Chapter 9
Paige and I are dancing on the dance floor with a bunch of girls we only met tonight.
The bass from the song “Get Low” by Lil Jon some go into the rooms. Kai grabs my hands and we run through the hallway into a bedroom.
“What the fuck?” Kevin yells. He’s underneath the covers next to a girl.
“The cops are here!”
Kevin jumps out of bed—naked. I can’t help but glance at his penis springing around as he scrambles around the room to find his clothes. The blonde girl with him follows his movements, her boobs bouncing up and down with every move she makes.
Kai runs to the window and looks out. “I think they’re only out front right now. I don’t see any in the back.” He opens the window and pops off the screen.
Puzzled by his fast pace. “What are you doing?” I stutter.
“Getting us out of here.”
My brows rise. “Why can’t we hide in here?”
Kevin jumps out the window first.
“Come on.” Kai rushes me toward the window. “Climb out and Kevin will catch you.”
I look between the ground and Kevin. He better catch me. The room isn’t high enough to kill me from a jump, but if he doesn’t catch me, I could break a leg.
“Go!” the girl yells.
I step my feet onto the window ledge. Once I’m in the window, I turn to face Kai, and he grabs my hands. “Give me your hands and slowly slide down.”
I glide my body down against the brick building, and Kai grips my wrists. When I extend my arms to their maximum, I glance over my shoulder and notice Kevin with his arms raised, ready to catch me.
“I’m going to let go. Kevin will catch you.”
I nod.
Kai, lets me go. I close my eyes as I fall into Kevin’s arms.
I watch as Kai does the same thing with the girl Kevin is with. Kevin catches the girl and sets her on the ground. Before I know it, Kai jumps out of the window onto the ground. They must have done this before, because how the hell did they know what to do?
All four of us run into the forest behind the apartment. Something I didn’t realize was there until now. I’m appreciative of it. With the loud crunches of the twigs, I hear other people running through here, too. It’s too dark to see them. Kai holds onto my hand the deeper we go.
“Do you think Paige is okay?” I say with a ragged breath.
“I hope so.”
She’s going to be pissed I left her. But Kai grabbed my hand and led me out. Why didn’t she follow me?
There is a shining light up ahead, and it appears to be a business of some kind. After we get out of the forest, we arrive at a gas station. We all stop and catch our breath. Other people who ran through it are scattering away from the area. I wonder if the cops know where the forest leads to?
I don’t feel so drunk anymore. The adrenaline sobered me up.
“Are you okay?” Kai asks.
I nod and look at the scratches on my legs. I don’t remember scratching myself—and there are a lot of scratches. It probably happened when I slid my whole body down the damn brick building. The alcohol and adrenaline must have numbed the feeling.
My recorded ringtone of “Love in this Club” by Usher goes off on my phone.
“Paige, where are you?” I hear giggling in the background and I sigh, knowing she’s fine.
“Going to another party. Where did you go?”
Another party. I’m glad she’s not mad at me.
“We jumped out the window. Who are you with?”
"Uh, some people I just met. I jumped into a stranger’s car when the cops came.”
“Where’s the other party?” Kai, Kevin, and the blonde girl all stop and look at me when they hear me ask.
“What party?” Kevin mumbles.
An hour later, we’re pulling up to another party. As soon as I walk in the door, Paige comes running at me and hugs me. The smell of the alcohol hits me, and I crinkle my nose. “Salt Shaker” by Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon they wouldn’t have been able to get beer this late, and it looks like they’ve recently restocked the whole fridge.
Kai hands me a Corona.
“Let’s go dance again!” Paige yells and grabs my hands, making me spill my beer down my chest.
Her brows rise, but her gaze stays on me, although I can tell she’s having trouble focusing by the way her pupils are dilated. “Sorry.”
I roll my eyes. “Go ahead. I’ll meet you out there.”
She nods and walks away with her hands in the air, swaying her hips.
“Here.” Kai hands me a paper towel.
“This is a crazy night.” I lean against the kitchen counter next to Kai, observing everyone while I clean myself. “Have you run from the cops before?”
“A few times,” he hesitantly says.
I can’t say that’s a good thing, but at least he knew what to do when they came. If the cops had caught me, I can’t imagine the ass-kicking my mom would have given me.
Glancing back over at the crowd in front of me, I watch as Owen walks behind Paige and moves his hips in time with hers. She must not care who is behind her because she doesn’t look to make sure it’s someone she knows. Although, I doubt we know many of these people.
“Do you think Paige would go for Owen?”
I tilt my head toward Kai. “Not sure. They were together all night the first night we met him.” I would be surprised if she got with Owen, but in a way, I hope she does.
Maybe that will help her get over Jace. He’s a piece of shit to her, and it’s obvious he only wanted her virginity.
He keeps coming back to her, too, but only when he wants a booty call.
“How do you know, Owen?” I’ve been meaning to ask him, because Owen doesn’t go to our school.
I don’t think he’s even in high school anymore.
“From partying. We’re the closest in age out of my brother’s friends, so we hit it off quick.”
“You didn’t know anyone down here when you moved?”
He shakes his head. “Just my brother and uncle.”
No wonder he has all these older friends.
I barely see him talk to anyone in school.
It seems like none of these older kids care about our age.
Well, Kevin is still under twenty-one. He’s at least twenty—closer to twenty-one than we are.
Being around him and all his friends makes me feel like I’m older and more mature.
I wonder what all of these people would say if they knew how old I am.
So far no one has questioned it, but something tells me I’m on borrowed time.
I put those thoughts aside and laugh at Owen’s dance moves. He’s trying to drop it to the floor, but his pants are too baggy and he almost falls over trying to impress Paige.
Yeah, I’m thinking Paige is definitely not going to go for Owen.