Fantasy Two Halves of a Whole

[mon]

If there was one thing one should know about Acacia, it was that she was a horrible texter. The kind who would reply hours later because she was too caught up in life to bother checking her phone. How she treated Tyler's text was a perfect example. After seeing his reply, she left him on seen and then went to carry out her little revenge plot against the Angel of Westmond High.

One couldn't spell petty bitch without Acacia.

The ravenhead was no where to be found, even after school. As the day grew dark, Charlotte had sent a text to Tyler as well.

'Hey there! It's Charlotte. I got your number from your friend Liam, if that's alright? See you at the party! I hope you come '

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler finished practice smoothly, then showered and got dressed before getting out his phone and confirming with Charlotte.


Hey Charlotte. Will be there

It felt too awkward to send her a heart back, and Tyler took his emojis seriously.

The boys met up at his place hours later when they were all dressed up in pretty casual but cool looking outfits and loaded into his car. The drive to the sorority was filled with excited chatter and before they knew it they had arrived. "That's it, boys. Our first highschool party." Tyler said with a grin. God they were lame.

 

[mon]

"Oh my god, don't say it like that. It makes us sound so sad," Liam groaned, hiding back an excited grin.

"Reality check guys. We spend all our free time playing volleyball or video games. We are sad," Nathan added and was elbowed by Lara who sat besides him.

"That's why you have us," the two girls giggled. Charlotte was already at the party, hence why Tyler hadn't picked her up and given how Tyler was the only one with a car out of the three of them, he was not only designated driver, but was coerced into fetching his friend's dates along to the party as well.

"We owe you one," Liam whispered after they had picked up his date.

The sorority was like any large high school party one would see in teenage chick flicks. A mansion was rented out and music was booming from inside. The rooms were dark with dim lights, occasionally flashing colors. A few trendy lava lamps were also set in random corners to build atmosphere. Counters were littered with plastic red cups, soda and cheap alcohol bottles. Someone was singing loudly into a karaoke machine in one of the living rooms.

The food was found mostly outside near the swimming pool area. Barbecued meats, corn and what not was being grilled and served on paper plates. A number of students were chilling near the pool side as well. Someone even blew up a floating seat to lounge in the middle of the pool. It was crowded and overwhelming, just as any high school party would be.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"Oh yes you do. I'm the chauffer and I have to stay sober for my first party." Tyler whispered back. They owed him for life.

They split once they got inside and Tyler grabbed a soda to keep his hands busy then roamed around for a couple minutes, taking everything in and looking for Charlotte.

Part of him wondered if he'd see Acacia. He sort of missed her. But to be fair they had spent the last three days stuck together so he got used to her company.

When he couldn't find Charlotte and was too scared to just mingle he got out his phone.


Hey. Im here where r u?

 

[mon]

Charlotte's response came almost immediately.

Look up (:

Standing on the top of the staircase was Charlotte Madison. Her blonde hair was curled and cascaded down her back in soft waves. Her dress was a light baby blue. The skirts puffed up near her knees, bringing out the blue in her eyes and making her look almost like a modern day Cinderella. She was gorgeous, to say the least. And as she descended down the stairs to meet Tyler, she looked like something out of a fairytale.

"Hey," she smiled shyly, glancing over at the others who checked her out as well. She waved at those who spectate, basking in their attention. A few guys nearby wondered who Charlotte was talking to.

"That can't possibly be her date right?" one guy asked.

"Nah man, Charlotte's our Westmond High's angel. She wouldn't date anybody," another answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't you know? She even turned Wesley Lawson down for the party last week."

"Damn. If Wesley can't even get with her, then that poor guy doesn't even stand a chance."

"Keep your voice down will you? He's probably just her fan or something."

If Charlotte had heard them, she pretended not to notice, smiling politely at Tyler instead. "Did you get to grab a bite to eat yet? They're serving hotdogs and stuff outside," she told him.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler looked up and his jaw dropped dramatically.

She really was an angel.

Everyone's eyes were on her as she came down and most were shocked when they found her going to stand in front of Tyler. He smiled at her and blushed a deep scarlet red, still not totally convinced that this was happening.

"Hey, you look gorgeous." He complimented her, though it wasn't even a compliment it was real. How can someone be that pretty? She almost looked fake.

