by D. K Lake
Why is he here? She told me he was out of town all night and that's why she wanted me to come. She doesn't even look surprised to see him. It's like she knew he'd be here.
They start making out in the middle of the kitchen and he lifts her up and sets her on the edge of the counter. I stand around like a lemon, feeling awkward and pissed off.
Bloody Em.
"Oh, hey Paige." Spencer finally notices me after he comes up for air.
"Hello Spencer," I say, glaring at Em. "You didn't tell me Spencer was going to be here."
"Oh, yeah, Spencer is here." Em laughs, wrapping her arms around his neck and tickling him with the feather duster that she brought with her. Spencer has put so much effort into his outfit. He's wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt that has the words: this is my fancy dress outfit handwritten across the front in black Sharpie.
"Em, can we talk?" I ground out.
Spencer can tell I'm upset but Em just looks like Em. No fucks given. He lifts her off the counter and kisses her cheek. "Come find me after." he says, and she nods.
He leaves the kitchen and I put my hand on my hip, scowling at her.
"Em, what the hell?" I say. "I thought he was out of town for the night. That's what you said. That's why you wanted me to come with you, to keep you company."
"Umm...I might have gotten my dates mixed up."
"Em!" I snap.
"Come on, Paige. You needed a night out. All you do is hang out in Maverick's room nowadays. You two are so weird."
"That's not true. We went to the movies last week, and we went for takeout the other night."
"Which you ate in his dorm room."
"We're comfortable hanging out together. We don't need to go out and get drunk to have fun."
"Well, I wanted you here."
"Why?"
"Because you're my best friend."
"Em." I warn.
"Also, I knew Dario would be here." she admits with a smug smile.
"EM! No."
"It's okay, he doesn't know you're here."
"Like that makes it any better." I scan the backyard to check if he's out there but nearly everyone is wearing fancy dress and I can't tell who anyone is.
"Actually, he'll probably be mad if he finds you here."
"Why?" I say, confused.
"This is kind of the main base of operations if you get what I mean?"
"No. I don't."
"You know, you're in a drug house. If Dario knew you were here, he'd shit his pants. But I thought you needed a night out, so..." she trails off, helping herself to another drink.
Drug house? What?!
Before I can ask any questions, a fairy appears in the kitchen with a glittery, green bikini top, and a tutu to match.
"You're here?" the turquoise-haired girl squeals and hurries over to Em and they get excited and hug each other, squealing and making noises.
"Oh, oh, Leesha, this is Paige." Em suddenly remembers I'm here and turns to face me.
I smile at Leesha to be polite as it's her party and I’ve never even met her. She seems to be chummy with my best friend which bugs me somewhat. It's like Em has this whole other life since she met Spencer. I search the counter for something to drink. I'm stuck here so I might as well have a drink. I pour myself a vodka and coke, trying to ignore the way Leesha’s eyes roam over me.
"This is Paige?" Leesha says, giving me the once over and it pisses me off, so much so, I down my drink in one gulp. Everyone seems to know who I am, but I have no idea who anyone is. "So, you're the girl that has my cousin moping around like some lovesick puppy?" She smiles.
Cousin?
I stare at Leesha for a moment. "Cousin?" I say.
"Boston," she says with a giggle, and my eyes snap to Em.
What else hasn't she told me? She brought me to his cousin's birthday party knowing full well he'd be here. I want to strangle Em.
"You didn't tell me Dario had a cousin," I say trying to keep my cool but I'm super mad at her right now.
"Didn't I?" She smiles sweetly.
"Come on, I've got Molly upstairs." Leesha says and tries to pull Em away.
Who's Molly? A dog? Poor thing, shut in a room upstairs.
"Give me one minute." Em says and Leesha waves at me before disappearing out the door.
I just scowl at Em.
"Look, I'm sorry. But you need a night out. Mav's sweet and all, but he's like...boring." Em says.
"He's not boring." I say firmly.
"Well, he's not very fun either. He keeps you locked up in his room and…it’s fucking weird."
