"Can I ask you something?" I slide onto the barstool in the kitchen. Kate is hovered on the stove stirring the sauce for the she made for her pasta dish.
"Of course," she tries a spoonful of sauce, nodding her head when she realizes it tastes perfect.
"There is a party tonight that my friends invited me to. I was wondering if I would be allowed to go?"
"A party?" Kate sets down her spoon and turns to face me. "I didn't think you'd want to go to a party after last time."
"I know," I sigh. "I really didn't want to go at first, but I should face my fears at some point. I figured going would help me get over what happened."
"I guess that would be alright," she purses her lips unsure of her decision.
She wants to be a good parent, but it's obvious she's not sure what to do. The poor girl doesn't know a thing about raising a teenager. This is a huge change from what her life used to look like. "I have some conditions though," she eventually adds.
"Okay, what are they?"
"You have to be home at midnight," she states. I nod in silent agreement. That wasn't an unreasonable request. "That's is late enough for a young girl like yourself to be out. Second of all, you're not to to take even a sip of alcohol. I realize some teenagers drinking underage, but I don't want to deal with that."
"I won't even have a drop," I confirm. After what happened last time, I'm turned away from the though of drinking liquor. It makes my feel sick in the very pit of my stomach. The memory of my drunken call that caused my father to rush to the party gives me shivers to my very core.
The call that got him killed.
"I'm glad we are on the same page," Kate looks at my intently for a minute. "I guess that means you can go. Who's party is it?"
"Tanya Wilson."
"Okay, just text me the address of her house once you get there in case something happens."
"Sounds good, I'm going to go get ready," I race upstairs to my room. I've already got my straightener plugged in and my makeup out. I run the flatiron over my hair so it lays pin straight down my back ending just above my waist. As I stand in the bathroom mirror doing my makeup my stomach begins to churn. My nerves are starting I get the better of me. I take deep breaths trying to calm down.
"You need to get over yourself," I stare at myself in the mirror. "It is just a party. Something bad happened last time, that doesn't mean it will this time. You need to get out of this house and be a teenager," I order myself with determination. I grab my outfit that is hanging on the bathroom door. My dark smokey eye along with my black attire gives me a mysterious, sexy look. Leo is defiantly going to lose his mind.
"Are you leaving now?" Kate asks as I clunk down the stairs.
"Olivia is almost here," I respond.
"What are you wearing?" John closes his laptop what he was previously hinged over at the kitchen table.
"Oh you're home," I acknowledge before answering his question. "It's my new outfit."
"I hope you don't think you're going out wearing that," he stands up adjusting his tie so it's not so tight around his neck. He strolls over to the kitchen counter leaning up against it.
"I think she looks nice," Kate comes to my defence. She smiles at me as she scans my outfit.
"Don't you think she looks a little too nice?"
"What's that suppose to mean?" I ask half paying attention as I secure my heels on my feet.
"She is going to give boys the wrong idea. Just look at what she's wearing. She's basically asking for it," John gestures to me before crossing his arms.
"Asking for it? Her outfit choice doesn't mean she's asking for anything," Kate squeals. "Plus she's wearing a jump suit!"
"That thing is skin tight and her whole chest is exposed," he argues. "I don't want people to think we turned Christopher's daughter into a slut like her aunt."
"How dare you call me that!" Kate yells angrily.
"You were going to wear a provocative outfit to work the other day before I got you to change. That isn't the first time either. God knows what you do when I'm away on business," John spits out stepping towards Kate.
I just stand by the door in complete shock of how quickly the conversation escalated. When I hear the beep of Olivia's car, I don't even have time to have my doubts about going to the party. I'm just relieved to be able to escape the conversation. They are so busy yelling at each other I manage to slip outside without them noticing.
"What's wrong with you?" Olivia asks when she notices my stunned expression.
"They are going at it in there."
"Kate and John are having sex with you home? That's nasty," she gags.
"Ew no!" I try to shake the horrifying mental image out of my brain. "They are screaming at each other. John was saying I couldn't go out wearing this outfit because it looked like, and I quote, 'asking for it'. Kate started to get mad at him and then he called her a slut."
"Holy shit! Are you serious?" When I nod her jaw drops completely. "That is so messed up."
"I know, I just ran out of there as fast as I could. If it wasn't for Kate intervening he probably would of made me change into a parka."
"We are here!" She exclaims. The street is lined with cars abandoned by teenagers to go join the party. My heart is pounding in my chest as we walk up to the front door.
"Kayla," Olivia grabs my shoulders before she rings the doorbell. "Take a breath and just relax. You're going to have fun."
"You're right. I'm sorry," I take a second to calm myself before giving her the go ahead. She rings the doorbell several times so it will be heard over the loud music. Eventually, Tanya opens up the door to welcome us in. She leans against the doorframe to hold herself up in her very drunken state.
"Come join the party!" She slurs throwing her hands in the air. Olivia and I throw each other a look before pushing past her into the crowded house.
