"Why can't you go with me?" Titus groaned.
"Do you want to ride over with Chris?" I pulled on a blue t-shirt.
Titus fell silent as he laid across my bed. For once, the boy had proper clothes and shoes on. He was even wearing jeans. It was kind of weird to see him dressed up like a normal person for once.
"You could come with me?"
"I already told Chris that I needed a ride. He's probably on his way right now."
Titus rolled onto his back and dramatically throw his arms over his head. "You did a horrible job of thinking this through."
"I thought I was meeting you there. But for some reason, here you are." I peered over my shoulder. "That was the plan, remember?"
Titus rolled his eyes. "Whatever.
"At least, you didn't have to climb through the window." I sat on the chest at the end of my bed and pulled on my socks. "You would have ruined your fancy new outfit."
He crawled to me and draped his arms over my shoulders. "I hate these clothes."
"I know," I laughed. "It's weird to see you in them."
"I'm not meant for this city living."
"Yeah," I scoffed. "You're a country boy." I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. "Sorry but you're going to have to be civil for one night."
"Never."
"You sure are whiny tonight." I ran my hand through my hair, trying to tame some of the waves.
Titus climbed off the bed and walked up behind me. "You look nice."
I shrugged. "I look alright."
Titus leaned down and nuzzled my ear. "You look better than alright."
I smiled.
"Aden!"
I threw open the closet door and shoved Titus inside.
"Thanks a lot," he muttered as I slammed it shut.
"Aden." The bedroom door open and Chris stepped inside. "Hey, I rang the doorbell and no one answered."
"Oh, sorry." I grabbed my phone. "My parents went to dinner and I didn't hear it."
"Is that new?" He took the phone from me.
"Yeah, I accidentally broke my other one."
He smiled and tossed it back to me. "Nice."
"Yeah." I slipped it into my pocket.
"Let's go." He stopped and stared at the wooden animals lining my dresses. Chris glanced at me and it said plenty.
I snatched a shoebox off the ground. "Sorry, my mom was going through my things." Holding it to the edge, I swiped all of the animals into it.
Chris laughed. "You worried me there for a second. I know you're bored but I didn't think it was that bad."
Laughing along with him, I shook my head. The closet door creaked open. I ran over to it, shoved the box into Titus's hands, and slammed it shut. "We better go."
He shrugged and walked into the hall. I was right behind him. At the bottom of the stairs, Demon ran over to Chris and pawed at his leg.
"You got a dog?"
I sighed. "My mother's little monster."
Chris laughed. "Still hate them?"
"All it does is bite and poop." I opened the front door.
Chris stepped outside while I kept Demon back with my foot. Titus was standing at the top of the stairs with his arms folded. I gave him a weak smile and a small wave, before hurrying outside so the dog wouldn't escape.
We climbed into Chris's truck and he started the engine.
"So how's your summer been so far?"
"Interesting," I replied. "Very interesting."
***
I elbowed my way through the crowd, trying to reach the couch. Chris had disappeared the moment we arrived. I kept looking for Titus, but he hadn't shown up yet.
"Hey, Aden." Jack waved me over.
I took the spot beside him on the couch.
"How have you been?"
"Fine. I didn't expect to see you here?" I glanced at the front door when I heard it open.
"Coach gave us a week off for the Fourth of July," said Andrew, sitting across from us.
He repositioned his girlfriend on his lap. She giggled and whispered something in her ear. The smile that spread across his face was enough to know what she said. He grabbed her hand and they disappeared into the crowd.
"Are you looking for someone?" asked Jack.
"No." I shook my head and stretched my neck to see around a group of people.
"Are you sure?" laughed Jack.
"Yeah, I—I'm just wondering where Chris went."
"He's probably upstairs with Katy or playing beer pong in the other room."
I sunk into the couch. "Oh."
A group of girls moved in and I inched to the side. One quickly filled the space between Jack and me.
"I'm going to get a drink." I didn't think Jack heard me, but it wasn't like he'd miss me, either.
