cigarette daydream ━━ the raven cycle

6; black swans

I DON'T KNOW WHAT POSSESSED ME TO GO TO KAVINSKY'S. One minute, I was in the car with Gansey and his friends, listening to them bicker about the psychic reading.  And now, I was standing outside of Kavinsky's vinyl mansion.

I suppose I wanted a sense of familiarity. There was a stark contrast between his his ruthless energy and Gansey's genial personality. Only one of which felt natural to me.

     As usual, the house was crowded with people. I could spot a group of teenagers from afar carrying a keg into the house. To my left, I could see fireworks near the pool ready to be set off. And to my right, all the cars lined up on the lot, as well as Kavinsky's white car with THIEF written on the license plate. I couldn't bring myself to take another step forward.

An electric blue Supra screeched behind me as it parked abruptly, the wheels of the car nearly rolling over my feet. I looked over my shoulder, hearing the music blasting from the car. When the car door opened, out came Kavinsky's pack of dogs— Jiang, the ine driving the car. Then was Blake, carrying a bottle of alcohol, and finally, Swan.

    "Look who finally decided to show up."

    "I don't believe my eyes." Jiang exclaimed, closing the car door behind him, fidgeting with his car keys. He took a step closer to me, pulling me into a side hug. "We've missed you, B."

    I offered him a small smile. "Thought i'd do you four a favour. Your parties had no character without me."

    He tugged on my sleeve, pulling me with him as he headed to the door. "While I don't deny that, you should've seen what happened last week."

"Dude," Blake burst out a laugh, catching his breath. "You've got to tell her about the bicycle incident."

As we stepped into the house, his voice being muffled out by the music blasting from the speakers in the living room, I observed the crowded area. I could spot Penelope in the distance flirting with someone, twirling her hair and grinning presumptuously. "What incident?" I said with fake interest.

"So Kavinsky threw this insane party—"

"Uh-uh." Kavinsky showed up when he turned around the corner, raising a wary finger and patting Jiang's chest. "First rule of fight club, you don't talk about fight club." His eyes glossed over Jiang and to me. There was a glint of surprise in his eyes— so quick I thought I imagined it. Then, he smiled smugly. "I don't remember inviting you."

I shrug my shoulder. "I don't wait for invites."

"I should've known." He spread his arms wide apart as he took three steps backwards, leading me to the main scene of the party; the living room. "Welcome."

    My eyes roamed around the room, from the group of guys smoking a joint in the corner, to the dancing teenagers on the open area. When I turned back to Kavinsky, I saw that he was waiting for a reaction out of me. "It's a little underwhelming, don't you think?"

"The rodeo clowns aren't here yet." Jiang answered.

"The keg only just arrived." Swan added, stepping away until he blended in with the crowd, on his way to the keg.

   "And the fireworks won't happen 'til the strike of midnight."

   Kavinsky smirked at his pack's comments. "Don't bother," He waved a dismissive hand, sipping alcohol straight from the bottle. "Elizabeth is always underwhelmed. We're the same in that way." He said, lowering the bottle, eyes locking on mine. "Greedy for a sense of satisfaction that we'll never get."