0.5

"Oh my god, stop! Really?" The girl questioned, her ribs beginning to ache from all of the laughter.

"I Swear to god," Elliot tried to subside his amusement with a cough, clearing his throat, "I don't think you noticed me at the time though."

Priscilla covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, watching as Elliot began to cut the drugs evenly with his debit card, making sure the lines were vertically perfect.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, feeling a sense of embarrassment, even though the setting of this particular story was back in ninth grade.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Elliot shrugged off the subject, reassuring her, "who would've guessed we would've been here now."

"Yeah," Priscilla chuckled. She let her head rest on the linen scented wall behind them as her hands sat in her lap. Elliot leaned over, holding two fingers to the side of his nose. Each time he snorted, Priscilla flinched, imagining the burn. She continued eyeing the boy as he pinched his nostrils tightly, shutting his eyes.

It took him a second to shake off the feeling.

Elliot went for another line as he caught a glimpse of the blonde. The boy nodded to the substance in front of him, holding out the rolled up dollar bill to her, "Do you wanna-"

"Oh no," Priscilla quickly declined, not realizing how much she had probably been staring.

"Are you sure, it's not a big d-"

"Yeah, no, I-I'm okay," Priscilla politely shook her head, no.

Her hand dragged up and down her arm, uncomfortably as she reflected back to the night of the carnival, when he had done Molly with Kat. "I'm sorry," Priscilla blurted out, immediately feeling idiotic after doing so.

Elliot raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Nah, nah, you're good. Not everyone's thing."

"Don't worry," he reassured her, holding his hand up, "Completely get it." He did one more line before joining her back on the floor.

The two sat across from each other.

"So," Elliot dragged on the word, tilting his head to the side as he eyed her, "why are you here?"

Priscilla rolled her eyes, letting out a dry laugh, "Um, it's New Years?"

"No, like," Elliot scratched the top of his blonde hair, "down here, with me. I'm pretty sure you've got a group of people looking for you."

"Actually, I do," Priscilla jokingly held up her phone, which had been vibrating all night, "I don't know, I just don't feel like dealing with other people's shit tonight."

"That bad?" Elliot dug around in his jacket pocket, successfully finding the blunt he had been looking for. He put it in between his lips, cupping his hands together. He took two quick hits before passing it to Priscilla, which she nonchalantly took from the stranger.

"That bad."

The girl was referring to her on and off going drama with Fezco, the fact that Rue was spiraling again and there was nothing she could do to stop it, Maddy arguing with Nate through a bathroom door, Kat texting her that Priscilla could gladly third wheel with her and Ethan.

Priscilla inhaled the smoke, coughing from the burn at the back of her throat. "Well, I'm not going to ask you about it, because that would kind of be besides the point of you escaping," Elliot's hand lightly brushed hers as Priscilla passed the blunt back to him.

"Thank you," she chuckled.

Priscilla could admit, he was very attractive. Even though the girl didn't really know him, Priscilla noticed it was very easy for her to talk to him.

She didn't know if it was because she had been so over what had happened earlier tonight, that she was willing to hang out with anyone else outside of her normal group, or because she was loosened up from the shots and weed, but his aura oddly made Priscilla feel comfortable.

Priscilla still could hear the little voice inside her voice though.

The one reminding her to adjust her top whenever she leaned over towards him, when she'd laugh too hard. Or fix her skirt when she would notice the hem beginning to rise. When she began to notice how lost in her thoughts she had become, she snapped out of it.

Priscilla pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, clearing her throat, "What about you? Not many people usually pick a laundry room as their comfort area at parties."

Elliot shrugged, taking another hit, "I came here with my friends but they have other friends, people I don't really, get along with, if you'd call it. So, I thought I'd just chill down here until it's time to drive their drunk asses home."

"Oh?" Priscilla raised an eyebrow, telling him to elaborate.

"It's not like that," Elliot chuckled, rolling his eyes as next came Priscilla's turn, "I just mean, their friends aren't my type of people, and that's okay."

"And I am?" Priscilla placed the blunt in her mouth, softly inhaling.

"Oh, definitely not, you're just really hot," Elliot shook his head. Priscilla jokingly hit him on the shoulder, placing the blunt in between her fingers, twirling it around. As she opened her mouth to ask him a question, her phone began again. Priscilla unlocked her screen, before placing the phone to her ear.

"Yeah," she sighed, placing the blunt in her mouth for Elliot to light for her.

He obliged, cupping his hand around the small fire as the blonde exhaled the smoke.

"I see Maddy, Kat, even Rue stumbling around here but you're nowhere to be found," Fez' voice came in on the other line.

