Be Strong

Hours later a party was in full swing and I was trying my best to keep people from entering the house and out in the pool house. I ran my fingers through my hair in agitation, I was tired of seeing dozens of girls running around in skimpy bathing suits made of dental floss. It was like they had no shame only interested in shagging the many guys that were here. I knew most of these girls too we went to school together not that I actually had communication with them when we were in school, I still knew of them.

"Uhh good there you are I've been looking for you." Ell said running up behind me out of breath.

She had borrowed one of my bathing suits and was out partying with the rest of those twits instead of helping me. At least she was wearing a tasteful one piece bathing suit with cuts out on the side. She definitely pulled it off better than I did her legs were much longer than mine.

"Weren't you supposed to be helping but instead you've run off and joined the idiots."

"Calm down and stop freaking out I've been helping in the pool house."

I scoffed.

"You mean helping yourself to Brian's friends."

"Victoria you need to chill, I have been helping you while you've been in here trying to avoid the party I actually have been preventing people from coming in here."

I sighed heavily.

"Look I'm sorry I just don't feel like being bothered with any of this."

" Come to the pool house and you'll get a better handle on the situation."

"Fine whatever."

I followed her soundlessly outside to the pool house. You could here the music coming from inside, when she opened the door and it only got louder. We pushed inside past the crowd and the first person we run into is Jimmy. A very drunk Jimmy to be exact. He was probably the only one of Brian's friends I could deal with.

"Hey Jimmy."

"Tory I don't understand why do you have on so many clothes?" he said grabbing at the hem of my shirt.

He leaned down closer to my ear.

"Don't you know this is pool party." he said with all seriousness on his face.

I had to smile at him he was too cute. I nodded my head and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Yes jimmy I know, I planned this party."

"Well where the hell is your bathing suit!" he said nearly shouting at me.

His arms went around my waist picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Jimmy what are you doing?" I ask the panic in my voice seeping out.

"Put me down Jimmy, put me down right now!"

I pounded my fist against his back which did nothing.

I could hear shouts and jeers cheering him on, people were moving out of the way so he could get through. The next thing I knew we were air born and then crashing into clear blue water. I opened my eyes and saw him in front of me grinning before swimming to the top. I followed after him breathing in the a breath of fresh air.

"Jimmy you asshole what was that for?"

His hand reached out and pushed me back under the water and held me down. I flapped wildly around until he pulled me back up. I sputtered water out of my and took in a breath.

"What the heck?"

"Someone needs to have more fun. So stop being a pouty pants and swim with me."

"Fine fine."

I pretended to swim around while I inched toward the stairs finally near I began to climb out.

"Vicky Vicky Vicky where you going?" he said grabbing me around the waste again.

"I'll come back I promise but you know its really not fun swimming in jeans."

"So take them off ." he said a smile etched on his face.

"I'm not going to do it so you might as well take that thought right out of your head."

"Fine but you better come back cause I'll find you and it'll be worse." he said in a serious tone.

"I promise." I said swimming away from him.

He was scary when he was serious and I definitely did not want to deal with a serious Jimmy.

I climbed out of the pool and started to walk through the crowd of people when someone pulled on my arm. I looked up to see Adam holding onto my arm, he was pretty much surrounded by an army of twits. How he even noticed me was a mystery.

"Uhh what do you want ?" I asked pulling my arm away from him.

"Oh someone's not in a great mood."

"Clearly I'm wet and I want to get out of these clothes." I said snatching my arm away from him.

"Maybe later but I've got to entertain the ladies." he said that stupid smile on his face.

"What?" I asked clearly confused.

One the girls attached to his arm laughed.

"Forget about her I can entertain you now." she said trying to get even closer to him than she was, if that was possible. I scoffed and walked away. I ran into Ell as I was making my way to the door.

"Are you ok?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I'll be fine once I change. I'll see you later."

"Yeah ok."

