Oh, wait. I guess you can’t remind me. Fine, I’ll remind myself.
Holder, don’t forget to tell Les about your fight with Dad.
H
Chapter Six
* * *
I can’t believe he talked me into any form of social gathering my first week back. I swore I wouldn’t be around these people again, but it has been a whole year. I’ve had a while to adjust, so maybe they have, too.
I walk up to the unfamiliar house a few feet ahead of Daniel, but stop just short of passing through the front door. Of all the people from school I haven’t seen for the past year, the last person I expect to run into is Grayson. But of course the last thing I expect is always the first to happen.
I haven’t seen him since the night before Les died, when I left him bleeding on the living room floor of his best friend’s house. He’s walking out as I’m walking in and for a few seconds, we’re face to face, staring each other down. I haven’t really thought about him much since I left, but seeing him now brings every ounce of hatred I had for him right back to the surface like it never even left.
I can tell by the look in his eyes that he has absolutely no idea what to say to me. I’m blocking his exit and he’s blocking my entrance and neither of us seems to want to be the one to step aside. Both of my hands are clenched into defensive fists, preparing for whatever he has to say. He could yell at me, he could spit at me, he could even apologize to me. Whatever words come out of his mouth, it won’t matter. The urge I’m having right now isn’t to listen to him speak; it’s to shut him up.
Daniel walks in shortly after me and notices the silent standoff occurring between us. He slips around me, then stands facing me, blocking my view of Grayson. He slaps my cheeks with both hands until my eyes meet his. “No time for jerk-offs!” He yells over the music. “We have beer that needs consuming!” He grabs my shoulders, still blocking my view from Grayson, and pulls me to the right. I continue to resist, not wanting to be the first to back down from our visual standoff.
Jaxon walks up and places his hand on Grayson’s arm, pulling him in the opposite direction. “Let’s go see what Six and Sky are up to!” he yells to him.
Grayson nods, watching me sternly as he backs away. “Yeah,” he answers Jaxon. “This party just got lame.”
If this were last year, he’d be on the floor with my knee resting comfortably on his throat. But this isn’t last year, and his throat isn’t worth it. I simply smile at him while I continue to allow Daniel to pull me away and toward the kitchen. Once Jaxon and Grayson have exited the front door, I release a pent-up breath. I’m relieved at their decision to leave the party in search of whatever girls are pathetic enough to entertain them.
I grimace with that last thought, knowing I inadvertently lumped Les into that category of girls. But fortunately, I don’t have to worry about the chicks Grayson hooks up with anymore. Les isn’t here to be deceived by him, so as far as I’m concerned, Grayson can hook up with whoever is desperate enough to have him.
“Press mouth to rim, tilt head back, down your shot, and get happy,” Daniel says, handing me a shot of something. I don’t ask what it is, I just do what he says and down it.
• • •
One more shot, two beers, and half an hour later, Daniel and I have made our way into the living room. I’m on the couch with my feet propped up on the coffee table and Daniel is next to me, running through the list of people we’re friends with and telling me all about what they’ve been up to for the past year. I forgot how talkative alcohol makes him and I’m finding it hard to keep up. I bring my fingers to the bridge of my nose, squeezing the headache away. I don’t really know anyone at this party. Daniel says most of them are friends of the kid who lives here, but I don’t even know who lives here. I ask Daniel why we’re even here if he doesn’t know anyone and the question miraculously shuts him up. He looks past me into the kitchen and nods in that direction. “Her,” he says.