Chapter 3- Not a Party Girl
Alongside us was a crop field as we journeyed down the long dirt path to the house hidden behind the trees. Our moods were different as we arrived in the yard. His was plastered on his face with a smile as he jumped out the driver's side door, while mine was glancing around and taking a deep breath as I slowly cracked open my door before grudgingly crawling out.
The door slam shut by the movement of my hand and I hurried to Jay's side. He pulled my body in close as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a warming smile before tugging me in to the house.
It was not as crowded or noisy as I expected which allowed me to relax my shoulders a tad. As soon as they fell, the breath of a drinker brushed by my nose as he greeted Jay.
"Hey, where's Drew at?" Jay said.
"Last I saw he was talking to Kade and Matthew by the cooler," the guy responded before walking away to someone calling out his name.
Jay tugged my arm, "Now we just have to find the drinks," he said as we weaved through people.
The room was bursting with music and I saw the crowd rubbing against each other as private conversations were whispered. The music danced at my ears and vibrated my body sending a signal to gently sway to the beat. We found our way and landed ourselves in the dining room where a mini bar was set up on the long table with a keg on the ground in the corner.
My eyes glanced over the guy doing a handstand on it, chugging the substance before going over to Drew and his two friends. We walked up to them. It took a second before our presence was acknowledged when Drew pulled me in by hanging his arm around my shoulders and saying, "Howdy," to me and Jay.
"Hey," I sent him a soft smile as Jay started talking away.
Drew shook me, "Loosen up," he encouraged.
Jay caught it and commented, "I had to all, but put the clothes on her and even seeing how small the party is she still is standing awkwardly."
"I'm not a party girl," I stated something they all knew.
"No kidding; I remember when you let us hold a party at your place and gave us till midnight. Two minutes after twelve you pulled the plug and sent everybody home," he laughed as we all remembered that night.
I smiled with a shrug of my shoulders as I made Drew's arm fall.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Addie, with the football jocks. I didn't know you hung with this crowd," Bly said getting each of our attentions.
"Like hell you didn't," Kade blurted getting Bly to snap a scowl in his direction.
Ignoring the obvious tension I said, "Uh, yeah. Why?"
"Never would have picture you to hang out with the football team. I know your brother was on the team before he graduated, but now that he is gone, what reason would you have to hang out with them?" He asked ignoring the scold from my friends.
"They're my friends, and my cousin is on the team," I stated.
"Oh right, I forget Ty is your cousin," he looked lost in thought for a second as the song changed.
He stared down at me, "You want to dance?" He nodded at me.
"No," Jay barked out and both Bly and I snapped our eyes to him.
"I believe she can speak for herself," Bly narrowed his eyes.
I turned back to him and answered as he continued to glare at Jay. "I don't dance."
His eyes found mine for a second before I relocated mine somewhere else. "I have a hard time believing that," he said with a slight smirk.
"Fine, I don't want to then," I smiled.
He nodded, "I'll accept that," his smile grew before a soft sound said, "I'll see you around," then he left to another room. The tension was still there, but apart from the struggle to hop back in a conversation it was ignored.
I sat back as the guys went partying and watched them prance around to the music. I kept glancing out the window to look back on the bare porch and dark trees lining the backyard. The thought of quiet sound good to me, but a promise that I will stay in sight made me stay put on the chair I pulled back from the table.
A few times they cycled around to check up on me to which I answered, "I'm good," or "I'm fine," before sending them off again.
I tapped my foot to the upbeat pop song playing and glanced around the two rooms connected with a wide arch. Eyes were locked on me, and when my eyes met them I sucked in a breath before slowly tugging my focus away.
Few moments passed and I force myself to look away from the spot where our eyes connected.
"Hey, pass me the bourbon," his voice broke through the mumbling and music.
"Here," one of his friends said.
My sight darted to the side as I watched him pour the liquor in a glass of ice. As the liquid came out the bottle I turned my eye away and stared off out the window,
"You want a drink?" He asked as I tried staying focus on my line of sight. "Addie?" My name caught my attention and I turned to see him closing the bottle up. "Want anything?" He asked waving his hand over the mini bar.
