I don't know how anyone can be partying right now. Yes, I must admit the upbeat catchy music, and the sea of dancing bodies does attract me to want to join in the chaos. Even in my intoxicated state I still think about her. I still think about Ava. I forgot how the weed also intensifies, and reveals my true feelings, and thoughts.

As I sit next to the table filled with liquor, Ameria and Skyler dance along in the crowd. Ameria sways her thick hips, and hungry eyes pry on her.

Skyler jumps up and down, her lengthy hair swings around swallowing her face. That all changes quickly though.

"Twerk contest!" A raucous voice hollers.

That's when a slow pace beat begins to drop, followed by Megan thee stallion's famous "ay ay" adlibs. The beat quickly transcends into a fast-paced one. Making everyone scream and take out their phones.

Everyone from all shapes and size starts huddling up it looks like a huge circle is in formation. So, I get up from the plastic stool and head over to see what is about to happen. I squeeze myself between sweaty and musky bodies. In the middle of this imperfect circle standing Ameria and Skyler.

Ameria takes off her jacket, and sassily throws it to the ground. She unties her sleek bun, and flaunts her hair

"Okay, baby, we see you!" A roaring voice exclaims

"Shake that ass shake b*tch bounce that sh*t" The vulgar catchy song goes on.
Please don't tell me Ameria is about to twerk.

Ameria spreads her legs, and bends her knees placing her hands on her knees. Everyone is starstruck on her, phones point in her direction with flashing lights on. A couple of boys whistle and howl at her. Some even lick their lips. So gross honestly.

"What the f*ck!" AJ ballows and breaks into the circle, shoving a couple of bodies to the side.

Ameria quickly stands up straight and Skyler runs off to the edge of the circle.

"Y'all creeps!"He grabs Ameria's denim jacket and throws it at her "shows over!"He yells again with thick veins popping in his throat.

The circle immediately breaks up into clusters of openings as everyone heads in different directions.

"You really trying to piss me off tonight huh!" AJ exclaims as he looks dead into her eyes.

He towers over here with his fist balled up. My heart begins to accelerate, pumping way more blood than usual. AJ better not hit her. I would fucking erupt into fits of anger if he did.

A couple of bystanders begin to take out their phones.
"Get the f*ck away from me", Ameria pushes on AJ's chest but he doesn't move one inch.

"This is what I was talking about whenever you get high of that shit you just-"

"What AJ embarrass you!" Ameria barks back.

"Yes, Every Goddamn time!"

"You know what AJ fuck you!" She throws her middle finger to his face, and walks away.

Skyler tails right behind her. And I jog behind Skyler, passing through the smokescreen of inebriated teens. With every leap I take, I inhale the second-hand piney skunky weed scent along, with the fruity vape scent.

Skyler zooms through it all, but not successfully she occasionally stops her fast pace walking, and replaces it with turtle-like steps. Giggles and wild clusters of laughter break out of nowhere. The hostile aggressive music has now transitioned into a more relaxed atmosphere. Now The slow tempo reggae beat takes over, along with the RnB artist H.E.R, using her mellifluous voice to add pulse to the song.

Just like in the cafeteria during lunchtime, everyone is huddled into their groups. No more grinding onto to each other, just bopping their heads and chatting to one another.

Skyler again picks up her pace, forcing me to leap better than any frog could. How large is her back yard? I don't remember having to take such lengthy steps.

Just as I notice the glass door, and Skyler's whiplashing hair flow into the house.I run tirelessly burning out my lungs. Laser like lights still dance around the halls.

"Ameria!" Skyler yells

"Don't Ameria me." Skyler makes a sharp right turn into a white illuminated room.

I enter the same room which is the kitchen. Red and blue solo cups sit in stacks on the marble countertops near the sink.
More alcohol occupies the chestnut marble kitchen island.

"He has the audacity to call me an embarrassment!" Ameria grabs a red cup. "His the embarrassment wasn't he just caught last week kissing that bitch Monifa. He cheating and he doing it like he don't give a f*ck", she opens a bottle of brandy

"But aren't you cheating too?" I blurt out.

