Bloodless Day

So Far, So Good

Music boomed from the house before we even saw it. Jack and Lilac were in the front seat, Jack looking strange in a plain polo and jeans, Lilac looking great in her floral blue halter top and plain blue pants that flared at the ankles. I uncomfortably smoothed down my short red skirt,  swallowing nervously. She and I had always wanted to go to a full-on high school party, but It happened and I'd never built up the courage to attend one without Her. I wondered if this was a good decision. Probably not.

Then the house swung into view and I had bigger worries.

It positively throbbed with music, teenagers, and booze. Some teens spilled onto the lawn, laughing and jumping around. One messed with a giant light that spotlighted the house,  pointlessly impressive. Jack rolled his eyes and parked. "Don't do anything you'll regret in the morning."

"As in hungover or-"

At his sharp look, I laughed. "Don't worry. I'll stay clean. After a drunk-"

I caught myself in the memory. Lilac eyed me with something suspicious, and Jack opened his mouth in question,  but I pressed my lips together and shoved out of the truck.

Outside, no truck windows muffled the sounds coming from the house. I gritted my teeth as Lilac joined me, looking excited. "I never get to party. How many have you been to?"

The last party I'd been to was Her birthday party. A few school friends came,  and we'd had a scavenger hunt across the neighborhood. It'd been wonderful fun.

I swallowed. "None like this."

"Come on! It'll be wonderful fun." She bounded ahead and disappeared into the house, but Jack came around the side of the truck and stood uncomfortably next to me. "She's off saying hey to friends from this track, I think," he speculated.

"And leaves us to our own devices." I muttered.

Jack laughed. "It isn't too bad. We're not staying late, I have races tomorrow. But we can hang out for a bit, I don't know anyone here either."

I wrinkled my nose. "Don't come here often?"

"Ned comes more."

We fell silent and made our way into the house, unable to speak without shouting over the music. Silence was preferable to raised voices, though.

I couldn't tell if the house was pretty or not underneath all of the partygoers, though judging from the outside it probably was nicer than the Ritz hotel.

Jack somehow found us sodas, and we made our way out into the backyard, dominated by a swimming pool abandoned due to cold. I shivered, searching for something to say. "Holiday did well today."

The bay colt had run wire to wire, shooting from the gates and staying in first nearly the entire time. A stride away from the finish, though, another colt had charged up and won by a nose.

Jack frowned. "I was hand riding him. Should have reached for the whip on the backstretch,  and we wouldn't have been caught. I wanted to bring him back fresh though."

Oh. I still had a lot to learn. "Well," I said,  trying for optimism, "that means he'll win easy at the next race, when you ask for some speed."

"Maybe... it was a second class field though. This was to wake him up,  but I'm worried how he'll go in a more challenging race."

"Second class field for a second class horse." A voice sneered behind me. "You should be pleased with how well he went,  all things considered."

Jack stiffened and turned around; I stepped besides him to face the voice. Wes smirked at us from behind her red solo cup. Judging from the careful way she held herself, it wasn't soda in the cup.