“Wow, I didn’t know all this. I guess it makes more sense now. But it doesn’t mean that I’m going to be friends with Brittany or even like her for that matter,” I said.
Chloe laughed and said, “You are my best friend, not Brittany. But I would love for us to go to her party together tomorrow night. Everyone will be there. Please?” she was practically begging.
“Joey was talking about it; I guess all the guys are going. He was wondering what I wanted to do,” I said.
“Well?” Chloe asked anxiously.
“If everyone is going then I guess I shouldn’t miss out.”
“Awesome, I need a hug!”
We chatted and giggled until just after midnight. We promised to call each other in the morning and go to the mall to find a new outfit for the party.
CHAPTER 7
Party Time!
“I’m so excited; we’re going to have so much fun!” What time is Joey picking us up?” Chloe was talking to me through the mirror as she was checking out her ref lection.
“Around eight thirty. His mom is picking his dad up at the airport at nine so she said she’d drop us off on her way. Isn’t that a little short?” I was referring to her new miniskirt. It should be called can’t get any minier skirt!
“That’s how it’s supposed to fit.”
“Can you even bend over?” I was half serious.
“I’ll try not to drop anything,” Chloe laughed.
I threw on my new jeans and a white tank top, thought I’d show off my tan as long as I could until it disappeared into winter. I covered up with my dark brown hoodie.
“Which choker should I wear?” Chloe held up one in each hand.
“The black one has a bit of blue which matches your eyes. Can I borrow the brown one?” I asked.
“Yeah, no problem how’s my hair, up or down?” She grabbed chunks and threw them up with some crazy knotting or tying, I’m thinking she learned it from Brittany as she always has some fancy up-do.
“Whatever you do always looks good Chloe,” I don’t even know why she bothers to ask, she always does whatever she wants.
“I think I’m almost ready, how are you doing?” Chloe asked while applying some final touch-ups to her make-up. She’s a pretty girl but really knows it, our entire conversation has been in her mirror, she couldn’t dare turn away from that reflection. That’s Chloe for ya!
“Aren’t you going to wear a jacket?” I asked as she grabbed her purse.
“No, it’s warm” She looked at me curious.
“What?”
Chloe was wearing a jet black, very fitted tee shirt, navy blue skirt and big silver hoop earrings with hot pink lip gloss. I looked the opposite with my shoulder length hair tucked behind my ears, gold sleepers in my ears, just a touch of bronze blush to bring out my tan, and a glossy lip balm.
“Just do me a favor and put on your jacket until we get out of the house.”
“All right,” she said in a huff.
Joey’s mom was late so we didn’t arrive at the party until around nine. Brittany lives in a huge two-story brick house with big fancy marble pillars at the main entrance.
“Wow,” I said as my jaw dropped.
“You have to see the pool out back!” Chloe said full of excitement.
I could hear the sounds of playful yelling and a lot of laughter. Girls were shrieking and being chased around from the backyard into the front yard. I noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces. Obviously a lot of people drove themselves because there were a ton of vehicles parked outside. This could also mean that I have arrived at my first college party. We rang the doorbell, not that we needed to as people were running in and out of the door.
“Chlo!” I heard Brittany shriek from across the room.
“Brit!” shouted Chloe.
They ran towards each other and hugged. How pathetic, I feel like leaving already. Joey sensed my discomfort and reached for my hand.
“I brought my friend Lindsey and her boyfriend Joey.”
“Hi guys, glad you could make it!” Brittany said very in- sincerely. She’s a great actor, I’ll give her that much.
“Joey, Jake and the guys are by the pool around back, why don’t you join them?” suggested Brittany.
“Linds, is that okay with you?” Joey asked.
“Sure, I’ll meet up with you in a bit,” I really wanted to ask him not to leave my side; I don’t really feel like I can fully trust Chloe yet while Brittany is around. He kissed the top of my head.
“Ahhh, he’s so sweet!” Brittany said in an annoying squeal.
“Thanks,” I wasn’t certain how to respond to that.