Some of the whispers around him were audible enough to hear and subconsciously Tyler stood up straighter and attempted to look more confident against their stares.

Acacia's words echoed in his head.

This could all be a joke.

Oh how he wished that wasn't true.

 

[mon]

She had expected a compliment, but despite expecting it, Charlotte still had the audacity to blush, averting her eyes down as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Thanks but... that doesn't really answer my question," Charlotte replied shyly, loving the attention. This is how life ought to be. Everything should revolve around her. Of course, she had no intention of actually dating Tyler for real. She just had to gauge what kind of relationship he had with Acacia Romans. The fact that he suddenly started interacting with her was odd and it ruined her plans to ostracize her secret nemesis. Then again, for someone like Charlotte, stealing the silly boy away from Acacia was like taking candy from a baby.

She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed that people were no longer murmuring and talking about her, but instead strayed to the person who had just walked through the doors, arms linked with Wesley Lawson, one of the most sought after jocks in Westmond High.

"Holy shit, who's that?" Someone asked, not recognizing the girl at his arm.

No one could blame them. Acacia hardly ever dolled herself up but when she did, she went all out, holding no ounce of appeal back. Even her last minute date had been surprised to see her when he had picked her up from the dorms. He had accepted her invitation on a whim, mostly because 1) It was a perfect opportunity to get back at Charlotte who turned him down a week ago and yet continued to message him as though nothing had happened and 2) Acacia Romans was hot, if not a great kisser.

Acacia came in dressed completely in black. Her make up and lipstick had been done and her hair was tied up, emphasizing the curves of her bare neck and the white jewels which dangled from her ears. Her dress was body tight, falling down to the floor, slitting up a leg to reveal half of her thigh. It was all parts sexy and alluring where Charlotte was innocent and cute. If the blonde had came dressed looking like a princess that needed saving, then Acacia had came looking like the femme fatale in a Jame's Bond film. The contrast was rather striking, especially when they were standing face to face.

Acacia smirking as she watched Charlotte's face morphed into angered horror for a split second---not because Acacia had showed up uninvited but because she had showed up with Wesley Lawson.

"That traitor!" Charlotte thought angrily, hiding her rage behind a sweet smile.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"Oh um no actually I-" He was a stuttering mess as he tried to answer her simple question. But before he could he looked up and noticed that she was looking elsewhere. For the briefest second anger flashed into her eyes and she was calm again. It was freaky.

Tyler turned to see what she was looking at and his mouth fell open.

He recognized her of course. Three days of being glued to a person (two of which you took their body) and you'd recognize them even all glamed up.

And glamed up was an understatement. Acacia was drop dead gorgeous.

Sure, she was always pretty with her oversized sweaters and wide eyes and cute features, but the Acacia Romans that stood in front of him belonged in the leading role of a movie.

She and everyone else knew she definitely overshined Charlotte.

He recognized Wesley as well, and a surge of jealousy struck him.

He shouldn't be jealous. Acacia could hang out with whoever she wanted. He was over here with a date why shouldn't she have one?

Still, subconsciously his fists clenched and he had the urge to snatch her away from him. From all of them. But he couldn't. She'd kill him if he did.

 

[mon]

"Hey there, Ty," Acacia greeted with a casual breeziness as she walked by, looking over at his friends beside him as well. "Nate. Liam. I see you managed to ask Lara out in the end," she grinned, sharing a wink with Lara. The girl looked pleased but flustered, unsure of what to say or what to do. It wasn't very often Acacia initiated conversations in a non-threatening manner.

She greeted everyone except Charlotte, making a petty point to ignore her as she looked at the kitchen in the back instead. Tugging on Wesley's arm, she said excitedly, "Ooh, looks like they're playing beer pong! Let's check it out and do some shots." Turning to the others, Acacia waved, "I'll catch ya guys later."

And with that she left with Wesley following after her.

"Was that... the Mad Dog?" Liam blinked, surprised.

Nathan looked confused as well. He glanced over at Tyler as though he had an explanation for things.

 

[PlotBrownie]

'Mads, what are are trying to prove now?'

Tyler thought to himself as he and all the others watched her leave with Wesley. He caught Nathan's eye and shrugged in response to the unasked question then felt a tug at his hand. He turned and saw that it was Charlotte, who looked unfazed by everything.

