Nothing good happens at parties.

On TV, all the conflicts fly to the climax at parties, where all the secrets and lies come to their tipping point and finally blow up in the protagonists' faces. Everything happens from people drunk confessing their undying love, cheating on their lovers and sometimes, people end up face down in their own pool of blood. I would take something much worse than what happened to me.

Emily dumping her Jack and Coke right on top of my head and ruining a really cool kimono jacket. It was once one hundred percent silk, now it was more like twenty-five percent silk, twenty-five percent sugar, and fifty percent rage.

"Ah," Emily stated and threw her freshly emptied red solo cup across the dining room. In triumph, she placed her hands on her hips and glowered with a fiendish smile. "Now that I finally have your attention. I'm leaving."

"What?" I blinked. Random people were handing me stray towels and napkins. I grabbed a handful of the offerings and dabbed at my wet cat appearance. Somehow, I was the one chasing her down. I was the one getting the judging looks. I was the villain. It was my typecasting.

"You invited me," Emily stated in a huff.

"Uh, yeah, I know. I kind of have complete control of what I do. No alien body snatchers yet," I said and it came off bitchier than I wanted, but I guess it came out of me naturally. Despite my long legs, it took effort to keep up with Emily when she was in a rage. Emily. Emily with her rebellious dark curls. Emily and her chunky jewelry. Emily and the notes scrawled onto her hands and arms. Emily.

"Oh!" she roared, her eyes big and wild like they'd pop out of her skull like a cartoon. "So, you're purposely ignoring me! Okay, yeah Ashely, like that makes it better? Okay." She whipped her head back around, only to nail me with her sharp scowl. It cut an ugly hole in my chest and I flinched. This only deepened her grimace. She threw the back door open and a gust of cold air made me sneeze. "You're such an ass."

"Hey! I didn't invite you as like a thing," I said instead of the truth, feeling the heat rise to the tips of my ears. As a redhead, anytime I blushed, it might as well have been a blinking neon sign above my head, telling the universe that I was embarrassed. It was why I had to yell louder than the bright blush. "We're not dating. I don't even understand why you're mad at me. You have friends at this thing too-"

That must have been the magic words because Emily finally stopped running away. She slammed her boots on the concrete outside of Olivia's pool. Half the party was out here, under the strings of Christmas lights tied between the trees with the grill and the hot dogs and now, a comedy show between two gay chicks as the main attraction. Emily whipped around; her fists curled at her side. She was so mad, her nose flared, and I could swear I saw steam stream out of her ears like a boiling kettle ready to serve some tea.

"I'm not surprised you don't understand. God." She shook her head, chewing on her anger. "I thought it was so nice you asked me out to the house. Cause-" She huffed and threw her arms out. "I guess, I'm crazy! I thought you wanted to be with me! But no! If you actually gave a shit about me and my feelings, you'd know exactly why I'm upset! And there's no reason to explain it, because you won't listen to me! Since it's not about you. Don't call me again."

A wave of guilt hit me hard and fast. I fell straight into the deep of my own regret and reached for Emily to keep from drowning. My voice couldn't come out louder than a whisper. "Em-"

She twisted, snapping at me with her hand raised. Her voice was low and final, "Ever again." It was amazing her eyes didn't set me on fire.

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Whoops! Parker is killing it as ALWAYS, haha.

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