"UUUUHHHHHHH!"
From the entrance, the euphoric screams of everyone present could be heard in harmony with the music, which made listening even harder. The guests had split according to their preferences—some at the pool, others in the game room, etc. Each one was focused on having the best time possible, but there was one thing they all agreed on: that night had to be PERFECTLY PERFECT. Chaos was the law, and alcohol the currency. Everything was turning very fun.
"Don't mess with me, Frederick. HUMBLE ABODE!? Please, this is three times bigger than my house. Oh my God… hahaha, this is incredible." "Hahaha… I thought the same before, but now… it doesn't feel like that much." "No offense, darling, but I have the right to believe what I want, and I think I want to die in a place like this. Honestly, I wouldn't mind at all." "Heyyy, relax… hahaha."
"FREDYYYYYYY!"
Manuel and Enrique came out of the house, both holding bottles of liquor and their shirts soaked in sweat. They had seen Frederick arrive through the windows and had something urgent to tell him.
"MARÍA! You finally made it. Wait, who's your friend?" "Hi, Manuel. You didn't think I'd miss this… did you?" "I see you didn't. And she…?" "Ohh, right… that's Anabel." "Well, it's obvious. I need to stop drinking for today. The alcohol is making me see weird things. Please tell me this can't be the Book-Eater…" "Oh really…?" Anabel replied. "Fuck! Have you seen yourself? Not even Cinderella changed that much." "Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" "Take it however you want, sweetheart…" "Hey, enough!" —Frederick grabbed Manuel's hand so hard it hurt him. "Hey, what the fuck are you doing…? Let go!" —Angry, he took another swig and went back to the party.
"Umm, Frederick, can we talk…?" "Yeah, tell me, Enrique…" "It has to be alone… if possible." "Is something wrong…?" "That… matter." "Ohh, okay. Girls, excuse me for a moment, you can go inside; I'll be with you soon, if you don't mind…" "OK! Don't take too long. Anabel, let's go, come on, hurry!" "I'm coming… I'm coming…"
María ran into the house after Manuel, and behind her went Anabel, who, before crossing the door, looked back. Frederick and Enrique were still talking, and that conversation had something she didn't like at all, because Frederick seemed upset.
She entered the FONS Mansion, and half the school was there. It looked like some kind of student gathering—it was unbelievable. On the upper floor were the VIP guests, those accepted into Frederick's main group, made up of his closest friends. She kept looking and saw Manuel going up, and behind him, María trying to join, but security didn't let her.
Manuel, hearing María's constant shouts, went down to where she was and whispered something in her ear. For a moment she froze, almost paralyzed. Manuel tried going up again, and right then María grabbed his hand and they had a brief conversation. Anabel, not understanding anything, had a bad feeling and approached, but with the crowd dancing and shouting, it was hard to get through that sea of alcohol and adrenaline. When she reached the base of the stairs, María had already crossed the security barrier, holding Manuel's hand.
"María! Where are you going…?" "Anabel…, can't you see? I'm going to the VIP zone!" "María, we should stick tog—!" "GET LOST, ANABEL! Fuck, I'm not your daughter."
That response only confirmed one thing: she was alone again. She went back, looking for a place to sit. She approached a couch where some girls from her class were sitting.
"Hi." "..." "I'm Anabel…" "We know who you are. What do you want…?" "I just wanted to know if I could sit with you, since I…" "Sit with us…? Do you think we're friends or what…?" "A black bitch like you can't sit with us." "Hahahaha." "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother, I just…" "Look, honey… I don't know how you do it wherever you come from, but here… everything has its place. There's a place for a person or for an animal… hahahaha." "Hahahahaha." "Hahahahaha." "Why are you answering like that if I barely even—?" "ARE YOU DEAF OR WHAT!? GET THE FUCK OUT! Or do you want me to throw you out myself?" "Andrea, leave her. Don't you see the girl is scared? Hahahaha."
Embarrassed, she left that place—confused and sad…
"EVEN IF A MONKEY WEARS SILK, IT'S STILL A MONKEY!" "Hahahahaha."
They stayed behind mocking her. She ran straight to the bathroom to calm herself, because after such humiliation, others had also groped her in the crowd. Only an hour had passed, but being there felt eternal. She just wanted to leave.
She went in and locked the bathroom, staying there for a while crying. Then she took out her phone and dialed Javier's number, unsure if he would answer. She stared at the screen for a moment. Suddenly a male voice called her.
