AllFreeNovel
Share Us
North smirked and appeared to relax a little.
I took a sip. Water washed over my tongue. I wasn’t thirsty but I was grateful to have something so I could fit in.
I turned toward North and Nathan standing off to the side. “What’s it like inside?”
“There’s a soccer table,” Nathan said. “Maybe we’ll get to play. There’s a few in there playing now.”
“It’s loud and crowded,” North said. “It’s better out here.”
“Whose house is it?” It felt strange to be at someone’s house I didn’t know. I was glad North told me to stick with them. I would have done it anyway. I wouldn’t want to wander around and have people wondering who I was or why I was there.
They both shrugged. Silas was talking with the other guys behind me and didn’t hear.
A wind picked up. The warmth I had absorbed while in the car was subsiding, even with Silas hanging off of my neck. I held my cup out to Nathan to hold for a second. I zipped up the hoodie, stuffing one hand into the pocket and took my cup back.
“Want to go inside?” North asked.
I nodded, shivering. “I should have worn jeans.”
“Skirts look better on you.”
I rolled my eyes, blushing. “Thank you,” I said quietly. I liked this North. He seemed less grumpy now than before.
“Let’s go play table soccer,” Nathan said.
I nudged Silas. He tilted his head toward me while his eyes remained on the guys in front of him as if he was still trying to pay attention to them.
“I’m cold,” I said. “I ...”
“You’re cold?” he asked, loud enough to halt the conversation around us. He pulled me in closer, wrapping his arm tighter and brought me close to his body. “You should have said something.” His hand wandered from my shoulder to my side, squeezing slightly at my hip.
The guys around us chuckled.
What was he doing? This didn’t seem like Silas, now. Did parties throw the guys off? “Is it okay if I go inside for a little bit?” I thought it would be better to almost ask permission, since he was the one who invited me.
He smiled, leaned in. His lips met my ear and he whispered. “Yes, go in. Don’t leave North. After I make rounds, I’ll come get you. We’ll find a quiet spot and we’ll be able to hang out.” He breathed in next to my ear and pulled back. “I’ll come find you in a minute.”
I understood that they were trying to get along with the team so they could fit in like Mr. Blackbourne wanted. Did it mean I had to pretend to be with Silas? Was I part of this plan? Silas had told me earlier that he didn’t care what anyone else thought of him. Maybe he didn’t care, but it felt like he cared what they thought now.
I turned away from Silas to head toward the house. North and Nathan walked nearly arm to arm with me. I wanted to reach for someone’s hand but felt awkward since Silas had claimed me for the night.
“Hey, they’re stealing your girl, Si,” one of the guys said, chuckling. The others around him started giggling, too.
“If I didn’t trust her, I wouldn’t be out with her. Besides, they wouldn’t dare try anything.” He tilted his cup to his mouth, taking a swallow.
North tilted his head to whisper in my ear. “Remind me to kick him later.”
I shared a conspiratorial glance with him.
THE RAVEN-HAIRED GIRL
Inside the house, the main overhead lights were off. The occasional illuminated lamp shimmered in corners of each room, shedding enough light for people to see where they were walking. The kitchen in the back was lit up, and there were people standing inside it, leaning against or sitting on top of the counters and talking. A round dining room table was topped with more red cups, ice buckets, cans of beer and bottles of soda. I wondered where the beer came from, but everyone around had red cups so I couldn’t tell who was drinking what.
There was a front living room with a wide window, and a couple of couches occupied by people. A stereo played rock music loud enough that I wanted to block my ears from the onslaught of guitars and drums. People were trailing back and forth from different rooms. Out of nervousness, I slipped a hand around North’s forearm since he was the closest. I didn’t want to lose him.
North shifted, grasping my hand and squeezing it in his. Still, I fell behind him, partially using his tall figure as a shield as if trying to hide myself from everyone. I didn’t recognize anyone. I wondered if it was because of the poor lighting and being so out of place.
