Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
W hen Nathan texted me the address of the party, I wasn't surprised to find myself standing in front of a huge, multi-story mansion with beer cans tossed haphazardly on the immaculately landscaped front lawn. Loud music pumped from outdoor speakers and people spilled from every doorway, laughing and chatting with each other.
I wished now that I had agreed to let Nathan pick me up. I hadn't wanted to take another risk of my mom seeing his car, so I'd taken a taxi.
But now, faced with the daunting prospect of walking into this animal house by myself, I wished fervently for a friendly face. I'd wanted a house party, but this went beyond anything a teenager could dream up.
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out.
You here yet? Nathan messaged.
Standing outside , I wrote back.
Be right there.
Minutes later Nathan stuck his head out the front door, looking around for me. He had on a plain grey t-shirt, showing off his inked arms, and was wearing those painted-on jeans. His sandy hair fell into his eyes. As he brushed it back, his gaze fell on me. A pleased smile spread across his face. He gestured for me to come to him. I maneuvered my way around drunk party goers to make my way to the front steps.
Nathan put his arm around my shoulders and guided me inside.
"One raging party, delivered as promised," he said.
"This is awesome. Thank you. Now I get to live out all my teenaged dreams."
"Drinking games?" he guessed. "Skinny dipping? Spin the bottle? Making out in a dark corner?"
"I'm sure you'd be more than happy to help grant me any of those requests."
"I don't think anyone's claimed the chandelier yet, if you want to be the first to swing on it."
I looked up to where he pointed. There was, in fact, a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, decorated with sparkling crystals.
"Even if I wanted to, how would I even get up there?" I asked.
"I'm sure we could find a ladder."
"But what if it breaks and crashes to the floor?"
"Even better."
"I don't want to be the one to break someone's property."
"So you just want to see someone else do it, hm?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Hey asshole!" Nathan called out behind his shoulder, ignoring my protests. "I've got a dare for you."
A tall man with bright blue eyes appeared suddenly, jumping onto Nathan's back and laughing.
"Is the dare something Jessie would hate?" the man asked.
It was Gael, the bassist and Nathan's best friend. There didn't seem to be any tension between them as they grinned and tossed off insults at each other.
"My friend Becca here wants to see someone swing off the chandelier," Nathan said.
Gael eyed me curiously. "Becca?" he asked. "You're the girl from backstage at the concert, right? How did you meet Nate?"
"We met at a pet shop," Nathan jumped in before I could answer.
That was odd. Nathan didn't want Gael to know we'd met at the hospital. I examined Nathan out of the corner of my eye. He gave me a pleading look. I didn't understand why he cared, but I went along with it.
I nodded at Gael. "Yeah, I helped him pick toys out for his cat."
Gael nodded with a knowing look on his face, satisfied with the answer. He no doubt thought Nathan had picked up a random shop girl with his natural charm.
"She's never been to a rager like this before, and she's sort of disappointed," Nathan said. "I promised her a crazy time, but the chandelier is still attached to the ceiling."
An almost wicked glee sparked in Gael's eyes. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together like an evil movie villain.
"Are you daring me to destroy Cameron's house?" he asked.
"I don't really—" I began.
"Because I'd be more than happy to," he continued.
"Gael has this sort of love-hate thing going on with Cameron Thorne," Nathan explained. I recognized the name as being a member of another rock band similar to Cherry Lips. Cameron Thorne was the bassist of Darkest Days, and apparently the owner of the house. "Gael takes any opportunity to piss the guy off."
"I don't want you getting into trouble," I said.
"Gorgeous, this wouldn't even count among his top ten," Nathan said.
Gael wasn't listening to us because he was busy moving a side table near the front entrance until it was directly underneath the chandelier. He climbed on top and reached over his head.
"What the hell!" a woman's voice called. "Are you trying to get kicked out of another party?"
Gael turned to face a pretty, fresh-faced young woman with her hair in a low, messy bun. She didn't have that rocker chick look I would have expected from someone who, I assumed, was Gael's girlfriend.
"I wasn't going to do anything," Gael said. "I was just going to grab onto this thing and maybe swing a few times and then pull it to the floor."
"Is this because Cameron forgot your name again?" Jessie asked.
