Bush Party

Plunk plunk plunk... flunk. Yep. I managed it again. A flashy red F scrawled across the top of my page. There was no way I would be able to go to the party now. My head sunk down to cover the test’s blood red mark. My own scarlet letter.

“Well?” my friend Allan craned over me hoping to get a glimpse of my paper.

“I am not going to be able to go.” I groaned out, my arms muffling the sound.

“No shit.”

“Mr. Warner. That kind of language will not be permitted. Detention will see you after school.” Mrs. Redman with her severe grey bun bored her beady eyes into my friend as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

“Crap.” He finally managed to mutter as he flopped back into his own seat.

Moments later we were dismissed and I walked Allan to detention. It was not the first time. His mouth had a habit of getting him in to trouble on a regular basis.

We jostled through the hall, the energy of Friday afternoon mounting in anticipation of tonight’s big party. A party that was supposed to be secret, but that still did not keep the excited whispers and energy from mounting to an almost frenzied level.

“You could hide the test... not show your parents until... I don’t know. Lose it or something.” Allan’s advice would be sound and may work for him, but for me... my parents would smell it out. I would be doomed before I could even make my escape. Escape. That had a certain ring to it. I let that thought swim around my muggled mind.

Getting home, I entered the kitchen to find my mother preparing for dinner. I’d barely mumbled a greeting when she asked about my test.

For a moment, I thought to lie, but the clear penetrating eyes of my mother brought me up and my head hung with shame.

“Damein...” she began shaking her head. “I told you, you needed to study more than one night. You can’t expect to do well by just grazing by...” She held out her freshly dried off hand, waiting for the offending test.

Obligingly, I pulled the rumbled pages from my backpack and handed them over. When her eyes caught the bloody F she sucked in a breath turning her focus to its content while I stood waiting for the bomb to drop.

“This is appalling!” She searched my face for some possible explanation, but then shook her head and turned away from me. In a voice that held back the anger that vibrated through her, she said, “Go up to your room. We’ll discuss this when your father gets home.”

I slunk off feeling like my life as I knew it was over. I knew my father would blow a gasket. I also knew a grounding was coming, one that would last a very long time.

Laying on my bed I stared at the ceiling. It felt like the end. Then a rapping came from the direction of my window and I shifted my gaze. Allan’s grin peered at me.

I shifted to let him in, motioning for him to be quiet.

“Glad to see you’re not dead yet, but from the paleness of ya, I figured your mother smoked you out.”

All I could do was nod.

“Well, I am here to rescue you.”

I looked at him with brows twisted in confused astonishment.

“Come on. You know you want to go... they can’t kill you for going...” He laughed at my bulged eye response, then covered his mouth to push his outburst back.

Whispering he continued. “What are they going to do? Ground you for the rest of your natural life?”

At this, I nodded, feeling it was most certainly possible.

“Well, then grab your stuff...”

I looked astonished.

“One last night of excitement and fun. You can’t deny yourself that... besides going will only give them a reason to be more reasonable with your punishment.”

“What?”

“Well, they can’t kill you and the grounding you’re going to get anyway... might as well make it worthy of groundablity.”

I paused to consider.

“Bring your stuff. You can hang low at my place. My parents won’t care.”

After a few moments to consider, I nodded my agreement and shifted to grab my stuff. Something told me to take everything – clothes and school stuff. Hiding out at Allen’s sounded pretty good right about now.

I followed him out the window and down the back where Allan had found his way. We waited by the back fence when my father pulled in. My heart almost seized and for a moment I twisted and considered turning back, but Allan steadied me and shook his head. I gasped and pulled air into my lungs as if I were fighting a drowning battle.

We watched as my father got out and circled his car. His gaze scanned the surface noting every detail. He had begun doing this when my brother, Alex had taken it out one evening for a joyride. Now my father made note of the wee details that let him know if the car had been moved. Satisfied, his gaze slid to the fence where we were hiding. I stopped breathing and squeezed my eyes tight hoping in some small way that if I could not see then I could not be seen.

