Elizabeth's POV.

We agreed to go to the party at eight pm. To kill time till eight, Blaire and Himari, gave me a tour of the house.
The sitting room area had a couch, a tv that hung on the wall, colorful bean bag chairs, a cabinet that contained books, and a mahogany coffee table.

The kitchen was laid out in a simplistic modern style. White countertops and dark oak wood cupboards. In the center of the kitchen was a circular table with chairs. The glass sliding door gave a view of the small back yard.

After showing me the laundry room that consisted of a washer and dryer. They took me upstairs and showed me to my room. The room only had one desk, closet, and a bed.

They then showed me the two bathrooms. One had a shower and the other had a bathtub. After giving me a thorough tour they left me alone so that I could unpack my clothes and take a shower.

Blaire and Himari were friendly. I almost forgot what it was like to have friends. I never had friends when we moved to Pasadena.

I unpacked my bag and took my toiletries to the bathroom. I would have preferred a nice bubble bath after the long day I had, but since they wanted to leave soon. I settled with taking a twenty-minute shower.

When I was done with my shower. I wrapped a bathrobe around myself and went back into my room. While still in my bathrobe I called my mom and told her I was at the housing complex. I contemplated whether to tell her about the party or not.

I didn't want to mention the party to her and make her worry unnecessarily. I wasn't going to do anything unsavory at the party. I was just going because I promised Blaire.

I began running a hand lazily through my hair, untangling it. The last party I attended was my nana's seventieth birthday party. My phone rang suddenly causing me to jump. Percy's name flashed on the screen and I swiped my finger across the screen.
"Hi, perc."

"Hey Lizzy, how are you?"

"I'm fine. What's up?"

"Nothing just checking up. How is your first day in New York going?"

"Well I just got here a few hours ago, but it's going great so far," I chuckled.

"That's good Liz. I'm glad you having fun. So what are you getting up to later on tonight?"

I was not going to mention the party to him. He'd freak out more than my mom. "Nothing," I answered a little too quickly and he hummed. "The girls and I are just going to watch a movie later."

I heard yelling coming from the background and Percy went silent.
"Perc?" I questioned trying to listen in on what was happening.

"Okay, Lizzy. I'll call you later on in the week. I got to go. Some idiot got trapped in the dangerous reptiles enclosure. Have a good night."

"Good night Perc," I said, and the call cut. Percy is a Zoologist. He studied animal behavior and physiology. He currently worked at the Staten Island Zoo.

I unpacked the rest of my bags and put a lilac bed Sheet on my bed followed by a blue comforter. I put Mr. Grobbles on my pillow, I placed my laptop on the desk next to a clock, and put my books on the shelf that hung above the table. I would unpack my clothes later because it was a lot to unpack.

I pulled out the first set of clothes I saw, grey jeans and a red sweater. I got dressed and put my hair up in a high ponytail. My hair was long and I was between cutting it and embracing it.

I didn't own much makeup. Only eyeliner and lip gloss which I quickly applied. I looked at my reflection in the long mirror that was on the wall and I knew immediately that I wasn't going to fit in. I wasn't super skinny, I only dressed for the sake of having clothes on my body, whether the clothes were flattering or not, I didn't care.

Two knocks came on my door and Blaire stuck her head into my room with her eyes closed. "Can I come in?" She asked and I giggled.

"You can open your eyes, Blaire." She opened her eyes and smiled flashing her perfect set of teeth.

"You look so beautiful," she squealed.

"Urm.. thanks," I said, fiddling with the hem of my sweater.

Blaire surprised me a little with her dressing. She was wearing shorts and a baggy shirt that had the entire cast of five seconds of summer on it. I was expecting her to be all glammed up but she was dressed comfortably like me.

"Blaire!" Himari's voice boomed through the thin walls of the house.

"I'm with Liz!" Blaire yelled back.

Suddenly Himari popped up by my doorway. She was wearing a black off-shoulder top and white jeans. She had her hair down and gathered to the side.

"Wow, not bad for a book worm," Blaire complimented.

"U-r-g-h," Himari groaned. "Do you want me to come or not?"

"No, no please I'm just kidding. I love you and I'll love you forever for coming with me," Blaire went on.

"Forever is a long time Blaire," Himari teased.

"Of course it is. You'll be living in my basement or attic or wherever you see fit."

"Let's just get this over with," Himari said and walked to the door.

"You don't like parties?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"Well, it's not really my scene. I'd rather sit at home than have some drunk guy or girl hit on me or drop their drink on me."

We were leaving the house at exactly eight pm. As we descended the steps Blaire turned to me."The party is just a few blocks down the road. We can walk if that's okay with you Liz."

"Yeah, that's fine." We left the house and began walking down the street. A few people were walking in the same direction as us on the street.

The sky was full of stars and it was a cool evening. I took in a deep breath, relishing the cool crisp breeze. It was a beautiful, cloudless night.