"To get his fucking attention, Nora!" She shrills.

"I am so confused" I admit. "So he cheats on you, and your response to that is stay in the relationship and cheat, to get his attention? Like what the fuck."

My true thoughts relieve themselves, another thing about the kush I just say stuff, stuff I really feel though.

Ameria says nothing but stares down into her cup "I just want my relationship with AJ to work, okay" her voice cracks, and she brings her gaze to me her eyes are glossy with tears.

"It will work out" Skyler goes to hug her, resting her chin on Ameria's head.

"Yeah it definitely will work out"
I add on to the bullshit.

I just don't understand Ameria, maybe if I was her then I would understand. Or maybe if I was high, and foolishly in love with some boy I would understand. I sometimes think teenage love is complicated for no reason. She could easily just leave him, and move on, but she loves him. And I can't totally understand this situation without actually experiencing this true teenage love.

So, I give her what she wants a tight hug, and sugarcoated lies so sweet you can't even taste the needed truth.

"Thanks, guys", she wraps her arms around Skyler and I.

"Group hug without me" an orotund voice interrupts us.

"Mazin!" Ameria disconnect from the group hug. And runs to hug a boy with black medium thick dreads.

"What are you doing here?" she wraps her arms around his neck, and stands on her toes as she hugs him tightly, swaying side to side.

This Mazin guy chuckles "I'm moving here actually", Ameria quickly pulls out of the hug.

"What! You lie", she nudges his shoulder

"Nah seriously I'm moving here", he grins sheepishly. "Hey, Skyler" he tilts his head to the side and waves at her. He nods his head at me.

So that's all I get not even a hi
"That's Nora by the way", Ameria
points at me

"Hey Nora," he says
"Hi", I greet back flatly.

"So light skinn brown boy moving from New Orleans to Willowood.
Just know this place boring" Ameria places her hands on her hips.

"It can't be that bad" he shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm just going to go" Skyler moves past us and I catch a glimpse of her rolling her eyes and sighing. Awkward.

"She still mad at me?"Mazin asks

Ameria nods her head "but she'll get over it." "Nice shirt by the way" Ameria tugs on his white t-shirt with the colourful word 'golf' written on it. He must be a Tyler the creator fan, I want to rip him apart now. I've been wanting that shirt since forever.

"Thanks", he shoves his hands in his beige chino pants.
Anyways enough of this let's go dance, it's been a minute since we have seen each other."
she pulls onto his shirt and drags him along I follow right behind them.

Who the hell is this boy? Please don't tell me it's one of her ex's AJ would freak out.

"Okay okay slow down sheesh", he says just as we were about to exit the house. "I got something for us" we stop walking and face him.

Chromatic colours bounce off his face as he digs in his pocket.

"What are you doing", Ameria asks as the red and purple disco lights flash across her face.

"Give me a sec" he goes on digging deeper in his pocket.
"There", he takes out a thin rolled joint.

"How am I not surprised?" Ameria smirks

"I know you well, besides I kinda saw what happened between you and AJ. I figured you might need to get your mind off it."

"Ugh now I'm embarrassed she sighs, but it's whatever you joining us?" she looks at me "this will be our second round so you ready bitch" she nudges my elbow

"Yeah yeah sure", I push her arm away

Mazin takes out his lighter and places the joint in his mouth. The lighter sparks off, presenting a flicker of untamed fire, but then it steads itself.

He lights the end of the joint, and it only adds on to the piney weed aroma in the passageway. He inhales then exhales the dancing smoke. He passes the joint to Ameria who does the same, but she begins to cough aggressively, and a ball of smoke abruptly leaves her mouth.

"You okay?" I question her as she pats her chest.

"Yeah Yeah", she nods her head "it was a long pull I took", she adds.

My turn comes up next, and I inhale letting the smoke go on a journey into my body. I exhale and the rotation begins again.

A couple more rotations into it and my body begin to sink into relaxation.

"Okay, it's done," Mazin says as he throws the tiny bit of the joint onto the floor.

"Damn" I topple back a bit "that was f*cking quick" I laugh

"I know right felt like a minute" Mazin chuckles.

