Arriving at the party the loud vulgar rap music blasts loudly with every step we take.

Skyler lives in Willowview the rich side of Willowwood. Where all the houses are as big as airports. Okay no that's a bit of an exaggeration maybe they are as big as a Mall at least.

It's a lengthy walk to the entrance, but passing between the rows of cypress trees makes it better. The closer we get to the huge bronze doors the less the rows of trees become. Parked close to the grey marble porch is Skyler's silver Porshe with thee registration plate that says 'Remontae.'

As we walk up the stairs the blasting rap music is somehow overpowered by the chiming of lyrics.
"Shoot for the stars
Aim for the moon
You ain't cool!"

"Damn is lit" Ameria pushes the double doors that creak in the process.

The all familiar slightly skunky grassy scents engulf us. With a touch of a bubble gum aroma that travels along the hall.
"My two favourites kush and vape," Ameria giggles.

Kaleidoscope lights dart everywhere as we pass a couple kissing. The tall lanky blond boy towers over the girl with a black pixie cut, he takes charge of the kiss aggressively grabbing onto her ass. Meanwhile, Two girls sit on the staircase giggling while taking selfies.

As we walk further down the halls we pass portraits of Skyler's family. In the portrait, she sits up straight showing off her long neck. She's dressed in a simple black dress with long sleeves that bound her wrists tightly. Just like her mother who sits next to her with a plastered smile. It's so fake that the smile doesn't even have its natural lines, or curl at the corner of her lips, just a straight smile with faultless big teeth.

Their deep ocean blue eyes stare deep into my soul, whatever turn I make those owl eyes still follow me. Talk about creepy.

Her mother's black short curls rest gracefully on her shoulders, while Skyler's hair is in a tight ponytail.

Her father sits right next to her mother. He wears no fake awkward smile. His black suit fits him perfectly and he shares no features with his daughter. His huge lumpy nose takes a big portion of his face.

"Girl what are you doing?" Ameria turns to face me with lustrous lights that dance on her face "Stop staring at the picture, the party is this way," she grabs on to my arm and drags me along.

Ameria takes large bouncy steps making her ass jiggle, with the laser-like lights darting around, and Ameria pulling me, we whirl deeper into the halls like a time machine taking us into the future.

The heavy beats vibrate my chest and the chatting of lyrics ring in my ears, making me want to join in the unity. It's like when everyone's clapping you might have no idea why people are clapping, but you want to join in.

"Su, Su, Su, Su, Su, Su, Su, su" the chanting of the Migos song goes on

"Damn it is lit in this bitch" Ameria says as she takes a large step outside pulling me along.

Skyler's backyard is filled with people from different races and places. Some grind on each other while others just jump up and down in the mixed crowd. Another group throws hand signs screaming along to rap lyrics.

From all the vaping, joints and cigarette smoking the atmosphere is almost like a smokescreen. Red and Blue solo cups are either being held or lay aimlessly on the grass. Alcoholic beverages take up space on the patio table.
How have her neighbours not complained yet?

"Omg!" I turn to my left to the sound of squealing. It's Skylar holding a red a solo cup, and wearing an oversized white-shirt with the words 'we're all a little broken.'

Her brunette hair reaches up to her hips, and as she runs it trails behind her like a cape.
She jumps on Ameria, and Ameria topples back almost falling in the process.
"Okay, okay chill," Ameria laughs

"I'm sorry." Skyler pulls out of the hug "I'm just so happy I didn't think you guys would come."

She then hugs me, and I stand on my toes and hug her back taking in the heavy whiff of liquor on her.

"Why would you think that?" I ask

"I don't know" she pulls out of the hug her eyes lay low with bags underneath them, and they are bloodshot red.

"I'm just so happy," she hugs me again.

Normal, non-intoxicated Skyler would never do this. She never greets me at school, I don't think she ever really notices me. Skyler is more of Ameria's friend than mine. I know by tomorrow when everyone is hungover she will have forgotten about hugging me.

"Damn you faded." Ameria chuckles.
I do not think Skyler hears her, because she quickly turns to face the other way.

"Bro, I do not think she heard you", I start laughing, and Skyler joins in.
"What are we laughing at?" She asks which causes Ameria and I to burst out in laughter again this time louder, with Ameria now hanging on to me

"What you hyens laughing at?" the familiar low voice says. I Turn to it to be the one and only AJ.

His black jeans sit below his butt showing off his blue underwear. His blue golf shirt fits him perfectly hugging his biceps.
He plants a quick kiss on Ameria's lips and withdraws to look straight at her.
"You been smoking," his eyebrows twist in disapproval. "And what are you wearing?" he crosses his arms

Ameria rolls her eyes, "clothes and it was just one joint"
"I don't care he says you know I don't like you like this"

"Whatever you being a hypocrite, you been drinking", she points at his blue solo cup.

"I don't mind you drinking !" He exclaims "I just don't like you getting high you know how you get."

"Why you still on about it, it happened a month ago." She
crosses her arms.

Thick tension builds between them as they stare into each other's eyes.
He sighs and looks to the side "You know what man, whatever the next time you wreck your car high of that shit don't call me."
He walks away

Ameria's eyes water, "such an asshole."

"I know right" Skyler agrees "it was just an accident it's not like it going to happen again," she adds

But I don't know if that's the case. Ameria has been known for going overboard. The day she wrecked her car she wasn't just high on weed she was high on acid too.

Flashback

I immediately jolt forward as realisation washes over my face
When I look down at the mix of letters and numbers all placed in an equation.
I realise I fell asleep yet again while I was doing my math.
Not my fault the subject boring. Next to my math book is my phone that rattles on the table "what does she want?" I mutter as I look at the caller ID
"What?" I answer
At first, I hear nothing but soft snickering
"Ameria stop laughing" I chuckle
She stops for a moment but then laughs again this time loudly
"I..."
I wait for a response "you what?"
"Crashed"...... *Laughs* "my" *laughs* "car"
"What" I jolt up on to my feet "are you okay?" my
She replies with more laughter
"Dude are you baked right now?"
"ye...yes" my heart skips a beat
"Where are you?" I slip on my sneakers and hastily swing open the door. The gush of wind slaps my face with every speedy step I take down the stairs
The freeway
"Okay, stay put I'll"- I freeze on the last step.
What the hell am I going to do?

I can't drive or tell my mom Ameria's high, but I do know one person that can help.

"Ameria," I call out her name in hopes that she's still on the line
"Yes," she giggles
"Are you with AJ"
"Ummmm why you asking about him don't bring him here!" she says angrily "no AJ!" she screams like a child throwing a fit
She starts yelling even louder stumbling on her words
"Okay, okay no AJ then."

But that was a total lie we need AJ I send him a dm on Instagram and surprisingly he replies

From: A⚽_jay_: Send your address

I type in my address and wait at the porch. How long can it take to get here I pace back and forth as my stomach does backflips. Twisting into its self.
I hope she is okay what the hell was she even doing at the freeway? Dammit, I begin to bite my nails.
Where are you AJ?
anticipation builds in my stomach, like restless waves that clash into each other continuously.
You better hurry up AJ or else there will be no nails to bite on. I seriously need to stop chewing on my nails.

Form the distance I notice a red SUV it slows down when it reaches my yard. The tinted windows roll down.
"Yo hop in," AJ says, and I swiftly get in his car.

"You good?" he asks as I buckle up
"Yeah and you?" I ask slightly rolling my eyes I hate it when people greet like that, like what the hell. It's overused and annoying now.
"Yeah, I'm good."

Surprisingly the car is squeaky clean I always expected AJ to have a messy car filled with clusters of papers. In pre-school he was always messy, he left juice boxes laying around and pieces of snipped papers on his desk.
I guess he has grown up.
He even has a green leaf-shaped air freshener, that circulates a strong minty scent
"You want to play some music?"
"Um well yeah I guess", I say as he presses a few buttons on the touch screen, moving his long bony fingers swiftly. The screen lights up with every soft touch "blue tooth mode" the car speaks robotically.
"Nora's iPhone is connected"

Smooth heaven-like vocals fill the car
"Lucky daye you got good taste in music" he smirks as the sun casts a glow on to his dark brown skin.
I remain silent unsure as what I should say and I turn up the volume.