"He does not. What is with you? I thought you liked Maverick?"
"I do, but after spending time with Bos over the last few weeks, I've gotten to know him a little better."
"Bos, now?" I cross my arms.
"I just think you might be making a mistake with Maverick. I know you feel bad about what happened last year, and that your mom brainwashed you into thinking there was no other way but there was always another way. You were just too scared to stand up to her. I don't blame you; your mom is a crazy fucking bitch most of the time. But Boston, he's crazy about you. Like, he would do anything for you kind of crazy. I think if you told him about-"
"No!" I shut her down.
"You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened. He won't blame you either. If you just talk to him-"
"No! You know that's not the only reason, Em. They're drug dealers." I whisper-shout.
"So? No one's perfect." She smiles sadly at me and brushes the hair off my face. "Stop trying to do what you think is right and do what feels right."
She suddenly tenses and stops whatever she was about to say when something catches her attention behind us. I only pray it's not Dario. I look over my shoulder and don't feel much better when I see Mitchel Torres leaning against the doorframe with a beer bottle in his hand. He's not dressed up for the party and is wearing his usual skinny black jeans and t-shirt combo. The t-shirt is drowning him and there are several gold chains around his neck. Most likely real.
"Girls," he greets us, lifting the beer bottle to his lips, his eyes lingering on me a moment longer than necessary.
"Hey, Mitch," Em smiles casually, fluffing her hair.
"What is she doing here?" he asks, nodding his head at me.
"She's here with me. I invited her." Em replies, trying to sound confident but I can tell Mitchel makes her nervous as I can see the cracks in her armor. To be honest, I think he makes everyone nervous.
"Does Boston know she's here?"
"Not yet." Em pours a drink and hands it to me before making another for herself.
"Are you coming upstairs with me?" Em asks me.
"What's upstairs?" I wonder.
Mitchel shakes his head at her as he reaches between us to switch his empty beer bottle for a full one.
"She's not going upstairs. No drugs, Em." Mitchel says with a deep frown, looming over us.
Wait. What?
"It's just Molly. It's fine." Em assures.
"I said no." Mitchel warns in a low tone and glares at her and she seems to get the message pretty quickly and tries to laugh it off, plastering on a fake smile.
"Whatever. I'll be back in a minute. Don't get lost." Em squeezes my arm before leaving me alone. With Mitchel fucking Torres.
"Who's Molly?" I ask randomly.
"I don't know any Molly, but Leesha's upstairs handing out Molly like it's fucking candy." Mitchel replies.
"Em went upstairs." I worry.
"She did, but you don't need to worry about her. She's done Molly before with Leesha, it's no big deal."
"No big deal? Em's taking drugs now?" I fret. This is all news to me.
"Paige, it's okay. She's a big girl and Spencer is here to keep an eye on her, but the last thing I need is you popping any pills ‘cause Boston will fucking kill anyone if they give you anything. Hell, he's probably going to kill Em when he knows she brought you here."
"Why is
it such a problem for me to come here? Everyone else is here?" I look around at everyone having a good time and wonder why everyone thinks I'm so different. I look down at my outfit wondering if I should have just worn my underwear. Would I be accepted then?
"You look great, but trust me when I say this isn't your kinda party. I don't know what Em was thinking about bringing you here." Mitchel says, popping off the lid to his beer.
"She clearly wasn't." I mutter. "She wanted to get me here so I would run into Bos- Dario!" I correct myself. Even I'm starting to call him Boston. "Anyway, where is he so I know where to hide." I joke. Kind of.
"He's not here yet. He said he'd drop by after work, but I think he went back to his house to get a change of clothes and shower. The shower at the garage is broken and shooting out cold water only." He laughs. "Hey...um..." He turns to me and runs his hand along the counter. "What were you and Em talking about before?"
I stare at him for a moment.
"Why? What did you hear?" I sip my drink and act casually, taking a note out of Em's book.
"Something about you blaming yourself."
"It's nothing. I just got in a lot of trouble after secretly meeting up with Dario last year."