"So how long do you two know each other?" I decided to strike up a conversation so that I could learn a bit about my housemates.

"A year," Himari answered with a smile on her face.

"But we became friends almost overnight," Blaire chimed in."So what's your story, Lizzy?" Blaire asked and a shy smile crept up on my face.

"I don't really have one," I started. "I live in Pasadena with my mom. My dad passed away when I was in high school and now I'm here starting my first year of university," I shrugged.

I left out the other crucial details. I didn't feel comfortable with sharing everything. "I'm sorry," Blaire said wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

Blaire sighed. "I live in Santa Monica with my dad and two little brothers. Mom and dad got divorced when I was seven."

"How about you Himari?" I asked and she was walking with her hands lazily on her hips.

"Well, I grew up in Japan with my parents and four other sisters. We moved to Seattle when I was twelve."

"Do you have any siblings Liz?" Blaire asked.

"No, but I do have Percy and Andrew. They are kind of like my siblings."

We stopped talking as soon as we heard the sound of music and teenagers screaming. "Ai," Himari moaned, holding her head.

The house was the only house on the block that was making a ruckus. Blaire walked up to the house. The door was left open and the smell of marijuana and alcohol was pungent.

We walked into the chaos to see sweaty bodies dancing in the center of the room. Some people were sitting on the couches and didn't respect the code of PDA.

Blaire led us through the crowd of sweaty dancing bodies and into a kitchen that looked very much like our own. I could barely hear anything. My eardrums were vibrating due to the loud music.

There were a few people in the kitchen. A group of boys pouring different kinds of liquids into cups while they laughed.

"Hey Callum," Blaire said and a guy with blonde hair turned around from digging in the fridge. He was wearing a checkered shirt and blue jeans.

I noticed that another guy was leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed. He was dressed in black ripped jeans, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket. He looked like the guy that was digging in the fridge except his hair was cut shorter and he was just a few inches taller. His eyes were brown and he had a really strong jawline. His eyes raked over me and I looked away immediately feeling slightly embarrassed for staring.

"Oh hey, Blaire. I see you brought your friends," Callum smiled.

"This is Liz," Blaire said pointing to me. "And you know Himari," she giggled.

"Nice to meet you, Liz. I'm Callum," he extended his arm out for me to shake and the boy who was leaning against the fridge watched as I took it. " Would you ladies like a drink?"

"No thank you," Blaire answered for us.

"That's okay we have soda and juices," the guy who was leaning on the fridge suddenly said.

He grabbed red cups and poured soda into them handing them to us. "There, careful now don't leave them on the counter with the rest of these cups. Ross is making a mixture of..." he smirked. "Well I have no idea," he chuckled.

"This is my little brother, Beckett. He'll be starting this year," Callum introduced the mysterious guy.

"Oh so is Liz," Blaire mentioned a little too excitedly and I smiled sheepishly.

"Really, what's your major?" Beckett asked.

"Law."

"Mine too," he admitted and when I looked at Blaire she had a huge smile on her face.

"Callum bro," someone called.

"Be there in a second," Callum yelled back. "Okay got to go ladies. Enjoy the party," he said, excusing himself.

"See you around Liz," Beckett said and followed Callum out of the kitchen.

Blaire put her arm around my shoulder while she wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively and I rolled my eyes. "Quit it," I said and she burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Ow," Himari groaned when a drunk guy tramped her foot. She began mumbling under her breath in Japanese.

"Prty," The guy reached to touch her face, but she caught his hand just in time and bent his fingers back.

The guy howled in pain and began to hunch over. "Himari no," Blaire shrieked in horror, moving to help the man.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated, but Himari only tightened her grip.

"Liz, help," Blaire called and I put my cup on the counter.

People were starting to gather around us and I didn't know what to do. "Himari stop. Please you hurting him." I tried to pry her hand off his and she finally let go of her death grip on him.

"Try and touch me again and I'll kick your ass prty boy," she threatened and he scurried away.

"Sheesh, Himi what was that?" Blaire asked sounding a little impressed.

I grabbed my cup from the counter and took a huge gulp of it. It tasted like an energy drink that had tropical fruit in it but in the end, there was a bitter after taste. I finished the entire cup since I hadn't had a thing to eat or drink in hours.

When I looked up, Blaire and Himari were staring at me with curious expressions on their face. "Did you just drink the cup on the counter?" Blaire asked and it was too late before I had realized what I had done.

My head started to spin and I found myself being tongue-tied. I felt lighter for the first time in a long time. I felt pure bliss. I felt the energy burst through me and at that moment I felt like I could do anything and everything. I was on cloud nine and my favorite song came on. I wanted to dance but I needed a bathroom first.

"Liz, Liz where are you going?" was all I heard before I could stumble out of the kitchen and through the crowds of people.

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