Priscilla noticed Elliot's lips beginning to curl into a small smirk as she switched hands to take another hit.

"I was hiding," she joked, trying to hold in her laughter, passing the blunt back.

Priscilla moved her hair away from her neck, fanning herself off as she leaned back against the wall. The girl could feel the burn of Elliot's eyes, sizing up how beautiful she was. Her small fingers fidgeted with the gold chain around her neck as she continued on the phone.

"Well, it's almost midnight, can I at least get one dance?"

"It's like you don't understand what me being mad at you is," Priscilla scoffed. He always did this, like he didn't care or realize how serious the matter was.

He always figured that if he gave her the smallest amount of space, all would be forgiven. Like he didn't just put her in the most dangerous situation she's even been in, not only two hours ago.

"Nah, trust me," he paused, his voice unsteady, "I know all about that, at this point. I just don't want to go on into the New Year on some bullshit, P."

"I don't thi-"

"Hey, so they only had these Buzzball things left in the cooler, you want something else?"

Priscilla heard a female voice coming from the other end. Fezco covered the mic with his palm, muffle sounding out into Priscilla's ear.

"Who is that?" The girl abruptly stood up, her eyes on Elliot as his was fixated on her risen skirt.

"Lexi," his answer was so calm, which triggered her, like he didn't have anything to worry about, "we just been chilling."

"And you had to wait until she got up to call me for a dance?" Priscilla's high immediately being blown. She couldn't even attempt to hide her jealousy, especially if it was Lexi who was Fez' company for the night.

"I've been texting you this whole fucking time, Priscilla! Where the fuck have you been?"

The teenager hung up the phone. Priscilla quickly gathered herself, "I gotta go," was all she told Elliot, leaving him. As she made her way through the expansive basement level, upstairs, she noticed a familiar figure passed out in the stairwell.

"God, Rue!" Priscilla placed a hand on top of her chest before kneeled down. She gripped the girl's jaw, forcing Rue to look up.

Rue's eyes fluttered open slowly as if they weighed heavy on her face. "I saw Jules," her friend smiled at the memory, "she looks good."

The blonde sighed, brushing her curly hair out of her face, "Are you okay?"

After everything Rue has been through, especially since Jules first left, Priscilla didn't know if seeing her tonight would be a good thing for her friend, or cause her to spiral even more. But Rue, seemed oddly blissful. She was smiling, and smiling, teeth and all, like she was in a dream. Based on how high she had been, she probably thought she was.

Priscilla stood up, taking her friend's gentle hands into hers, "Come on."

The blonde groaned, pulling her weight up, "Up, we go."

As the aggressiveness of DMX blasted throughout the party, Priscilla effortlessly pushed everyone out of her view, making her way throughout the house. She could finally stopped when she found what she had been looking for. Dead in the center of the room, like some sort of spotlight was upon them.

Fezco leaned back into the couch, his fingers dancing in the chair-end, almost as if he was nervous. The smile on his face was so wide and shylike, almost childish. Next to him, sat Lexi, her knees closed together but positioned next to his as she laughed back.

Before Priscilla decided to intrude, she let the conversation continue.

"Yo, I gotta cut soon," Fez glaced his tongue over his lips, his head tilting, "But, I just wanted to tell you, talking to you, was one of the best parts of my whole year."

Even with the ear piercing music playing, and the hundreds of conversations happening around her. Priscilla tried her hardest to focus everyone out. She had a pain in her chest, watching how comfortable he could be with another girl. It wasn't anything like his typical flirting that she's seen before, it's like he wasn't even trying.

Now see, it would be completely different if all he wanted to do was fuck her. He wouldn't be this interested in her like this, he wouldn't waste his time getting to know her.

Fezco smiled at her, like an elementary school kid, innocent and full of excitement.

"Yeah, right," Lexi simply laughed his kind words off, genuinely not believing him.

But, Priscilla knew he would say it to her if he didn't mean it.

"Why you always doing that shit?"

Doing what?, Priscilla asked to herself.

"Doing what?" Lexi's dark brown eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know, like doubting yourself and shit," Fezco lit up a joint.

"Oh," Lexi began to awkwardly run her hand up and down her arm. She didn't expect such a direct question about her insecurities, "I don't know, do I do that?"

Priscilla could feel her insides burning, as if a flame sat in her abdomen. She was so angry that her mind began to go numb. She had never seen Fezco talk to another woman like this, this close or intimate, unless it was her. The fact that he was sharing some sort of moment with Lexi, out of all people, what did he see in her?

He looked so, comfortable.

