The Secret (Boston's Best 1)

Chapter Sixteen

Maddie

I'm actually enjoying myself. Which is a surprise, to be honest, I thought that I would be apologising to Penelope an hour in and calling a taxi to leave.

But no, I am currently in the kitchen filling up my cup with more beer. I lost Penelope and Brooke a few minutes ago in the crowd and usually, I would panic being left alone in a place that I don't know with no people I know. But surprisingly I don't really mind.

I stand in the corner sipping on my drink for a few minutes so that I can catch my breath when out of the corner of my eye I see Evelyn talking with four other people.

I walk over to them and say hi to all of them.

Evelyn turns to me. "Hey, Maddie. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks." I gesture around the room. "I didn't know you were friends with Penelope."

They laugh, "Oh, I'm not." They nod to their friend with short black hair and red streaks running through it, "Gianna's sister Alicia is on the cheer team. Plus the party is open to anyone really."

Gianna shakes my hand, "I'm sure you've met my sister so just assume I'm nothing like her."

I laugh. "Yeah, Alicia is quite the personality."

Evelyn introduces me to the remaining people. "This is William, but feel free to call him Will and then Willy and then transition that into Dicky. That's what we've all done."

William has beautiful curly brown hair and is like 6'3 with glasses. He rolls his eyes at them. "Please ignore them. Ev & Co seem to think that they've all developed a sense of humour. Which they haven't."

They point to the next person who is on the phone talking to someone. "That is Nicholas but he hates his name and thinks it sounds pompous so we call him Nick." They shout over at him. "But he is very rudely on the phone ignoring all of us at a party!"

He waves Evelyn off and smiles at me before talking into his phone again. "ماں، یقیناً میں پڑھ رہی ہوں۔ ولیم دوبارہ اونچی آواز میں موسیقی بجا رہا ہے۔" He looks pretty stressed out and runs his hand through his dark brown buzz cut.

Lastly she introduces me to a shorter black guy with tight braids in his hair. "This is Jadyn. Smartest guy I know."

He nods at me. "Nice to meet you. When did you join BPA? I don't think I've seen you before"

Evelyn tries to muffle a laugh. "Good thing I said smartest and not smoothest."

I ignore her, "I only joined on Monday. Just moved from Ireland."

Nick walks over while shoving his phone in the pocket of his jeans. "Sorry about that. I'm Nick by the way. Anyways, what brought you here?"

"Hey I'm Maddie. But yeah my mam got a job in a hospital over here."

"Which hospital? My dad's a gene scientist at Mass Gen."

"No way. You're joking. I'm pretty sure I want to be a gene scientist! But yeah she's the new Head of Neurosurgery at Mass Gen."

Someone's hands land on my shoulders suddenly and I freeze up until I hear Alicia squeaking in my ears. "Maddie! I've been looking for you everywhere! Brooke needs you. She wants to cut the cake and Pen wants you there for some reason."

I nod at her. "Okay, sure. I'll be over in a minute."

She gives all of the people I'm standing with a once-over. "Also, just a word of advice. If you want to seem cool and continue hanging out with us I'd steer clear of the weirdos."

"Hey, sis," Gianna says cheerfully through gritted teeth.

Alicia gives her sister a tight smile. "I rest my case. Now let's go, we can't keep Brooke waiting."

She walks off and they all stare at me like I'm an alien.

I shake my head. "Yes, I don't want to keep Brooke waiting so I better go. But it was lovely meeting you all, I'll see you later Ev, and Nick I'd love to talk to you about that later on if you have the chance."

I make my way through the crowd of people gathered around the house. There are so many people here you can barely move. I squeeze into the kitchen where Penelope, Brooke, and the cheer squad are all gathered around the island at the cake.

Pen gestures for me to stand beside her so I do and I see Matt dim the lights and Alex and the team kickstart the torturous sound of the infamous Happy Birthday song that not one human being on the planet can sing in the right tune.

After the cake, the girls and I start dancing and the alcohol hits our system. Finally.

At one point I think I end up dancing with Alex and then JP and who knows else. Oh well.

"I'm really happy you moved here!" Penelope shouts at me over the music.

"Why?" I shout back.

"Cause I think you're a really genuine person and that we're going to be friends for a really fucking long time, I can just feel it!"

I hug her and we continue to dance for at least another hour.

———

"What field does he specialise in?"

"Somatic gene therapy."

"Oh my god, I could melt. Nick, when I say I'd love to be your brand new best friend please know I am only using you for your dad."

"Well, that's something I've never heard before. But no he's a total nut for this stuff and I'm sure he'd love to have someone to talk to about this stuff." He chuckles. "My mom is a pilot captain for United Airlines so she doesn't know how to keep up with his talk sometimes and I like to think I'm a smart enough guy but he would combust with someone to talk to –or at, about this."

"I would combust to hear him talk at me about cell tissue and genetic materials."

"Well, I'm sure he and your mom will meet at one point or another so I'd say just ask her and he'll say yes and be more than happy to talk with you."

I throw my arms around his neck, "Right about now you're probably thinking, Who Is This Insane Irish Woman And Why Are Her Arms Wrapped Around Me? Which is a fair enough thing to think, but seriously I am going to use you for your father until the day I die."

He laughs and we talk for a while longer when Evelyn & Co find us and sit down.

I actually really do think I'm going to like it here.