Crane

Chapter 6 Crane

SIX

CRANE

The party is in full swing when we arrive, and I move around couples eating each other’s faces on sofas, chairs, you name it.

I’m still pissed from earlier; finding Declan outside Sierra’s room was enough to set me off.

“You gonna tell me what happened in that study?” Kai asks, his eyes scanning the room as he nods at some guys from college.

“Nothing.” I shrug, seeking out the alcohol. I need to chill out, and after seeing my mom in a state and Sierra and Declan like that, I think it's called for.

“Huh, okay.” Kai smiles widely, clapping his hand on my chest. “Look who's here.”

I follow his gaze to see Liza propped up against the wall, looking up at some guy with doe-like eyes.

She glances around, her eyes locking onto mine as I smirk at her, knowing she will be heading in my direction in five, four, three, two…

“Crane!”

Liza lifts onto her tiptoes, pulling me down to her sticky lips. I kiss her briefly, ignoring Kai who is rolling his eyes beside me.

Why the fuck is Liza here?

It’s not a high school gig.

I can see Kai is wondering the same thing, his look of annoyance telling me Liza mustn’t be the only senior here.

“Jaden is here.” Liza sighs, her fingers curling into my hair. “This will be the first time he’s seen us together.”

Kai makes a choking sound, and Liza cuts her eyes at him, pursing her lips.

“Something funny, Kai?”

Kai grins at me, shaking his head at Liza.

“Nope.”

I let my hands fall to her waist, stroking the bare skin above the waistband of her jeans.

“Us?” I repeat, as Liza frowns at me.

Uh oh.

“Kiss me, Crane.”

I’m not in the mood for this, but it's easy enough to do, considering how hot Liza is. I send an apologetic look in Kai’s direction and dip down, my finger tilting her jaw so my lips stroke hers softly.

Liza smiles against me, pressing her body close to mine as the kiss deepens.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Kai mutters, striding away from us.

I break away from Liza who huffs, her fingers lacing around my neck as she studies me.

“Crane…” she complains, her voice cutting through me.

“One second, babe, just seeing what’s up with Kai.”

Kai is necking a bottle of beer, his cheeks flushed. Beside him I see Lorena, his ex.

Oh, fuck.

Lorena D’Salzon, queen of my best friend’s heart.

They’d been together for an intense year and a half before breaking up to be “just friends.”

Except it’s clear it isn’t over between them—anyone with fucking eyes can see how they are around one another.

Lorena whips her head around to greet someone, and Kai meets my gaze with a slow shake of the head, his eyes closing in a “save me” plea.

Because what always happens is that Kai ends up going home with Lorena and falling back in love with her.

Or even more in love with her; whichever.

As his best buddy, I’m his wingman.

“Kai!” I yell, waving at him to get his attention, as Lorena turns her gaze to me.

Her eyes darken when she sees Liza in my arms, judging us before she’s even said hello to the girl.

Kai waves at us, beckoning us over to them.

“Let’s go say hey,” I mutter to Liza, who nods and follows me through the crowd.

The music is sick, underground tunes that you barely hear anymore. I’m moving my body to the beat as I move, accepting the beer that Kai thrusts into my hand.

“Lorena, meet Liza.” I take a sip of beer as the girls exchange awkward pleasantries.

“Are you in college?” Lorena asks, her gaze sweeping up and down Liza suspiciously.

“Um, no, I’m a senior in high school.”

Lorena lifts a brow in my direction before turning back to Liza.

“Let me guess, you do cheer?”

Liza smiles, nodding her head before rolling off how often she practices, and how she’s always wanted to be head cheerleader.

Kill me now.

“It has been my dream since I was a little girl,” Liza gushes, snaking her arm around my waist. “That and having the hottest boyfriend around, right?”

I swig my beer, turning my attention away from Liza who is staring up at me expectantly.

What does she want me to say? Yeah, we’ve been fucking but now I’m your man?

