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I looked over at him as he continued to stare at the road ahead. “Oh yeah? What did you hear?”
He glanced over at me with his eyes wide. “You haven’t talked to your parents about it yet?” He paused for a moment. “I just overheard them talking when I was in the office today. They weren’t going to expel you.”
“Of course they didn’t,” I scowled and half sneered. I twisted open the top of the vodka and took a long gulp. It burned my throat as it slid down and warmed my stomach. “My father’s pockets are deep. I’m sure he paid someone off to get his way.”
A part of me wanted to get expelled just as another fuck-you to my father but I already expected this. I knew I would be fine because he had made it so I was practically untouchable by anything and everyone but himself. My father was the one who held all the power and he frequently exercised his control.
Nico was silent for a few moments as we were nearing closer to Lucas’s house. “Is Winter coming tonight?”
I gave him a blank look, giving nothing away. “No.”
I didn’t invite her and she usually didn’t come out unless it was something I invited her to. I was hoping she wouldn’t come here, that she wouldn’t come looking for me, but I knew Winter Reign. I could only keep her at arm’s length for so long. She would always come looking for me.
When we pulled up to Lucas’s house, the party was already well underway. As Nico and I walked up to the front door, the bass was already pounding from the speakers his parents had installed throughout the house. His parents traveled a lot for business, so his house was frequented for parties like this. We stepped inside and found ourselves having to push through bodies as we made our way to the kitchen where all the alcohol was.
Nico filled a plastic cup with beer and I clutched onto the neck of the bottle of vodka I walked in with. I had no intention of sharing it with anyone, not when they all had access to the various bottles Lucas arranged in his kitchen. As I left Nico in the kitchen, I walked through the house, brushing past people as I made my way toward the back door.
I honestly wasn’t sure why I even came. I didn’t want to be around any of these people. All of the friendships and camaraderie, they were all superficial. I just knew I didn’t want to be home tonight. And I was tired of feeling like a burden to Winter.
As I sat down on one of the chairs by Lucas’s pool, a sigh escaped me and I hung my head heavily.
I was just fucking tired.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WINTER
Past
Kai was going to be mad if he knew I was here, but I didn’t know where else to go or what else to do. I hadn’t seen him since this morning and even that felt like it was a dream. I was awake enough for my brain to register that it was him slipping through my window. I watched him as he headed into the wooded area of our property in the direction of the road. When I asked him to come back, I knew he wouldn’t, yet there was a part of me that hoped he would.
Today was the day he had been dreading. He didn’t tell me much about it, but I knew he was in trouble. I knew he was in jeopardy of being expelled. I also knew that if his family could get him out of it, they would. And low and behold, that was exactly what happened.
Kai got a slap on the wrist and I wasn’t even sure if he knew it or not. He had been ignoring my calls and texts all day long. When I overheard there would be a party at Lucas’s house tonight, I wondered if this was where Kai would come.
I knew him better than anyone. I knew the last place he would want to be was home, and I was right. He wasn’t there and he wasn’t at my house. He wasn’t exactly someone who enjoyed the party scene, but he enjoyed the escape from reality. And if there was a party with substances that could provide that escape for him, he would most likely be there.
As I pushed through the different rooms in the house, I couldn’t seem to find him anywhere. Familiar faces tried to strike up conversations, but I wasn’t here for any of that. I was here for one purpose and one purpose only… and I couldn’t seem to find him anywhere.
I caught sight of Nico in the kitchen and made my way over to where he was. There was some girl attached to his side who had captured his attention, but his head lifted as he saw me approach. He stepped away from her.
“Winter,” he said softly with a hint of confusion on his face. “What are you doing here? Kai said you weren’t coming.”
I shifted my weight nervously on my feet. I wasn’t a big drinker, but I felt the need to drink something at this moment. “Can I get a drink?”
“Of course,” Nico nodded as he grabbed a cup and filled it with some vodka and cranberry juice. “This is what you drink, right?” he asked me as he handed it over. “I remember Kai saying you don’t like beer.”
I forced a smile. “This is good, thanks.” I quickly took a huge gulp, needing all the liquid courage I could get. “Is he here?”
“He’s around here somewhere,” Nico said as he glanced around with a touch of concern in his eyes. “I haven’t seen him in a while, though, so I don’t know where he ran off to. Does he know you’re here?”
I shook my head. “I haven’t heard from him all day.”
“You know how Kai is,” he shrugged with indifference, “sometimes he just needs to be alone. I’ll let him know you’re here if you don’t see him before I do.”
The girl Nico was talking to had captured his attention again and I stepped away with a simple nod. Nico and I weren’t exactly friends, but Kai was the common denominator between us. He was the only real connection between us and that was just because we both cared about him. I knew Nico because we both skated at the same rink, but the hockey players and the figure skaters didn’t exactly mingle.
The plastic cup was sweating in my hand and I hated the damp feeling. I lifted it to my lips again and took another sip as I headed out of the kitchen. There were people crowding every room and it was almost too much. None of that mattered, though. I just wanted to find Kai and make sure he was all right. After the state he was in last night, I knew he was in a bad place mentally.
