eli yelled and he pointed at her, motioning for her to come over.

Instantly, she shook her head. "Don't be a party pooper, Dess!" Oliver exclaimed and went over to her.

"No, no, Oliver—" she objected as he took her by the arm. "Oliver, no!"

"It's okay. We're around you!" He assured her over the loud music.

Eli handed her a cup of beer. The blonde gave him a look to which he replied with one as well: he pouted. She couldn't resist when he pouted. Odessa rolled her eyes and took the cup. She titled her head back and pouted the liquid down her throat.

"Dessa! Dessa! Dessa! Dessa!" Grayson started chanting into his hands and more people joined in.

When she was finished, Odessa threw the cup down and made a disgusted face.

"Yeah, that's my girl!" Oliver hollered and threw his arms up as everyone cheered for her.

She laughed and Eli grabbed her face, pulling her towards him and he kissed her, both of their adrenaline running high. Odessa smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling herself lighten up.

"I need more beer!" Grayson hollered and the couple broke apart.

"I'll get it. Don't worry." The blonde laughed and she kissed Eli again quickly. "I love you, Spikes."

Eli smiled cutely as he watched her walk away. "I love you!" He called out.

When she saw Miguel standing by Demetri, Odessa stopped by and patted his arm. "Where'd you go?" She asked, her voice loud over the music.

"Talking to Kyler!" He answered. "Word of advice, don't drink the jungle juice."

She pulled a face. "Okay?" She replied, not in song what that meant, and walked away to go into the kitchen.

Odessa watched everything around her as she poured the beer from the keg into the solo cups. It felt strange being at a party knowing Kyler and Brucks were there, but mostly Kyler. She would never forget everything he put her through, how he made her feel every single day since Yasmine spread that rumor about her. He made her feel terrible and continued to every time they saw each other.

In his eyes, she wasn't a human being with feelings. She was somebody he knew he could hurt. She was an object, somebody to pick apart and ruin. Odessa didn't want to be his friend. She didn't even want to be his acquaintance. The thought of maybe Miguel and the others thinking differently made her feel sick in a way.

Odessa was pouring beer into a third cup when she felt someone come up behind her. "Hey, what's your name?" She heard a male voice and she looked over her shoulder, seeing that it was one of the frat guys.

"Odessa," she answered shortly and went back to what she was doing.

He got closer to her. "Odessa. I like that name." He attempted to flirt with her.

Her eyes unconsciously looked for Eli but she saw that he wasn't standing in the same spot that he was with the boys. He'd wondered off. Oliver and Grayson were continuing to act like fools while having fun. "Thanks." She responded to him uneasily.

"So, uh, do you have a boyfriend or anything?"

Finishing filling the cups, Odessa quickly gathered them all. She didn't bother to answer him.

"Hey, hey, hey, hold on." The unnamed boy said and quickly grabbed her arm causing her to freeze. "I asked you a question.

She glared at him. "Let me go now."

"Come on, girl—"

She dropped the cups, beer spilling everywhere, and Odessa pushed him away from her. "I said let me go!" She raised her voice.

Kyler unexpectedly rushed over to them. "Hey, hey, hey, Zenker, what're you doing?" He said to the frat guy, glancing at her for a quick second. "She's with me. Just let her be."

She furrowed her brows and the frat guy, Zenker, released a laugh. "Don't be lying to me, Shitbreath. No way she's with you." He cackled.

"Look, she's my friend. Odessa, let's go." Kyler said and tried to guide her away.

"Nah, nah, nah, wait. I'm not done yet." Zenker said and reached forward, grabbing her arm again, pulling her towards him.

Feeling a spike of fear, Odessa yelled, "let me go!" and she decked him in the face with her elbow.

He screamed in pain and Kyler instinctively pushed Zenker back, making him a stumble.

Suddenly, Odessa felt somebody come up behind her and two hands reached around her, squeezing her breasts to the point where she couldn't move. She cried out in both shock and pain.

"HEY!" Miguel's heavy voice rang upon seeing the commotion and he ran forward, grabbing the guy and pulling him away from her. "Get the hell away from her!"

"What the hell?" Kyler's voice raised in disbelief.

At that point, all of their friends had heard and seen what was happening and rushed over. "Odessa?" Hailey voiced when she saw her friend standing there shaking, not being able to move or process anything.

"I'm going to kill you!" Eli shouted at the one who grabbed her and that's when the fight broke out.

"Dess, what happened?" Hailey asked her, grabbing her face.

Odessa was spaced out until then, not even registering that all of the boys were now fighting. "H-He g-g-grabbed me. I didn't even s-s-see him coming." She stuttered and put her hand over her chest, feeling her fast heart beat.

Hailey's gaze darkened. She dropped her hands from her face and turned around, seeing Miguel and Eli fighting the same guy and she assumed that's the one who grabbed Odessa. Taking off her heels, Hailey sped past all of the fighting boys. "Hey!" She yelled to the one she wanted and Miguel and Eli turned to her.

