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“Come on, Aria!” Hope shouted from somewhere in her apartment.
I took a deep breath, picked up my faded denim jacket, and walked out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Hope’s apartment was much like mine with a living room connecting to the kitchen, and a bathroom. The only difference was she had three bedrooms. It was small and compact, but it served them well, just like ours did us.
By the time I got to the front door, I’d gotten used to the block heels a little and felt much more steady.
“You ready for this?” Hope asked, and hooked her arm through mine.
“Not really.” Her answer was to laugh, and together, we walked down the couple of flights of stairs and into the lot of her apartment building.
The cab was waiting for us as we exited, and then we were on our way to the bar Lisha’s boyfriend was playing at tonight. I knew without Lisha I wouldn’t have gotten in, but I had doubts they’d let me in at all. I was only a few months out from my eighteenth birthday, and although I may not have looked my age, I didn’t act like it either. I was more than happy staying home and not going out, which was part of the problem. I didn’t go out and enjoy myself, I didn’t let my hair down. Maybe Mom and Sal were right? Maybe I needed to have some normal teenage fun for once. I was sick and tired of everything weighing on me, so by the time I exited the cab and followed Lisha and Hope into the bar, I resolved to let go.
Let go of the anger I constantly felt rushing through my veins.
Let go of the sadness that weighed me down.
Just…let go.
Lisha headed right for the stage while Hope and I settled at a table. After a few minutes, a tray of shots was placed down in front of us.
“Perks of knowing the band,” Hope said, but there was a sadness to her tone. Something had seemed off with her all night, but I hadn’t wanted to say anything. She picked up a shot and downed it without a second thought, then passed me one. “Go on.”
I inhaled a deep breath, plucked the glass from her hand, and threw back the shot. The cool liquid rolled over my tongue and slid down my throat, leaving a burn in its wake. But the burn told me I was alive. The burn spurred me on for another one, and as Hope was reaching for her second, I did the same.
“That’s my girl!” Hope shouted as Lisha sat at the table.
“You started without me?” Lisha asked.
“You snooze you lose.” Hope shrugged and picked up two more shots, handing one to me. “We’ll get a different drink after this.”
I nodded in reply and downed the shot, the burn now becoming unbearable. “Shit, that one hurt.” I groaned and rubbed my chest with the palm of my hand.
Lisha and Hope laughed, but their shots didn’t seem to have affected them in the slightest. I wondered if this was what Hope did when she had to go away with her sister? Did she sit beside the stage and drink all night?
Music blasted throughout the room as the band started playing, and Lisha jumped from her seat and onto the dance floor, front and center. “I don’t know why she does that,” Hope said, her voice louder to be heard over the music. “She’s so…desperate.”
I turned in my seat and stared at Lisha. Her hands were up in the air, her head thrown back, and from here, it looked like she was having a blast. “She looks like she’s having fun.” I grinned and faced Hope. “Let’s get another drink and go join her.”
Hope’s eyes widened. “Oh, I see Party-Aria has come out to play.”
I stood and pulled off my jacket, relishing in the cool air as it hit my exposed back. “Mom told me to have fun. I’m only doing as I was told.”
“Your mom is seriously the best!” Hope hooked her arm over my shoulders and pulled me toward the bar. We both ordered another couple of shots and some water to wash them down afterward. Mom’s words about keeping hydrated echoed in my mind over and over again. Although, I wasn’t sure she meant it quite like this.
The bass of the music became louder, reaching a crescendo, but it didn’t end. Instead, it seamlessly flowed into the next song on their setlist. We weaved our way through the growing crowd at the bar and onto the dance floor where I threw my hands in the air like Lisha had.
All the songs seemed to merge into one. Shots were handed to me from both Lisha and Hope, and I downed them greedily. They said know your limits, but tonight, I was forgoing all of that. I was letting go, dammit, and I was determined to have a good time, even when the band stopped performing and the sound system was all that was left playing music.
“I’m heading backstage to check on Lisha!” Hope shouted, and I nodded in reply, too busy swaying my hips on the dance floor. There were fewer people on it now, but it was still half full of couples and friends all having a good time.
I uncapped my bottle of water and took a swig but came up empty just as a pair of hands gripped my hips from behind. Sober me would have pulled away, but drunk me was having the time of her life, so I swayed my hips in time with the music.
A chest pushed against my back, buttons pressing into the soft skin, and I shivered from the cool contact. The hands traveled around to my stomach and pulled me closer still, and it was then I realized what was digging into my ass.
I tried to pull away, but the hands gripped me tighter as a groan vibrated through my ears.
“Let me go,” I tried to say, but it came out a slurred mess. I looked around, seeing all the faces but not recognizing one of them. How long ago h
ad Hope left to go and check on her sister? How long had I been here? I had no concept of time, and it was then I realized what a huge mistake I’d made.