I trudged to the kitchen. I had never been that popular with girls. They never swarmed me like my friends, but at the same time, it would have been annoying if they did. Sitting down at the bar, I laid my head on the counter. I wanted Titus to come already. It didn't take this long to drive from my house to Chris's. Maybe he was lost.
I watched a couple of girls mix some drinks and go back to the living room. Someone had turned the music up and it was blaring into the kitchen. I was going to have a headache without even having a drink.
Yelling and chanting came from the den. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a group of girls run off to see what was going on. I rose from my chair and followed them. My eyes grew wide when I rounded the corner and saw Titus and Chris sitting across from one another.
Chris poured the shots. "Ever done this before?"
"Nope," said Titus, staring down his opponent. He placed the glass to his lips and down it.
"It's pretty simple, shot for shot, first one to bow out or puke losses."
"Sounds good to me," said Titus with a smirk.
I maneuvered my way through the crowd. Titus tipped a shot to me before downing it.
"What are you doing?" I said under my breath.
Chris finished off his second glass. "You know this guy?"
Titus scooted over and I sat down on the couch.
"Yeah, I met him over the summer."
"You should have warned him about my tolerance." Chris threw back another.
Titus did the same.
"You don't have to do this," I said in a hushed voice.
"He challenged me." Titus grabbed another shot. "We had a little chat and what better way to settle things than over a drink."
I glanced between them as they met each other drink for drink. This wasn't going to end well. I moved closer to the armrest as the game continued. Neither showed signs of stopping. This whole thing was pissing me off. Both Titus and Chris were going to be drunk and hungover. I wouldn't be hanging out with either of them tomorrow. I'd spend another boring day alone in my room.
Chris was starting to look flushed. He forced himself to drink one more. Titus still appeared the same as when they started. He picked up a shot, swirled the liquid around before drinking it and turning the glass over.
"I'm done." Chris waved it off and the crowd awed. "You can handle your alcohol."
Titus nodded. "It's a gift."
"Aden," Chris laughed. "One and he's done. He can't even take the smell."
I shrugged and went to help Chris stand. "Do you want to go upstairs for a while?"
Chris waved me off. "I'm fine."
He leaned on me and I led him through the room. I didn't need his permission to know he wasn't fine. He was well past his limit. Titus followed behind as we stumbled up the stairs.
"Aden, come on, I'm fine." Chris stumbled into the wall.
I grabbed him before he fell. "Just amuse me."
Somehow I managed to get him into his room and help him to the bathroom. Just in time, too, because he started puking the moment his knees hit the tile. I went back to the bedroom and shut the door. Titus was wandering around.
"How do you feel?"
Titus shrugged. "Fine. I guess I have a higher tolerance."
"Titus," I breathed, sitting down on the bed. "Just don't, alright."
"What?" He shrugged, playing with one of Chris's trophies. "The idiot challenged me. I walked in and he decided to be the big shot."
"You didn't have to do that, though." I marched over and took the trophy from him before he broke it.
"It's not that big of a deal. He's puking it up."
I punched his arm. "Jackass."
Titus rubbed the spot. "You keep calling me that but we all know the real jackass is vomiting right now."
I glared at him. "You're not funny." After putting the trophy away, I marched out of the room.
"Aden, wait."
I hurried downstairs and slipped into the kitchen. Going to the bar, I slumped down on a stool. I should have never invited him. Hell, I didn't even want to be here myself.
"Hey, Aden."
Looking up, I saw Katy pouring herself a drink.
"How have you been?"
I shrugged. "I've been cleaning toilets and picking up garbage all summer, so life kind of sucks at the moment."
She giggled. "I heard about that. You poor thing." She took a sip of her drink and scrunched up her face. "Who's that boy that beat Chris? Did he just move here?"
I shook my head. "He's not from around here. I met him at work."
"So his family is like lumberjacks or something?" she laughed.
"No," I replied sharply. "They own land up there."
