Chapter 10
Ten
The night is fresh, and a cool breeze brushes my hair off my bare shoulders as we cross through the quiet neighborhood.
Ralph’s party must be huge, because there are so many cars we had to park almost three blocks away.
The walk is good, though, especially since the car ride felt stifling, and the air helps to clear my head.
“Ralph invited practically the entire school, and a bunch of people from your school too,” Daphne says as kids converge and walk in the same direction as us.
“Sounds like a lot of people,” Emmett says as he takes Kalani’s hand in his. “I hope we don’t lose each other.”
“I have an idea,” Emi starts. “If you lose me, just yell the alpacas are invading and I’ll know to check the group chat.”
“What is with you and weird animal code phrases?” I ask with a laugh. “Besides, I don’t think it’ll be necessary.”
Out of all of us, Emi’s the easiest to spot in a crowd.
Daphne’s in a white shirt and red pants, Kalani’s in a deep-blue designer dress, and Emmett’s looking drool-worthy in a white dress shirt and pants.
Compared to us, Emi’s almost impossible to ignore, with her short purple hair and a dress made entirely of sequins, which she’s paired with combat boots.
If we get separated, she’ll be the easiest to find. She’s a walking disco ball.
I have to stop myself from glancing at Emmett the entire time.
He really does look drool-worthy tonight with his floppy curls styled away from his face.
I’m in a tight white dress, so technically the two of us match, and I bite my lip to stop from imagining us as a cute couple who deliberately match outfits with each other.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, don’t worry, babe,” Kalani says, twisting her long black hair over her shoulder. “It’s a miracle the babysitter was free to watch Maleah or I wouldn’t have even been able to come out. Let’s make the most of it, okay?”
“Of course,” Emmett says, dropping her hand to wrap his arm around her waist. I glance away.
Ralph’s house is smack-dab in the middle of a subdivision, and the grass only separates his house from his neighbors by about two feet on either side.
I have no idea how no one is complaining about the noise, because we could hear it from a block away.
Kids are piled on his driveway and lawn, all holding beer cans or red Solo cups.
Compared to everyone in their jeans and T-shirts, we might have dressed up a bit too much.
But in our defense, we’ve only been to Oakwoods parties, and everyone dresses up for those.
Once we’re in the house, the music blasts us from all directions. Bodies are packed in the small hallway, and you can tell who’s from Oakwoods because we’re the ones dressed like we’re going to a club instead of a house party. At least the five of us don’t stand out too much now.
Emi grabs Daphne’s hand and leads her through the crowd.
Emmett does the same for Kalani, and I trail behind, feeling every bit the fifth wheel I am.
Emi marches right into the kitchen, where the keg is, and pours beer some into four red Solo cups, passing three of them to me, Daphne, and Kalani.
I clink glasses with the girls and take a drink of the warm beer before grimacing.
No one else seems to mind, though, so I pretend warm beer doesn’t taste appalling and take another sip.
“Oh, hey!” Emi says as she claps a tall boy on the back.
When he turns around, I recognize his face instantly, though the hideous patterned shirt should’ve given it away.
“Hey, Ralph,” I greet, and his face lights up.
“Carina!” he exclaims, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in for a hug. I guess we’re on hugging terms now? He’s soaked for some reason, and I force myself not to shove him away.
“How’ve ya been?” He doesn’t wait for my answer, instead moving on to hug Kalani, then Emmett and Daphne.
“Are you guys having fun?” he asks us as a group, then he turns to Daphne. “Daph, Jasmine’s been up my ass asking when you’re coming. She’s probably in the backyard.”
I don’t hear what Daphne says, because I’ve just clued in that this is Ralph’s party.
Ralph is friends with Jay. Does that mean Jay is here too?
I cast a hasty look around at the faces in the kitchen, but to my relief, I don’t see Jay.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t somewhere around here, though, and I run a hand through my hair before I realize what I’m doing and stop it.
Ralph and Emi introduce us to some people in the kitchen, but it’s hard to hear their names over the music, never mind remember them. A few of them are people we met last time at the cliff, and Emmett points out Eric, who drove him and Kalani home after I freaked out.
Daphne leads everyone out through the screen door and into the backyard.
The music is louder back here than it was inside.
