Barely Breathing (The Breathing #2)(41)

Jill, Sara, Karen and I were armed with water guns. Casey had one for awhile, but Sara revoked her privileges when she found out she'd filled it with a mixed drink and was squirting it in her mouth.

Jill's was later handed off to Mandy when she ran her hand along Kyle's back. Sara told her if she couldn't obey the rules, then she had no right defending them and proceeded to give her a quick squirt to the gut. I couldn't help but laugh when Jill truly looked heartbroken at her demotion.

I patrolled as instructed, but everyone was well behaved. Then again, the party had only been going on for an hour. The first floor was open to the party goers, decorated morbidly in dead flowers, crushed chocolate strawberries and set aglow in red―it had taken quite some time to change out the light bulbs.

The entertainment room was set up as the dance floor since it was the largest, most open, space. The television screen was retracted into the ceiling, and the couches that lined the back walls had the cushions removed to keep people from getting lost in the dark to make out. That room remained vacant for the most part, since no one was ready to dance―or they couldn't figure out how to dance without touching each other.

Besides, the music was pretty angry. It was a compilation of aggressive songs, featuring Five Finger Death Punch and Disturbed―not exactly grinding music.



       
         
       
        

Things started to get a little more interesting during the second and third hours―right around the time the alcohol took effect. Sara had to refill her water gun twice, being the prominent enforcer of the rules. I thought it was going to piss people off, but she seemed to be aiming for the guys―and they didn't have a problem being sprayed with water by a girl dressed like Sara.

It was innocent enough. Talking a little too close, then a hand slipped to the hip. One of the girls sitting down on her boyfriend's lap while he was playing cards at the kitchen table. The first kiss happened around ten-thirty, and Sara and Mandy went ballistic, drenching the guy who thought he was finally hitting it off with one of the girls from the basketball team. As horrified as he was, there were plenty of people laughing―I mean, it was pretty funny.

"Sara, there's someone at the door for you," Evan hollered when the doorbell rang.

"You can answer it," Sara returned, taking a sip of her red martini.

"No, this one's for you." He walked toward me, careful not to touch as he leaned against the wall beside me. "Things are about to get very interesting."

Sara approached the door. I watched her lips form, "Oh no," when she finally opened it. At the same time, Jared's eyes just about fell out of his head. "Hi," he choked. "That's quite the anti-Valentine's day attire."

"What are you doing here?" she responded, her cheeks a brilliant shade of red.

"Fuck Valentine's Day," Jared exclaimed, handing Sara a dozen dried black roses. "These are for you."

"Aren't you going to let him in?" Jill scolded, pulling Jared in by the arm and closing the open door that was making most of the scantily dressed girls shiver.

"Thanks," Sara responded blankly, taking the dead flowers―obviously in shock.

I looked to Evan who wore a devious grin. "You don't play fair either, do you?"

"It's Valentine's Day," he defended. "I kinda want to kiss my girlfriend."

I smiled brightly, admiring his strategy. Sara spotted Evan and shook her head, shooting him a tight eyed glare. She knew that Jared's presence was his doing. Evan laughed.

Jared had a guitar case strapped to his back. "What's that for?" Sara inquired, leading him to the help-yourself bar on the sun porch.

"Later," Jared replied, grabbing a beer from the galvanized tub.

Without Sara realizing it, Evan switched the music to more popular dance songs, and the room started filling with bodies. She slacked on her patrol and handed her water pistol off to another enthusiastic enforcer who took to the dance floor with a vengeance. 

About an hour later, we were running low on ice, and I didn't have the key to the basement where the freezer was stored. I searched amongst the flashing lights and teasing bodies in the entertainment room, but didn't find Sara. After lapping the first floor, I decided to try upstairs.

The door to Anna and Carl's sitting room was slightly ajar. The crack allowed me to see Sara sitting on the loveseat, leaning forward and completely mesmerized. I was just about to push the door open when I picked up on the strums of the guitar. I barely touched the door to open it an inch farther and found Jared sitting on the ottoman across from her strumming the guitar. He was singing. I was too stunned to move.