"You sure that's all it is?"
I look up at him and tilt my head. "Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?"
He thinks about it. "Nope. Anyway, I can't leave you alone until Boston gets here in case someone tries it on with you."
I laugh at him, but he looks dead serious.
"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, too."
"I can see that." He glances down at my tiny outfit. "I'm guessing you borrowed that?" he asks.
"You would guess correctly." I sip my drink which is supposed to be vodka and coke, but I think Em forgot to put coke in it.
I shake my head and put the nasty drink down.
"Ugh." I look around for something else to drink and Mitchel holds out a beer to me.
"Thanks."
He pops the lid off for me and we stand in awkward silence. This is so weird. I'm at a party hanging out with my sister's ex.
"So, this is awkward..." I say to break the ice.
"Why is it awkward?" Mitchel asks, grabbing a handful of chips from a bowl and crunching them into his mouth.
"Because... I heard you and Dario talking at the garage about Kelsey."
"Okaaay?"
"Is it true? Is Blue your daughter?"
He runs his hand along his jaw as he considers answering me.
"You know she's engaged to Colt, right? As in, they're getting married."
"Yeah, well, not if I have anything to do with it." he says under his breath.
"What does that mean?"
"Your sister doesn't know what she wants most of the time. She's not gonna marry him. If she was, she would have done it by now. Kelsey is impulsive, so I know she's stalling." he says confidently as though he has her all figured out.
"They've been busy and haven't set a date, but I can assure you that they are getting married."
"Whatever."
"Mitchel, you can't go over there and mess everything up for her. If you care about her at all, you'll leave her alone."
He laughs darkly. "Leave her alone? She's got my kid for fuck's sake. I'm not letting her marry that loser."
"Colt's not a loser. He's great for Kelsey. He takes care of them both, and he adores Blue."
"So? She's still my kid."
"You wonder why my sister didn't tell you about Blue? I'm guessing it has something to do with who you are and what you do. Your lifestyle choices aren't exactly what Kelsey's looking for. She needs a stable home life for Blue and I doubt you'd be able to give it to her." I say and instantly regret it when his eyes darken. "I'm sorry. But it's true. You know Blue is better off in Nebraska."
Mitchel's eyes drift out the kitchen window as he drains his beer. His phone dings and he digs it out of his pocket.
"I need to take this. Stay here and don't wander off." he tells me in a clipped tone, lifting the phone to his ear and stepping outside, leaving me to fend for myself.
Chapter 24
I wait around in the kitchen, wondering why I'm even here. It's too late to leave as I've already drunk too much to drive Em's car. Why didn't I just steal the keys when we first arrived? When I first realized she had tricked me into coming here?
Em's still missing. I can't see Spencer anywhere. Mitchel has also disappeared. But thankfully, Dario is a no-show so far. I get bored and help myself to some of the birthday cake and then another beer. People walk in and out of the kitchen, giving me strange looks. Probably wondering why I'm hiding in the kitchen like some loner.
Bloody Em. I can't believe she abandoned me down here. I want to go and find her, but I'm scared of what I will find upstairs, so I stay downstairs and wander into the sunroom at the side of the house. Everyone is either outside in the garden or they're inside the main house, so the sunroom is unoccupied except for one person who has dressed up in a brown dog suit and they're curled up asleep on the couch area. I don't know how they can sleep through all this noise. Is it even safe to sleep in a dog suit? Can they even breathe in there?
I fall into one of the soft chairs which are surprisingly comfy. I sip my drink and check my phone. Nothing from Maverick. (Sigh) I finish my drink and notice the person next to me starting to wake up. The person sits up and lifts the headpiece onto the top of their head and I can see a guy under there.
"Fuuuck. What time is it?" he asks, looking at me.
"Um, it's just gone 10 o'clock." I check the time on my phone.
"Shit." he says, reaching under the seat and lifting out a tobacco pouch.
I pretend to be busy on my phone, waiting for Em or Mitchel to return. The guy next to me lights up and a moment later a long furry arm reaches in front of me.