I made my way out the door and up to the main house, the wind blew making me shiver. I quickened my pace and made it to the side door, I turned the knob and walked in. I sighed I definitely was not in the mood to be around people. I walked up the stairs to my room I went to my drawer and pulled out pair of shorts and a yellow bathing suit to put on. I took off my wet ones and threw them in the clothes hamper. I pulled on the bathing suit and then the pair of shorts. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and made my way downstairs back to the party. If I was going to have to be there watching those idiots I was going to drink. The music was still loud as ever as I entered the pool house. I found Jimmy still swimming in the pool along with the new friend he had. He looked up and saw me.

"I thought I was going to have to come get you?" he said leaving the girl and swimming over to the side of the pool where I was standing.

"OH Jim Jam where is the trust, besides I think you forgot about me. What with your new friend playing with you and all. I feel like I've been replaced." The girl in question was giving me a seriously dirty look I just smiled sweetly back at her.

I sat down on edge of the pool and stuck my feet in kicking them slowly in the water. Jimmy maneuvered himself in between them and smiled up at me.

"Tory as if I would ever replace you, you're my number one amigo."

"Awe I feel so loved."

He wrapped his arms around me as if to give me a hug but instead he pulled me in.

"What you couldn't let me take off my shorts first?" I said pushing away from him.

"Here I'll help you." he said unbuttoning them.

"I can take them off myself Jimmy."

He laughed but moved back so I could take them off myself, I slipped them off and threw them on the side of the pool.

"Ok." I'm ready.

"Yay lets play chicken!" He said throwing his hands up like a excited little kid.

"Jimmy we need another person to play chicken."

"Well we'll get someone where's Brian, Matt, Zacky, or Adam?"

I stared at him as if he was and idiot, like he didn't know where his friends were. He saw how I was looking at him and got the picture.

"Oh yeah."

"I heard my name being yelled by an idiot." Matt said appearing at the edge off the pool.

"Play with us!"

"What are you playing?"

"I want to play chicken but we need another person."

"Fine I'll play sounds like fun anyway." He said jumping into the pool making a tiny wave that splashed in my face.

I closed my eyes and wiped the water away. When I opened them I was face to face with Matt's chest. He was looking down at me smirking.

"See something you like?" he said.

"As if." I said moving away from him over to jimmy.

"I want to be on your team I told him grabbing his arm."

"Alright we're going to win for sure!" he said thrusting his fist into the air.

"Bridgett go be on Matt's team" he said to the girl in the dental floss bathing suit.

She swam over to Matt and they started talking I ignored and it and climbed up onto Jimmy's shoulders. He held onto my legs.

"OMG! Are we going to talk or play?"

"Yeah." jimmy said agreeing with me.

The girl just sneered at me and began to climb onto his shoulders, while Matt just smirked knowingly at me.

Matt moved in close and the Bridgett leaned forward and tried to grab at me. I grabbed her arms and attempted to push her backwards but she was stronger then she looked. My hands slipped off of her arms and I fell forward slightly. I straightened myself up but she had a hold of my bathing suit and was pulling at it.

"Stop let go your going to pull the strings loose." I said yanking away from her.

"Oh I'm sorry." she said smiling at me with the fake smile I gave her earlier.

"Don't worry Tory we're going to win." jimmy said.

"Right lets do this"

Bye know there was a crowd of people watching, jimmy moved in close to matt and I lunge at the girl as best I could considering I was on jimmy's shoulders. I pushed at her shoulders while her hands went on mine. Before I figured out what she was doing she had my bathing suit top and was holding it in the air laughing as if it was some sort of joke. I gave a shrill scream and covered my boobs.

"What are you doing you twit give me back my bathing suit top. Jimmy put me down." I said kicking my legs wildly.

"Dude I saw her titties!" some idiot shouted.

There were laughs and jeers all around.

He let my legs go and I fell backwards into the water sinking into the water. I came up gasping for air and sputtering out water. I looked over to see Matt smiling arrogantly at me, so this is what they had planned when they were talking.

