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“It is, I promise,” he whispered, locking his brown eyes with me. We were so close that I could see the deep, forest green in them, a color that only seemed to shine when he was in serious mode. “I won’t let anything bad happen. Not anymore.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, his warmth there only briefly before he was gone, leaving me in a bit of a daze.
“Dance with us.” Hazel popped up in front of me, making me jump out.
My nerves were beginning to frazzle at the edges with Seth’s unhappiness and with how many people there were. It was hard to move around without bumping into at least two people each step. “Uh, singing, I can do. Dancing, I think I’ll pass.”
Hazel giggled before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the circle of sexy costumes. Everyone jumped around and laughed. That happiness rubbed off on me, calming me. Hazel and Lillian stuck by, always within touching distance, helping to keep my nerves down. We easily danced our way through three songs before I was tired. The twins didn’t look like they were going to calm down any time soon.
I slowed my movements and looked around, taking in all the people, all the different costumes.
So this was what a Halloween party was like. I had never been to one before. I had to admit, it was fun. Exciting. And nerve wracking.
“Want me to save you?” Micah asked, dancing his way to my side. “I’ll distract and you run?”
“I like this plan.”
He laughed as he turned to the twins and began dancing with them. He eventually got it so he was facing me with the twins’ back to me. His wink was the signal I needed. I took that opportunity to save my feet.
Not only did I want to save my feet, but I needed to save my brain too. The music was loud enough to make it hard to hear my own thoughts. I grabbed a cup of cold apple cider and headed for the backyard, through the living room. The door had already been slid open and some of the party was out there, though quieter. The pool had been closed up for the winter, but it didn’t keep people from sitting at the edge, letting their feet dangle.
“Over here.” Bryan’s deep voice grabbed my attention from the shadows. He was as far from the party as he could get.
“I don’t think this is how partying is supposed to work,” I said as I approached him. He had taken one of the long lawn chairs and dragged it to the other side of the yard. He moved his feet, giving me room to sit.
“I’m going to murder Toby when this is all over,” he said.
“He’s completely sure that this won’t get out of control.”
Bryan snorted. “He said that the last time too. Then the cops came, and I had to face hell from my parents. They almost forced me into private school.” Bryan shuddered. “What the fuck would I do at private school?”
“Get smarter. Imagine taking all those fancy classes. Going into college and being able to skip most of your first year, if not all.”
“It’s actually rather horrifying. My life would be all studying and no fun.”
I snorted. “You know, my mom once considered transferring me to one of the private schools. I looked at their curriculum and said it was ridiculous. To pay that much, to do that much work. I told her she was crazy.”
“About what I told my mom too when she tried to transfer me,” Bryan said.
“Did she hit you?”
Bryan didn’t respond right away, instead staring at me. I looked down at my hands, remembering that particular memory. Lindie definitely hit me for trying to defy her. Then I reasoned with her about the cost of the school and the time commitment. That had worked.
“She has never hit me,” Bryan finally said.
I smiled. “Good.”
Bryan reached over and linked our fingers together. “Cadence.”
I shook my head. “We’re supposed to be having fun. We’re at a party. Not this.”
“Well, parties are overrated. And Seth is going to crack and shut it down soon anyway.”
“Well until then, I think I’m going to go find something to do. I’m all danced out, so what’s next?” I raised a questioning eyebrow at Bryan, hoping he had better insight into these things than I did.
Bryan chuckled. “Well, there isn’t a pool, so you can’t jump into that. Maybe jump from the rooftop?”
“Do people really do that? I thought that was just supposed to be like books and movies or something? Or those crazy stunt shows?”
“I don’t know.” Bryan stood and stretched. He wore the ‘I Want It That Way’ shirt, the words written in pink. It rose up, giving me a peek at his skin. Bryan didn’t do sports as much as the others, but I had seen him mess around with them and hold his own well enough. He was softer, but he still took care of his body. “I’m going to go make sure no one’s broken anything.”