"Yeah, kinda," he answered, sitting up in his chair. Lexi unknowingly adjusted herself to match his new position as he leaned in. "Can I get your phone number or something?"

Priscilla chuckled, not realizing that she had began to, but when she tasted the saltiness of her tears, she realized she was so paralyzingly upset that she actually began to cry. The girl continued to watch in shame as Lexi smiled softly, like this moment meant the world to her, "Um, yeah."

Lexi easily handed her phone over and Fezco quickly opened a new contact, inserting himself before handing it back to her. Priscilla didnt know what hurt her more. How nonchalant, and smooth Fezco seemed to be with doing all of this, meanwhile he had put her through so much in the beginning of the evening. How excited Lexi was, to just even be in his presence, to have his undivided attention, for him to be seeking her out. He genuinely liked her.

"Hope to see you soon, Lexi. Have a good night." Fezco began to rise from his seat, giving her one last glance and a smile before getting up.

The ginger reached into his own pocket, dialing before putting the phone up to his ear.

Priscilla coughed, wiping her eyes as her head continued to spin. She snapped out of her daze, her heart wishing that she would feel a familiar vibration in her hand but she didn't.

She watched as Fezco continued his conversation before abruptly hanging up, Lexi staring back at him with open, doe like eyes.

Priscilla felt physically sick.

She violently pushed the girl next to her, spilling a large sum of her drink, not caring as she made her way towards outside. There she found Rue, sitting by the pool, who was accompanied by Jules. Elliot sitting across from the two of them with his own friends.

"Rue," Her voice was almost inaudible, hosrse and cracked. Almost like if someone had the nerve to ask if she was alright, she could easily break down.

Rue's eyes snapped up from Jules, to her bestfriend. Immediately, knowing she wasn't okay from the last time they had seen each other.

Priscilla looked around at the crowd of people, "We gotta,"

The girl cleared her throat, her lips beginning to tremble as she tried not to cry with everyone there, "We gotta go now."

"O-Okay," Rue stood up with urgency, looking back to Jules, whose smile has fallen at the seriousness of the situation. "I gotta go. We'll catch up later."

Priscilla took the girl's hand, dragging her away. The two managed to navigate their way to back to the car, Priscilla continuously apologizing as they wandered in the middle of the street.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about that. I know you haven't seen her in forever but I just couldn't stay there anymore, I can't-"

Priscilla was so determined on getting back to the car and going straight home but she abruptly paused, when she realized Fez was their ride.

"P, just calm down for a second. What happened?"

"I'm calling an Uber, I just need to get the fuck out of here. I just want to go home." Priscilla's fingers frantically tapped at her screen, the phone knocking out of her hand due to her own shakiness and onto the cement pavement.

"Fuck!" She yelled, kneeling down to grab it when a passing car honked at the two in the street. "Fuck off!"

Rue helped the blonde pick herself up, rubbing her hands up and down Priscilla's shoulders, "Hey, we can go to my house, you can spend the night with me."

Priscilla nodded, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face. All she did was shake her head as Rue stared back at her. The blonde was so torn up, to the point where Rue could recognize her through all of the tears. Her face was red and bundled up in sadness, like her heart had literally been ripped out. Priscilla sighed, realized how chaotic she was being.

She backed away, pacing amongst herself, pushing her hair out of her face so she could finally take a moment to breathe. "I watched him get Lexi's fucking number."

"Fez?"

"Who fucking else, Rue?!" Priscilla screamed. Who else would have the ability to tear her up like this?

"This whole time he was cuddled up to her, and you know, he had the fucking nerve to call me and call me and call. Saying that he didn't want us to go into the New Year not being together, and then-" The blonde reflected back to how much it hurt, the look of adoration on his face as Lexi spoke. "I watched that shit. I watched it, I saw him ask her for her number. I saw him put it in her phone. I watched him want her. Meanwhile, here I am," Priscilla didn't have to explain anything further. The way she looked right about now explained how fucked up she was inside.

Rue, in all honesty, didn't know what to say, or how to begin to comfort Priscilla, considering they had never been in this situation before. Her friend didn't even care about another man like this, for her to be this distraught.

Rue's phone began to vibrate and she tried to ignore it as much as she could but it kept going off.

"What?" She answered Ashtray's call.

"We're out at midnight, I'm heading to the car now. Where ya'll at?"

"We're here now but-"

"Who is that?" Priscilla cried, stumbling to grab the phone from Rue, but the curly haired girl held it away, "Is that him?"

"We're gonna take an Uber, Ash. We'll be good."

"A'ight," was all he said and then a click.

