Page 24 of Captured Love

I take a tentative sip, bracing for the burn of alcohol, but instead I'm met with a surprisingly smooth, fruity taste. “What is this? It tastes like... candy.”

Isla shrugs. “Some concoction the guy at the bar threw together. Said it was the 'house special.' Probably all the leftover mixers and a splash of every bottle.”

I take another swig, this one longer. “It's dangerous. I could drink a gallon of this and not even realize how drunk I am.”

“That's the point,” Isla says with a wicked grin. “If you want the rest of it, it’s yours.”

“You’re such an asshole. You know that, right?” I find myself finishing the drink in one go and then I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

And it’s then I realize I’ve probably ruined the lip gloss I’d put on tonight. Who am I fooling? I’m sure it was screwed up years ago at this point.

“You're welcome,” Isla says, her smile widening as she watches me.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I reply as she hands me back my water bottle. I can already feel the warmth spreading through my chest and I know that’s a sign of hell potentially breaking loose. But trouble is exactly what I’m looking for tonight.

I stumble toward a garbage can and thankfully manage not to throw up as I do so. I toss the plastic cup in before I make my way back to Isla on the dance floor. “Let's get back to dancing,” I say.

She hesitates, studying me with a look in her eye that screams she’s known me for way too long. “You sure? I don't want you passing out on me.”

I wave her concern away. “I'm fine! Just need to burn off some of this energy.”

“Alright.” She waves me off, but her eyes still linger on me. We dive back into the mass of bodies, the music now switching to a more electronic beat that's almost hypnotic in its repetition. My limbs feel loose, and the world isn’t spinning yet so that’s a plus.

For a moment, I forget about the little voice in my head that's always pointing out my flaws. Right now, I'm just Selene—the life of the party, the girl everyone wants to be around.

And that’s fine by me.

The next hour blurs together in a haze of laughter, sweat, and moments of us singing at the top of our lungs. Isla and I meet up with old friends and make new ones, the kind you only ever see at parties like this. My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it. Whoever it is can wait because I’m having the time of life, and I don’t care.

“Selene, I need to use the bathroom!” Isla shouts into my ear.

I look around for a clock but find none. That proves that time is irrelevant here, at least in my mind. “Want me to come with you?” I ask, knowing the answer.

“Duh!”

We link arms and start to navigate through the sweaty bodies. The house is a maze of bodies, every room packed with people partying their asses off. We pass by the kitchen, and I see a pyramid of red Solo cups stacked high on the counter, with someone attempting to knock it over using a football. The ball flies out of his hand just as we turn a corner, and I hear the crash along with a chorus of drunken “ooooohs” as we make our way up the stairs.

I would have had the same reaction.

The line for the bathroom snakes down the hall, and Isla groans. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m going to burst.”

I shrug. “You could always use the yard like old times.”

She glares at me but there's a playful twinkle in her eye. “Those were desperate measures! You were seventeen and stupid.”

“Me?” I laugh. “I distinctly remember you being there too.”

She sticks her tongue out at me and then crosses her legs dramatically. “I'm gonna die.”

“You'll survive,” I say, leaning against the wall. My head is starting to feel light, like it's filled with helium, and I welcome the floaty sensation. The alcohol has done its job; all my anxieties have taken a backseat for now.

I glance at the line and then back to Isla. “Remember when we thought sneaking into college parties would be more exciting than this?”

She sighs, leaning against the wall next to me. “That was just you being a bad influence.”

“Once again, you were there too. Don’t make this about me. Remember how freaked out we were as we ran from that house party when the cops came? Not to mention we ran into Grace there.”

“Yeah, that was the night I met Asher.”

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