Hey, Haylie
I’m gonna fight ’em off. A seven nation army couldn't hold me back.
“I don’t want to go to the damn party!”
Haylie dug her heels into the carpet as Lily dragged her through the hallway to the front door. She knew Lily only wanted to attend Vince’s party because Travis was going to be there. Oh, and the drinks. Lily loved her booze.
“There will be so many people there!” Lily said. “It’ll be fun.”
“But I hate Vince, and you know that,” said Haylie, prying Lily’s hands off her. “His music sucks. All he knows how to play are metal songs. He’s always trying to show off. That’s why he invited so many people. He invited me. Vince hates me almost as much as I hate him. See how desperate he is?”
“Why doesn’t he like you anyway?”
“He just-I don’t know. I think it’s just one of those things when a person returns the hate, you know?”
Lily shrugged. “You don’t even have to be near him at the party. You can talk to other guys like Michael. He thinks you’re cute. He told me himself.”
“I’m not interested in him or anybody. Lily, let go!”
Haylie rubbed the spot on her arm where Lily’s hands used to be. She walked away from her friend, who gently touched her shoulder.
“I need you to go with me,” Lily pleaded. “I can’t do this alone.”
Haylie rolled her eyes.
“What if I drink too much? Who will hold my hair back for me?” Lily ran a hand through her auburn curls. “What if-what if I get raped?”
Her hazel eyes were wide with honest worry.
“Lily, you’re full of shit.” She paused. “Let’s go.”
Haylie grabbed her cell phone and shoes, while Lily hopped up and down like a mad bunny. Before they left, Haylie wrote a note to her parents about where she was going, and prayed to God the party would be worth the effort of picking up the pen and paper.
“It’s so damn loud!” Haylie cried tersely over the music and chatting.
Lily grinned. “Isn’t it great?”
They both had a cup of beer in their hands, but Haylie hadn’t drunk hers, nor did she plan to. Even though she wasn’t going to drive home (She lived only a few streets away from Vince.) she didn’t want her parents to see her tipsy. Everybody else seemed inebriated already. One couple made out drunkenly on the couch like there was no tomorrow, and another crowd of people hovered near the bathroom, hoping they would be able to hold in their vomit until they hit the toilet.
One of the people was Travis. Lily rushed over and rubbed his back tenderly. She seemed to ask him if he was okay, but Haylie didn’t stick around to see what would happen next. She didn’t want to see Travis barfing into Lily’s mouth if they ever managed to lock lips. It would be one mess Haylie wouldn’t be willing to clean up.
As Haylie wandered around Vince’s two story house, she spotted a couple people she knew from school, but they either were too drunk to notice her, or they were trying to ignore her presence. Haylie didn’t know any of them well enough to care. After her second round through the house, she decided to hit the garage, where she knew people wouldn’t notice her loneliness. Vince would undoubtedly be playing his guitar, and a crowd would be watching him.
Haylie was half right. Vince had his guitar in hand, but only five people surrounded him. One of them glanced up at Haylie when she entered.
“Hey,” Michael said to her.
She nodded in reply.
If she was interested in having a boyfriend, Michael would be at the top of her want list. Unlike most of the guys she knew, Michael didn’t disparage girls; he treated them like his guy friends, in a good way-with respect and a natural friendliness. He wasn’t bad looking neither.
Haylie slid onto a crate next to Michael, whom Vince glanced at with a get-over-here look.
“C’mon, Michael,” Vince urged. “Just sing the chorus. That’s all I’m asking you to do.”
“I don’t sing.”
“I just want to try out the song.”
“You should stick to that metal stuff.”
“Nah, man.”
“Hey, Vince,” one sober guy said. “Why don’t you just play the song? Michael doesn’t have to sing if he doesn’t want to.”
Vince frowned. “I’ll play it now, but someone’s going to sing along later.”
He gazed down at his ebony Les Paul and played the first few notes of the song. Haylie recognized it immediately: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. Since when did Vince play that kind of music?
When he finished, he glanced up at every single member of his audience, except for Haylie.
“Someone going to sing?” he asked. It sounded more like a demand.