The frat guy faced her and Hailey swiped him across the face with the heel of her shoe. He cried out in pain. "That's for harassing my best friend, asshole!" She yelled and quickly put the shoes back on her feet. Hailey spun around while he was distracted and kicked him hard in the stomach, causing him to fly back.

Odessa felt useless in that moment as she watched the fighting but she was in so much shock that her mind had went fuzzy. She raised her shaking hands to her hair, grasping at the roots. Tears had formed in her eyes. Her chest was hurting. She managed to gather her strength when she saw Oliver fighting Zenker.

Finally being able to move her feet, Odessa moved forward and walked out of the kitchen. "Oliver!" She called out. He stopped when he heard his name. "I got this." She said and her face visibly darkened.

Zenker laughed. "Oh, you got this?" He mocked her and laughed again. "What the hell are you going to do? You're a girl."

Oliver stepped back and she stepped forward. Glaring at him, Odessa walked towards him as he continued to laugh and she front kicked him in the stomach. When he stumbled back lost for breath, Odessa dropped down and swiped his legs out from under him. Zenker fell with a hard thud and she stood back up, pressing her foot into his chest. "Yeah, I'm a girl who just kicked your ass." She spat.

Oliver stood there smiling like a proud brother. "That's my girl." When he looked over and saw Demetri corned at the beer pong table, his face fell. "Oh shit." He let out and raced over there.

"Nowhere to go." One of the guys at the party boasted.

"Yeah?" Demetri said and started throwing drinks at their faces. He jumped on the table and slid their way, kicking all three of them.

Oliver grabbed one of them as he stumbled back and he spun him around, laughing at the fear on his face. "Three on one? Really?" He taunted and released him. Oliver stepped back on his right foot and brought his other one up, kicking him clean across the face.

Demetri came in and kicked the same guy in the ribs and he stumbled back into the table. "Holy shit, that was awesome!" He exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Nice job, baby." Oliver praised and that high fived.

At the same time, Grayson stood there looking all around him as his friends fought the people at the party. He watched Hailey kick one of the guys in the face, her feel cutting into his cheek. He adjusted the cowboy hat on his head. "Well, I guess Casanova Hamilton's done for the night." He voiced to himself and cried out, run over to help her.

The group of friends quickly left the party before campus security was called. Odessa stood outside in the air, still feeling like she was struggling to breathe. The tears in her eyes turned into tears of anger. She was so sick of this shit happening to her over and over again.

Miguel stepped outside the dining hall building. "Hey," he said softly, standing by her side. "It's probably stupid to ask if you're okay, but, are you?"

"No, Mig, I'm not okay." Odessa answered truthfully and wiped her tear streaked face. "This always happens to me and I'm tired of it."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry," he spoke sadly and hugged her. "Believe me, if I could have killed the guy shroud getting arrested for murder, I would have."

She chuckled at that and hugged him tighter. "Yeah, I know. Thank you for helping me." She told him a whisper voice, her forehead pressed against his shoulder blade.

Miguel smiled. "Always."

"And, uh, will you Kyler I say thank you? It probably would've ended up a lot worse if he hadn't stepped in." Odessa told him, breaking away from the hug. She sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "Doesn't mean I want to be friends with him but I am appreciative."

He smiled softly. "Yeah, I'll tell him." Miguel wiped another stray tear that had fallen from her eye. "You have a really great heart, Dessa."

She smiled shakily.

Eli came out of the building and saw the friends. Odessa looked over Miguel's shoulder.

"I'll head back inside." Miguel announced. He turned around and patted Eli's shoulder as he walked back inside the building.

He wasted no time walking up to her and hugging her. Odessa wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "I can't tell you how sorry I am, Dessi." Eli began.

"You don't have to be sorry, Eli. You didn't know—"

"But I should've been with you. I literally promised myself I would be," he spoke guiltily. "I can't believe that happened to you. I'm so sorry—"

Odessa interrupted him by pulling away slightly. She settled her hands on his cheeks. "It's always going to happen to me, E. It's built into my life at this point. But I used to be able to not handle it. I've spent my whole life in fear because of it. But I'm not afraid anymore, Eli. I don't have to take it anymore and I won't." She spoke confidently and quietly. "I just want you by myself through it all."

Eli nodded quickly. "Of course. I always will be." His hands settled on her hips. "You're the bravest person I've ever known. Like I thought I was brave but you? You have more courage than anybody I've ever met." He spoke highly, his eyes softening.

Odessa blinked and started smiling. "We have that in common, I guess." She said with a slight chuckle. She brought his face toward her and kissed him. Parting their lips, Odessa hugged him again, feeling herself relax in his touch.

"Would it make you feel better if I said Brucks didn't actually get into MIT?" Eli brought up.

Furrowing her brows, Odessa lifted her head and faced him. "What? He didn't?"

"No, he got into 'Midwest Industrial Training'. Says he wants to fix washing machines."

The blonde titled her head questionably and he nodded, humming. Odessa let out a small laugh. "Oh wow, that's very fitting." She started to giggle.

Eli laughed at the sound, knowing he indeed made her feel better.