To Hell and Back

Zade’s POV
            “Ah, fuck this application bullshit; I ain’t doin’ this now. I’ve got a party to go to,” I said. “Baby, why don’t we get going? Don’t wanna be late,” I said to Zoe, my girlfriend. To be honest, I didn’t even know why I hadn’t broken it off with Zoe yet. She was a bitch, but damn, was she hot. Best sex I ever had, no doubt about that. Of course, she cheated on me all the time, but I cheated on her so it was even. You could say our relationship was messed up. I wouldn’t judge you.
            Zoe popped her gum and nodded. “I’m driving. Daddy doesn’t want anyone driving my car but me,” she laughed. As usual, Zoe was drunk, so I followed her to her car. I slid into the driver’s seat before she could, but she didn’t say anything. Zoe took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one. “Want one, babe?
”
            “Nah, I’m good.” I focused on the road. If I crashed Zoe’s brand new, $50,000 car, her parents would sue me. No one wanted to be in trouble with the Martinez family. They would fuck your whole life up until the day you died, which was usually right around the corner.
            We pulled into my best friend, Justin’s, driveway. Tonight was Friday, and every week, Justin, Zoe, or I threw a party for some friends. There usually ended up being more than two hundred people, but we had huge houses so it worked out. My parents were rarely home, so I always got the cleaning ladies to get rid of the messes we left behind. Tonight was the first party of the summer.
            “Hey man, hey Zoe,” Justin said when we walked in. Loud music, Katy Perry to be exact, immediately filled my ears. “Everyone’s been waiting for you. Even the dick we call Tommy.” Tommy was the other person in our little friend group. He was dating one of Zoe’s friends, Britney. Brit was a bitch, too, but Tommy didn’t care. Like me, he kept her around for lonely, sexless nights.
            We found our friends in the basement bar having chugging contests. It was probably beer. I took one from the fridge and popped the cap. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl dancing to “Part of Me” in the middle of the room. A bunch of guys surrounded her, obviously drunk, while some other girls danced with her. “That’s Noelle King,” Justin said from behind me.
            “Who?”
            “Some new girl, I think.”
            “New to town?”
            “I asked around; they say she moved in a month ago.”
            “How come I haven’t seen her before?” Noelle King was one sexy girl. Hips, thick golden hair, kissable lips, D-cup, slim waist…
            “I don’t know, man. She’s taken, though.”
            “By who?” How could she possibly be taken already? Was it some jackass from her old home?
            “Some dude from Milwaukee. She used to live there.”
            “Well fuck him, he’s not here.” I smirked. Mr. Milwaukee might as well have gotten himself a new girl because this one was mine. My eyes were pinned on her, watching as her hips rocks back and forth, as she started winking at the guys around her. I looked away for a second, searching for Zoe. “Zoe,” I started. “We’re done.”
            “What, you found another bitch already?”
            “Yep.”
            “Fine. Go get yourself rejected, you damn man-whore. Fuck you, Zade Hayes.” She took a swig of a beer and turned to a guy behind her. I turned back to where Noelle King was, but she wasn’t there.

Noelle’s POV
            “Damn, girl, you got some moves,” said my friend, Izzy. I’d met her in middle school before I moved to Milwaukee. We reconnected when I moved back here, to Los Angeles. I knew all the guys wanted to fuck me, but that wasn’t going to happen. I knew I looked good in my crop top and high-waist shorts. Everyone was noticing me now, saying I was new to town. I was technically not new to town because I’d only been away for a year. I was nobody in the first three years of high school. I spent my senior year in Milwaukee, which was great.
            “Chase is gonna be mad if you start hooking up with random dickheads,” she laughed. I rolled my eyes.
            “Izzy, Chase isn’t here. He’s back in Milwaukee. And in case you haven’t noticed, the fucktard still hasn’t called me and it’s been a month.”
            “Yeah, but still.”
            “Come on, let’s go outside for a minute. I need some fresh air.” I pulled her hand until she relented, following me out the door. The night was hot, but that was to be expected in Los Angeles in the summer. I closed my eyes and breathed in. “Izzy?”
            “Hmm?”
            “Do you think he’ll call me?”
            “Yep.”
            “Izzy.”
            “Honestly, no.” She turned to me as I opened my eyes. Izzy had blonde hair like me, only hers was slightly lighter. Our eyes were both blue and we were the same height. “From the way you’ve described him, he sounds like a player.”
            “A player?”
            “You know, a person who plays girls like games. People like—”
            Izzy stopped. “People like who?” I pressed. Izzy pasted on a smile as I slowly turned around.
            It was the boy who had haunted me ever since I was raped in my junior year. He didn’t even know whom he raped, and I doubted he’d ever found out. Even in the dark, I instantly recognized the glittery, hazel eyes. The image of them was burned into my mind and always would be. There was no doubt about who was standing in front of me.
            It was the most popular guy in town: Zade Hayes.