 |
| Clever Girl... >> Writing >> Mr Perfect... >> The Licking Party This chapter is probably a little over two-thirds of the way into the book. The Licking Party I'm standing at the bus stop. 6:30pm. It's cold. The phone rings. I pick up. Much giggling on the other line. Bex? At Jess's house. They're going out partying. Yes, they know it's a Monday night, but do I want to come? I can sleep over at Jess's house. I guess so. I'm not sure. I've got work. Tuition. I won't be able to get there until at least 10 or so. But I'd like to come. I'll try. I'll call later. I'm really depressed. Bex didn't come to English today, so I spent the entire afternoon with Jade. Lovely girl, charming-as, but introduces me with: "This is Victoria! Her love life is even more pathetic than mine, if you can imagine that!" Have heard about all her boyfriends, so many, such a vibey girl. Badly need self-esteem boost. Messaged Joseph all throughout English lecture, telling him how depressed I am and how pathetic I feel. Supposed to meet him at 10pm on ICQ. ICQ with Joseph? Party with Bex and Jess? ICQ? Party? ICQ? Party? Joseph is Joseph. Time with Joseph is always good. But I want to get nice and drunk. And dance. And spin. And get with random guys on the dance floor. Cute ones, hopefully. Need to feel better. Will go out and party. Drive to uni after tuition. Phone rings. Yes, I'm nearly there. Be patient. Don't leave without me. What time does the library close? 10:30? I'll be there by them. Yes, wait for me. Lots of parking spots. Nice change. Will have to do this more often. Run across the grass, my boots sink into the mud with each step I take. Run to the library steps. Bex and Jess are there. Nathan and Darrell too. Hi. Sure, we'll drive to the bottle shop. My car's just at the top of the hill. No, the back doors don't lock, but don't tell anyone. Please. Shhh. Be quiet. I can't concentrate. Thanks Jess. Yeah, you remember what happened last time I drove you, don't you Bex? It wasn't my fault! The roads at uni are confusing at night! Nathan and Darrell get out of the car to buy alcohol. Sure we'll wait for you. Jess turns to me, laughing. Why don't we drive up the street and hide from them? Great idea! We park up the street. We'd better duck down so they can't see us, Jess says. But I have to call Joseph. To let him know I won't be on ICQ. He's not there. I leave a message. Bex and I can't stop laughing. Don't laugh so much, Jess says, you'll shake the car. We all know what shaking the car means. Bex and I shake the car. Intentionally. We see Nathan and Darrell leave the bottle shop. "Quick, start the car!" Jess screams, and we all collapse into giggles. The car stalls, but we start it all the same, speeding away from them. We stop, they catch up, and we drive some more. We let them back in the car. We have to go to Broadway. To buy some orange juice for the vodka. Bex and Nathan get out of the car. Buy chocolate too! We'll drive around the block a couple of times. Jess will direct. If you stop far away enough from the lights the sensors in the ground won't detect the car and the lights won't ever change, Jess says. I don't think it works that way. Traffic lights are timed. There aren't any sensors in the ground. But there are in Canberra, she insists. Well, that's in Canberra, isn't it? No, Darrell says, some traffic lights do have sensors. Just not ones at bust intersections. We drive around the block. It takes five minutes. They're not outside yet. So we drive around again. And a third time. They're still not there. Where the hell are they? It's 11pm, freetime. We should call Bex. Hey, that's strange - I can hear her mobile ring tone over my phone, that's never happened before. Oh shit - she left it in the car! We drive around again. There they are. The phone rings. It's Joseph. Hi... no, sorry, I won't be on ICQ tonight, didn't you get the message? I'm sorry, I can't! I put my foot in the accelerator. And hear a scream. "Victoria! Bex wasn't in yet!" I stop the car. Bex runs over and gets in the car. "I only had my leg half in! If I was any further in you could have killed me!" Sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't realise. I heard lots of noise. I figured you were in. I was on the phone. To Joseph. I've gotta go now... We being to drive back to uni. The phone rings. Joseph again. Jess picks up. Victoria can't talk to you, she's driving, she says. No. I'm sorry, can you call back later? She can't drive and talk at the same time. She nearly killed Bex. No, she... Jess hands me the phone. "Well, tell her to pull over and talk to me," I hear Joseph say. I roll my eyes. I'll call you later, from Jess's house. I can't go on ICQ, it's not my computer. I'll call you. We're partying. Bye. We turn into uni. "Victoria, we're not Americans!" Oops. I thought it was one way. Oh well, it's not as if anyone drives around uni at 11:30pm anyway. Not much chance of accidents. We park and begin our walk towards Jess's house. let's Britney-dance. Oops! I did it again! Hip swivel, arms, pump pump. I'd better call Joseph back. Hey, what was it you needed to talk about? Yeah, I'm feeling better - was going to go out clubbing and get with random guys, but we're staying at Jess's house instead. I'm sleeping over. Oh no, we don't drink beer, we drink vodka. Ha ha, okay then, I'll have a shot for you then. So... what's wrong? Is someone