"Come on, let's go grab some food and drinks. You do drink don't you?" She looked sweet but her voice had an edge to it and honestly it was confusing looking and listening to her at the same time. It was as if he was watching a dubbed movie where the voice actor is a deep gruff man voice acting a twelve year old girl.

" Yes but not tonight. I'm driving." He told her with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, more for me then." She joked with a little giggle and Tyler couldn't bother but a little smile.

They headed outside and grabbed some hot dogs then went to hang out by the pool.

 

[mon]

Needless to say, the group split up. Nathan and Liam went around with their dates and while Charlotte hung around Tyler, oftentimes than not, people would come up to talk to her and she would chat back, without bothering to introduce Tyler until asked. There were a few times when people brought Acacia up to Charlotte, with mostly positive reviews which had the blonde's smile growing more fake on her face.

"I thought you were seeing Wesley, to be honest," one chick was saying to Charlotte and Charlotte looked almost pained to respond. She merely smiled and shrugged, "I guess he's not into me?" she lied modestly. Inside, she was burning with selfish ambition. All the talk about Acacia and Wesley left her distracted and more often time than not, she would sneak glances over at the two when she believed Tyler wasn't looking.

"Hey, I need to get something real quick. Mind waiting here for me?" Charlotte asked, not really giving Tyler a chance to reply before she walked off, looking for Wesley. She managed to pull him aside to talk, despite Acacia being there. Surprisingly, Acacia relented, allowing Wesley to go talk with the blonde. She had better things to do anyways like drink and win her fifth game of beer pong.

Her face was flushed red as she slung her arm around someone nearby, "Gosh, you're great at this game," she giggled into their ear, making them blush. She was clearly tipsy and feeling great. Walking over to Tyler with drinks in her hand, she shoved a red plastic cup in his face. "Hey," she breathed, smelling of alcohol and something sweet. Something like strawberries.

"You don't actually plan to stay sober the whole time do you?" she asked, placing one hand on her hip. "Drink. I dare you," she smirked, tauntingly.

 

[PlotBrownie]

This party was lame. Even for him.

Charlotte kept forgetting about him and it irritated the living hell out of Tyler because what was the point of asking him to be her date when she barely talked to him all night while she talked with everyone else.

And everyone was all Acacia this or Wesley that or 'You look so pretty tonight, Charlotte!' which was true but left Tyler feeling like an awkward third wheel.

And then suddenly she wasn't even there anymore.

Sure Charlotte was pretty and out of his league but he'd feel lucky if she actually gave him the impression that she was interested in him.

Now he was left without his friends and without his date and he just wanted to go home.

He headed inside to find Liam and Nathan to see how they're doing when he saw Charlotte talking to Wesley and he frowned in irritation but ignored them both. He'll be leaving soon anyways.

Then he caught Acacia out of the corner of his eyes, making her way over to him with a cup she forced into his hands.

He took a modest sip just to please her but kept the cup in his hands. She was drunk enough anyways.

 

[mon]

Too bad he wasn't fooling anyone. Acacia may be tipsy but she was still miles away from being drunk enough to be blind. She had her high alcohol tolerance to thank for that.

"Not a sip, Bay. All of it," Acacia encouraged, pressing the cup's rim against his lips, "What? Don't tell me you don't drink." She rose a brow.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler eyed the cup. It was half full. He wouldn't get drunk from half a cup would he? If he felt like he was drunk then they'll just have to Uber it, but he wanted to be drunk right now.

He gulped down the rest of the cup and set it down then turned to Acacia. Gorgeous Acacia. "There. Happy, Mads?"

 

[mon]

Acacia gave a short cheer when Tyler downed the cup down, smiling triumphantly when he did so.

"Kinda?" she snickered, noting his sour expression. Uh oh, that was a bad look on him. Tyler shouldn't be unhappy. An unhappy Tyler did not look good. He looked sad and that in turn, made Acacia sad. (Or as sad as a giggly, tipsy person could get.)

"Aw, you look bored. Are you bored, Ty?" Acacia asked, resting her arms around his neck, talking in a very pleasant hum. Her eyes flickered behind him, spotting Charlotte pulling Wesley aside into a room. Her smirk grew wider, not because Charlotte Madison had just ditched one of the sweetest boys she knew, but because she had expected this from the blonde.