Fucking younger girls, man. More trouble than they’re worth.

“What are you fuckers drinking? Oh, hello, you’re new. Name?” a voice booms from behind us, and a meaty hand slaps my back.

“Liza,” Liza replies, fluttering her fucking eyelashes at Gregory, the party host.

“Liza, yum. Can I get you a drink, or are you with one of these cunts?”

“Why have you got seniors at your party?” Lorena huffs, lifting an eyebrow at Gregory who smirks back.

“Because they’re fucking fun. If you want to have fun, you’re welcome at my party. I don’t care how fucking old you are.”

Lorena shakes her head as Kai tilts his beer bottle to Gregory.

“None of them are legal to drink…”

Gregory checks out a girl on the opposite side of the room, his attention elsewhere.

“Nah, but they are legal, if you catch my drift.”

Kai narrows his eyes, and I hope to fucking God that Gregory never meets Sierra.

It would be a bloodbath.

“He’s nice,” Liza chirps brightly.

“He’s a dick,” Lorena and Kai answer in unison. “But he does throw awesome parties,” Kai adds.

“Want another beer?” Lorena nods at Kai who grins back.

“Sure. I’ll get it.”

“This is fun,” Liza comments, tugging me back down to her.

I’m not in love, but there's worse ways to spend a Saturday night, and hooking up with a cute blonde isn’t one of them.

Kai returns a short while later, with Lorena gripping his arm, a sure sign that they’re going to end up together if I don’t do something drastic.

“How’s your love life?” I ask Lorena innocently, as her smile dies on her lips.

Kai gives her a sidelong look, sipping his beer wordlessly.

“I don’t have a love life,” Lorena shoots back, pulling Kai closer to her. “Not since you.”

Kai gazes at her lips, and Liza squeezes my arm, whispering how cute they are together.

“But you’re better off as friends, so let’s not have any of that,” I declare, sending Liza a look that tells her not to repeat that shit.

“I bet you get loads of attention. You always do,” Kai says softly, reaching out to stroke her hair from her eyes.

“Everyone does,” I butt in, but Kai isn’t listening to me. “Attention is overrated. Who cares about looks? It’s all about how you treat someone, Kai. Like, if someone broke your fucking heart, you wouldn’t give them the time of day, am I right?”

Lorena glares at me, her eyes flashing.

“Say it again for the people in the back, Michaels.”

“Oh, I will—”

“Nah, you won’t,” Kai says, shaking his head at me. “I’m all good, bud. Relax with your girl.”

Fucking hell. Kai is having Lorena for breakfast tomorrow, and then his regret is the soundtrack to my weekend.

“It’s your funeral.” I shrug, turning my attention back to the crowd.

Someone is chugging a cask of beer, and two girls are standing on stools facing one another, balancing on one leg as they take shots.

I lose myself in the music, putting Kai out of my mind.

“Do you wanna dance?” Liza asks, tugging me to her.

“Here?” I chuckle, allowing her to pull me in for another kiss.

Liza is sexy, and she knows how to move, her hips thrusting against mine as she dances, my hands sweeping over her back as we move to a wall.

Her kisses become more heated, but I need more beer. I’m still too wired from my day.

Great, drink to relax, dickhead. Just like your old man.

“Can we go back to yours?” Liza breathes into my ear, and I burst out laughing, stopping when I see the hurt in her eyes.

“Mine? Nah, Liza, we can’t. Sorry. I’m gonna grab a stronger drink. Wait here, okay?”

Liza nods, waving at some girl she knows, both of them squealing in recognition. The other girl checks me out brazenly, before whispering in Liza’s ear. Liza looks smug, her eyes trailing over me as she blows me a kiss.

Fuck, she thinks we’re an item.

I need to stop fucking her.

I fight my way to the kitchen, spotting a half-filled bottle of vodka.

You’ll do.

Without caring whose it is, I knock it back, the familiar sting in my throat making me feel better instantly.

I stare out of the window, wincing as I lift the bottle to my lips, glugging it like it’s water.

