dictionary definition of fun : {rave}

I can feel the earth burning my feet through the soles of my shoes. Dust billows into the air with each step I take. My lips are chapped and it feels like there are cacti behind my eyelids. With this sort of weather, the last thing I want to be is outside. My mother, seemingly in recovery from her last reclusive episode, demanded that I go fetch some things for dinner. When I asked her, "Don't we have kitchen staff for a reason?", all she did was throw the list at me. If she thinks that she can just hide in her room for a month and then immediately begin bossing me around, she's got another thing coming.

I mean, I bought all the stuff she needed anyway.

The wind slams into my body. Seeing as I am not a woman of much height, I stumble, clutching the brown paper bag to my chest. The ground rushes towards me before somebody grabs my arm. They hoist me back to my feet. Shit, man, I could've died!

"You okay there, Miette?" My savior's face looks familiar. Square jaw, thin lips. I'm thinking he's Brendan, or Brett, or something. I might have drunkenly made out with him once. I can't remember. He still has a tight grip on my arm. Who said he could do that? I yank my arm away.

Brendan or Brett shoves his hands into his pocket. It doesn't look like he's going to leave anytime soon. I'm remembering him more clearly now- he doesn't know when to back the hell off. "Can I help you?" I say, lacing my words with obvious venom.

He raises his hands with a laugh. I want to slap his smile right off his face. "It's a real good thing I ran into you, y'know. Harper's having a mad party tonight, and she told me that Ben told her that Corey told him that Quinn really wants you there."

Quinn. I think I drunkenly made out with her, too. She's cute. I'd definitely go to a party for her.

"You know where Harper lives. Just go around the back," he continues, when I don't answer.

"Hm," I shrug. The combination of searing heat and weird guys is making me sick. I walk away.

"Hope to see you there!" He calls after me.

-

As soon as I walk through the door, I'm bombarded by the frantic thrums of everybody's pulse and the cacophony of their voices. The crowded room is dim, but I've been to enough of these things to be used to it. I can see everybody.

I'm pushing through the crowd when I bump into Harper. "Miette!" She yelps, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She acts like she wasn't expecting me, but we both know better. Neither one of us bother to plaster on our fake smiles. "The booze is over there," she says, pointing over people's heads to the left wall.

At least she gets straight to the point.

Despite the amount of them that I attend, I'm not that fond of parties. It's the people. These kids and I, we're very different. They drink to have fun. I drink to fill the void in my chest. I guess it's a bit of a trade off- being around people you don't necessarily like in order to get drunk for free.

On my way to get myself absolutely plastered, I spot Brendan or Brett fast approaching. Hell no. He puts his arm up in greeting while I put my hand in his face. A simple gesture of "no". Not tonight, asshole.

Somebody in the mass of people around us laughs. I whip my head around to find the source when I see her- Quinn, with her hand splayed over her grinning mouth. "You're too funny, Miette," she giggles.

"I try," I say.

She reaches forward to place her hand on my shoulder blade. "Walk with me."

We push through the remaining crowd. Well, more like everybody moves out of the way for us. Quinn is both beautiful and powerful. A Career. Everybody simultaneously loves and fears her. Lucky me, I got to kiss her. "Do you know why I wanted you here?" She asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I guess I'm just too gorgeous to ignore," I reply. And just like magic, there it is. The fabled table of alcohol. I grab a crystal glass and a bottle of something unidentifiable. I think that's the best sort of alcohol. You never know how fucking hammered you're going to get.

Quinn hums while I pour my drink. "You know how to have a good time. I owe Harper a favor, and she wanted me to help her throw the best goddamn party this side of Two has seen."

"She doesn't want me here." I bring the glass to my lips.

"Well, she's going to love you when you make this party a literal blast," she continues, turning her gaze from me to the crowd.

The alcohol doesn't burn when it goes down anymore. It only settles into a slightly unpleasant ball in my stomach. I stare at Quinn for a good long moment before responding. "How do you want me to do that?"

She looks back at me, grinning. "Make sure everybody's having fun. If they're not, well. Dance with them. Make out with them. You're plenty good at that."

With that, she waltzes off, her dress flowing behind her. Was she giving me a compliment or an insult? I can never tell with her. And besides, I don't go to parties to be responsible for other people's fun. That's not my job. I stare down at my glass, the beat from the room causing ripples in the liquid.

"Right. Fun," I sigh.