A disgruntled look crossed her boyfriend's face.
"Stupid dickface pretending he doesn't know who I am…" Gael muttered. He raised his hands again. "Just a few swings back and forth. I won't even pull it from the ceiling. I'll just break a few pieces, that's all."
Jessie pressed her lips together and shook her head, as if ready to scold him.
"If you're so determined to make an ass of yourself, at least make sure you shatter a couple of those crystals," she said.
I stifled a laugh as they both grinned at each other.
"I thought you weren't supposed to encourage him," Nathan said.
"Cam's been a pain in my ass lately," was her explanation.
We all heard Gael whoop in delight as he finally grabbed hold of a brass pipe and began to swing. The ceiling creaked dangerously.
"I don't think I want to be here when that thing finally comes down," I told Nathan. "We might end up sharing the blame."
"Good thinking," he said. "Let's go find us some drinks."
We left the front hall to the sounds of Gael and Jessie laughing. We'd just turned a corner when I heard a loud crash and pained cursing. Nathan and I flinched, but didn't look back.
The further we moved into the house, the rowdier the crowd became. The chatting guests on the front lawn gave way to shouts, cheers, and hysterical laughter. We interrupted two couples blatantly sucking face, not even bothering to find a dark corner for privacy.
"Wasn't that one of your goals for the night?" Nathan said with a sly grin, pointing at one of the couples.
"I just got here," I said. "I've got to leave something for the rest of the evening."
We passed a sofa with a handful of people playing some sort of drinking game with shot glasses in front of them. One room had a full DJ set up with dozens of bodies grinding against each other to the music, just like at that club.
"Pick your poison," Nathan said as we walked into the vast, chrome-plated kitchen. Bottles of every size and color were lined up on the countertops, along with red cups for mixing drinks.
"Can you recreate that Rocket thing I had at the club?" I asked.
"Pomegranate seeds might be a stretch," Nathan said as he pulled out his phone, looking up the recipe. "But Cameron's got to have all the other ingredients here somewhere."
He used a couple different types of alcohol to make my drink, and when he handed it over, I paused with the cup halfway to my lips.
"Just how good are you at mixing drinks?" I asked. "This won't make me go blind, will it?"
"It's a good thing my drummer isn't here," Nathan said. "He'd take that as a dare."
"Your drummer is Seth, right?" I asked.
Nathan nodded. "He likes to concoct the worst combinations as punishments during drinking games."
"I'll stick with my Popsicle flavors, thanks." I took a sip and made a pleased noise, nodding at Nathan. "You did good. Tastes just like the real thing."
Nathan grabbed a beer and we went back into the fray. I was about to ask where the swimming pool was — not for skinny dipping, since I'd worn my swimsuit under my clothes — when a grinning young man popped up in front of us.
"Nate, my man! We're starting up a game, you gotta join." The guy paused, taking notice of me. He gave me the once over before a familiar knowing look crossed his face, similar to the one Gael had given me. "Your lady friend can join, too," the guy offered.
"Becca, this is Seth," Nathan introduced.
"The one who makes awful drinks?" I asked.
Seth made a face. "Aw, you warned her ahead of time? No fun."
Nathan's arm tightened around my waist and he nudged me with his hip. "What do you think? Want to pop your drinking game cherry?"
"You've never played a drinking game?" Seth asked, sounding aghast. He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a heavy sofa. "You're playing. I won't take no for an answer."
Jessie and Gael, along with a dark haired man, were already sitting around a coffee table. Gael held an ice pack to the back of his head. The drummer practically bounced with excitement as we took our places. He was more excited than seemed reasonable, which worried me. Exactly what was I getting myself into?
Nathan sat beside on me the sofa, close enough for our thighs to press together and for our ankles to cross. It was an almost possessive gesture. A tingle went through me, making my toes curl in my shoes. I suppressed a silly smile.
"This is Julian," Nathan said, introducing the dark haired man. "He plays the keyboard in my band, along with a few other instruments."
Julian nodded at me in a silent greeting. His longish black hair fell over his cheeks, nearly obscuring his equally dark eyes. His all black clothing and dispassionate expression made him look like the stereotypical artiste. All he needed was a French beret on his head.
