Fractured

Chapter 3

With the loud music blaring to the point where I could barely hear Natalie at times speaking to me, I found it to be strangely fun.  With alcohol and people that were actually okay to talk with... what could go wrong? 

I meet a few people, among what seemed to be at least a hundred there in the big house, including her cousin.  I figured her cousin would strangle Natalie for ruining everything by bringing the psychotic killer to her party. When I met her though, I was surprised. She was tall, had straight blonde hair, and was very nice.  She didn't even seem to notice that I was 'crazy'. She treated me like a normal person.  I did know though that everyone wasn't kept in the dark;  they understood who I was.  But not one person - not one - tried to start anything with me.  Some gave me weird looks but that was expected. 

I talked about random stuff with them - more like yelled with how loud the music was.  Natalie even tried to get me to dance - which I did for only a minute because I never danced before but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

The thing I loved most though was that I didn't feel the stress, I didn't feel sad, and I wasn't thinking about all of my problems.  It was so... peaceful you could say.  I use to have that same peace sometimes when I was with Luke. Where every issue in my life would fade and their would only be that moment and him.  It was the same now.  Only I actually was able to feel alive.  I could feel it in my veins, doing what normal teenagers do.  I wasn't home cooking for Clare, thinking about my old friends plotting to kill me, or my future after we busted Clare.  I was thinking about what Natalie's conversation at the moment, that I'd have to get another beer soon, and that the country music that sometimes played wasn't half bad.

However, I had sympathy for the neighbors.  Especially when we found out just how irritating the loud music was to them. 

They called the cops to shut it all down.  My night of freedom.  I can't be too disappointed though.  I did get a few hours of fun, a few drinks, and an experience of being reckless.  All that was left was the punishment from Luke and Clare and as bad as this sounds, I was looking forward to that too.

The cops entered the house, the music was shut off.... And before we could find out what was happening to the others, Natalie and I snunk out of sight as quickly as we could, through the back door.  We heard angry voices, saw a couple cops move into the house, and before we saw them discover the alcohol, we were sneaking around the back of the house and out towards where she parked her car on the curb.  Lucky for us, there were tons of cars lined up along the curbs of the street so we would be fine, blending in.  Or so I though.

"The trick is to look like we aren't guilty now.  Just walk out to the car, get in casually and we drive," I heard Natalie tell me. 

Dummy me decided to go along with that.  We walked side by side out from the side of the house in the shadow of trees to the street, where our faces were now visible.  Where I not only spotted a cop a few yards away up the driveway of the house, but where that same cop spotted me, his eyes meeting me as I walked.

Once again guys, you know how lucky I am.

I froze in place, right next to her car when I opened the passenger door. I could see him well enough, from where he stood several yards away.  He didn't look happy when he saw me; but more just confused and fascinated instead of angry.  Standing there, just staring at my wide eyes in that small second,  I felt a jump in my stomach.  A spark of adrenaline, you could say.   

I probably could have pulled off just getting in the car with her and driving away as he continued to stare at us leaving the party he was raiding.  Nope. I had to open my mouth and let out a classic line, confirming to him this was me.  What can I say, I kind of panicked in the heat of such excitement.