“This way you guys, I want you to meet a few of my friends from Canon College.”
College? Now I really want to go home, I’m not ready for a college party. My parents are going to be mad.
As we headed toward the kitchen, Brittany grabbed my arm and pulled me close.
“By the way, I’m sorry about getting into that fight you and Chloe had yesterday at school. I’m so glad you guys made up. I really want us to be friends Lindsey. I don’t care much for your friend Jessica though. She’s got quite an attitude.”
“Jess always looks out for us; she and Chloe are my two best friends,” I felt defensive.
“Hey, that’s cool! I’m the same way with my girls. I hope we can get to know each other better. Tonight is going to get H.O.T!”
Yeah I can spell. I was tempted to say but I promised Chloe I’d give the Queen a chance.
The music was blaring; I could hardly hear my voice. I felt really out of place. The girls looked a lot older and more mature. The guys were big, like with big muscles and everything.
“Lindsey, do you drink?” asked Brittany’s friend Kaitlyn.
“Drink? Well …yeah …like what?” I’m starting to sound dorkish already.
“Anything, there is lots, Long Island ice teas, slimes, margaritas, screwdrivers, Caesars, or beer; you look like a beer girl, hee hee!”
Beer girl? What does that mean?
“I …uh …um …I’ll be right back” I hustled off to find where Chloe had snuck off to. I worked my way through the crowd, chatting with a few people along the way. Apparently I’ve been recognized as the ‘ice cream girl’ from the beach.
It must have been about an hour when I finally spotted Chloe. She was with a group of college guys; she seemed to know a lot of people.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” I interrupted the flirt dance.
“Hey Chloe, who’s your friend?” one of the guys holding a beer was checking me out.
“Lindsey! She’s been my best friend since Grade 5!” Chloe put her arm around me but I felt more like a crutch as she rested most of her weight on me. I held onto her and continued to walk toward the bathroom.
“Where are we going?!” Chloe asked.
“Have you been drinking?”
“Relax! I’ve had one beer, big whoop. you obviously haven’t had anything yet, you need to lighten up and have some fun! Let’s go find your man.” Chloe couldn’t help but put more lipstick on as the mirror was right in front of her.
“My parents would kill me if they knew I was drinking.”
“Your parents aren’t here are they? you told them you’re staying at my house didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then let’s go party!”
We pushed through the crowd to get to the patio. I felt the need to protect myself as I was getting bumped around. Chloe had her arms in the air singing and bouncing to the beat of the music.
I saw Joey sitting on a lawn chair laughing at something Jake was yelling out. Jake was obviously drunk as evidenced by the amount of empty bottles in front of him, and the fact that I could hear him from inside the house. He gets pretty obnoxious when he drinks; I’ve seen him at beach parties.
“Oh oh Joey, here comes the wife! Lindsey, Lindsey, cute little wimzie!” Jake broke into song. Joey was drinking bottled water. Chloe t
hrew herself down on Jake’s lap. He was holding his beer with one hand and had the other on her upper thigh. They started kissing so I turned away.
“Do you want to go?” Joey asked sensing my discomfort.
“No. I’m alright. But probably pretty soon okay?” He agreed.
“Hey Chloe! Come inside for a minute, I’ve got something to show you!” Brittany sang. “Lindsey you come too!”
“This should be good,” I mumbled to Joey.
“Come on Linds!” Chloe bounced off Jake and grabbed my hand before I had time to answer.
“We’re upstairs in Brit’s room!” Kaitlyn shouted down from half way up the stairs. There were about seven girls standing and sitting around on Brittany’s bed. They were laughing a lot. Brittany had a big bottle of something that she was pouring into tiny glasses and passing around. Chloe didn’t hesitate when offered the next round.
“It’s a game called fastest three in five. you have to down three shooters as fast as you can and pass it on. If you puke, you’re out, if you can’t do all three, you’re out or if you can’t do all three shots in five seconds then you’re out. Come on Lindsey, we promised we would have fun tonight. Don’t be such a bore.”