Allan patted me on the arm when it was safe to go. I stumbled along after him almost blind with what I was doing, but unable to stop myself.

At Allan’s his mother fed us without questioning my presence. A friend over was not an odd occurrence in this household, in fact, his brother and sister also had friends and each had their dinner on a plate in their laps as they chattered on. I settled in on the couch, but declined to take my turn on the game system. I was fascinated, but not willing to show my ineptitude at playing as we did not own any such devices in our house.

As the evening deepened into night my nerves jumped like corn hot on the griddle. I could not sit still. Allan handed me a brown bottle and told me to drink up.

“What is it?” I asked sniffing at the opening.

“Cheers. It’s beer.”

“But..”

“Damien. You need to loosen up. I swear you are going to go off like a rocket. This will help, believe me. Besides my dad won’t miss a couple. He’s already well into his... it’s Friday, after all.” That said, he tapped his bottle against mine then took a long swig.

Looking a little apprehensive I tipped the bottle up and sipped. The taste coiled around my tongue and I mushed up my nose in distaste, but I drank again. The second sip was not as awful, but still I was not fully for it, but after several sips I felt my nerves slip away and I smiled over at Allan.

“Better?’ he asked smiling back.

I nodded letting my grin twist into an odd chuckle.

“Slow down on that... they are not to be drank so fast. You can wind up a little stupid...”

Allan’s advice was sound so I set the bottle down for awhile. Before we left we finished them off.

Allan’s mother wished us a good night as we made for the door. She told her son to behave himself and he agreed that he would. Beyond that, she asked no other questions. I was stupefied. I would never be able to head out so easily.

We made our way for the edge of town. The bush party was happening just off the trails back in a good ways. It was back in far enough to keep it hidden and away from prying eyes. If the police arrived that was it. Everyone was to run and scatter. Dump and go.

Allan had been to one of these before. He had told me about the music and the bonfire and the girls dressed in scanty clothes – what they wanted to wear, not what was school sanctioned.

As I stood in the clearing I could take it all in. The warmness of the spring evening brought with it the short skirts and the tight jeans. Alcohol circulated and Allan managed to snag us a few more bottles. Having already had one, this next one went down easier and I found myself in a happier frame of mind. I also found my nervousness of girls evaporate and I was able to chat with a few of them making them laugh at my hilarity.

When the yelling started I looked over at Allan wondering what the hell was going on. Allan, more alert than me, jumped up and grabbed my arm pulling me along.

“Cops!” he yelled as we moved through the rough bush. Trees ripped at our skin.

We ran, or managed to, but the alcohol tripped me up and I stumbled pulling us down. The darkness hid where the trail lead and we found ourselves tripping and rolling down to the bottom of a hill. Bumped and bruised we managed to regroup and drag ourselves out of the bush running as fast as we could down the lit streets.

At Allan’s place we flopped down onto the grass staring up at the starlit sky. The world spun and tipped. I gripped at the grass willing it to stop. It wasn't long before I hurled myself up and stumbled over to the fence to throw up.

When I returned to my spot on the grass I lay back down and closed my eyes. The spinning continued, but now it was more of a rocking and my stomach settled.

“Better?” Allan asked.

I groaned and he chuckled.

“You’ll feel even better in the morning.” He assured me.

I groaned again. I did not want to think about tomorrow. Tomorrow meant facing the wrath of my parents. That thought coiled around my belly threatening it to hurl again, but I dragged in deep breaths and eventually the sensation passed and sleep drifted in and closed in around me.

Morning found me in the damp grass. A hand jostled my arm and I groaned. My head throbbed. My skin felt the rough tracks of ripped skin from the forest’s viperous branches. Cracking one eye open I was grateful for the momentary shade until I realized it was...my parents. Glaring down at me.



1754 words
Written for Day 3 of Round 3 of "Invalid Item" 
Prompt is to write in the Young Adult Genre (Young Adult is not a genre, it is an age range)