"Want some?" he offers.
"I don't smoke." I tell him politely.
"It's just weed."
"I don't smoke that either."
He retracts his arm and takes a long drag, watching me carefully. "I'm Rye, by the way."
"Paige," I smile in return.
"Who you here with? I've never seen you before."
"I'm friends with Em."
"Spencer's girl?" he asks, and I nod. "What are you doing out here on your own?"
"Hiding." I laugh.
"Do you mind if we hide together?"
I shrug. "I'll be back." he says and goes back into the house and returns a few minutes later with an armful of beer cans.
"Do you drink beer?" he asks, setting them down between us.
"Sure," I smile and help myself. If I’m going to be stuck here I might as well enjoy myself and Rye seems friendly enough and not a creep.
"You sure you don't want any?" he offers again.
I look at the joint between his fingers.
Ah, hell.
"Why not?" I take it from him, feeling brave.
I'm eighteen and I've never smoked anything in my life. Maybe it is time to live a little. They say college is the time to experiment and all.
I go on what little knowledge I know about smoking and place the joint between my lips and inhale and immediately start coughing. Rye chuckles and takes it back.
"You okay?" he asks.
"I think so." I take a sip of my beer.
"More?" He holds the joint out to me again.
I take it from him and take another drag and this time, I manage to do it without coughing. Rye keeps me company and we talk about college. Rye used to go to the same college as us but he dropped out last year and now he runs drugs for the Torres brothers. I should be shocked, but I'm not. Nothing to do with the Torres brothers shocks me anymore.
"So, you know Boston, huh?" he asks.
"Yup." I giggle.
I feel pretty good. Rye is funny and I'm kind of enjoying myself. I don't know how long we've been sitting together but I've managed to drink another two beers and we did some apple sour shots a minute
ago, and I don't plan on stopping. Em said to do what feels right and this feels right, sitting here with Rye while we talk about random stuff and get drunk. Rye lights another joint. I like Rye. He's funny.
Wait. Did he ask me a question?
"What?" I say loudly.
Rye laughs. "I said, how do you know Boston?"
"Oh, we used to work together in the produce aisle at the grocery store in town. You know, where they keep the vegetables."
"Yeah, yeah, carrots and shit."
"Yeah, carrots and shit." I start laughing and Rye joins in and then we're lost in giggles.
"Fuck's sake. What the hell, Rye?" Mitchel appears out of nowhere and is suddenly in front of us. "What did you do to her?" he asks.
"Nothing, she's having a good time." Rye says and I laugh some more.
"Is she high?" Mitchel barks.
"Maybe a little." Rye admits and tries not to laugh, and Mitchel clips him on the back of the head. "Dude, what's the problem?" Rye asks as Mitchel pulls me to my feet.
"My problem is she's off-limits."
"We weren't doing anything."
"You got her fucking high. Boston is going to kill you." Mitchel reaches behind me and picks up my phone off the chair.
"And why would he do that?" Rye asks, popping open another beer.
"Because this is his girl." Mitchel emphasizes the ‘his’ part.
Rye's eyes drift back to me and something clicks.
"Fuck," Rye mutters. "That Paige?"
"Yeah, that Paige." Mitchel repeats and drags me outside.
Once outside, Mitchel is in my face.
"Paige, focus."
"What?" I lift my beer can to my lips, and Mitchel takes it away from me and tosses it into the bush.
"Hey! I was drinking that."
"You've already had too much to drink."
"So? I can drink if I want. I can do whatever I want!" I sway slightly.
"Seriously, how are you this drunk already?" Mitchel scratches his head with a frown.
"I don't drink. Ever." I explain.
"Well, that explains it. Plus, you're a tiny thing."
"I was having fun. Why did you drag me away?" I pout, trying to walk back inside. "You're mean."
"And you're drunk." He takes my elbow and steers me away from the house. "I told you to stay put. I looked everywhere for you. I didn't know you were in the sunroom getting baked with Rye." Mitchel guides me over to a patio chair and pushes me into it.
