by Ashley Beale
I have a feeling I could invite this girl inside and she'd easily get naked in my bed, but right now I want to shower and get in a small nap before the party tonight. Party... right. "You have plans tonight Karah Robinson?" I make sure to have her name come out sounding erotic.
Slowly she shakes her head back and forth. "Not at all."
"There is a party tonight at one of my buddies. It’s going to be big. Would you want to meet me there?" I make sure to give her a flirty smile, letting her know exactly what she'll get by meeting me there.
With a bite of her lip she nods her head slowly. "I like to party. Where is this alleged epic party going to take place?"
I tell her Peter lives on Rod St. as Tristian told me, and she types into her phone. When she slides her phone back into her pocketbook, she gives me an even larger smile than before. "I'll see you later Mr. Styles." With a wink she struts off and my eyes can't help but watch that ass sway back and forth. For the first time since Tristian called, I'm exactly excited about tonight’s party. With a girl like that, I'm sure to have some serious fun.
Hope
"So you don't even know who the guy is throwing this party?" I ask Karah as the cab pulls up in front of a large log cabin. It looks like a rental, not a home, and I'm not going to lie that I'm nervous it’s going to get busted, even being secluded out here.
She hands the driver some money before opening the door and sliding out. When I meet her outside the cab, she looks over her shoulder at me. "No, but that makes for the best kind of party. You can have as much fun as you'd like and can even make an ass of yourself, and no one will even know who you are."
Walking away before I respond, I watch her all of two seconds before I hurry up to walk beside her. "I haven't had a drink in six years, I have a feeling one beer and I'll be done for."
"Exactly. It's a great first party."
"I'm nervous," I admit. "I didn't expect to ever go to a party again." Which is the complete truth. I didn't promise myself nor Jenny I'd never drink or party again, just that I wouldn't be selfish, but I can only imagine drinking isn't a good option, especially my first night out of prison. I didn't even go job hunting today like I wanted, I got talking to Karah and then she got busy playing makeover with me- adding makeup to my face and letting me borrow clothes from her wardrobe. The girl has a lot of clothing, that is for sure, but she works at clothing store so that could be why.
She pauses and turns towards me, placing her hands on my shoulders. With a lifted brow and a very serious face, she gives me a lecture that is hard to argue. "You have the rest of your life to do right. This is your first night of freedom, and believe it or not, you deserve to have a little fun. Don't drink if you don't want to, but loosen up and have some fun. Life is short and this is your one and only chance. Smile, relax, communicate with others, laugh a little, and stop worrying so much."
I inhale a little fresh air through my nose and nod my head. "Okay, let’s do this."
Karah smiles victoriously before give my cheek a small little pat. "Let’s get our adorable little asses in there and have some fun." She twirls on her heels and continues her way inside the cabin with me following closely behind.
From the outside of the cabin, you'd think only a dozen or so people were here, so when you walk inside to see at least fifty or more, it certainly takes you by surprise. There is hardly any furniture from what I see, but inside large speakers booming with music. Lots of people are standing around and talking loudly, but not many are dancing. It’s almost an instant headache, but I can feel my body craving to move to the rhythm of the music.
Karah takes my hand in hers and pulls me through the thick crowd and into what looks like a dining room or family room, without anything more than two tables pushed against the wall. The tables are lined in different bottles of hard liquor, a few bottles of soda, and many plastic cups. "I'm going to get a drink," Karah yells close to my ear, "you want anything?"
I shake my head to answer her, feeling extremely overwhelmed and out of place. She gives me a disappointed look without saying as much, then goes over to the table to pour herself a drink. I watch everyone around me getting more trashed by the moment. From the looks of it, the party started pretty early. I thought getting here at eight thirty was early, so it makes me wonder what time it actually started. The floor is littered in empty cups and random bits of trash. I even spot a paper plate with some pizza crust on it in the middle of the floor, being stepped on by a very intoxicated woman.