It makes sense when I spot DJ equipment and speakers set up against the house facing the yard, with a kid pressing buttons on a laptop.
No wonder we could hear the music crystal clear from the front yard.
It’s a good-sized backyard, and now I realize why Ralph was all wet.
There’s a large, glistening in-ground pool filled with floaties back here, but there aren’t a lot of people in it.
No one must want to go in wearing their party clothes.
I, for one, am going to stay far away from the pool.
With my luck, I’ll accidentally fall in or be pushed in, and I didn’t spend all that time on my hair and makeup just to ruin it in two seconds flat.
Plus, this dress is not a good substitute for a swimsuit.
There’s another keg set up out here, as well as a folding table with various bottles of liquor and stacks of Solo cups ready to be used.
Another table sits beside it filled with various foods.
As people come in, they place more platters on the table, which is quickly filling up, and I realize it must be some sort of potluck.
Now I feel like a dick for not bringing anything, even though we were told not to.
Ralph, or someone, has strung white Christmas lights against all the fences that border us in, giving the backyard a party feel.
Folding tables are set up on the grass where people are playing beer pong or watching or just standing around talking, and the concrete patio is being used exclusively for dancing.
Emi and Daphne help themselves to the bottles on the table, and Kalani drags Emmett over to the makeshift dance floor.
I stand awkwardly by the screen door, feeling weird and self-conscious.
It’s times like these I wish I really did have someone like Emi and Kalani do, but this wouldn’t be an issue if I just had another single friend.
“Hey! Carina, right?” a girl beside me asks. Her hair is long, dark, and shiny, her lips are painted a deep pink, and there are purposeful sparkles on her olive cheeks. She was introduced to me in the kitchen, but I don’t remember her name.
At my nod, she continues. “I’m Maddie!” She gestures to the girl who just joined us. “And this is Jasmine.”
Jasmine’s tall, with deep brown skin, a short afro, and sparkles on her cheekbones that match Maddie’s.
“Daphne’s girlfriend’s friend, right?” Jasmine asks.
At my nod, she continues, “I’ve been waiting for you guys all night!
Daphne said you’re amazing at art, and she showed me that portrait you gave her.
It was gorgeous! Are you going to OCAD in September?
Please say yes! I want to know someone when I go. ”
My face heats, and I take a sip of my drink to hide some of the redness. “Um . . . no. I’m actually going to TMU for business. But congrats on getting into OCAD! You must be amazing.”
She frowns. “Thanks, but why aren’t you coming? You’re so good.”
I shift from foot to foot. I can’t exactly tell her I’m scared I’m not good enough, not after she just said she thinks I am good enough, so instead I shrug.
Maddie must sense that I don’t want to talk about it, because she gasps and exclaims, “I love this song! Dance with us?” She grabs the full beer in my hand and sets it down on a table before pulling me onto the makeshift dance floor.
I’m not familiar with the song that’s playing, but it’s catchy enough to dance to.
The three of us dance together in a circle not too far from the DJ, surrounded by a bunch of other kids dancing as well.
The music pounds in my chest, and bubbles float through the surrounding air.
We giggle and poke at the few that enter our airspace.
Against my will, my gaze wanders over to Emmett to see if he’s watching us, but he’s talking to Eric.
Kalani is at the table with the alcohol, talking to a guy with slicked-back brown hair and dark sunglasses covering his eyes.
Who wears sunglasses to a house party at night?
She points at me and waves, and the guy she’s talking to follows her gaze.
My eyebrows draw together, but I wave back, and the guy’s lips pull up at the corners.
“Oh my God, he’s totally checking you out!” Maddie yells in my ear. I want to ask how she knows he’s checking me out considering he’s wearing sunglasses at a house party at night, but she points in the opposite direction of Sunglasses.
Jasmine grabs me and turns me around so I’m facing the beer pong table, and my heart stops.
“That’s Jay,” Maddie shouts in my ear. “He’s so hot. I wish he looked at me like that.”
It is Jay. His height makes him visible through the crowd as he talks to someone, but his eyes are on me.
When he notices he has my attention, he scans me up and down, then smirks.
I know that look, and I know exactly what he’s thinking: She’s wearing white panties.
Instead of pissing me off, the thought makes me laugh. Is something wrong with me?
Jasmine gapes at me. “You know him? You know Jay?”