To be fair, this is what I do.

Get completely wasted and put everything off until the morning.

But when the morning comes, it bites me in the ass harder than it ever has before, making me hate every fucking day more than the last.

I frown when I see Lorena laughing, stumbling out of the door with some guy, pulling him close to her.

I fucking knew it.

She’s fucking with my boy, and I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind. Just as I’m about to deliver my ton of bullshit, the blond hair shimmers in the moonlight, revealing none other than my love-drunk best friend.

I sigh heavily, dropping my gaze when they start making out.

Some fucking party this is turning out to be.

I raise the bottle to my lips again, finishing off the last of the vodka before turning to look for some more.

There’s always alcohol at Gregory’s house—copious amounts of the stuff, if his past parties are anything to go by.

From memory, he has a garage attached to the house where he keeps the spirits, and right now, I’m feeling fucking spiritual.

Pushing past even more couples that are hanging out in darkened corners, I reach the garage with a grin on my face.

Like a beacon, the glossy white fridge beams at me, and I nod back in acknowledgement.

“Crane! Where’d you go?” Liza calls out from behind me, her brow furrowed. “You left me.”

I don’t have time for this shit now.

“I’m not your babysitter, Liza.” I sift through the whiskey until I find one that's reasonably full and pull it out.

“Excuse me?” Liza snaps, her hands on her hips in full diva mode.

I’m not repeating myself to her or anyone else. “I came here to see you!”

Her lower lip is trembling.

Wait, is she going to fucking cry?

“Liza, I went to get a drink, that’s all.” I sigh as she moves closer to me.

“I know, but you left me.”

“What? I didn’t invite you here, Liza, I’m not responsible for you.”

“But you’re my…” Her words fade when two people fall into the room, hitting the lights as they do.

My eyes struggle to adjust to the sudden darkness.

What the fuck?

Gripping my whiskey bottle, I move around Liza who grips onto me like a vice.

“Mmm,” a deep voice growls, and I grimace, trying to make my way out of here without being scarred for life.

“Don’t bite me again; I don’t want marks all over me,” a voice giggles, and I stop still.

I know that voice.

“I thought you didn’t have a man?” the male voice mutters, as the sound of lips locking fills the room.

“I don’t.”

“Hmm, maybe I can be your man…”

“Oh my god!” Liza shrieks, pushing past me blindly as she searches for the lights. “Jaden!”

The garage is filled with light again, and the sight before me leaves me fucking numb.

I do know the owner of that voice, and I don’t mean fucking Jaden.

There, sitting on the top of a cabinet with her legs wrapped around some cunt, clearly Jaden, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed, is Sierra.

“Shit!” Sierra mutters, as Jaden turns to see his ex-girlfriend and me standing there.

“Liza, fucking hell, you’ve got to stop following me!” Jaden snaps, barely looking at me. “Why don’t you fuck off with your new man and leave me and Sierra to it, huh?”

New man?

Leave him and Sierra to it?

“Leave you to what, exactly?” I mutter, my fingers throttling the bottle neck in the palm of my hand.

Jaden shoots me a strange look before doing a double take.

“Crane?”

Liza storms away, slamming the door behind her.

“Answer the fucking question, sunshine,” I snap, pointing a finger at him.

Jaden is about to respond when Sierra slides down from the cabinet, glaring at me.

“Oh, hey! Crane, Jaden. Jaden, Crane. Oh, wait, you two know each other, don't you?” Sierra turns to me with annoyance. “What is your problem?!” Sierra looks at me through wide eyes, ringed with dark makeup. Her eyes fall to the whiskey bottle in my hand with a frown.

She looks like a beautiful, lost angel, her caramel-coloured hair falling around her shoulders before she turns back to Jaden. “Can you give us a minute?”

Jaden nods, eyeing me carefully before leaving the garage reluctantly.

“Jesus, Crane, what the fuck?”

What the fuck indeed.