Priscilla began to manically laugh, a thousand emotions flooding her body, "I need to see him, I need to talk to him."

"I really don't think that's a good idea, P," Rue forced her friend to sit on the curb, "Listen, we should go. You're not in a state to be talking to anyone other than me right now."

Priscilla obviously knew that Rue was right but she couldn't care less. She wanted the spectacle, the embarrassment of the situation. She desired an answer as to why she could be this fucked up over him, and why Fezco wasn't.

Priscilla kicked her shoes off, grabbing them by the velvet straps as she began walking back to the house. Rue blindly followed after her, the combination of drugs doing the hard work of moving her feet for her. The two entered back into the house just as the countdown towards midnight began.

"Everyone, everyone, one minute until fucking New Years!"

Priscilla frantically looked around, noticing that she had once again lost Rue so she was now on her own. She locked eyes with Kat, who was huddled in the living room with Ethan, along with everyone else. "Girl, where's your shot? The balls about to drop!"

The brunette paused when she saw the look on Priscilla's face and her swollen eyes, "Are you alright?"

"Where's Fez?"

Kat pointed behind her, towards the kitchen, sending the drunk and high blonde darting in that direction. The party was so crowded, over a thousand people jumping, cheering and laughing with one another. The sea of bodies felt suffocating.

Priscilla didn't notice him pass by her at first, his shirt different from the blue Polo he had worn when they first arrived. Fezco was determined on his path to the kitchen, as if he was searching for someone. Priscilla followed after him, pulling the boy back by the shirt sleeve.

He turned around, a look of irritation for whatever interrupted him.

"P," he sighed, his eyes went up and down the blonde's body, "Go to the car."

Her hair was a mess, her ripped dress and outfit in a worse condition than it was when they had first arrived. She looked extremely fucked up and looking for a problem.

Priscilla laughed at his fake concern, the tears beginning to come to the surface again, "You're not even going to say Happy New Years? Or did you already kiss Lexi?"

Fezco was taken aback by the confrontation at first, slowly realizing why she had looked so upset. His body immediately felt limp with guilt and sadness as he stared back. Her blue eyes seemed so lifeless, sad, and lost.

But, he couldn't allow himself to focus on her feelings in this moment. His chest tightened up as he began to turn around, "I love you but we gotta talk about this shit later."

Was that all he could minimize this too? What was so important for him to leave her like this?

Priscilla did nothing as she watched him continue into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of Vodka. Fezco stood next to Nate Jacobs, who himself was on his tenth drink of the night.

Why the fuck was he talking to Nate? After everything?

Priscilla tried her best to ignore the pounding in her head, the black spots that began to cloud her vision as the boys continued to talk.

"Yo, Happy New Years. You having a good time?" Fezco took a sip from his cup, his eyes fixated on Nate.

Nate began to cough uncontrollably, trying to keep down the excessive amount of alcohol in his system, "Yeah, you? What's up?"

"You make any New Year's resolutions?" Fezco's chest heaved up and down, his muscles prominent through his white long sleeve. His eyes kept scanning around the room, almost looking for a quick way out. The ginger caught a glimpse of Priscilla, who herself was barely holding on against the wall and focused back onto Nate.

Nate could feel the nervousness seeming from Fezco's stance, and leaned in, "The last time we talked, didn't you say you wanted to to kill me?"

Fezco gave another glance towards Priscilla, regretting it as Nate followed his gaze.

"Yeah, well," Fezco sniffled, looking down at the cup and the bottle in his hands, "It's a New Year, playboy."

The boy's remained straight and calculated as he lifted his cup for Nate to cheers.

Nate swallowed whatever was left in his cup and as he raised his arm to meet Fezco's, a loud glass chatter erupted.

Everyone screamed as what took place next seemed to happen in seconds and flashes.

After hitting him brutally with the bottle and punching him the face, Fezco grabbed Nate, seemingly throwing him out onto the living room floor.

His face completely frozen and locked as he continued to hit him over and over, pushing everyone who attempted to stop him out of his way, as if they weighed and meant nothing to him.

The blood began to pool onto the ground, splattering onto his white shirt but Fezco didn't care. All he could see was red. The girls tried their best to stop the assault but nothing came to until McKay came over, prying Fezco off of his friend.

Fezco pushed McKay out of the way, ready to attack him next but stopped when he realized the damage he needed to do, was done.

Everyone went silent, the only audible noise was Fezco's heavy breathing and Nate's bloody wheezing. After the ordeal, the girls began to carry Nate out, a limp in each of their arms as they yelled for bystanders to move out of their way.

"Damn," Rue sighed.

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