Nathan led the way to a back den. The room had two levels. The upper level had a collection of couches surrounding an entertainment center, also streaming rock music but at a lower volume so people could talk. The lower level of the room had a built in bar and fridge to one side. There was a soccer table on the lower level in front of a stone fireplace. Most people hung around the bar and the collection of couches. A handful of others stood around the fireplace. Two guys I didn’t know were playing at the soccer table.
North eased over to the table, stopping short enough to give the guys playing room but still hovering to watch. Nathan planted himself next to him. I peeked from around their shoulders.
The guys playing the game slammed the handles into the table, trying to hit the tiny ball into a goal. The guys were big, with bulky shoulders and I imagined they were on the football team. One of them looked up, catching my eye with a curious glance.
The other guy used this distraction to knock the ball into the opposite goal. The distracted one squinted back at the game, groaned, and lifted his hands in the air. “I’m done,” he said, picking up a cup from the corner of the table, taking a drink and walking off.
His friend followed him and the table was abandoned.
“I guess it’s our turn,” Nathan said.
I followed Nathan to one side, feeling awkward about using someone’s game table without asking permission. I felt even more nervous wondering if whoever owned the game table could be watching now.
North took up the other side, collected the tiny soccer ball and dropped it into the middle.
“Grab those, Peanut.” Nathan pointed to the table’s side.
I put my cup down on the corner of the table and gingerly put my hands on a couple of the black plastic handles to control a row of soccer men.
“What did you just call her?” North asked, his face scrunching in confusion.
“Peanut,” Nathan said louder.
“Oh,” North said. “That’s not what I heard over here.” He checked with me, a dark eyebrow lifting. “You let him call you that?”
“Yup,” Nathan replied for me. “She calls me Honey.”
North blinked at this, looking back at me. “You don’t call me that.”
“That’s my nickname. She gave it to me,” Nathan said.
My face radiated. Did they have to talk about this right now? Still, it didn’t seem like anyone was paying attention. Most of the others were engrossed by their own conversations. Was this what a high schoo
l party was like? I wasn’t sure what I had imagined, but it just seemed like people clustered and talking like they did in school, only here there was the scent of booze and music. It didn’t seem as terrible as Kota had made me think. I was uncomfortable, but I was with North and Nathan and Silas and I trusted them so it made it a lot better. I supposed I’d find it more fun if I were more outgoing and knew more of the people here. I imagined what it might be like being like Silas, able to blend in and talk to the group as if I were a part of them.
North grunted, twisting the handle on his soccer men to start the game. I was slow to respond, trying to twist the handles but I barely knocked the ball back in the other direction. North pushed a handle and his soccer men kicked the ball into the goal.
Nathan laughed, then leaned in to whisper. “Do that thing you do and cheat.”
“I know you’re telling her to cheat,” North said, dropping the ball onto the table again.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing,” I said. I had three handles on my side, and wasn’t sure where to place my hands.
“You twist the handles,” North said, demonstrating.
I groaned. It was obvious but as I twisted the handles right and left, the soccer men moved slow. I wasn’t a match to North and Nathan, whose soccer men moved faster and with some form of control. I felt completely at a loss. “They don’t move fast enough.”
“Practice and get better,” North said, staring after the ball that was rolling around. He twisted handles and kicked it to my side.
I tried twisting it back but it wasn’t moving.
“Do this,” Nathan said. He slapped the handle on his side, sending his soccer men spinning.
I tried it, and managed to get one of the men to kick it to his side of the field. North was faster than both of us at this, and easily knocked it back to my side. He hit another goal, a third and a fourth.
“What do I get when I win?” North asked, his lips twisted into a taunting smile.
I smirked back, waited until he thought he’d lined up another shot. I grabbed the silver end opposite his handle and held it so he couldn’t twist. When he let go, I reversed a spin and sent it shooting out on Nathan’s side. Nathan spun a handle and the ball sailed into the goal.