"Alright you've had your fun give me back my top."

She threw it towards me but Matt caught it before it could even land in the water.

"Matt it's not funny give it back. Jimmy make him give it back."

I spotted Ell at the edge of the pool I began to move to where she was. I knew it was going take forever to get my top back I needed to just get a towel and get out.

"Ell just bring me a towel." I said before she could ask me anything.

She ran quickly away pushing through the crowd I turned around to see what was going on. Matt was standing in front of me smirking.

"Aww its no fun if you leave I thought you wanted to play?"

"You arrogant prick give me back my top."

"Oh feisty that's no way for a lady to speak. Maybe if you as me nicely I'll give it back. How about something like, pretty please Matt let me have my top back, I'll be a good girl and do what you say."

"Oh so just something like that then, instead how about, you piece of shit give me back my fucking top and I won't castrate you."

His face paled and I smiled to myself.

"Dang girl I didn't know you were so violent."

"I'm only violent to people who piss me off."

"Ok here's the towel." Ell said behind me out of breath.

I grabbed the towel and pulled it into the water and wrapped it around me. His arm went around my waist while he trailed his fingers slowly up my leg.

"And we could have had so much fun." he said in my ear before letting me go.

I climbed out of the pool and headed for the door Ell following behind me.

"What was that about ?" she asked when we got outside.

"If I knew I wouldn't be feeling confused and weirded out right know."

We made our way into the house and up to my room.

"I'm going to get in the shower and I might be in there forever. So if you have to use the bathroom or something go in one of the other rooms."

I had no idea why I was telling her this we'd been friends forever she knew what to do, she even had her own room here, my brain was fried. if I was just treating her like a regular guest I needed to sleep. I rummaged around in my drawer for something to sleep in finally settling on a raglan and a pair of shorts. I headed into the bathroom closing the door behind me, I turned on the shower. When I adjusted it to how I wanted it I stepped in letting the water hit me. Loving the way the water pressure eased away the stress of a long day. I squeezed some shampoo into my hand massaging it into my hair the smell of pomegranate relaxed even more. I rinsed and then worked the conditioner through my hair the smell of raspberries filled the shower it was a delicious. Both scents were of my favorite fruits. I rinsed my hair and began washing away the stress and dirt that was collected on my body. I stood under the water rinsing away a horrible day and watched it all go down the drain. I let the water run on me for another five minutes before turning it off and stepping out. I grabbed my towel and dried off before dawning my clothes. I went to my sink and began brushing my hair I would just let it air dry and worry about the mess in the morning. Finally I brushed my teeth before leaving the bathroom. I was ready to sleep a long time.

"Uhh finally I thought you were never going to come out of there. Come on have a drink" Ell said from her spot on my bed.

"Ell that is a thousand dollar bottle of champagne you're drinking."

"So Maria wont miss it then, will she?" she said pouring herself another glass

I stared in disbelief at her.

"Don't just stand there gawking at me have some." she said forcing her glass at me.

So much for that relaxing shower washing the troubles away, I might as well just have some and I could replace it anyway so it was cool right. Yeah it was fine I rationalized taking drink from the glass.

"Oh my so delicious."

"I know right." she said taking a drink from the bottle.

"That's not the proper way to drink a wine."

"What are you the wine police I've savored enough already, its time to get drunk."

"Well there is a party still going on and I guess its customary to get a little tipsy."

"Stop over thinking and just drink."

"Right." I said clinking the glass her glass with the bottle.

I mean this was another way of letting go of things not a healthy one but you know no one cares.

Several hours and two and bottles of champagne later I found myself roaming the halls looking for where Ell had run off to. Well it was more like I was staggering the halls I was completely drunk and all I wanted to do was go back to my room, crawl into my bed and sleep. I heard voices none of them belonging to Ell although there was Jimmy probably with another girl. I collapsed against the wall and slid down to the ground; that was it I couldn't go any farther my body felt heavy I would just lay here until I could regain my strength.