Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Initially they were going to take Lauren’s car, but Keegan’s father offered to drive them. Keegan didn’t know if it was because he was worried they would drink or he just really wanted to do something for his daughter. He dropped them off, fashionably late, of course. By the time they arrived, the party was in full swing.

Patrick’s house was in a big suburban neighborhood. It was a nice, two-story brick Colonial with lovely landscaping and enough space between the houses to justify a party. All the windows were alight and the solid thump thump of the music’s bass could be heard from the sidewalk.

When they walked through the door the first thing they saw was Patrick, obviously drunk and with his arm around some blonde chick. He saw the girls walk in and sauntered over to them, leaving the blond pouting.

“You guys are going to catch this house on fire,” he said loudly, throwing his arms around Keegan and Lauren. The blonde chick did not appear to be thrilled by the statement; her glare spoke volumes down the hallway.

Lauren and Anna looked at Keegan, who just rolled her eyes, grabbed them by their arms, and pushed past Patrick. He was officially off her list.

The speed at which Lauren found Josh was astonishing. No sooner had they found the mass of the party dancing in the living room, then the two of them were off making out in a corner.

The music was blaring too loud for conversation. The room smelled like liquor and sweat as partygoers rubbed against one another in the dimly lit room. One of Keegan’s favorite songs came on, so she grabbed Anna and they went out and lost themselves on the dance floor.

Halfway through the song, Patrick danced his way onto the floor and screamed over the music, “Hey, I thought you were coming here to see me?”

Shooting him a disgusted look, Keegan turned away and pulled Anna further across the room. Guys are such jerks. She couldn’t wait until she turned eighteen and didn’t have to deal with them any longer. She wondered what Rourk was doing at that very moment and whether he might have been at a party with a girl.

***

Why is she doing this to me? Rourk moaned inwardly. She seemed to be thinking of him often these days. It was driving him crazy.

He was playing “Left for Dead” on his Xbox 360, and the urge to throw his controller at the wall was mindless. He tried to continue slaying zombies but couldn’t stay focused. Frustrated, he tossed down the controller and got to his feet, just like a puppy dog obeying its master. At least, that’s what he felt like.

He closed his eyes to get a grasp on where she was. He liked the hunt and tried to figure out her location from her surroundings. Grabbing his car keys, he headed for the truck and set off in search of her.

The music was so loud he could hear it from a block away. Once he was in front of the house, he closed his eyes but didn’t like what he saw. What is she doing at a place like this? he thought. There are so many drunk kids acting like fools, and she’s dancing like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

Rourk watched as a blond kid approached Keegan. The kid was obviously drunk, and it appeared he was trying to get her to dance with him but she turned away. The kid grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around, causing anger to surge up inside Rourk. When she pushed the kid away again, it was none too gently, and Rourk didn’t bother to suppress the smirk on his face.

Next, an orange-haired, lanky boy approached her. She looked excited to see him. He started dancing with Keegan and her friends, but Rourk wasn’t sure if the kid was really dancing or just playing around; he looked like an imbecile. Unfortunately, he could tell Keegan liked the guy just from the look on her face.