#mutedwinter

POP MUSIC BLARED from within Lacy Logan's french country style home. Beats bounced off of the walls and heavy bass thumped against the marble floors. It was Friday night, and just as the moon made itself aware, a flurry of cars began to pull up. The house had been a custom build for the Logan family. It had iron gates, a garden filled with roses with a marble fountain, rows of tall pillars that decorated each side of the outdoor pool area, and a huge family painting hanging on the living room wall.

The large garden behind the residence was littered with flashy cars and expensive-looking motorcycles. Drunken football players splashed around in the pool, trying to get revenge on their already chlorine soaked teammates. A group of kids with red solo cups full of whatever alcohol they could find in the cabinets stumbled as they talked amongst themselves.

Oh well. A little stealing never hurts anyone.

Inside the house, amongst the crowded area was a group of girls gathered together on the blue velvet sofa with their drinks and figure-flattering outfits. Bianca Butler, Lacy’s best friend, laughed almost angelically at something one of her friends had shouted over the music in her ear. She was perfectly primped in her black spaghetti strap mini dress, her silky honey locks curled loosely around her heart shaped face. Soft brown eyes hidden under her long thick lashes.

To her right was Lacy Logan, The prettiest girl you’ve ever seen, scrolling through the photo gallery on her phone. Lacy was a beautiful storm. Her slick back ponytail hung straight and shiny down her back. Her eyes were painted with a smokey eyeshadow and her lips were the color of cinnamon. She wore a red dress outlined with lace, and a pair of black strappy heels to showcase her long, lithe legs. In her freshly manicured hand was a bottle of water that she had on standby just in case a friend needed to sober up. Her friends rambled on about useless topics but she couldn't be bothered to entertain their ideas of a conversational piece. Classmates waltzed up to her and wished her a happy birthday. Some complimented her hair, her dress, her makeup, the speech she gave in the debate club.

Anything to feel like you're a part of her world, right?

"She’s obsessed with you and not in a good way." Lacy chimed into the conversation. The current topic was about the infamous 'Maggie Cameron', Bianca’s annoying girlfriend. She’s a terribly selfish rich girl that just so happens to be friends with Lacy’s twin brother and older sister. "You're overreacting." The blonde denied as she nursed her cup of beer, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous accusations. 

"Seriously, B, you're giving her way too much credit," Bianca remarked, her voice blending with the rhythm of the music. "I've seen toddlers throw less tantrums." She gestured toward Maggie, who was making her way over to them. She wasn't alone though; she never really was. Lacy’s twin brother, Leo, was to his right, and Tony Alvarez was to his left.

The music thumped in the background, echoing throughout the spacious living room filled with a mix of friends, acquaintances, and the occasional stranger brought along for the night. Lacy chuckled quietly to herself and looked away from the glare that Bianca had cast her way. She leaned back against the couch, observing the crowded room with an air of detached annoyance. The flickering lights and the buzz of conversations were starting to give her a headache.

As Maggie approached, Lacy exchanged a knowing glance with Leo, and Tony gave a subtle nod. "Hey sis." Leo clapped a hand down over Lacy’s shoulder as his voice boomed over the loud music. He held a red solo cup filled with whatever he managed to score from their parents bedroom. A mischievous smile graced his features and it was only then that Lacy realized what it meant. He needed her for something. Lacy shot him a questioning look, her curiosity piqued. "What do you want now, Leo?" she asked, the noise of the party fading into the background as she tuned into whatever mess her brother had managed to get into. 

“We want to you come check something out. The guys and I found this loser trying to come into your party so we took him out to a cornfield and strung him up.” His chocolate eyes gleamed against the soft lights as he spoke. Now, Lacy wasn’t exactly sure if she heard him right because none of what he said had made sense in the slightest. “I’m sorry, you did what?” Her tone was clipped, black nails digging into the couch armrest.

By the look on her face Leo had quickly realized that he had made the wrong decision. Again.

“Now I-I know that sounds bad but I can totally explain!” His words were rushed as he straightened his posture, hands up in surrender. “Explain what exactly? We’re not even here for a month and you’re already causing trouble? Are you joking?”

She got up from the couch, pushing past her brother and his stupid friends. He was hot on her trail, rushed apologies were going in one ear and out the other. He was saying something about how she was overreacting even though they both knew that she wasn’t. Leo had a habit of downplaying the feelings of those around him. He also had a habit of creating trouble and being in situations where he didn’t belong.

And she was sick of it.

“You do this every time, Leo,” she snapped, rounding on him just as they reached the hallway. “You get yourself in trouble, and we have to pack up and start over because of it. Do you know how exhausting it is? How much I hate having to pretend I don’t know why we’re moving? Do you think I enjoy having to walk into new schools and act like I don’t know that the real reason we’re here is because you—”

She stopped herself, inhaling sharply, her nails biting into her palms.

Leo shifted on his feet. He knew exactly what she was talking about. “That was different,” he muttered, gaze flickering toward the floor.

“Yeah?” She let out a cold laugh. “So is this. Do you even realize how insane you sound? A cornfield, Leo? Do you have any idea what Mom and Dad would do if they found out?”

He finally looked up, his face blank, but she could see the panic creeping into his eyes.

Lacy tilted her head. “Actually…” She dug into her back pocket, pulling out her phone and waving it between them. “Maybe I should give them a call.”

His eyes widened. “Lace—come on.”

“No, really. Let’s tell them. I mean, what’s one more call from the school? Or the police?” She raised her eyebrows. “They’ll love hearing about this one.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not funny.”

“Oh, I’m not joking.” She turned the phone over in her hand, thumb hovering over the screen. “But… maybe I don’t have to. Maybe you just give me your car keys, and we forget this happened.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, and for a second, she thought he might argue. But then, with a heavy sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, tossing them at her.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath.

She caught them effortlessly, slipping them into her pocket. “Yeah, well, maybe next time, you’ll think before you do something stupid.”

Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked off.

Her gaze flitted around the area, scanning the faces of the random people and occasional familiar faces. It was supposed to be a small gathering. The thought floated around her mind as Brittany Kluger, a sophomore that was apparently all too friendly with the senior's, came up to her for what felt like the one hundredth time that night. She had pink dyed hair and wore the ugliest pair of jeans that Lacy had seen in years. "Hey Lacy! Great party," She grinned with that god awful set of teeth and Blair could smell the alcohol on her breath from a mile away.

From an initial look, you could tell that she was wasted from the spiked punch that Bianca insisted on making. Lacy smiled, it was practiced but still effective, and batted her eyelashes in response. It was the classic Lacy move which meant that either your conversation wasn't entertaining enough or she found you attractive. You should assume the former with the pink mess standing in front of her.

"Thank you." She softly murmured and turned away before the chatterbox could do what she does best, which is chatter. She could hear her feeble attempts at capturing her attention again as she pushed past the sweaty bodies of her classmates. There was only one thing on her mind tonight that she would actually be looking forward to.

And little did she know, it would turn her life upside down.