It's safe to assume that Tanya's parents are going to be very angry when they get home. Her house is half wrecked already because Tanya is too drunk to keep things in order. There is bottles scattered across the tables, the curtain rod in the living room that has broke off the wall at one end, and what once was a beautiful lamp is knocked off of a coffee table and shattered in pieces on the floor. This is the immediate damage I notice when I walk in. Who knows what else has been destroy in the rest of the house.
"You guys made it!" I turn around to see Daniel standing in the kitchen. He yells at us while raising his beer bottle up in the air to get our attention. He manages to spill some on himself in the process. Of course, he doesn't seem to notice. We start to push through the maze of people. I freeze when I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist.
"Hey gorgeous," I sink into his chest when I realize it's Leo. He turns me around to face him keeping his hands on my hips. "You look amazing."
"Thank you," I blush resisting the urge to hide my face. "I'm glad you could make it."
"I wouldn't miss an opportunity to see you," Leo puts his hand on the small of my back leading me into the he kitchen where the rest of our friends are.
"Hey Kayla," Jeremy pushes past Jared and pulls me into a tight embrace. I'm shocked by his abruptness, but shake it off and return his sudden affection. I'm suffocated by the strong smell of alcohol when he speaks, "Isn't the party great?"
"I just got here," I remind him. "So far, so good though."
"Here Leo, have some beer," Jeremy shoves two cans into Leo's hand. Leo chuckles but accepts them willingly.
"Thanks man. I already had a bit to drink, but I can't say no to a beer," he cracks it open taking a swig.
We all stand around chatting and carrying on. It's quite entertaining to listen to the conversations of a bunch of drunk guys. Leo wandered off to go talk to one of his friends from his school. I decided to stay with Olivia who is currently shamelessly flirting with Daniel right before my eyes.
I don't know whether I want to pat her on the back or run away screaming. The guy is hot as hell, but he's also slightly perverted and inappropriate. I awkwardly stand next to Jeremy who babbles on about a crazy movie he seen. I'm only half paying attention to his partially formed sentences. The alcohol in his system is obviously getting the best of him.
While gazing around the room at the clusters of people, I catch Henry's ocean blue eyes. He locks his eyes with mine. For a moment I forget everything that's going on around me. I can only feel the intensity of his stare. When I realize he's walking towards me I snap out of my trance remembering his hateful words from the last time we spoke. I can't speak to him right now. I don't want to deal with any of his drama.
I push my way through the sweaty teenagers into the bathroom that is empty to my surprise. I slip inside claiming it as my new hiding place. I'm such a stealthy ninja. I leave the door open a bit and just step behind the door. That way he won't suspect I'm in here. I should consider taking part in a heist. I'm obviously equipped with the right skills.
Yes Kayla, because robbing a bank is equivalent to hiding behind a bathroom door.
"Dude, I can literally get away with anything!" I hear a male yell outside the door.
"Oh sure you can," someone else says.
"I'm not scared of my parents finding out I sneaked out of the house. I can sweet talk my way out of anything."
"I highly doubt that you're better at it than me," The other guy says again. I recognize the voice but for some reason I can't place it right away. It's probably due to the loud music and yelling teenagers that are drowning out their conversation.
"Yeah, well I was driving sixty over the speed limit and got pulled over. The officer didn't even give me a ticket," the first guy brags.
"That's pretty impressive, but listen to this," That's when I realize it's Leo speaking. No wondering I recognized the voice. It's kind of embarrassing it took so long for me to realize it was him. I am about to come out of my hiding place as he continues speaking.
"I was driving too fast and I guess you could say I half stopped at a stop sign. This other guy blows through the intersection like a fucking idiot. We ran into each other and the dude died. I thought I was going to get charged with manslaughter or some bullshit. I walked out of there with a four hundred dollar fine and a small blimp in my diving record."
"Having rich parents must pay off. I bet they got you the best lawyer around. Even though they said it wasn't your fault, you still technically killed someone, dude. I don't know how you function."
"The guy was a moron. He wasn't paying attention and completely went through the stop sign when I had the right of way. I was there first. The guy deserved what he got. He's lucky he died cause I would of sued him for everything he's got for fucking up my leg. I don't think I'm going to be able to play football next year."
"What?" At first I didn't even realize that I spoke. It's not until two pairs of eyes are glued to my face as I stepped out of the bathroom.
"Kayla, there you are. What are you doing hiding in the bathroom?"
"You-" my words are a jumbled mess. I'm bubbling up with so much rage and pain that I can barely create a sentence. My words end up coming out eerily calm. "You killed my dad."
"Holy shit," the other guy says. The colour drains from Leo's face as he stares at me.
"All this time and I didn't know," I mumble. "I'm such a fool. I believed every lie that came out of your mouth. You're the one who ruined my life and I didn't even realize it. You killed my dad. The worst part is you don't even care you're a murderer."
Next thing I know I'm shoving him with my fists, pushing him with all my strength. He stumbles back into the wall. I'm not sure if it's because he's tipsy from his drink or if I'm just so angry my force makes him topple. I give him another shove just for good measure.