“Here.” Chloe handed me one of the mini glasses. I had no idea what it was; it just had a lot of different colors in it.
Here it is – your first big decision to make for Lindsey.
Do you get in on the game? If you do, Brittany would think you’re cool and you wouldn’t have any worries about losing Chloe. If you don’t, Chloe might just get fed up with you for being no fun and want to hang out with Brittany and her friends indefinitely.
If you choose to get in on the action, continue on to Chapter 8A on the next page.
If you say no and leave to go find Joey and go home, turn to Chapter 8B on page and continue on...
Storyline A
CHAPTER 8A
Drink It Up!
“Just put it up to your lips and toss it back,” instructed Chloe.
I did. It was really sweet. Kind of like a syrup but with a stronger bite. My stomach felt instantly heated. I heard the girls chanting my name as I quickly accepted the second shooter from Chloe. This is no problem. I was thinking. She practically threw the third on me in excitement. I tossed it back but not as easily as the first two. I felt a little come back up so I swiftly put my hand over my mouth for fear I would throw up in front of my new friends. They were cheering so loud I was really getting into it. My legs felt really tingly and my head felt fuzzy. I felt a lot more excited about the game and not as shy in front of these older girls. I was cheering on the next girl…
“Kait-lyn! Kait-lyn!” I was shouting louder and louder as the game went on.
“She’s out!” I yelled and laughed and laughed. Chloe gave me a big hug.
“This is sooo much fun!”
We played a few more rounds before Chloe decided to lunge my way, causing us both to knock over a small bookshelf as we fell to the ground.
“You guys!!” Brittany started shouting at us, we couldn’t stop laughing.
This is the best feeling! I don’t have a care in the world! Let’s party! I grabbed Chloe around the neck.
“Let’s find Joey and Jake,” Chloe attempted to say but slurred. It was still funny enough to laugh hysterically.
“Joey who?!” I couldn’t stop laughing.
We stumbled down half the staircase still giggling and holding onto each other.
“Ouch, that must have hurt,” I heard a voice say but couldn’t see any faces. I was looking for the nearest drink to take. Chloe wouldn’t let go of me. She practically threw me into a group of football players we met earlier.
“Hey ladies, you appear to be having fun?” one of them said.
I felt a strong hand grab my bottom. I didn’t care; I was reaching for his beer bottle to take a swig.
“Try this baby.”
I felt a glass push up against my lips, I started choking and coughing up whatever it was he was forcing me to drink. I heard a lot of laughter around me.
“That’s gross, ease up Brad, she’s pretty drunk,” another voice said.
“I am not! Watch this!” I was mad and wanted to show them!
I grabbed a big bottle of some clear alcohol off the counter and put it up to my mouth. I’ll show them. It burnt my lips and stung my chin and neck as it spilled down the front of me. My throat was on fire but I wanted them to think I was as tough as I felt. Still the chanting, I couldn’t stop, I’m not a wimp. I heard Chloe laughing and screaming at the same time.
“All right Linds!!”
The night went on and on…
The music was blaring; I couldn’t make out any of the songs. I’m lying on the bathroom floor. Half of my face is wet and slimy. I felt a cool cloth wipe away some of the slime.
“Drink this.”
“J o e y?”
“It’s water, you need to drink it,” Joey said firmly.
“I’m sorry, so sorry… are you… are you mad at me?” I said between dry heaves into the toilet.
“Let’s get out of here; I’m just glad I finally found you.”
“Huh? What?” I couldn’t understand anything he was saying.
CHAPTER 9A
My Head Hurts
I could hear the sound of the vacuum. Chloe? Wasn’t I staying over at her house? I’m in my own room. How did I get here? It was 1:40 pm. My head was pounding so hard I tried throwing my pillow on top to block out the banging. Ever y move I attempted made the room spin. I finally forced myself to sit up… oh god, bathroom, bathroom, bathroom. I held my stomach and my mouth with each hand.
