A spool of feathery blond whipped in my direction, my best friend of many years. Royal’s arms immediately left the girls. “I can be. Everything okay?”
No, I wasn’t okay. I was at this party on the other side of fucking town when all I wanted to do was wash my face off and take a bath. I shook my head, and in two more seconds, he started to get up.
Blonde on the right held him back. “Who’s this bitch, baby?”
About to pop off on this bitch, I only had the thought before my best friend pushed blonde number two off his lap and the other far the fuck away from him. He straightened out, dusting himself off like he was trying to rid himself from the sea of skank.
“This girl is my best friend,” he said, crossing the room to me, then pushing an arm around my shoulders. He touched my face. “You all right?”
I was and didn’t need his consoling. I was simply bored, and nodding, I let Royal do his caveman thing. He, Jax, Knight, and LJ were always doing that shit, a superman complex in all of them, but since I was over this whole goddamn night, I was entertaining it all at the present. I slid on my leather jacket. “Yeah, just ready to go.”
“K. Just let me find the guys.”
I was sure Jax was off getting wasted and the other two were getting naked somewhere, my guy friends a bunch a man-whores. I folded my arms. “You take one side?”
Royal grinned, the two of us of the same mind. He knew our friends as well as I did. He bumped my fist. “We’ll reconvene when we find them. Keep your phone on.”
I pulled it out for emphasis, shaking it as I began scouring the house. College parties were vastly overrated, and I knew since Royal, Jax, LJ, Knight, and I had been sneaking into them since we were fifteen. Even still, they put high school parties to shame, but tonight, I didn’t feel like fucking dealing with any of it. I toured the house until I found myself on a balcony that no longer had anyone vomiting off it. It was cool out there, so I took a break to ease some weight off my feet and lounge on the overlook. There were about twenty frat boys down below, one of whom cannonballed off a diving board into the pool, glistening with moonlight. The guy crested the water, and it only took a squint to realize the guy who jumped was another one of my friends. LJ’s stupid ass whipped his head out of the water like a mermaid, his long blond hair slapping his back. This gave the opportunity for two more blondes to float over to him. They quickly tucked themselves tight under his arms, and I shook my head at the display. Did I know my friends or did I know my friends? Of course, he was getting naked. I thought to yell at his ass from above, but then I saw Royal down there. He waved at him, and right away, LJ left the girls and swam to the side. Royal merely exchanged a few words with him before LJ pulled himself completely out of the water. The two headed off, probably to find the other guys, but it’d take probably another hour just to do that. Jax and Knight had a way of hiding when they had a good time.
Feeling a little stressed, I decided to take a moment and center myself. I had my journal on me, always did, so I set it out on the banister. I’d got the old thing years ago, something I’d thought was really stupid at first. My counselor, Mrs. Hastings, had wanted me to “write my feelings,” but all that ended up coming out were these drawings.
The paper was lined with eyes, things that fascinated me about people. One could always see someone deep in them, no secrets, no lies. I found myself taking away only that element of people when I drew, and I actually took an art class this summer just to get better at it.
I worked on a set, a girl below capturing my attention. She sat by herself, fully clothed and drinking by the pool. I didn’t think she thought anyone saw her, just sitting to herself. I loved capturing that, the moments, people in their most raw form. I got a little ahead of myself as I worked out the details of what I could see from here, quickly losing track of time like I always did.
“Those are lovely.”
Hers were lovely, her eyes as they drifted over my shoulder to my journal. I’d seen them before, those lovely eyes of a pale blue.
“Excuse me?” I questioned, pinned in place, and the woman grinned, smelling like warm sugar when she graced my side. Gorgeous dark hair cascaded a face I’d seen before. It’d been a little while but…
“I know you.” Because I did, the woman so familiar and with no reason to be here. I mean, a college party? What the fuck? But it was like she wasn’t listening to me, her eyes on nothing but my drawings. It took her a moment before looking up at me and when she did, her smile widened. She pulled that lovely hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.
“And I know you,” she stated, resting her arms on the banister. “From Windsor Preparatory, right? I used to volunteer over there. Worked with my sister.”
Her sister…
“Daisy.” I directed a finger, actually thinking she was my old counselor for a second, but God would that have been incorrect. From what I remembered, Mrs. Hastings was all sweater vests and knee-length skirts. This woman was wearing a