I followed his hand over before looking to him and shaking my head for my reply. "You sure? There is coke or something," he said.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," I said.
His boots seemed to match the beat as they hit the hardwood floor on his way over to me. He scrapped the floor with the chair as he pulled it to sit in front of me. I watched as he lifted his glass to his lips and titled back his head.
I have known him for years, all throughout school, but never been this close to see his features or watch them change over the years. His jaw line was defined and came to a point where his chin drew a line in the middle. His thick neck stretched back defining his Adam's apple as the liquor hit the back of his throat. no indication of the burn as he sipped the glass before folding his muscular arms over the back of the chair to look at me. His dark blonde hair would reach his eyebrows if he had not brushed it to the side out of his face and his eyebrows set close to his eyes to shade them causing the light blue crystals to appear just slightly darker. The complexion of his skin compared to mine, but the thick hairs laid across his arm darkened that stretch of skin compared to my short light hairs.
"You sure are taking your time checking me out," Bly smirked my way with a small laugh.
I refocused my eyes and gave him a small glare, "I was not checking-"
"Yes, you were," he cut me off. I raised my brows and shook my head to which he said, "Why were you concentrating on me so hard then?"
I had a second thought at what I was about to say but then let it slip out anyway, "So that I could describe in detail to the police what you look like if you tried anything," I said with a smile.
He let out a small huff of a laugh and nodded his head. His arm stretched behind his head and then he looked back to me, "Alright," he grunted.
I smiled to him then quickly turned to the window, "You don't like parties, uh?" He inquired.
"Not particularly," I responded gently.
"How come?" He wondered.
I thought over it and could not come up with a valid reason other than I found no interest in the activity of drinking and getting wild. I just shrugged, "I don't know. I stay busy with work and school most days," I answered.
"Yeah, I guess so," he commented quietly as he looked passed me out the window. I darted my eyes to him before letting them fall to the ground as my parents came to mind.
When I looked back up Jay was walking in the room with Drew, Blake, Kade, and Matthew trailing behind. His eyes scanned over mine and locked on the back of Bly's head. I glanced to Bly and as I did he looked to me before glancing back.
As he mumbled something under his breath he turned back around and then a shout came from the group. "Hey Addie, come here," Drew said waving his hand as the rest lined the free space left at the table.
Without a glance to Bly I got up from my seat and made my way to my friends. "Yeah?" I greeted them as I got close enough.
Jay threw his arm around my shoulder and said something as the rules of a game was explained. "Why don't you stick around me for the rest of the night?"
I did not reply or acknowledge his suggestion as he turned back and said something to the group before throwing out his arm to smack Blake for challenging him.
"How about us?" His voice rung out causing only the music blaring and talk from the other room to be the sounds circling around.
We all turned to look at Bly with two guys behind him. His best friend since grade school, Thomas, and the other since middle, Noah. I eyed him and wondered what the problem between the two parties held that I had never witnessed to be as severe as now.
"Just friendly competition," Bly smirked.
"More like demolishing," Thomas grinned a wicked grin.
After a moment of silence Ty's voice broke through behind us, "Fine, but if you lose you have to leave," he said sounding like there was a double meaning behind his words. I looked back to my cousin and saw how he held Skylar close to him. Bly noticed it, too as he glanced to me and fought back, "And when we win, I'll like to have a dance with Addie," he said, eyes locked with mine.
"No f-" Drew was about to outburst, but instead Ty interrupted.
"You'll have a hard time winning so I'll make that bet."
I stared at him in shock and he just smiled and sent me a soft nod. Maybe he thought I would take that as a sign that everything would be alright, but I did not.
Lined up to the left of me was Bly, Thomas, and Noah. To the right Ty, Jay, and Eddie lined up. The room gathered more people by the time they were about to start the challenge Bly gave them. With a line of shots the seconds were being counted down by Drew, "...4,3,2,1, shots."