Karah makes her way back to me, handing me a cup only half filled with liquid. "I made it weak," she yells to me.
I bring the cup to my nose to smell it first. My body shakes at the smell of what I remember to be rum and from the smell of it, it’s mixed with root beer. She smiles at me before taking a sip of her drink. I take a small sip and nearly gag. It is weak, she is right in that, but it doesn't mean that my taste buds were ready for something so strongly foreign.
I still give her a small smile to thank her but she doesn't pay much attention as she looks around. She waited until the ride here to mention that she didn't know anyone attending the party, that she literally ran into some guy on the sidewalk today and he invited her out. The way she explained how he looked, he seems like he'd be attractive. As she went on and on about his hooded eyes, a smile that turned her on, and his quick invite the party, I assumed she is only here to get laid by the guy. Good for her I suppose, but I'm not going to lie that it made me nervous about being left alone in a house full of drunk strangers.
I guess it’s better than in a house full of people I know. I can only imagine the things people would say. I know people have called me some horrible things, as I deserve, but it doesn't make it hurt any less to actually hear it.
"Drake." I turn at the voice and am met with a guy that looks be fresh out of high school. Someone way too young to be in a place with all these people. He has curly brown hair piled on top of head and is wearing a tee-shirt that says Harvard, even though its clear that isn't where he attends college.
I smile at him to be nice even though I don't actually want to converse with the guy. "Hope," I tell him.
"Can I get you a drink?" he asks.
Holding up my cup, I show him that I already have one.
"Oh," he says, before taking a sip of his own drink. "What brings you here? You know Peter?"
"Who is Peter?" I ask.
He smiles. "Well, I guess not then. He is my older brother, also known as the one throwing the party."
"Oh, that explains why you're here," I blurt out. He gives me a confused look, so I continue. "No offense, you just look a little... young."
I crack a smile when he pouts a little. "So wearing a college tee didn't exactly give the impression I'm of age?"
"No, sorry."
Drake smiles a little. "Alright, fine. I'm seventeen and this is only my second party. And to be honest, this is only Coke."
"I'm really glad to hear that. But if you're seventeen, you shouldn't be trying to pick up a twenty four year old."
"Twenty four, really? I thought you were maybe twenty."
That makes me smile. "Well, thank you. That is, if that is a compliment."
"It was. But I'll let you get back to the party. I guess I'll go find someone who is actually a cougar." He winks and turns to walk back through the crowd. When I go to face Karah again, she is gone. I look around and don't see her anywhere in sight.
With a sigh, I walk through the crowd myself, getting elbowed now and again while trying not to get shoved. I make it out to a back porch and the fresh early summer air feels good on my face. I didn't realize quite how hot it was inside. A few people are standing around a bon fire, so I walk down the stairs to go towards the fire. Using a log that is cut in half as a seat, I sit down and relax. I like that hardly anyone is paying attention to me, its better to blend into the crowd.
Taking a few small sips at a time, I finish my drink and can feel the heat inside my body. It completely rela
xed me, even with my head feeling slightly dizzy. Standing up, I walk back towards the cabin and just as I'm getting to the stairs, I'm frozen in place by one of the most attractive guys I swear I've ever laid my eyes on.
Maybe it has something to do with not seeing many guys over the past several years, or maybe he really is sex on a stick, but the guy smiling at me has my stomach doing things I haven't felt since high school when I first kissed DJ. "Hey," he says to me, but it takes me a few seconds to register the fact he is actually speaking to me.
"Oh... me? Um. Um, hey. Hi. I, um..." I stop myself from continuing as I want to kick myself in the ass. I'll just blame it on the booze. I mean, he doesn't need to know how little I had.
The dark brown eyes glisten as the fire behind me seems to be radiating off from them. He reminds me of the devil and I instantly like that thought- as I deserve only the cruelest. "Nice to meet you, Um, I'm Wes."