Nobody said anything. They avoided eye contact with Vince. A girl with a lip ring fixatedly studied her fingernails and bit at the skin around her thumb.
“I’ll sing.”
Haylie stood up. Vince studied her face, and for a second, Haylie saw an angry fire in his light brown eyes. It quickly went out. He nodded at her, and she dragged her crate next to his. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest like a beating drum. The pounding spread to her head and feet, dizzying her for a moment. She knew all the words, so she didn’t know why she felt nervous. It wasn’t because she didn’t like her singing voice; it sounded okay to her. Was it because she wasn’t used to performing in front of people, even a small number of them? Was it Michael? Or was it because she wanted to gain Vince’s respect?
“Ready?” Vince asked.
Haylie cleared her throat. “Yeah.”
Vince’s fingers glided across the fret board, and the guitar pick struck the metal strings with just the right amount of force.
“I’m gonna fight ’em off. A seven nation army couldn't hold me back...”
The lyrics flowed out from Haylie’s mouth. She hit every note flawlessly, and she was in perfect harmony with Vince. Everything was going well until the slam of the garage door ripped through the song.
“Haylie, we’re getting out of here now.”
Lily stood at the frame of the doorway, gripping onto the knob so tight that the skin around her knuckles turned pale. Her red eyes wildly gazed at everybody in the room. Confusion and despair were etched into her pallid face.
Vince calmly glanced from Haylie to Lily. A whole minute seemed to crawl by before Haylie stood up, apologized to Vince and the audience, and trudged out the garage. She could feel the disappointment and shock emanating from the room. When the two girls were outside the house, Haylie noticed everything sounded quieter than it was before they entered. She suddenly clasped onto Lily’s arm and spun her around.
“What was that about? Why did you pull me out of there? I was in the middle of something,” she said.
“I thought you didn’t want to be there in the first place,” Lily retorted. “I was having a great time with Travis. I thought he actually liked me. When I got up to get us some drinks, I came back to find him kissing some girl. Can you believe it? I felt so-”
Haylie didn’t bother to listen. That’s all she ever did. Whenever she spoke up, she got shot down anyway, and she didn’t ever try to get back up. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Don't want to hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell
“I don’t want to go to the damn party!”
Haylie dug her heels into the carpet as Lily dragged her through the hallway to the front door. She knew Lily only wanted to attend Vince’s party because Travis was going to be there. Oh, and the drinks. Lily loved her booze.
“There will be so many people there!” Lily said. “It’ll be fun.”
“But I hate Vince, and you know that,” said Haylie, prying Lily’s hands off her. “His music sucks. All he knows how to play are metal songs. He’s always trying to show off. That’s why he invited so many people. He invited me. Vince hates me almost as much as I hate him. See how desperate he is?”
“Why doesn’t he like you anyway?”
“He just-I don’t know. I think it’s just one of those things when a person returns the hate, you know?”
Lily shrugged. “You don’t even have to be near him at the party. You can talk to other guys like Michael. He thinks you’re cute. He told me himself.”
“I’m not interested in him or anybody. Lily, let go!”
Haylie rubbed the spot on her arm where Lily’s hands used to be. She walked away from her friend, who gently touched her shoulder.
“I need you to go with me,” Lily pleaded. “I can’t do this alone.”
Haylie rolled her eyes.
“What if I drink too much? Who will hold my hair back for me?” Lily ran a hand through her auburn curls. “What if-what if I get raped?”
Her hazel eyes were wide with honest worry.
“Lily, you’re full of shit.” She paused. “Let’s go.”
Haylie grabbed her cell phone and shoes, while Lily hopped up and down like a mad bunny. Before they left, Haylie wrote a note to her parents about where she was going, and prayed to God the party would be worth the effort of picking up the pen and paper.
“It’s so damn loud!” Haylie cried tersely over the music and chatting.
Lily grinned. “Isn’t it great?”
They both had a cup of beer in their hands, but Haylie hadn’t drunk hers, nor did she plan to. Even though she wasn’t going to drive home (She lived only a few streets away from Vince.) she didn’t want her parents to see her tipsy. Everybody else seemed inebriated already. One couple made out drunkenly on the couch like there was no tomorrow, and another crowd of people hovered near the bathroom, hoping they would be able to hold in their vomit until they hit the toilet.