"Kayla!" Hands wrap around my arms pulling me back. My vision is a complete blur. My body feels numb and I am hear the blood pounding in my ears. It could be the beat from the loud music. At this point I'm not really sure. I'm dragged away from Leo. I look back at him and his nose is bleeding down his shirt. I don't think I did that. Someone else must of thought he deserved a little more than I could offer. I let the person pull me away with my mind feeling fuzzy. We are outside in the fresh air as I turn to see the last person I would have last suspected to come to my rescue.
"Henry, what do you want?"
"I want to make sure you're okay," he looks at me with concern.
"You don't care about me though."
"I do care, Kayla," Henry looks at me with sad eyes. "I really do care. I'm just not very good at showing it."
"He killed my dad," my voice trembles. "He doesn't even care. How can someone not even care?"
"Let me take you home," Henry pulls off his jacket he is wearing and wraps it around my arms. What a classic guy move. He puts a hand on my waist and guides me to his car. I don't shake off his grasp. He opens the door for me and I willingly slip into the passenger seat. He slowly begins driving away from the party, careful not to hit any drunk teenagers. The awkwardness that lingers in the air is suffocating. Our last few encounters haven't exactly been the best.
"Why did you say it?" I question, he knows I'm referring to his harsh words from after my date. The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. I might as well get all the heartbreaking over with at once. He turns his head to look at me as we pull up to a red light.
"I didn't like him."
"There must be more to it. I don't see why you cared if I dated him or not. You're with Lydia."
"I am certainly not dating her. I'd like to purchase a ten foot pole to keep her far away from me," he snaps.
"It sure didn't seem like that the last time I saw you."
"That wasn't what it looked like."
"That's what they all say," I scoff. "You got what you wanted. I'm certainly not going to date Leo now. You were right. He sucks. Are you happy now?" I wipe the tears the trickle from my eyes.
"Is that what you think? That I would be happy you got hurt? That I'm overjoyed that I'm right about him?" He turns his face up in disgust while speeding off from the light. "I hope you think of me better than that. Of course I'm not happy you're hurt."
"Lately it doesn't seem like you care much about me at all. I guess I should have expected that. You didn't even know who I was until this year. I was stupid to think you would ever care about me enough for us to actually be friends." I grab on to the passenger door in shock when Henry slams on the brakes and abruptly pulls the car off on the side of the road.
"Stop it!" He yells while slamming his hand on the steering wheel causing me to jump. "I'm not some bad guy, okay? I care about you, a lot actually. Which is why I went to the fair with Lydia. I thought that would make you the most jealous. Obviously it wasn't my brightest idea. I know I'm a fucking idiot, but I'm not some monster! I'm just trying to help you and you keep throwing all this shit in my face," his words flow out with no control. I stare at Henry with my mouth hanging open. I quickly snap it shut when I see his expression.
"Henry," I start to speak, but I don't know exactly what I'm planning to say so I just look at him in silence. He curses under his breath.
"Forget I said any of that," Henry's voice softens.
"I'm sorry," the words slip out of my mouth. It's the only thing I can think of to say at the moment.
"Don't apologize," he says sternly.
"I don't get it though. Why me?"
"I'll admit I never really knew who you were until this year," I cringe at his words. Of course, I was just a nobody. "But I've come to know you as this incredibly kind and down to Earth girl. You've been through so much and somehow you're still standing with your head held high. I find you miraculous. If I was in your situation I'd be locked in my room for days. I just don't think you deserve to have anything else bad happen to you. I know I hurt you. I just don't deal with my feelings very good. That's no excuse for what I did. Please don't apologize. I'm the one who should be doing that, so I'm sorry."
My mind is in a swirl. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Nobody has ever said something so deep to me before. I feel the tears trickling down my cheeks more steadily now, but I don't feel sad anymore. A small smile pushes its way into my face.
I reach across the centre console and rest my hand innocently on his leg. He glances at me obviously shocked by my reaction. Henry takes his hand off the wheel and places it over top of mine. His hands are rough and callused from playing hockey, but they still have a softness to them. He turns up my street and I direct him to my driveway and get him to park at the end.
"I can walk up. I don't want to wake up my aunt," I tell him. He looks at me intently as if trying to read my mine to know how I'm feeling. My face is hidden in the darkness of the night expect for the blue glow of the dash lights.
"Kayla?" I've never heard him sound so vulnerable. He exposed himself to me and I didn't say anything.
Not a word.
"Not right now, please," I gingerly pull my hand back. "It's been a long night. I can't deal with all of this right now. We can talk tomorrow."
"How do you feel?"
"I don't know," I admit. His face looks pained so I quickly add, "It seems like you're confused too. I'm not even sure what you want to hear me say. It's a good idea to clear our heads and have a night to think."
He nods while unlocking the door. Henry seems to be in a bit of a fog himself. I can't tell whether he cares about me as a best friend or as something more than that. I step out of the car looking back at him before shutting the door. I hug myself tightly as I slowly walk up the driveway with my feet tapping against the pavement.
The only other noice I can hear is the faint hum of the engine of Henry's car waiting for me to make it in safely and the creak of crickets in the silent night.