FicWad

Meredith was crouched low on the left side of a cabin. She remained as still and quiet as she could...Kevin and Joe were talking just around the corner, and to get to where Trace was, she had to get past them.

"Well, down to the game room then, I'm so gonna beat you at ping pong this time,"she heard Joe's voice.

"Oh, yeah right, it's on now."

She heard their feet stepping through the long grass, then waited for a moment, peeking around the corner. They were nowhere in sight. Neither was anyone else. She ran quickly towards the woods, her back bent a little in an attempt to be less noticeable.

She let out a breath when she made it onto the old narrow path. She looked around, a bit freaked out. It was late, and she was alone, and Alyson had said something about bears and wildcats in this area...She almost screamed when a bird flew up in the trees, making noise. Meredith rolled her eyes at herself, getting pretty close to the old bench. She took in a sharp breath when a twig snapped behind her. She twirled around. It was Trace, standing there, apparently amused by her paranoia. She let out a breath of relief, going over and hugging him.

"Hey babe,"he said softly. She reached up and gave him a kiss, on her tiptoes.

"Come on,"Trace nodded, taking her hand and leading her through the woods. She wasn't sure where they were, but she trusted Trace. She smiled when they came into sight with a road, and his car parked to the side of it.

"Here we are,"Trace grinned, opening the passenger door for her.

"What do you mean she's not here?!"Joe yelled at Jennifer. Jennifer looked at him with wide eyes.

"She's just not here. W-we figured she was with you g-guys or something. She was all dressed up when she left."

Joe punched the side of the doorframe, and Jennifer flinched back. Kevin put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"That's not helping anything, Joe. She might still be around, let's go check,"he said calmly, then turned to Jennifer. "Thanks anyways." Jennifer nodded, her eyes still wide and looking a bit scared at Joe's mood. Kevin grabbed Joe's arm, pulling him along.

"We'll check at the Lunch Hall. She might be there with Jordan or something."

"You know as well as I do that she went to the party. It's like, almost 11, Kevin,"Joe sniffed, worried.

"Not necessarily. She could be around,"Kevin said, still trying to remain calm and not flip out like Joe was doing.

"Are you looking for Meredith?" They turned aroud to see Jordan.

"Yeah, do you know where she is, Jordan?" The other boy shrugged.

"That one guy she was hanging with said they were going to a party. I told him I didn't think you guys would let her go."

Kevin put a hand on his forehead.

"Crap. Now we're not going to find her. She's going to be in major trouble when I call Dad,"Joe said angrily. Jordan hesitated for a bit, then spoke.

"Well, he said it was in Toronto. On 6th street, I think." Kevin's head shot up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

This time Kevin was getting frantic. He grabbed Joe's arm.

"Come on. We've got a party to crash."

"Shake shake, shake shake-a-shake it..."The Metro Station hit song boomed throughout the party house on 6th Street. Trace wrapped his arm around Meredith's shoulder as they walked inside. It was eleven pm, and the alcohol was being passed around, along with drugs. Meredith bit her lip nervously.

"Yo, Trace!"yelled someone. Meredith looked up to see a lanky, brown haired boy walking towards them, a beer in one hand.

"Hey Mason,"Trace grinned, taking his arm off Meredith shoulder and punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"This your girl?"Mason's eyes lingered on Meredith once he saw her. Trace noticed, and wrapped a hand around her waist.

"Yeah. Meredith Jonas."

"No joke?"Mason chuckled. "That's sweet." He was definitely drunk.

"Mmhmm."

"Ah, I see, you don't want me looking at her. No problem, bro. Now, come on. Anthony and Healy are in the den with some hot chicks,"he licked his lips, winking at Trace.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, just let me get a drink." Trace grabbed Meredith's hand and practically herded her to where a case of beer was. He took two cans out, and handed one to her. Meredith pressed her lips together with uncertainty.

"Come on, baby,"Trace said sweetly, taking her to the den.

The den was awful. Meredith could hardly stand it. As soon as they got in there, Trace sat down on one end of the couch and pulled her into his lap, opening up his can of beer and taking a swig. She hesitated over opening her can. She had never drank before. Well, there's always a first time.

Mason, Anthony, and Healy were all there, along with almost a dozen cheap-looking girls. Meredith did her best to ignore them as she opened her can of beer and took a sip. She blinked. She didn't like it too well, but, hey, she could develop a taste for it.

"Oh, is it really you, Trace?"a blonde girl named Brooke slurred as she plopped down on the couch beside Trace. She gave Meredith a nasty look, which she returned.

"Ah, Brooke, long time, no see,"he said dryly, apparently uninterested. Brooke didn't back down, though, putting a hand on Trace's knee.

"Aw, I missed you Trace. How come you never called? Hmm?"

Meredith gave her a disgusted look, then stood up, off of Trace's lap.

"I need to use the bathroom,"she said simply, putting her beer on a stand and walking off in search of the bathroom. Her heart was racing as she made her way through the various rooms and hallways packed with people. She accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry-"she stopped short as she saw that she hadn't run into the guy, but he was pushing her up against the wall.

"I accept the apology, babe,"he grinned. His breath stank of alcohol.

"Um, I'm just going to go now,"she said quickly, ducking down below him arm and scurrying away before he had time to react. When she did find the bathroom, it was already occupied. By two people. She almost threw up, slamming the door shut. So much for that. She took the long way around to get back to the den, hoping not to run into that guy again.

Brooke was still hanging all over Trace, who was looking annoyed. His face brightened up when he saw Meredith, and he walked over and gave her a long kiss. He too smelled like alcohol. And some other scent Meredith couldn't place, but it ws all over the room. Trace insisted that they danced, so she played along, the rest of the guys joining in and grinding. Meredith almost fell once, but Trace caught her, somehow.

She was exhausted. It was almost one-o'clock. Trace was wasted, and she was worried about getting back to the set. She snuggled up against him while he was talking to his fellow band members, doing drugs or whatnot. Meredith's mind was too hazy to think clearly.

"Trace, I want to go,"she said, shocked at the slurred vowels she emitted. That wasn't her voice, was it?

"Sure, in a minute, baby,"Trace waved her off. Meredith frowned, waiting for another 15 minutes before asking him again.

"Trace, I want to go now,"she said in her most innocent voice.

"Later, baby, I'm busy,"he waved her off once again. Meredith pouted, standing up. She wasn't happy with him, and wished she'd never went to this party. She finished her third beer, her head spinning as she walked out of the den and starting exploring the rest of the party.