One of the people was Travis. Lily rushed over and rubbed his back tenderly. She seemed to ask him if he was okay, but Haylie didn’t stick around to see what would happen next. She didn’t want to see Travis barfing into Lily’s mouth if they ever managed to lock lips. It would be one mess Haylie wouldn’t be willing to clean up.
As Haylie wandered around Vince’s two story house, she spotted a couple people she knew from school, but they either were too drunk to notice her, or they were trying to ignore her presence. Haylie didn’t know any of them well enough to care. After her second round through the house, she decided to hit the garage, where she knew people wouldn’t notice her loneliness. Vince would undoubtedly be playing his guitar, and a crowd would be watching him.
Haylie was half right. Vince had his guitar in hand, but only five people surrounded him. One of them glanced up at Haylie when she entered.
“Hey,” Michael said to her.
She nodded in reply.
If she was interested in having a boyfriend, Michael would be at the top of her want list. Unlike most of the guys she knew, Michael didn’t disparage girls; he treated them like his guy friends, in a good way-with respect and a natural friendliness. He wasn’t bad looking neither.
Haylie slid onto a crate next to Michael, whom Vince glanced at with a get-over-here look.
“C’mon, Michael,” Vince urged. “Just sing the chorus. That’s all I’m asking you to do.”
“I don’t sing.”
“I just want to try out the song.”
“You should stick to that metal stuff.”
“Nah, man.”
“Hey, Vince,” one sober guy said. “Why don’t you just play the song? Michael doesn’t have to sing if he doesn’t want to.”
Vince frowned. “I’ll play it now, but someone’s going to sing along later.”
He gazed down at his ebony Les Paul and played the first few notes of the song. Haylie recognized it immediately: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. Since when did Vince play that kind of music?
When he finished, he glanced up at every single member of his audience, except for Haylie.
“Someone going to sing?” he asked. It sounded more like a demand.
Nobody said anything. They avoided eye contact with Vince. A girl with a lip ring fixatedly studied her fingernails and bit at the skin around her thumb.
“I’ll sing.”
Haylie stood up. Vince studied her face, and for a second, Haylie saw an angry fire in his light brown eyes. It quickly went out. He nodded at her, and she dragged her crate next to his. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest like a beating drum. The pounding spread to her head and feet, dizzying her for a moment. She knew all the words, so she didn’t know why she felt nervous. It wasn’t because she didn’t like her singing voice; it sounded okay to her. Was it because she wasn’t used to performing in front of people, even a small number of them? Was it Michael? Or was it because she wanted to gain Vince’s respect?
“Ready?” Vince asked.
Haylie cleared her throat. “Yeah.”
Vince’s fingers glided across the fret board, and the guitar pick struck the metal strings with just the right amount of force.
“I’m gonna fight ’em off. A seven nation army couldn't hold me back...”
The lyrics flowed out from Haylie’s mouth. She hit every note flawlessly, and she was in perfect harmony with Vince. Everything was going well until the slam of the garage door ripped through the song.
“Haylie, we’re getting out of here now.”
Lily stood at the frame of the doorway, gripping onto the knob so tight that the skin around her knuckles turned pale. Her red eyes wildly gazed at everybody in the room. Confusion and despair were etched into her pallid face.
Vince calmly glanced from Haylie to Lily. A whole minute seemed to crawl by before Haylie stood up, apologized to Vince and the audience, and trudged out the garage. She could feel the disappointment and shock emanating from the room. When the two girls were outside the house, Haylie noticed everything sounded quieter than it was before they entered. She suddenly clasped onto Lily’s arm and spun her around.
“What was that about? Why did you pull me out of there? I was in the middle of something,” she said.
“I thought you didn’t want to be there in the first place,” Lily retorted. “I was having a great time with Travis. I thought he actually liked me. When I got up to get us some drinks, I came back to find him kissing some girl. Can you believe it? I felt so-”
Haylie didn’t bother to listen. That’s all she ever did. Whenever she spoke up, she got shot down anyway, and she didn’t ever try to get back up. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Don't want to hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell