Iseult floated at the bottom of the pool, watching as men and women swam and played around and above her. Loud music played above, muffled, but still audible underwater, and Iseult felt a headache coming on. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxvU2QiBdp
The party had been in full swing when she and Saraid had arrived, and Quinn had been delighted to see the girls. But after that, things had grown a bit uneasy, and while Saraid had let herself be swept up in the atmosphere, Iseult had done the sensible thing and jumped into the pool the first chance she got. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYlFdBNXgH
The party continued on above the surface, but Iseult was perfectly content to stay underwater, leaving the sex, drugs, and alcohol behind. She really didn't want to be here, and she couldn't understand why Saraid had been so insistent on her coming. Letting her hair down was one thing; being around adults with a penchant for all the vices in life was an entirely different kettle of fish.
Nevertheless, Iseult found one small note of comfort in the pool's azure depths, and when she eventually came up for air, she felt a bit better. She felt less better, however, when she saw Saraid in the arms of a man who had to be ten years older than she was, and Iseult felt ill as she watched her friend being kissed to within an inch of her life. With the pair being half submerged, Iseult had no idea what was going on under the water, but given how close Saraid and her "friend" were, Iseult would have wagered the man's hands were very busy under the surface. Iseult was no prude, but she did draw the line at Saraid having sex with someone much older than her. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYF9QiZZ7Z
And the problem, Iseult told herself, as she went back under, was that no one was batting an eyelash at a teenage girl getting all up close and personal with an older man. Other teenage girls were in similar positions, and as Iseult swam past the arms, legs and bodies around her, she saw more than one pair of legs wrapped around a man's waist, with the man's hands getting all busy on the girl's backside, gripping, stroking, and in some cases, grinding the girl's hips against theirs. Feeling even more sick, Iseult surfaced and hauled herself out of the pool, about ready to throw up. This party had been a mistake, she told herself.
"Heyyyy."
She turned, startled, and shivered when she saw Kate standing before her, her arm around the waist of a man who looked old enough to be her father. Both looked as drunk as one another, and Iseult managed a weak smile. "Hey," she said. "I was just heading inside to dry off."
"Whyyyy?" Kate said, the word slow and slurred. "Party's just gettin' started. You can't go just when the good shit is comin' out."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmZ5AB0iXM
Iseult didn't need to ask what the "good shit" was - she'd been smelling weed all evening, and the smell was making her sick. "No thanks," she said. "I'd much rather just grab a drink of water and go home."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDCWe96d9R
Kate pouted as she slipped past, and when Iseult glanced over her shoulder, Kate's companion had her in his arms, kissing her deeply enough to make Iseult wonder if he was hunting for her tonsils. In any case, she no longer had an interest in finding out, and she hurried inside. In short order she was dried and dressed, and she made her way back downstairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of Saraid before she left. But when she stepped out onto the deck, she almost threw up; Saraid and her new friend were having sex on one of the banana lounges in full view of everyone else. To make matters worse, Saraid had the expression of one who'd gotten themselves in way too deep, with no way to get out, and Iseult felt anger overcome her nausea.
She stormed over to the couple and tapped the man on the shoulder. "I'm thinking you're done," she said coldly.
The man looked over his shoulder and sneered when he saw Iseult standing there. "Fuck off," he said, loudly and clearly, and dead silence fell. Everyone within earshot turned to stare, but Iseult ignored them.
"I said, I think you're done," she repeated, ready to beat him over the head if necessary.
"And I said, fuck off," the man told her, giving an extra hard thrust to the terrified girl under him. "I ain't finished, and the more you keep botherin' me, the longer I'm goin' to take."
Iseult felt her cheeks heat up, but she refused to give in. With a yell of inarticulate rage, she smashed the brute across the head with her bag. He went limp, and Iseult grabbed Saraid's shoulders and hauled her clear, supporting her friend as the other girl almost lost her footing. Quinn came storming over, but Iseult held up her hand. "We're leaving," she said coldly. "I dare you to try and get in my way; I've got my da on speed dial."
Quinn looked ready to do murder, but Iseult's threat had shaken her; she grunted and waved off the suddenly hostile crowd. "Fuck off, then," she said. "Shoulda known the one decent Murray in the whole miserable clan was just as much a cunt as the rest of them."
Iseult refused to take the bait. Instead, she helped Saraid inside and got her dried and dressed. No one said a word to them as they made their way through the back yard to the side gate, and when it slammed shut behind them, Iseult felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "And Ryans are just as big cunts, if not worse," she muttered. "Time to call an Uber and get the fuck out of here."
Saraid, her earlier bravado entirely dissipated, shook her head. "No," she said in a small voice. "Call your folks. I don't want Mam finding out what happened when the Uber drops me at her door at two in the morning."
"I'll do one better," Iseult said, keeping an arm around her shattered friend as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Saraid needed her brother more than she needed anything else, and as Iseult began the call, she wasn't ashamed to admit she needed Patrick just as badly.
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