else in the room? Your brother. Okay then... we'll wait. You wrote Keisha a letter? Sure, go ahead, I'd love to hear it. I walk about the loungeroom and camp myself on the stairs. Pass me the chocolate. Thanks. Hmm... yeah, the letter's good. Very good. So sweet. I wish someone would write something like that for me. Do I think she'll take you back? I don't know. I mean, I would, but... She's really pissed off. Who knows? I mean, I think she will. I don't know how you can improve it, it's very good. Really. No, I can't get on ICQ. It's Jess's computer, she won't want me on. No. I can't. Okay. Yeah, I told you, it's good. Don't worry so much. Okay... I'll see you tomorrow. Wentworth, at 11. Cool. Bye. I hang up. Pour me shot? Cool. Do you have a crush on him or something, Nathan asks. Duh! Could it be any more obvious? Oh, Jess, I brought my sister's Britney CD with me. Yeah, she just got it the other day. There are some cool songs on it, really. You'll like it. This vodka is too stron.g Can I add some more orange juice? Ha ha, yeah, I like it when there's more orange than vodka. Lame, I know. We drink. Four shots or so. I hate boys. Reallt. Boys suck. They're all so awful and they don't love you. No one will ever love me. I hate them. All of them! They should all go fall into a hole and die! "I think Joseph does love you... subconsciously... he's just not aware of it yet," someone says. Jess, I think. Yeah right. I wish. Hehehe... Nathan and Darrell make a cute gay couple. Put your arms around each other! You two should get together, it'd be funny. I wish Joseph would entertain me like this. Oo! I can't get no satisfaction! Yeah baby. Let's dance! Hip swivel. Arms. Pump pump. Spin. Kick. Click. Yeah. We walk into the kitchen. I'm hungry. I want food. Bex laughs. "You are soooo trashed!" she says. No, I'm not drunk, I'm just acting! Really! I can act sober too, see! I bet I had you fooled, huh? I'm such a good actress, I should be in SUDS! "You are in SUDS," Bex says. So I am. Oh well, I should be an active member. "Can I give you a piggy back?" Bex asks. Sure thing! I climb onto her back. My stockings split. Oops. Oo. Kylie Minogue. I'm spinning around. Jess is spinning around. I'm spinning around too. Let's see how long we can go. This is fun. I can't go on any longer. I fall - onto the couch. Wow, the world's still spinning. Is this just because I'm drunk or because I was spinning? Let's go outside. Jess grabs my hand and we all stumble into the backyard. Does anyone have a cigarette, she asks? Nathan hands her one. She lights up, and passes it around. Bex doesn't smoke, but takes a drag anyway. I've never smoked before. I'm eighteen, I may as well, just once. It's not like it will ever make any difference. I'll just take one puff and... never again. I take the cigarette from Bex and breathe in. Not too bad, but I pass it on anyway. Now I have, but never again. Bex and Nathan go back into the house and Jess and Darrell sit on the files just outside. I join them. Jess radiates sadness. She always does when she's drunk, apparently. She says somethiing... about how unattractive she feels, I think. She rests her head on Darrell's shoulder. He strokes her hair and tells her not to worry, that nothing's wrong. He says Jess is one of the most fun loving and vibrant people he's ever met, that being fun and friendly is the sexiest thing of all. How... interesting. We all go back inside and talk. Jess is leaning against Darrell, he's stroking her hair. How strange... I thought Jess hated Darrell, but... apparently not. You two so obviously like each other! Jess's eyes turn to daggers. No, really - it's so obvious! You two should get together - you'd make a nice couple! Jess is not happy. At all. She walks to the CD player and puts on some music. She grabs my hand, Bex's hand, beckoning us to dance. She's so lucky, she's a star. Jess collapses into laughter. We jig, we star jump, we make ludicrous hand actions. It's so so funny. To us. It's time to go to sleep. I bags the couch. It's short, my feet hang over the edge, I'm not wearing any makeup, I don't care. Jess brusts out laughing and licks Bex on the forhead. Bex licks Nathan. Darrell licks Jess. Soon they're all involved in some sort of... licking orgy? Except for me, I clutch the scatchy woollen blanket Jess leant me close to my face and scream. It's disgusting! No one is going to lick me! But they do. Of course. I kick and scream but they lick my forehead all the same. Nathan licks my hip bone. This is disgusting! Eventually they stop. Everyone lies down... speaking of 'deeper' things. What we all want. Our songs. My song is How Do I Deal by Jennifer Love Hewiit. And Did It Again by Kylie Minogue. And maybe Fix Me Now by Garbage. Don't laugh! They're good songs! It really is like my life! "Anything can happen, yeah, but nothing ever does I try to change, it's kinda strange Same as it ever was..." - Jennifer Love Hewitt Jess's song is Magic Carpet Ride. And Breathless. By the Corrs. The alcohol wears off. Jess remembers her two overdue essays and rushes upstairs to complete them, muttering. She's not happy. I try to sleep amongst the noise, the constant snatching of scratchy blankets, the kicking and jumping. It's 5am. I've got a tut in 5 hours. I'll probably be hung over. But I'm happy, right? Well, happier. back |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|