Ameria stares at her hands and balls them up into a fist every time a speckle of light shines on them.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Mmmh oh oh you talking to me?" she stops whatever she was doing. "I'm trying to catch the little lights"

Mazin and I burst out laughing.
"Shut up!", Ameria hits my shoulder.

"Okay, okay just chill", I stop laughing. Silence fills our little bubble, so silent I can hear breathing
"Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?"
"What you mean quiet you don't hear that music?" Mazin asks
"No, I hear breathing"

"You know what, I don't even know why we standing here the party is outside" Ameria slides open the glass door, and the waves of sonorous music touches my eardrums filling them up with euphoria.

"Damn I love this song."
I begin to bop my head as the Gunna song takes over the movement of my body. Soon enough it's not just my head bobbing, but it's my hips swaying side to side. I lift my arms to the sky "woohoo!" I yell

"Wunna flow wunna flow wunna flow", I sing along as the song elevates me to higher levels. It's like I'm floating on a cloud.

"Bitch I'm on cloud nine!" I yell at Ameria as she too is lost in this ecstasy.

A smooth transition takes place, yet again "finally they playing Nicki!" I screaming

"Yo hold up, hold up, hold up, okay, hold up
You see a bad bitch coming, tell yo ass to hold up", I rap along to the lyrics throwing hands signs at Ameria.

Mazin points his phone at us and does a weird two-step shuffle
"Uh what is going on with your feet" I burst out laughing, and drop to my knees I hit the ground with my hands, laughing until fat warm tears roll down my face.

"No just no" I laugh louder, and squeeze my eyes shut

"Leave me alone", Mazin laughs "dancing and filming is hard."

"Then just dance gosh", I blurt out as I get up from the ground.

Songs transition and our bodies never stop moving one bit. I'm on a high, lost in the space with Mazin and Ameria. Nothing can ruin this. Whenever a song plays I swear it takes me deeper into euphoria. The music just falls in sync with my movements. This is perfect, dancing under the night sky with two people who are on the same high as you. With no care in the world. This is must be a taste of heaven.

Mazin's dreads fly everywhere and Ameria hips swish side to side. I even catch Mazin looking. I want this to last forever, but nothing ever lasts. That's when the song changes again but this time it's the all familiar beat drops.

It's the same song that has been played in my dreams, the same song that was played at Jake Payton's party. The same song when Ava stormed of.

"Yes they playing my baby Drake" Ameria takes out her phone, and begins to film herself
Y'all bitches are missing out she yells at the camera.

I'm torn into bits, my chest begins to tighten all the air within me vanishes. My heart pounds like it wants to break out of my chest. Fragments of that night spin in my mind, and I whirl back into the past, but it's not complete. My memory is shattered and I only have one piece. That piece being Ava storming out of the party, and me grabbing on to her, but then Ameria voice echoes in my mind.

"Your such a f*cking hoe!"

"Hey, you okay?" Mazin stares deeply into my eyes with his brows knitted together.

"Um yeah yeah of course" I snap out of the thoughts and the memory diminishes
"I just... Um well..."

"Hey, it's chilled I was just making sure you good kinda lost you there." He relaxes his face.

"You wanna take a break from all this dancing kinda making me sluggish."

"Yeah definitely wait where's Ameria?", I scan the fairly empty yard, it must be really late now. The amount of people in this backyard has deceased, leaving only a few small groups.

"She had to help Skyler with something."

"You sure you okay he places his hands on my shoulder you look a little sick."

"Um well..." What the hell do I say? how do I tell him that my memory is acting up. Dammit

"Hey he gently shakes my shoulders I kinda lost you again there, do you want to go for a drive? Maybe you just tired of being here I totally I understand that"

I nod my head. "A late-night drive would be nice" I add. "I'm sorry it's just the weed and sh*t."

"It's cool," he says. Perhaps a late-night drive will simmer my thoughts. It's weird how a song could just trigger that memory. It still doesn't solve much, but on the bright side at least I got another piece of the memory. Why was Ameria calling Ava a hoe? What the hell happened that night.