And because she predicted this would happen, Acacia had also left lipstick stains and kiss marks on Wesley's neck and collarbone when he wasn't looking. Knowing Charlotte's personality, the girl would probably go mad with jealousy. Ah, revenge was so sweet.

"You wanna have some fun?" she asked, ignoring the curious looks thrown her direction, her gaze and focus on Tyler alone.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler smirked, thinking to himself that Acacia was cute when she was tipsy too, and lightly rested his hands on her arms that were draped on his shoulders, not pulling them away but just holding them.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. Underneath all that she was still Cia but having her look like that and be this close to him was making his mind go crazy.

The mischievous glint in her eyes couldn't mean anything good, but he ran out of shits to give and nodded.

Yes, he did want to do something fun.

 

[mon]

"Perfect," Acacia pulled Tyler up from his seat by the hand and led him through the crowd of people. "But first, let's get you a bit more loose." Picking up a random cup from a counter, she sloppily mixed some alcohol and soda for him, adding more soda than alcohol, before shoving it in his hands. "Drink. No saying no," she grinned, taking a cup for herself and chugging down the same time he did. For someone as proficient in drinking as she was, Acacia had finished first, but only by a few seconds. She did this two more times with him until he's down three cups in a row.

Gauging his sobriety, Acacia figured it was high time she brought him to the dance floor, "Come. Let's go dance!" she said, dragging him once more towards the main room that was filled with people and booming loud music. Up in the front was a stage and a set of mics for the bolder people to come up and sing.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Being the more reasonable of the two he knew he shouldn't let her take the lead, but it was a party and his date dumped him for another boy so he might as well down the the offered drink and let loose as she said.

Slowly the tips of his fingers started numbing slightly and his head buzzed as the alcohol took effect.

He let himself get dragged to the dance floor and went with the flow. He was a horrible dancer, slow songs he could do though, but he tried and matched the pace with the people around him and it was too dark and everyone was too drunk to notice him.

 

[mon]

Seeing him dance and make an actual effort to do so made her laugh. "God, you're horrible at this!" she told him, but there was no heat in her words, only cheery laughter. "Just do what you feel comfortable doing. Don't worry about how you look. Everyone's too wasted to care," she told him, shaking her head as she got up on the stage.

Keying in a song, another jazzy but upbeat song began to play and Acacia took the microphone from one of the stands. Her red lips moving evidently despite the dim lighting. Her voice was husky from all the shouting and the laughing and the alcohol. The song seemed to be popular in the school because halfway through the verse, when Acacia held the microphone out towards the crowd, everyone sang back "They call it lonely digging!"

But the real show was not in the verse or how Acacia danced as she sang, stealing people's attention with her confidence and her glamour. The real party began to hit off at the chorus when she began rapping in perfect sync to the original. The crowd hollered loudly and Acacia had hopped off the stage, taking the microphone with her as she slinked over to Tyler, twirling the wire cable around her index finger as she sang.

"Hey, brother, what you thinking? That good ol' sound is ringing. They don't know what they're missing," she smirked, glancing over at a red-faced Charlotte and a frustrated Wesley. They both seemed surprise to see Acacia singing. At the second half of the second verse, Acacia held the microphone out for Tyler. She knew his voice would suit it better, given she's lived a day or two in it for herself.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler laughed with her and took her advice, just moving whichever way he felt like and looking like an idiot but a confident one and they just danced together. He all but forgot about Charlotte.

Then before his drunken mind registered it she was gone again, heading for the main stage and grabbing the mic. He stood close to the stage and tucked his hands in his pockets to watch her, grinning to himself. She looked stunning.

The crowd loved her, too, and Tyler watched her have her moment and finally felt like this night was taking a turn for the better.

When she handed him the mic he took it with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist, bringing her closer to him as he started singing.

Let's end your time to lay low
Your knees are bending and so
It's time to get up and let go.

Time to let go indeed.

 

[mon]

It was good to see him laugh and Acacia felt relieved to see so, almost like checking off a mental checklist she made for herself in her little revenge plot. Of course, she wasn't entirely selfish and allowed Tyler the spotlight. It seemed other people loved his voice as much as he did so as she sang, she sat herself up on the stage, crossing a bare leg over the other as she rapped along, grooving to the melody.

