Broken Trouble (Broken Storm Series Book 1)

Chapter 17

When the guys said we were going out tonight, I had no idea what that meant. Where we ended up going though, was both unexpected and completely obvious to anyone who knew country people and how they normally partied.

When I thought of a party, I thought of the ones I had went to in the past, which consisted of a ton of people packed into a too small building, everyone getting completely wasted and doing stupid stuff that they would regret in the morning. By the end of the night, the whole place would smell of booze, body odor and vomit.

Country parties were apparently completely different.

Instead of the packed building, this party was hidden in a patch of canyons, out in the open night air. A huge bonfire was built with trucks parked surrounding it and most of the people were just relaxing on their tailgates, drinking beer. A couple people were dancing around the fire, but it looked more like they were hanging out instead of partying.

I've never been to a country party before, so maybe there was more to it than sitting around and drinking. I was with the guys and Starre after all and they seemed really excited, so maybe it would be more fun than it looked. If anything, I could hike to the top of the canyon and just hang out there until everyone else was ready to go.

It wasn't like I needed to be drinking much anyway, that's all I needed was to spill all my dark secrets at a party with people I actually cared about and would be seeing again afterwards.

Gavin pulled the truck up beside the fire and everyone piled out. Excitement was in the air as Starre walked over from her truck to walk with me. She was smiling, her eyes wide as she looked around, taking everything in. I felt out of place and unsure, so I followed their lead. I ran my fingers through my hair, working out some of the tangles had twisted their way into my hair from riding in the back of the truck.

Several guys from the other side of the fire let out a whoop before hopping down from the tailgate of their truck and approaching us. One guy, who was probably a couple years younger than Dylan, swung his arms in the air, as if trying to expel his energy somehow as he stopped in front of us. "Finally you all made it! I was about to start the fun without you all."

"Like you could have a party without us," Jayden smirked as he strode forward. "Is it all set up?"

The guy caught sight of me and strode forward until he was directly in front of me, his green eyes gleaming with interest. He grinned and touched the brim of his hat, his curly blonde hair sticking out from under it. The freckles across his nose lit up from the fire. "Hey there, I'm Flint."

I smiled back politely, trying not to seem too uncomfortable. Even though he was only a few years younger than me, it felt kind of like being hit on by a kid. Not that I knew what that felt like, but if I had ever been hit on by a kid, I was sure I would feel like I did now. Maybe I was just overwhelmed with all of the guys that was showing interest in me and I didn't want to bring anyone else in and complicate things more. Either way, I was trying to figure out how to let this guy down easy without hurting him, because he seemed nice and he seemed to be the guy's friend.

"Nova," I introduced myself, letting my smile drop until it was barely there.

Before I could turn away, he was leaning in closer, but his arms were moving around nervously like he didn't know what to do with them. "Do you want to go hang out with me by the fire?" He asked.

"No," Jayden said, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and tugging him away. "Off limits," He stated, redirecting Flint towards the other side of the fire. "Now, is it set up?"

It was like watching a light flick on in his eyes as he seemed to understand what Jayden was saying. Again, Jayden was staking claim where he had none, but at least he wasn't feeling me up in front of the guy to try and prove a point. Maybe Polly's talk with him had worked.