"The boy is mighty fine." She hid her smiled behind the glass.
I narrowed my eyes. "You're going out with Chris."
She shrugged. "I can look."
"Like you did with me."
"It didn't work out, Aden. Get over it."
I glared at her as she walked around the counter and sat down beside me.
"What's his name?"
"Go to hell." I ran my hands down my face.
"Excuse me." She lurched back and looked at me, repulsed. "When did you turn into a jerk, Aden? I only asked you a question."
"When you broke up with me and started sleeping with my best friend." I stood and turned to leave. "Sorry, but Titus isn't interested."
She grabbed my arm and blocked my path. "Our relationship was going nowhere. Deal with it. It turned out like all the others because no girl is going to stick around with a loser like you. So yes, when Chris started showing some interest, I broke it off with you. I'm not stupid enough to pass that up." She leaned against the counter and took a sip of her drink. "Besides, he's a way better kisser than you."
"I'm surprised he'd want to kiss you with how many places that mouths been."
I pushed past her and knocked her cup. The liquid splashed onto her shirt. Katy screamed. I didn't stick around long enough for the drama that was soon to follow. Her friends were already swarming.
Slipping out the back door, I wandered over to the pool. I sat down on one of the lounge chairs. The night had turned out horrible. My best friend was drunk, Titus was being ridiculous, and now Katy was going to make up some stupid story about why she smelled like alcohol. I debated walking home. It wouldn't be the first time I left one of Chris's parties early.
"Hey!" Chris marched toward me with Katy and her friends huddled at the windows.
Titus appeared in the doorway.
"Chris?" I stood. "How are you feeling?"
He cocked back his fist and slammed it into my jaw. I toppled back, tripping over a lounge chair, and landing on the hard cement. He leaned down and grabbed my shirt. "You think you can hit on my girlfriend. What the hell, Aden?"
"Chris, I didn't—"
He hit me again.
I felt the blood gush from my nose. "Chris!"
"I'm going to—"
Titus caught Chris's arm and buried his fist in the other boy's chest. Chris flew into the pool.
I stared at Titus in shock. My eyes couldn't look away from his hand. Long claws were attached to his fingers and his muscles were straining against his shirt. He growled and I saw elongated teeth. Something wasn't right with him.
Chris was screaming in pain as Katy and her friends helped him from the water. By the time they dragged him out, he was struggling to breathe.
I slowly stood and wiped my nose on my arm. Titus started to relax and returned to normal.
"Titus?"
He turned to face me. "Aden, I..." He reached for my arm.
Shaking my head, I avoided him and went to help Chris. When I arrived at his side, I saw him contorting in pain. Three cuts were bleeding heavily on his chest. I swallowed hard and clutched my shoulder. This wasn't the same. There was no possible way that it could be the same thing that happened to me.
Katy helped Chris sit up. "What did you do to him?!"
My hands hovered over the wound as I tried to figure out what to do.
"Here." Titus handed me a piece of his shirt. "Press it against the wound."
I quickly did so. Titus knelt beside me and clasped my hand. He dragged the cloth across the cuts. Chris lurched away but with time, he settled down. I removed the rag to see the bleeding had stopped, and the cuts had started to heal. I peeked at Titus. The wounds reacted the same as when I cut my thumb. I rubbed my forehead. My head hurt so bad. I must have hit the deck harder than I thought.
Chris sat up straight and clutched his stomach. "Both of you, leave. Get the hell out of my house."
Titus stood and grabbed my arm. "Let's go, Aden."
I resisted. "Chris, I'm sorry."
"Leave, Aden." He slowly stood with Katy's help. "Just go." He staggered into the house with the girls.
I knelt there for a moment, staring at the bloodstained cloth. "What did you do to him?" I took in a deep breath. "Weird things like this keep happening. I don't understand."
Titus shook his head. "Let's go back to your place." He touched my arm.
Shaking my head, I jerked it away and stood. "Don't." I hurried past him. "I can't do this anymore, Titus. We're done."