Everyone was drunk and the lights were flashing. People were having a blast, so of course, no one noticed that one of the lights overhead on the stage had actually been partially unscrewed. It had been dangling since the start of the party, occasionally swaying due to the music's loud vibrations.

 

[PlotBrownie]

You know what? This party didn't suck after all.

Tyler was having a moment, and Acacia was right there with him, in fact she was the reason for it, and the people actually liked him and as the song came to an end people cheered and the next one came along. Tyler handed the mic off to a girl on his right and looked at Acacia, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.

He was having fun. He was at a party and he was drunk and he was hanging out with the most gorgeous girl in the party and he was having fun. Everything was great.

Until it wasn't.

"Acacia! Watch out!" He usually had quicker reflexes, but the alcohol slowed him down and he was too late.

 

[mon]

It was just her luck that she had to be seated on the stage's edge instead of being completely on the stage or off it. If she was, the chances of the light hitting her would be far slimmer than if she had been directly seated underneath the loose light.

On natural reflex, she had looked up to see the light falling down and given Tyler's warning, the ravenhead did her best to jump out of the way.

The light fell down crashing with a loud smash. Glass shattered and fortunately, Acacia had jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being completely crushed by the light. Her eyes were wide and she was as shocked as everyone else nearby. Someone behind her screamed and pointed at her leg. She hadn't noticed it was bleeding. A piece of glass had stabbed into the area near her ankle and when she finally shifted in an attempt to stand up, Acacia hissed in pain.

"Someone call a medic!" another person shouted. Everyone was murmuring. Even the music had stopped playing.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Adrenaline pumped through his blood, momentarily taking away the effect of all the beers he drank and allowing him to jump into action.

"Shhh, don't move." He told her as he put an arm under her knees and another under her upper back and picked her up bridal style.

The lights were turned on and people were quickly making room for him and made a pathway for him that led to the closest couch. The crowded room wasn't so crowded anymore and he could hear someone saying loudly that an ambulance was on the way. He'll later recognize that to be Liam's voice.

As gently as he could he laid her down and used a pillow to prop her leg up to lessen the blood coming out. "The shard has to come out. It's not blocking the blood enough. This will hurt." He warned the girl, giving her a sympathetic and almost pained look. He turned sharply to the people around him, "I need a cloth or a towel. Something to wrap the wound and stop the blood. Anything soft." He ordered. He would've used his own jacket if it wasn't leather and wouldn't wrap tightly enough.

The few moments later a clean looking white towel was handed to him and he carefully took out the shard, knowing there was no way of avoiding hurting her, and wrapped the towel as tight as he could over the wound. Above the wound there was an ugly red mark that will definitely bruise left from when the PAR can hit her. He hoped it wasn't broken.

His hands were bloody but he still took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "You'll be okay, Cia." He promised her. And it was true, she wasn't at risk of bleeding anymore and it was nothing fatal or irreversible, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch.

 

[mon]

If Acacia wasn't surprised enough by the light suddenly dropping overhead, then she certainly was when Tyler picked her up.

"Ty!" she paled, mostly because of the pain instead of the horror. This was not the sort of attention she wanted from people. Everyone was looking worried and anxious. Some even pitying.

"It's fine. I'll be fine. I---" she was perfectly mortified. If this was Charlotte's way to get back at her then she definitely succeeded. It made her hot with humiliation to think that way.

She inhaled sharply when her leg was touched. If it hurted this much now, how much worse would it be when the shard was pulled out? Acacia's face turned pale despite the brave look she tried to put on. "It's just a flesh wound," she joked, forcing a grin, "The medic would be here soon. Shouldn't we just wait for them?" she said, mostly because she didn't want a hundred pair of eyes on her, especially when she was in so much damn pain.

It seemed no one was listening however. Someone had came back with a towel and when the shard was yanked out of her foot, Acacia had to physically bite back a whimper. She regretted tying her hair up at that point because she could swear she felt beads of moisture prick her eyes and she had no way of hiding it except by burying her face into the nook of her arm.

"Fuck," Acacia cursed, laying down on the couch she was on, squeezing Tyler's hand.