Saturday night rolled around and I had successfully avoided Eli for almost an entire week, not counting the Monday afternoon/night tryst.

Short of blocking his number so that I could still see if he had even cared about me ghosting him, he had kept his distance even at the gym, leaving with the team every night and not staying late and ask me what was wrong, considering I'd done all the talking without ever having to say a word.

My father had called incessantly Friday morning through the night, texted, left voicemails, each one begging me to come back home, then demanding until he finally just gave up and assumed that I wasn't coming back home for the weekend which was a very true assumption.

My grandmother, however, had kept in contact with me throughout the entire week, even FaceTiming with me a few times just to make sure that I was real. I never realized how much I'd missed her until seeing her face.

I'd stayed clear of her Facebook profile, mainly because I was scared to see what was there after knowing that one daughter had abandoned her and the other killed. Kara never called her mother. Never.

When asked why I finally decided to reach out after so much time had passed since turning eighteen, I froze up.

I came up with a fake excuse, soaking up her features that reminded me so much of my mother while trying to formulate a way to ask her what I wanted to know without coming off as a terrible granddaughter than only got back in contact with her to unearth an ugly secret about her father.

Surely she wouldn't see it that way, right?

Still, I couldn't ask. So we'd caught each other up on our lives since the ban on our contact five years prior, and I hadn't had the heart yet to apologize for the wait in unblocking her number.

The happy birthday, Merry Christmas and other various holiday texts and voicemails she'd left me still brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat when I thought of it.

She wasn't alone, my grandfather was still alive, but both of her children had left her in one way or another and I knew for a fact Sara never spoke to her, so hearing her voice and seeing her face was like a salve to a wound I'd never even realized was there.

Her love filled into me and patched up the cracks in my heart that my mother's death had created, and the premium my father placed on his love and affection hadn't done those emotional injuries any favors.

And still, despite these abandonments, she welcomed me back like I'd never stopped taking her calls or texts, like I'd never blocked her number and succumbed to my father's demands. She acted as if we were merely catching up after a long weekend of not being able to talk to one another, and the relief that flowed through me that I hadn't alienated such an integral piece of my family was more than all encompassing, it was downright consuming in my joy that she'd forgiven me.

Still, as I sat in my chair in front of the vanity Bea had set up in our dorm, I couldn't get the nightmare/memory out of my head, my father's voice mocking my musical dreams, his slurred words and anger filled speech finally coming to a head as he punched the gas into the middle of traffic, effectively killing my mother and paralyzing himself in one fell swoop, not to mention the paralysis that had occurred in my heart.

Witnessing your mother's death for your own two eyes as a twelve year old girl who depended so deeply on her could definitely screw with someone's head, just like it had with mine.

Mascara and eyeliner applied after the contour and eyeshadow, all that was left was some highlighter and lip products and to get dressed for the party where Maddie had invited me the week before.

It was to be held at Patrick's frat that most of the basketball players were apart of, well, everyone except Eli. I didn't know why he wasn't a member of the frat just like the entirety of his team, but I had a feeling that asking him questions regarding my curiosities about him were suddenly off limits after my immediate ghosting of him.

Those eyes followed me in the gym as I went about my daily tasks, like he was drilling a hole into the side of my head with his questioning gaze. Then, there'd be the problem of what I was going to do about my dad and Eli staying at our guest house every other weekend. If my dad kept true to his threats, he'd pull the tuition for my school and I wouldn't be able to return for the next semester if I didn't adhere to his demands, which meant seeing Sara, Jared, Kara, and ultimately Eli.

"Hey, you look so pretty tonight! Why do you look so...sad?"

I met Hazel's concerned stare and plastered a fake smile on my face, even though the wrecked parts inside of me protested and festered underneath my emotional wounds.

"I was just concentrating on not poking my eye out with the eyeliner. All good. You ready to go?"

Dressed in tight skinny jeans and a crop top, Hazel had left her red coils down in waves down her back and stuck to more natural makeup, whereas Bea had gone all out in a tight plaid mini skirt and tucked in sleeveless crop top, both of them total ten out of ten knockouts.