"ANABEL? ANABEL! Are you in there…?" "Frederick…?" "Are you okay? I've been looking for you and…" "Yes, well… give me a moment, I'm coming out." "Okay, I'll wait outside." "Okay, I'll call him, at least I'll know for sure," she whispered, wiping her face.
Tilid, tilid, tilid. Javier's phone vibrated on the dining table.
"Javi… what did I tell you about phones during dinner?" "Sorry, Mom, I'll turn it off." Without looking at the phone, he declined the call and switched it off.
Anabel tried again and again, but it always went to voicemail. After several attempts she left the bathroom, thinking Javier was ignoring her and still angry. That was the final straw of that "beautiful" night.
"Hey…, are you okay?" "Yes, well… I just want to go home." "Huh? Why…?" "Can you help me find María…?" "Ana…, tell me, what's going on?" "Please, Frederick, don't say anything. Just let me leave." "Wait… please, wait a moment." "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? Why are you suddenly acting like this? I'm tired. I don't know why you all do this to me, I…" she said, almost snot-nosed, tears falling like waterfalls.
Frederick grabbed her hand, pulled her slowly to his chest, cornered her with his arms and offered her a shoulder to cry on. Anabel cried intensely, gripping his clothes, soaking them.
"Anabel…, hey…, I know we started off on the wrong foot, but… I… Ana… I…"
Anabel lifted her gaze toward him, looking straight into his eyes. The air tensed. Frederick choked on his words when he saw her huge brown eyes, soaked in tears, showing the emptiness inside her.
Their gazes locked, unmoving, like magnet and metal—pulling each other in—ending in a kiss initiated by Frederick.
"Fred… Freddy… stop… Frederick, STOP!" "N… no." "Freddy, stop, please." Anabel tried stopping him, as he was letting himself go, groping her insistently. "I SAID STOP!" She pushed him against the bathroom door; he hit his head and hurt himself.
"Ahhh! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? Look what you did. SHIT, SHIT, SHITTT!" Frederick was bleeding from the back of his head. The yelling drew attention. Some came, including Enrique, who, seeing his friend hurt, SLAPPED Anabel.
PLASHHHH!
"Fucking bitch! Do you want to die…?" He grabbed her hair and yanked it. "Looks like you need to be tamed, you miserable girl… don't worry, I'll tame you," he whispered in her ear. "Enrique! Leave her, I'm fine." "This whore has to pay for what she did." "ENRIQUE! I SAID ENOUGH!" "AHHHHH!" he screamed furiously. "You're lucky this time, but next time… I'll know what African monkeys taste like." He threw her to the floor.
Anabel, on the floor, terrified and on the edge of panic, looked up and saw only judging eyes. Whispering around her, she heard everything: whore, murderer, ignorant… etc. Her heart raced, and she understood it was time to leave.
She ran out, scared and dizzy with nerves. On the way she bumped into several people, but she only cared about finding María and leaving.
"MARÍA, MARÍA, MARÍA!" But the music drowned her voice. She fought with the VIP guard, managed to slip through when he was distracted, and ran upstairs. On the table there were liquor bottles, cigarettes, and a white powder.
"Where… where is María?" "Who are you asking…? Hahahaha." "Please, I need to find her." "Fuck, what a buzzkill. She must be somewhere. Look over there." "Okay, thanks." "Hey, dude, who is she…?" "No idea. I thought I was imagining her. Hahaha." "You're not the only one. Hahaha." "Does anyone else see what I'm seeing…?" "Huh? And what do you see…?"
Anabel ran toward the rooms. She opened door after door and saw things she wished she hadn't.
After seven doors, she found María inside one of the rooms. She wasn't alone… or dressed. Manuel was on top of her, while she tried not to scream.
"MARÍA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING…?" "Who let you get in here…?" "Get off her. Get off her right now, you fucking rapist." "Ana… hey, calm down! I'm fine, nothing's happening." She covered herself with the sheets. "Come on! Get dressed, we're leaving." "Who the fuck do you think you are?" He got up, not caring about anything. "Don't come near me, Manuel, or I swear I'll call the police."
Anabel helped her get up. She saw a bloodstain on the bed. María had lost her flower. She could barely stand. Anabel helped her walk. In the crowd everything looked normal.
After some time, between pushes and stumbles, they reached the main door. Anabel looked back. There they were—Manuel, Enrique, and Frederick watching them.
Enrique sent her a lascivious kiss. Manuel flipped his finger and shouted "FOOCK YOU." In the middle, saying nothing, Frederick just stared at her.
The two went out, slamming the door behind them, leaving that shitty party behind.