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Cody’s green eyes twinkled as I stared at him, mouth agape. Was he inviting me to go to a party with Kane? Did Kane know he was doing this? He didn’t seem like the shy type, but maybe he needed assistance from his friend now and then. It wasn’t like anyone in their right mind could say no to the school quarterback.
I hated to admit it, but I was intrigued.
“So, you’re a fairy now?” I asked, smirking to cover my discomfort.
Far from being offended, Cody laughed. No wonder he and Kane were so tight. Both of their egos were bulletproof.
“I’m comfortable with who I am,” he said, wandering toward the classroom door.
“See you at six. Details are in there.” He shot me a wink and a finger gun and then slipped into the stream of humanity outside of the classroom.
With a frown, I opened the book in my hand to find a torn slip of paper with an address and time scrawled across it. I knew the house. It was in a nice neighborhood, not far from school.
It was also owned by Evie Wighson, head cheerleader and Cody’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. She wasn’t the stereotypical mean girl from most movies, but she certainly didn’t notice anyone outside her small circle of friends. I doubted she knew what it was like to want for anything. Her family was Fankirth elite, and I knew any party she threw was going to be huge.
***
I felt the bass run through me from half a block away as I cycled the last few houses to Evie’s family estate. Colored lights flashed across the roofline from where everything was clearly set up in the backyard. I stashed my bike under a tree, just inside the fence line, and idly wondered if anyone else was loser enough to have to ride their bicycle to a high school party.
This was why I had to concentrate on my future. I had saved every penny I could to put toward college. I didn’t even own a cellphone. When I was a successful sports journalist, I could buy whatever I wanted. I could support my mom too. It was all part of the plan.
So why was I here?
I’d been telling myself it was still part of the interview, but would it even be ethical to use any information I got from Kane if he were drinking?
There was a small part of me that whispered I was more interested in the boy than the interview.
I blinked, realizing I had stalled out beneath the tree, and the party was happening while I debated things I would rather not think about. I was here because Kane wanted me to be. This interview needed to be finished, not only for the school paper, but because it was part of my scholarship application. It was for my future.
With a deep breath, I smoothed down my wrinkled dress, walked around the house, and dove into the mass of Fankirth students covering the back lawn.
Bodies buffeted me from all sides as I made my way toward the back door of the house. Pretend you’re at a sports game, I reminded myself, pushing forward.
The music changed into something more upbeat. More violent. The movement of the crowd intensified with it and I felt myself dragged down beneath the crush of flailing limbs. Screams and cheers drowned out my cry of distress as I landed on my knees and narrowly avoided a stiletto landing on my hand. I wasn’t so lucky with the knee that caught my ribs before a strong arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me out of the crowd. Panicked, I threw an elbow behind me and felt it connect with something hard.
“Easy, Rowsthorn.”
At the sound of his voice, I felt the tension flow out of my body. Kane had found me. Holding me tight against him, he pushed through a crowd far more willing to move for the swim captain, and headed toward the back of the property. At the edge of the makeshift dance floor, he placed me on my feet, grabbed my hand, and kept walking.
“Where are we going?” I asked, trotting to keep up with his stride.
“Somewhere I can hear myself think. And check you’re okay. What were you thinking, jumping into the middle of that crowd? You could have been hurt.”
I stopped, pulling my hand from his.
“I can handle myself, thanks. What’s it to you, anyway?”
He grunted, wiping a hand over his mouth, and flinching as his finger grazed his cheek.
“You know, most girls would say thank you. You, of course, almost give me a shiner. Will you please come with me?”
I grimaced, torn between annoyance at the comparison, and regret at hurting him while he was trying to help.
“You know, I’m not going to say I’m not like most girls because I think that’s divisive, misogynistic shit.”
He huffed a laugh and held a hand out toward me, giving me the option to take it, or not.
“Of course you do.”
