Forced to have the Player's Kid (Book One of The Great Age Plague Series)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Wow, my baby bump was already beginning to show. Or maybe I was just getting fat... Regardless, I stood in the mirror wearing a cute red dress with a heart shaped top, lace details, and ending around mid thigh. Conservative yet cute. I touched the little hard spot right above my pelvis bone. Would anyone notice? Probably not.

Sitting in Josh's Mini Cooper, the nearby sea wind tangled in my already wavy hair, making me smell like an ocean breeze- or so I hoped. The night sky was filled with the milk of a thousand stars, and I stared up at them as Josh sped down the highway toward the party at Crystal's mansion. My tummy flipped. As I sighed, I felt Josh squeeze my hand in a comforting gesture.

"Hey, it's going to be fine," said Josh soothingly as he turned into a neighborhood. I shook my head. My armpits were already beginning to sweat I was so nervous; in fact, my temples were already coated with little rain-droplets of sweat. I wiped my brow with a frown.

"I don't know. Didn't turn out so great last time," I mumbled. Josh darkened, letting go of my hand to give a brooding stare as he turned down another street. I bit my lip. Oh no! Why do I always seem to say the wrong thing? I dipped my head down into my chin and played with my nails as Josh sat there in silence for a few moments. After a while, Josh sighed.

"I'm really sorry about that, Adira," he said with a frown "I promise it will be better this time."

I nodded, trying to play it cool. Josh may be right. Aside from Crystal, his friends seemed genuinely nice. Aside from Cally, I didn't have any friends. It would be cool to be part of a crowd, especially the mysterious "in" crowd.

Josh pulled up the a mansion that was just as big as his, but twice as tacky. Whereas Josh's family stuck to cool tones and smooth lines, Crystal's mansion, which actually still was run by two living parents, was all color and flair. The front door was introduced by a circle drive surrounding a gigantic golden statue of an eagle, and the front door was almost shrouded by a gigantic American flag. Up the front marble steps, teens sat with beer cans, joints, and cigarettes. Inside, flashing lights showed the silhouettes of scantily clad teens. My mouth dropped open- on the front lawn, a group of rowdy boys were doing beer pong, chugging, and general binge drinking next to a gigantic keg. Rising up from the front steps was a huge white paned house. Each window revealed a different scene of teenage debauchery, in which I saw a naked girl in one dancing with several topless boys, darkness and slinky figures in a few, and a girl hanging out one and flashing herself to the boys on the lawn beneath who cheered. I turned to Josh who chuckled.

"And you wonder why I need the solace of books," he said with a cheeky grin. I bit my lip to hide a smile. He was so sweet sometimes. That smile could make almost anyone forgot the Dante's Inferno of teenage mischief in front of me. His strong chin, sweet puppy-dog eyes the crinkled a bit, his white teeth....

I shook my head, trying to snap out of it.

"Josh, where did they get all that alcohol and drugs?" I asked with a white face, I'm sure. It was horrible! Josh's party had drinking at it, but not like this. This was full-on spring break college partying! My stomach felt like the rolling sea we drove past and it took everything to keep tears from forming in my eyes. No matter what, I was still, underneath it all, shy, nerdy Adira. All I wanted was to go home to my books. This was a stupid idea.

"Crystal still has parents. Parents who will give her everything, and I mean everything. When the plague broke out, they retreated to a private cabin in the woods. They're there right now," Josh said with a frown. He didn't seem so thrilled by this. Actually, he looked down right disgusted.

"They never treated Crystal right," Josh said blatantly. I had never heard Josh really talk about Crystal before, especially not sympathetically. It made me wonder the nature of their relationship. Did they ever date? My stomach boiled at the thought. There was still so much I didn't know about Josh. Like, he was known as a player, but he never really told me how many girls he did actually sleep with. I wanted to ask, but as soon as Josh gave me that stupid smile again, I shut my mouth. Stepping out of the car, he ran around to open my door for me and hold out a hand. I took it gingerly and didn't say anything as he led me into the hell that was Crystal's party.