“Look out.” I reached out for the toilet. Aimee was washing her hands at the sink.
“Yuk! You got the flu or something?” asked Aimee.
Yeah, something all right. I thought to myself.
I shuffled back towards my room.
“I thought I heard you,” mom said coming up the stairs.
“Lindsey just barfed up a lung.” Aimee offered.
“I was a little concerned when Joey brought you home this morning. He told us you guys must have eaten bad hot dogs at the movie theatre last night because Chloe is pretty sick as well.”
“Oh yeah.” I didn’t even remember coming home. I owe Joey.
“How are you feeling?” Mom didn’t take her eyes off me.
“I just need sleep.”
“We’ll talk when you are feeling better,” mom shot me an all-knowing look.
Great. I’m in so much trouble. My mom is a nurse, it’s not like I could hide these symptoms. I could hear mom and dad in a muffled discussion downstairs. I could vaguely make out Chloe’s name and college party. I wonder if they called her or phoned her mom. I wish my mom could just take care of me like she does when I’m honestly sick. I feel like absolute crap. I’m never doing that again! How embarrassing. I hope Joey doesn’t want to break up with me. The last thing I remember was dancing with some guy on the coffee table. I slowly shuffled towards my window. I could hear the sounds of children’s laughter. I wish I were them right now. I pulled down my blind to hide the sun and the reality of feeling normal.
My phone rang louder than ever. My head started playing the drums again. It was Joey.
“How are you feeling?” He was concerned and I could sense disappointment in his voice.
“I’ve been much better. I’m so sorry for whatever happened. I honestly don’t remember a whole lot. Are you upset with me?”
“I’ll admit I’m disappointed in you. You acted pretty different last night,” he said.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“Did you even know those guys?!” His voice took a different tone.
“What guys?”
“You were playing drinking games; they were pouring beer down your throat! You were dancing with one of them quite a bit. You wouldn’t give me the time of day!”
“I don’t remem…” He cut me off.
“I know
, that’s why I wanted to talk to you first. Lindsey, if I wanted an alcoholic, flirty girlfriend, I could easily get one. You were different, like you had intelligence and were more interested in your sports. I don’t need this or want it!”
I started feeling sick to my stomach again, I don’t know if it was the alcohol or what Joey was telling me.
“Are you breaking up with me?” I could feel my eyes started to sting.
He paused.
“Joey?” I could hardly speak.
“No. I still care about you a lot Lindsey. But not again okay? you embarrassed yourself pretty good.”
“Never again,” I was so relieved.
“Have you heard from Chloe?” He asked.
“No, why?”
“I guess she left with a car load of college guys.”
“I better call her. I’ll talk to you later… and thanks Joey, for everything. You’re the best.”
“Bye Lindsey.”
I finally hauled my body out of bed at suppertime. I was starving.
“How are you doing Lindsey?” asked Dad.
“I’m fine; could you pass the potatoes please?” I said, hoping to get the attention off myself.
“I know you and Chloe went to some college party last night. I guess you could say Jessica blew your cover. I ran into her and her mother at the market this morning. She thought we knew.” Mom continued on with obvious disappointment in her voice. I would prefer she ground me for a year than this!
“I’m most upset about you lying to us,” said Mom.
“I’m sorry.”
“If you could have just told me where you were going and who you were going to be with, this could have been a little easier. How am I going to know if you’re telling the truth or not?” Her voice was started to get louder but it was obvious she was trying to stay in control.
“I said I was sorry! It’ll never happen again!” I looked over at Aimee and Derek who were just staring down at their plates.
“Mom and Dad, I’ve totally learned my lesson believe me! I’ll do whatever you want. Dishes for a year, my room will always be clean; I’ll even clean your rooms!” I attempted to lighten up the conversation with a little humor.
“Your father and I have already discussed your punishment.” Mom did not change her angry expression for a second.
“This is serious Lindsey,” Dad finally piped up.
“You will be confined to your room the next couple of weekends and after school.”
I was expecting this.