Days after.
"Hey," I joined Uche on his porch while he locked his front door.
He turned around and ran his eyes through my outfit. A sleeveless body fit short peach dress with an open back and low waist.
"I thought your aunt knew you were going to the party," he chuckled in amazement at the dress I was wearing.
"She does. Nick told her it was at Kim's."
"And she let you go in this?"
"She left for some emergency work so..." I trailed.
"Oh," he smiled.
"I was still gonna be wearing it whether she was home or not." I let him know with a shrug.
"I didn't even know you had this kinda dress," he pulled me closer."Oh, back's open too." He commented on his discovery with his hands caressing my bare back.
"Are you two fucking serious? The party's already started." Nick's voice came from the end of Uche's yard.
"We're coming," Uche answered with a smile before turning to me. He left a peck on my lips and took my hands to join Nick but he stopped."Hold on, I forgot something." He said and went back to unlocking his door.
***
At the party.
I sat on Uche's lap while he was k the midst of all his friends. They were drinking some alcohol Kim had sourced from who knows where and I think they mixed something in the drink...I couldn't tell though.
Kim got on his feet and poured some more of the brandy for all his friends, Nick and Uche included. Uche was about to drink from his when I stopped him.
"That's enough, you're gonna get drunk if you keep on drinking," I whispered to him but I think Nick overheard me.
"That's the point of it, to make you drunk, hello...?"
"Yeah, she's right. I don't wanna be drunk tonight." Uche said and Nick shook his head.
"You really gonna let my sister tell you if to drink or not? Your dad ain't even coming home tonight or tomorrow, he's still two days away from home, so what the fuck you going on about?"
"I wanna stay sober, just in case she gets drunk herself." Uche rocked me by slowly moving his lap. I smiled.
"What? Julie doesn't even drink?" Nick reminded him and I got tired of it all.
"Says who?" I asked Nick and took Uche's red party cup from him, chugging down all of its content to prove my point. Uche sat up, making me lose the balance I had sitting on him.
"What did you...why did you...?" He didn't know what to ask.
"I can handle it, it's just a small cup," I assured him but became worried when Nick got concerned too.
"Do you even know what was in that 'small cup'?" Nick asked.
I shrugged and tried to act nonchalant about what I just did. When Nick left with Kim and the others there, I turned to Uche with worry.
"What was in it?" I inquired.
"Some things to get high..." He sounded worried for me too.
"Drugs?" I panicked.
"No, not drugs. Just some stuff..." He trailed and scratched his head."I don't even know what exactly was put in it. It was Kim who mixed the drinks."
"But it's not that bad, right? You were drinking it." I asked for assurance, but he wasn't giving it to me."Uche..." I groaned and he just rubbed his face.
"Why did you drink it?" I heard him sigh."Hold on, I'll go ask Kim about it."
"Okay," I stood from his lap and he stood.
"Stay here, so I can find you when I come back. Some kids from other schools are here, it's crowded."
"Okay." I nodded and watched him leave till I couldn't see his broad shoulders anymore.
Sitting idly and using my phone for a while, someone covered my eyes from behind."Who is it?" I placed my hands over the person's hand, trying to decipher who by the feel of their hand.
"Guess," the person spoke and I could immediately tell.
"Casey," I called and she retrieved her hands."I didn't know you were coming tonight," I told her and heard her giggle.
"Well, I wasn't gonna, but I changed my mind when someone begged me to come."
"Nick?" I asked like that would have been hard to guess.
"No," she surprised me.
"Oh. Who then?"
"It's a secret," she came closer, "Jack," she whispered in my ear and I just wondered to myself who the hell Jack was, but I didn't ask. I didn't care to know that much.
"Oh," I just said as she sat next to me, where Nick sat before.
"Oh, here he comes!" She squealed excitedly.
Jack was tall. Taller than Nick actually, maybe Uche's height. And Jack was fine, the only problem was who was Jack, I swear I hadn't seen him in school before.
"Hey," just greeted me and squared in front of Casey."You made it." He smiled happily. He seemed as happy to see her as she was to see him.
"I did." Casey smiled sheepishly before introducing me to him."So, Jack, this is Julie, my friend."
"Hi," I did a little wave and he smiled.
"I'm Jack," he went formal.
"You go to our school?" I asked and he shook his head.
"No, but I know people from your school." He confirmed my assumption.
"Okay, Jack. Nice to see you." I smiled, getting on my feet as I did."My boyfriend is waiting for me over there." I lied and scurried away to give them some alone time.
I would ask her later, how she met Jack when he didn't go to our school. And most surprisingly, how she got over Nick so quickly.
I was still walking towards Nick and his friends, hoping Uche would be there, when the drink I had taken earlier suddenly hit me.
I blinked repeatedly to stop my vision from being blurry but it didn't help. I could feel my feet floating above the ground. Was I not on my feet anymore? Fuck.
Still with my blurry vision, I looked around to try and locate Uche but every face I saw was as blurry as it could be. I was high above the ground now, heading towards the roof of Kim's house. Was no one seeing what was happening?
I should shout out for help. I should do that. Maybe someone would help me stop floating above everyone. I had just opened my mouth to scream when someone held me from behind and brought me back to ground level.
I could feel my heart beating more than it should. What did our biology teacher call it again?...Tachycardia...Yes! I was having tachycardia.
"Hey, you okay?" I heard Uche's voice. So he was the one who stopped me from floating.
"Hold me tight, don't let go," I begged.
"Huh?" I heard him.
"Don't let go of me, I might float away," I explained, hoping he didn't think I was crazy. No words came from him for a while but I could feel his arms going around my waist slowly.
I turned around to face him, but his face was still a blur. His fingers trailed down from my waist to my ass. He grabbed me. He grabbed me too hard.
"Be gentle," I exhaled.
"I'm trying to be," he replied and continued to play with my ass. And all of a sudden, someone pulled me away from him.
I turned to see who it was but their face was blurred too."What the fuck, bro?" I heard Uche's voice come from the direction of the one who pulled me just now.
"We were just dancing. Chill." Uche's voice came from the opposite end; from the direction of the one who had held me before I was pulled from him.
"Chill?! You were touching my girlfriend, what the fuck, bro? You expect me to chill?"
"She didn't stop me, don't come at me..."
"That's 'cause she's drunk. Or maybe high, what did you mix in the drinks?"
"..." My mind blurred out the arguments from the two conflicting voices of my boyfriend and I just stood there, behind the one who pulled me, staring into nothingness, and then I started to float again.
"Uche!" I called out in fear." Uche, I'm floating again, hold me..."
He listened. He held my face in his soft hands, "Hey," he spoke softly.
"Yeah?" I answered, my heart still beating rapidly."I told you not to let go of me." Tears formed in my eyes.
"And I told you to sit there and wait for me," his voice was soft, but I could tell he was mad."Why did you leave where you were, I was looking for you."
"I wanted to find you," I sniffed.