But there was something about the way his eyes glinted, resting on each of us in turn with a slow, careful sweep, that told me he wasn't as impassive as he wanted us to believe. He was watching us, sizing us up, assessing us for weaknesses.
"So which game are we playing this time?" Gael asked.
" Never Have I Ever ," Seth announced. He looked to me. "You know the rules?"
"Uhh—" I said, panicked. Would it be weird if I said no?
"It's simple enough," Nathan said. "We each take turns saying something we've never done, and if anyone else has, they have to take a shot."
Great. I was going to stay stone-cold sober, then.
But I nodded, not showing my disappointment. I'd always wanted to play a drinking game with friends. I wasn't going to bow out now.
Seth pushed shot glasses filled with an odd, sludgy brown liquid.
"What kind of drink is this?" I asked.
Jessie, Gael, and Julian each responded in unison with the same answer.
"Don't ask."
I grimaced, eyeing the drink. Maybe I didn't want to play after all.
"I'll start," Gael said.
"This is going to be good," Nathan muttered. "Gael's done everything under the sun."
"Never have I ever worn a leather miniskirt and looked hot as fuck in it," Gael said.
Jessie pressed a kiss to his cheek. He beamed. Then she elbowed him in the ribs, making him wince and pout.
"Was the flattery supposed make me forgive you for targeting me?" she asked.
"I guess it didn't work?" he asked while rubbing his side in an exaggerated motion.
Jessie took a shot glass and put it to her lips. She heaved a sigh, preparing herself, then drank the whole thing in one go.
"Ugh," she uttered, scrunching up her face. "That's nasty." She wiped her mouth and shook her head.
"Never have I ever had a threesome," she said.
"We're allowed to get sexual already?" Gael asked. "You should have told me. I thought we were starting off easy." He knocked back a shot, making a face but powering through.
Julian took a quiet shot with barely a grimace.
Nathan quirked a grin at me just before taking a drink. I raised my eyebrow in response.
"Never have I ever had a threesome with another dude," Seth said.
The drummer pointedly looked in Julian's direction. A mysterious half-smile played on his lips as he took another drink.
Interesting. I couldn't help wondering whether it had been a girl-sandwich kind of threesome, or the other kind.
Both thoughts were appealing in their own way.
"Never have I ever slept with a musician," Nathan said with a wink toward me.
Jessie and Julian drank as I stared down into my shot glass. Whatever liquid was inside seemed to have congealed. I shuddered, closed my eyes and knocked it back.
I immediately gagged, just barely resisting the urge to spit it out.
"What the hell is this?" I choked out once I'd swallowed the demonic concoction. It burned the whole way down.
"It's better not to know," Julian said. His expression was cool but there was a spark of humor in his eyes. "It's your turn."
I zeroed in on Seth.
"Never have I ever played the drums," I said.
He laughed, amused. "Getting me back, hm? That's okay, I can take it."
He took his shot. His face immediately turned red, then green. He squeezed his eyes shut and made a frog-like gulping noise, as if he were close to retching. He swallowed it, though, I'd give him that.
"Fuck, that's so disgusting," he groaned.
"You're the one who—" I started.
Nathan placed a hand on my knee. "Don't question it. I've long since stopped wondering why Seth chooses to torture himself like this. Watching him choke on his own medicine is the only reason we play, really."
"Never have I ever trashed a hotel room," Julian said. "Because I'm not an idiot loose cannon."
"I take offense to that," Gael said with a grin.
As Gael and Nathan took their shots, a ping from my phone took my attention away from the game. I took it out of my pocket. It was only the first few lines of a new email, just the notification, but all I needed was the subject line and from address to make my stomach drop.
Time for my next check up.
My heart pounded faster. My fingers gripped my phone tight. I put my cell phone back down with a shaky hand.
"I need a glass of water," I said, standing abruptly. Everyone looked at me. "I'll be right back."
I left, hurriedly pushing through crowds of dancing, drunken partiers. I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Instead of drinking from it, I played with the label on the bottle, picking at the peeling paper.
I leaned against the counter, replaying the email subject line in my head.
I heard a voice speak from behind me.
"Why'd you run off?"