Rolling my eyes, I bring back a little bit of confidence and tell him, "Hope."
"I like Hope a lot better." He smiles, showing me perfectly straight teeth that look to be bleached. There is something about a guy who takes care of his teeth. It helps that he has full lips surrounding them.
Oh, wait, I really can't be thinking all of this, can I? I mean, I guess I can. I said I'd never fall in love, I never mentioned falling into attraction. A little flirtation is normal, no matter how much of a horrible person you are. It isn't exactly selfish, just... normal.
I allow myself to continue speaking instead of running off like a scared little coward. "Yeah, me too." Okay, so I don't say much. Obviously my social skills are lacking.
Wes laughs softly and leans his tall, toned body against the railing. I try not to make it obvious as I take him in. His hair is shaved down to barely anything and he looks like he hasn't shaved today, which is so much sexier than I ever imagined. A solid jaw line and cheek bones, as well as muscular arms peeking out of his white tee-shirt, make him look like a Greek God. If I were an artist, I'd sculpt this man, there is no doubt about that. I can't tell you how tall he is, but I barely make it to his shoulders and I'm five foot two.
"You headed in for a refill?" he asks me.
I look into my empty cup. "Well, I wasn't planning on drinking any more. I think I've had my limit for the night."
"You driving home later or something?" He examines my face with his eyes and I feel a little embarrassed as he knows I'm obviously not drunk.
I just shrug my shoulders, feeling awkward. "No, I just don't drink much. I feel good and don't want to push my limits by drinking more."
"Makes sense. You here with anyone?"
"Yeah, uh, just my roommate though. She disappeared on me, and I don't exactly know anyone else."
"So, what, you were just going to walk around and be bored the rest of the night? That doesn't sound like much fun to me."
I can't help my foolish smile. I'm sure if my cheeks weren't pink by the little amount of alcohol I've had, that they'd turn that color from embarrassment. "You're right, it’s not very fun. It really isn't my scene anyways. She convinced me to join her but didn't tell me until we were almost here that she was coming to meet some guy. I haven't seen her all but a few minutes."
"Some friend, huh?" He continues to grin at me.
I want to keep talking to him, but I'm at a loss of what to say. I never used to be shy around guys, so just having a conversation is pretty intimidating. Instead of saying much more, I just nod my head and look down at my feet, one of which I'm kicking at the ground.
"I'll see you around Hope. I got a buddy I got to meet up with."
I look back up to him and give him a sad smile. "Okay, it was good meeting you."
As he goes to take a step around me, his hand brushes along my arm, causing chill bumps to erupt. His lips come close to my ear as he whispers. "I'll be seeing you around." He walks away as fast as he entered into my life and I already feel lonely.
Wes
A girl like Hope shouldn't be at a party wandering around alone. Whoever her roommate is isn't much of a friend. It’s obvious the girl is out of place and not enjoying herself. If not for the fact that Edison needed me right now, I'd have stayed and kept talking to Hope. She doesn't seem like the cheap and easy type, but she does seem like someone I could have some fun with. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by those delicate blue eyes and soft, shy smile.
Edison sits by the fire and nods his head when I join him on the log. "About time you showed up."
"Yeah, I was supposed to meet some chick here but she didn't show up, or she found someone else to occupy her time," I tell him.
"Then who was that chick you were talking to? She was sitting over there," he points to the other side of the fire, "and I thought about talking to her, but she seemed a little too lost for me."
"Her name is Hope, that is about all I found out from her. And that her friend ditched her to meet some dude inside."
"Huh, some friend she’s got. Anyways, Paul called yesterday. He is having a hard time and needs our help up in New York."
"What has he got himself into this time, and why is he now in New York?"