The drinks were poured down the back of their throats and a cheer was heard. Ty set his glass down first and picked up the other, I heard a cling on the table as Bly set his down after his, another slam, then another, and everybody tossed back drinks.
Ty in lead and I was planning my move of grabbing Jay's arm and pulling him to his truck to take me home, but then there was a roar and I looked to Ty who was just letting the glass leave his lips. My eyes broke away and went straight to the source of the sound of hitting glass hitting wood. Bly finished. He finished first and my body was pawned off as a trophy.
He did not waste time in connecting eyes with mine and giving me a blank stare. I swallowed and held the glance. "I believe I just won a dance," he declared with an alluring part of the lips.
I bit onto mine as he stepped forward but the grasp on my arm had me turning to Ty. "Only if she wants to," he ordered.
"That wasn't a part of the deal," Bly responded then gently pulled my hand to tug me away.
I looked back to them and shook my head, halting them from following. Bly led us to a quieter room and muffled the music by closing the door. When he let loose of my hand I crossed my arms over my chest and stuck my foot out.
"This isn't a dance," I stated.
He turned from the door and stared at me before a small smile made its way on his face. "I'm not much of a party guy either," he said as he rested himself on the chair.
"How come?" I asked as I sat down on the bed. It falling in to my weight.
He looked to me and said, "Too much of other things to worry about."
I nodded and shortly after a soft whispered escaped my lips, "Yeah."
"So tell me," he started off, licking his lips, "Why is it that you only stick to them?"
My face creased and I knocked my head to the left, "Who?"
"The team," he answered.
I paused, "Family," I then stated, "They all got close in middle school when the team started and after a couple years of being around them I just fell into the group. A feeling of belonging," I stated opening up more than I should.
"Do you always feel like you belong?" He wondered, leaning forward.
I swallowed, "Yeah."
"You're lying," he spoke softly and if it was not for the stern look he was giving me I would have second thought my hearing.
"So what if I am?" I said shrinking back into my shell.
I did not realize the close proximity until the breath of his next sentence touched my lips. "Don't," he said sharply, "You shouldn't lie about things like that, it'll just keep you closed, and won't fix anything," he said.
"Maybe I want to stay bottled away," I counteracted.
"Nobody ever does. They either don't want to be rejected, or don't want to open up to the wrong person," he said. "Which one are you?"
A bang on the door and voice following interrupted him, "Bly, we have trouble." He moved quickly and twisted the knob open.
"What is it?" He spoke promptly. Thomas was the intruder and he leaned down to whisper something.
"Why didn't you use the-" Another whisper stopped him from talking.
"Right," I heard him huff out, "I'll be right out, start heading there," his voice sounded like an order.
When Thomas disappeared from my sight Bly turned back to me. "I have something I need to handle," he excused, "pick this up later?" He said, but before I could answer he vanished through the door.
I stared after him in confusion, but let it go as I carried myself out the room and back to where the music was louder.
"Addie!" My name was called as I re-entered the room. I perked up my ears and listened for the direction it came from. "Where you go?" Jay asked coming to me.
"We just went and talked, but Thomas pulled him away; something about an emergency," he nodding as if it was no worry. "Can we leave now?" I begged with pouty eyes.
His lips lifted on one side as he nodded his head saying, "Yeah, let's go."
We left soon after we said our goodbyes and then found ourselves hopping in his truck and moving out to the paved roads before he dropped me off at my house. I went to the door and turned the knob allowing myself in. Seeing the door open Jay was content as he started leaving my yard.
I turned the outside light off and took my shoes off in the same motion. Hanging them from my fingers, I carried myself up the hardwood stairs and went into my room quietly, expecting my brother to be asleep.
I turned off the lamp that stood on my nightstand and tossed the heels close to my closet. I peeled the layers of clothes off my body and replaced them with a set of pajamas before flipping the cover back on my bed.
A ding alarmed from my computer forcing my head to the source. I stepped over to the desk and picked up my laptop before walking to my bed to sit down as I clicked on the notification.
A simple, one worded message, "Hey."
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So who do you think messaged her?