Dressed more similarly to Hazel than Bea, my light denim tight jeans plastered to my skin and I paired it with a black tank bodysuit with thin straps, leaving my hair to fall in a straight waterfall down my back.

"We look hot."

I didn't have to fake the smile at Bea at her words.

"Yes ma'am we do. Remember our buddy system?"

"Of course."

We were to always be around each other at all times, and if we wanted to go off with a guy, he had to be vetted first. Since there were three of us, I let them know that Maddie was a designated friend that I could be left with in case the other two needed to use the bathroom and I didn't.

No drinks were accepted even if they were bottles and still shut. We got our own drinks and opened them ourselves. We also never got drunk, only tipsy. We would still have our faculties, but just enough of a buzz to join in with the party.

Last rule was no shots. After a disastrous first party at the very beginning of the year without our buddy system, we'd found Hazel passed out on a couch downstairs at a frat and she'd had no idea how she'd gotten there after we were separated. Luckily, a Good Samaritan had kept watch over her and made sure that she wasn't hurt, a basketball player that I'd only seen a few times on the courts with Eli, though I couldn't remember his name.

The heels of our various shoes clicked against the pavement as we linked arms and trekked the short walk across campus to the frat house that was filled to the brim with partygoers and I allowed the fun atmosphere to wash over my skin, giving Hazel's arm an extra squeeze in solidarity because I knew how nervous she was to go to her first party since her incident where she'd lost control.

"You sure you want to be here? We can always leave and go see a movie or something?"

"A movie? Wearing this? Hell no. I'm not going to be scared of these parties for the rest of college. I'm smart, I have you guys and this is going to be fine."

Pride shone through me for my friend's strength, and we entered the house after paying the cover by dropping our money into the giant bucket manned by a shirtless guy in a giant horned helmet talking like Thor.

"A pence from a peasant wench! Pay your toll!"

"What is he supposed to be, the troll guarding the entrance to the bridge?"

I couldn't hold back my giggle as the guy gave us a glare but continued his characterization and we entered the bouncing two story house, littered with solo cups of three main colors-red, green and yellow.

"It's a traffic light party? I'm wearing red. Great."

"What? Now you probably won't get hit on by disgusting assholes," I yelled over to Bea as we neared the drink station, trying desperately not to be jostled into by the throng of sweaty and already drunk people that packed the entryway.

"You're wearing black, Hazel's wearing white. We're so not cut out for this."

I had to agree with Bea. I wondered why Maddie had invited me to this party, considering the fact that this didn't necessarily seem like her scene, least of all mine.

"Let's just get a drink and find somewhere to sit down," I told her just as the strong stench of weed hit my nostrils.

I tried to ignore the pack of people huddled over in the kitchen taking turns snorting white lines on the counter, but I was starting to realize that this party was way more hardcore than I'd previously assumed.

"Ladies! You're not wearing your complimentary colors. Allow me."

Stickers were stuck precariously close to our breasts by a frat member, his face obscured by green paint covering his features and then his entire hand encompassed my boob, and needless to say, I was fed up.

I grabbed the asshole's hand and twisted it, the satisfying squeal the guy let out music to my ears.

"Touch me or any girl again without her permission you pathetic twat and I'll break your fucking wrist. Got me?"

His eyes wide he nodded his head quickly, then when I released it he gave me a slow once over and whistled.

"Damn. Pocahontas got feisty."

Screw yellow and green, my vision turned bloody fucking red.

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?"

I was in his face before I knew what I was doing, my friends trying to hold me back but there was a sudden commotion to my left that I didn't turn to look at, but green faced asshole was about peeing his pants at the sight.

"Well? Got nothing to say now, asshole?"

My voice, sharper than a steel edge came out clipped and fiery, but it wasn't that which scared the frat boy in front of me. It was the six foot seven basketball player with chestnut hair and the fiercest glare I'd ever seen on anyone's face. Ever.

Eli...

***

Author's Note:

Well...that was interesting.

What do you think is going to happen next?

What do you WANT to happen next?

What do you think about the fact that V ghosted Eli?

Who's ready for Eli's POV?😇

Petition to kick green faced guy in his nasty green face?! ✨✨

Until next time my lovely readers,

Kristen :)