Paul, Edison, and I all were like brothers growing up. Our dads went to college together and always kept close. The three of us are less than two years apart and went to the same school all our lives. When my mom skipped out of town, it was their families that helped make sure we were fed until my dad was able to bring in extra cash. We've always been there for one another, but when Paul graduated- a year before Elliott and me- he moved to New Jersey and fell in love with a crazy woman. There is no exaggeration in that statement either.
They both made good money but she became addicted to buying the best of the best. When they were getting low on funds, she got into gambling to try to win some extra money and in the end got addicted to that. She lost more money than she won, and before anyone realized what was happening, her addiction turned her into an angry, bitter person, and all her tension was taken out on Paul. When he finally pushed back one night, she broke her arm from falling and blamed it completely on him. He got arrested but the charges got dropped before he was even in front of the judge. She had sobered up and realized her mistake, then went straight to the DA.
Less than six months after that, she sold their three vehicles to a member of the Mafia without realizing who the guy was. When Paul found out the vehicles were sold, he tried buying them back and started sending out threats when it didn't work. When his house got burnt down and he got beat to the point of almost being killed, he got the hint loud and clear. His wife used the money from the vehicles and insurance to buy a small condo and the rest was spent on hospital bills.
Being stuck in a one bedroom condo with a crazy wife, Paul started dealing drugs to get extra money. Some of his drug deals required him to take a taste of the cocaine now and again, which started his addiction. Last I knew he was trying to rehabilitate himself and was in the process of getting a divorce- not his decision either. I thought he was doing decently, but then I got the call from Edison minutes before arriving to the party saying he needed to talk, and that it was important. I had a feeling deep down it had to do with Paul, but I was hoping that my gut feeling was wrong.
"Apparently Bridget is pregnant and it’s not Paul's. He is taking the news bad and threatening to kill himself. When he called me last night, he seemed pretty out of it, maybe back on drugs, maybe drunk, I'm not sure. He didn't sound good but wouldn't tell me where he was except New York. I asked if he was in the city and he said he was upstate, visiting a friend, but that is all I know. Dude, I just don't know what to do... but I want to find him and bring him home."
"Yeah, me too man, me too." I look over at the fire and try to process this. We all did sports, kept up with our grades, but he went to New Jersey for college while Edison and I stayed here in North Carolina. We tried to convince him to stick around, to go to college where our dad's did, but he wanted to break free and become his own man. I used to be so proud of
him, and in many ways I still am. He made a name for himself, earned money the hard way, and started what was going to be a happy family. It’s not his fault things started going south but I can't understand how he'd allow things to get to where they are now.
Edison speaks up. "You're kind of like a PI. You think you could find him?"
"Trust me, I'll try," I tell him, looking back in his direction. "I'd do anything for him. He's like our brother."
"Thanks man." He claps my shoulder before sipping on his beer. "I'm not sure I could live with myself if he follows through with his threat. I knew we should have went and saved his ass last year."
I shake my head before he is even done finishing his sentence. "Don't. You can't say shit like that. We've talked with him, we've let him know we're there for him, we've tried to visit him. His actions are just that- his. We can't blame ourselves if anything goes wrong."
He clears his throat and turns towards the fire himself. "Just find him."
"I'll talk to my dad in the morning. Which also means, I'm not sticking around for very long tonight."
"Me neither."
We both chill in the same spot for quite some time, but when I'm ready for a beer and he needs a refill, we both make our way inside. I spot Tristian inside, drunk off his ass already and dancing with two girls. They're hot as fuck and grinding on him in a way that proves not just to him, but to everyone at the party, exactly what will happen within in the hour. I nod in his direction and make my way to get a longneck.
Getting the first taste on my tongue, I spot Hope walking outside the front door alone. She doesn't look too impressed about something, and I really don't like the fact she is alone. I assume her roommate completely bailed on her. I know many of the guys here, and they'll take advantage of a girl like her, so I head out in that direction.
Hope is sitting on the top step, looking through the dark wooded area to the moon shining down. I sit down next to her but she doesn't even notice my presence. "You okay?" I ask her.