AJ and I used to be so close before high school. I don't know what happened. It's funny how one minute in pre-school we were just playing hide and seek, the next minute in high school we don't even acknowledge each other.
Time does fly by and AJ has grown up so well too. I used to be the one that was taller than him but now he towers over me. He used to smell like broken crayons, but now he smells aromatic but with a boyish scent added to it.
His hair is neatly trimmed into a fade it used to be an afro with speckles of sand -he always played roughly in the sandpit-

Whenever he's about to make a turn he makes this cute look, he presses his lips together and brings both of his hands to the steering wheel and leans forward-looking to side. I wish I knew what he was thinking, why simply making a turn into the next lane brings forth that reaction

He occasionally bops his head to the song and hums along. "What?" he turns to face me for a moment I immediately turn to face the other way looking at the traffic of cars

"You have been staring at me is everything okay?"
"What" Embarrassment washes over me "I was just looking at the window you know."
He chuckles licking his lips, "well okay then"
"Yep," I say popping the P at the end

A Few more kilometres and a few more smooth ear-pleasing vocals from Lucky Daye, at last, we are on the freeway. Where the deep forest hides deceased missing bodies. Well, that's according to what my English teacher said. I think it's a bit of an exaggeration.

While AJ begins to slow down I search the freeway as cars woosh past us, and honk at our slowness. I look between the trees where the darkness sits, probably where serial killers look back at me.
Maybe my English teacher is right.
"There she is." AJ points at the mini cooper that's crashed at the side of the road, at the thick long-necked tree.
AJ accelerates the car causing me to jolt back into the leathered seat.

He swiftly parks the car near the damaged car. Fubbles with his seat belt "dammit it," he struggles but it finally releases him. He opens the car and speeds to the Ameria's car
"

Yo mer!"
My heart begins to beat it's so loud I can hear it have a drum solo in my ear. I slowly unbuckle my seat belt.

"Just relax, just relax," I tell myself. I open the door and step out of the car. The ground crunches with every twig that breaks at every sloth-like move I make.
The front of the mini cooper is dented into a U shape
The bumper has fallen off. AJ opens the back door.

Again the twigs crunch and I stop walking. Cars ignore us and woosh right past us like nothing is happening. Why is no one helping us?

AJ carries Ameria's body over his shoulder, her wavy black hair lays over his shoulder like a coat.
Her arms dangle lifelessly
"Call the ambulance!" AJ yells.

For a moment I'm glued to the earth, first Ava disappears now Ameria just.....I don't even know what to say.
"Yo you heard me?" he asks me again his voice becoming hoarse.

End of flashback

"Hello hello"I blink my eyes rapidly at the sight of Ameria snapping her fingers
"Here you go," she hands me a red solo cup, "the kush has you, huh, you spaced out for a long as time."
She chuckles and takes a sip of her drink.

I nod my head. I pray she's not as reckless tonight. Ameria's lucky that AJ was even there, she's lucky his uncle is a doctor. That day when we arrived at the hospital AJ did most of the talking. I just stood there stuck in my panic even when her mom arrived. It was just so unreal, so out of body. She's so lucky that AJ's uncle was able to whisk up some doctor bullshit.
"We're just checking her vitals and making sure she's okay she's in shock", I remember him explaining to Ameria's mom. "We might keep her for the night" he added.
It was clear he had to get her sober. AJ sure does have a cool uncle

Within a week her car was fixed and, she told the whole school about it. She gloated days on about it. Why did she even do that, was it for attention at school? Was it because she couldn't deal with Ava being gone?

"Selfie time!" Skyler exclaims holding up her phone.

Ameria joins in sticking out her tongue I can't help but I wonder how she's doing with Ava being gone. We rarely talk about it when we do she changes the subject. I wonder if she's okay, or is she just hiding her pain, and using the alcohol, and weed to mask her feelings?