༄ THE bright lights were blinding her eyes by now. Blue, purple, green... she couldn't even tell them apart due to the amount of drinks she had poured down her throat.

Stumbling as she walked, she made it to her friends. "I'm never going to a party again! This is the worst!" She screamed, barely loud enough to overpower the blasting music.

"Or just don't drink as much," they told her, laughing. The whole situation was starting to feel like a dream. Or rather, a fever dream.

She grumbled, "You told me it would be more fun after consuming alcohol. I've come to the conclusion that was a lie."

"You gotta make it fun."

"If I could transport my books and silence here, maybe" she mumbles, attempting to blink the haze out of her eyes. "How do I make it fun?"

"Dance."

"I'll like a stiff board."

"Make out."

"With who?"

She got pushed into the sweaty crowd without hesitation. "There are enough options."

Someone's arm hit hers, causing the cup in her hand to fly through the air before it drained through a boy's clothes. And though they were already wet from sweat, he didn't look pleased.

"Sorry!" She shrugged. Even as she attempted to look at him, all she saw was his black hair and a casual shirt. Either way, she didn't care. "You should've watched out!"

"Excuse you?" Hands on her waist. They forced her to look in a dark pair of eyes.

"I said, should've watched out!" She yelled even louder.

"Shouldn't have spilled that drink there!"

"Shouldn't have taken my waist!"

Her hands slipped around his, steadying them. "Anyway— my friend gave me this advice!"

"What?!" He leaned in. Warm breaths blow against her skin.

"My friend gave me this advice!" She repeated loudly. Her hands got clammy once she realized there was no going back now.

He ran a hand through his hair. "What advice?"

"Really wanna know?"

"I'm trying not to overthink it. Spill!"

"Alright!"

An hour later, she let herself fall on her bed. Besides getting drunk five days before school would start, she also kissed a boy like she would never kiss one again, and totally forgot about how shucked up her life had been the past months.

Because she would get a forced marriage in a year.

One last school year, and her life would be over.