BRITNEY ASTON The second Lucas and I took our first steps into the party, we were welcomed by the music pulsating the air, engulfing the room in a lively atmosphere. The dimly lit house was teeming with people, their laughter and animated conversations filling the air and adding to the buzz. Unfamiliar music pulsated through the air, creating an infectious rhythm that managed to compel everyone to move their body. My gaze lurked around the house, catching sights of a couple of random people- some drunk, some smoking and some heavily making out. “So how’s it?” Lucas spoke up, casually draping his arms around my shoulder. “You like what you see?” “Well, it isn’t all that different to the normal parties in the states,” I replied, catching sight of a couple shoving their tongues down each others throat. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.” “Wait, the states?” He repeated. “You spent your- ah what do you call it, high school in the states?” “Wasn’t it obvious?” I chuckled, trying my best
BRITNEY ASTON Nothing was going on between Travis and I. Nothing could go on between Travis and I. Nothing was allowed to go between Travis and I. Other than the new sibling relationship between us, of course. And Lucas’ question did a good job at slamming that reality right onto my face. “Do you guys not get along well?” Lucas continued with his questions before I could reply. “Is that it? Does he not respect? I don’t know, does he bully you or acts strange with you?” “What? Oh. Oh, no, he doesn’t,” I shook my head, trying to stay as calm as possible, reminding myself I was once again just over thinking things. “It’s- it’s nothing like that.” “It’s not because of me, is it?” “You?” I almost hiccuped, still finding it hard to get a good grasp of the situation of things. “No. You- why would it be because of you?” “I don’t know,” he shrugged then looked away for the first time in a while. “I just felt- I just wanted to make sure.” In response, I simply shook my head and looked
TRAVIS LEWIS I woke up with a pounding headache, my mind foggy from the remnants of last night’s revelry. With a groan, I got up from the bed and looked around me, catching sight of the familiar backside belonging to Amber. She was curled up next to me after several rounds of sex the previous night and hours of cuddles and nagging from her. “Amber?” I called out to her as my eyes roamed around the room in search of my trousers. “A-“ Finally catching sight of my trousers, I paused my call out to her and picked it up to get dressed. In no time, I was fully dressed and prepared to leave her house. “Travis?” I heard her call out to me as I reached for my phone by her bedside. “Are you leaving already? Is it morning already?” I glanced at the time on my phone, shaking my head at how clueless she was. I couldn’t blame her though, it was one of her numerous infamous traits. “Yeah,” I nodded, returning my phone to my pocket. “I need to head home now.” “Home?” I could sense the confusio
In about twenty minutes that felt longer, I was home and without hesitation, walked straight through the front door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked , signifying one of two things- either my father was home alone or whoever was in the house was home alone. I got the answer to my question the minute I walked through the living room, the scent of breakfast immediately filling the air. I was suddenly certain my father wasn’t home alone as he was never one to get himself that involved in cooking so early. “Rosaline?” I called out to Britney’s mum, wondering if she was the one in the kitchen responsible for the aroma. Though I couldn’t classify our relationship as the typical kind a stepmother and stepson shared, I was okay with her as long as she didn’t overstep her boundaries. “Are you-“ “Oh, Travis. Hi!” Much to my surprise, the second I stepped into the kitchen i watched no one but Britney twirl around to meet my gaze. On spotting me a smile immediately appeared on her face, followe
BRITNEY ASTONI’d seen her only once but it was more than enough to engrave every possible memory about her into my brain.Her sly and seductive smile, her hair tied up in a ponytail making me guess it was her signature hairstyle, her slender figure with long flawless legs she showed off in her mini skirt and pretty delicate fingers she wrapped around Travis as she kissed him a couple of days ago at the party.“Britney? There she is.”“Huh?” I was pulled out of my short trance, immediately returning my gaze to her. “Oh, right.”I couldn’t deny, the enthusiasm I once felt towards joining the club suddenly vanished from my body. But at the same time, I wasn’t willing to just leave like that. I wanted to know more about her and at the same time, knew I shouldn’t be getting myself involved with her.“Do you want me to introduce her to you?”“Um,” I pressed my lips together, hesitating for a while. “I-“I paused, giving her another quick glance. Almost immediately, a brief memory hit me, ha
“Are you guys friends?” I asked, my eyes fixed on her as i awaited her reaction. “Did you meet at the party? How do you know him?” “I met him a couple of days ago,” she smacked her lips as she replied. “Nah, not at the party. And yes, he’s my friend.” “What?” “Right,” she clapped her hands like a memory suddenly hit her. “Remember the friend that drove me home a couple of days ago? Yeah, that was him. It was Lucas.” “What?!” My voice immediately grew louder, taking even me by surprise. “It was him?!” She stared at me with a blank expression, obviously confused as to why I was reacting that way. I couldn’t blame her thought. She just couldn’t understand. “Yeah, no biggie,” she shrugged. “He seems cool and has been nice to me ever since we met.”I shook my head, thinking of different ways to tell her he wasn’t “cool”. Their whole friendship wasn’t what she thought it was as I could bet my life it wasn’t a mere coincidence Lucas decided to befriend her of all people all of a sudde
BRITNEY ASTON. I felt proud of myself. Or rather, knew I had to be proud of myself. So whether I felt it at that moment or not, I was going to gaslight myself into feeling extremely proud of myself until it became a reality. After all, I’d successfully drawn the line between Travis and I, ensuring our relationship was nothing but plain and basic. Taking the now familiar route, I made my way to school and was able to get there in less than thirty minutes. On walking through the college gates, I headed straight towards my faculty, fresh thoughts making its way to my mind. I didn’t have classes until 2pm yet I was several hours early. But it wasn’t a mere coincidence. It was planned as I had a reason for wanting to get to school earlier than usual. I needed to socialize.
BRITNEY ASTON BRITNEY ASTON. I felt proud of myself. Or rather, knew I had to be proud of myself. So whether I felt it at that moment or not, I was going to gaslight myself into feeling extremely proud of myself until it became a reality. After all, I’d successfully drawn the line between Travis and I, ensuring our relationship was nothing but plain and basic. Taking the now familiar route, I made my way to school and was able to get there in less than thirty minutes. On walking through the college gates, I headed straight towards my faculty, fresh thoughts making its way to my mind. I didn’t have classes until 2pm yet I was several hours early. But it wasn’t a mere coincidence. It was planned as I had a reason for wanting to get to school earlier than usual.