𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃

19

HER PREDATOR

Casei was dead quiet, as I drove to Naryna's. It was truly a short drive and I know I had shown her a lot more tonight than she had bargained.

I guess I have a knack for over sharing.

I...overstepped a boundary showing Casei so much of my personal life. She had shown me hers but, I have a sense that everything had been too much, that what she had witnessed is contributing to her silence right about now.

I'm only grateful that she had stayed in the car, and didn't have to see my vulnerability.

"Casei, I should be apologizing right now," I stated as we pulled up to Naryna's.

"Yeah, you should be, Lowen," she told me curtly, "I didn't sign up for family therapy tonight. If you wanted to show that you were just as fucked up as I was- maybe even more, then you could have just said that. I didn't...need to be a part of all of this between you and your mother, Lowen."

"And I see that, and I made a big mistake, but I want you to forgive me for it," I turned to her. "I promise to you that I won't do nunin like that again, okay?"

"Alright, Lowen, but damn," she shook her head, "I can forgive you, but let's go inside and have a good time. Celebrate the fact that I can sit here right now and that Channin and Naryna are alright. Hell, even the people that was in the car in front of us."

"Yeah, 'cause everybody den forgot about them," I chuckled.

"Right, right," Casei nodded, "C'mon. And...let's keep everything that happened tonight between us two, yeah?"

"I can do that," I agreed.

Once we were inside Naryna's house, we walked through the hall and ended up in the living room by Casei's direction. There weren't many people here, but about enough where I felt like being by Casei's side was the best case since I was still fairly unknown around here.

Naryna approached us, another girl besides Channin at her side. Short blue hair and a lip piercing made her stand out from the other bitches around the party.

"Naryna, Naryna! How are you babes?" Casei and her friend hugged, as me and the other girl stood their awkwardly. She looked to be biracial or something, shy or maybe just reserved, and she kind of smelled like cigarette smoke.

"This is Aydyn, she helped me organize the kickback," Naryna introduced the girl to us. "Can you go and get Channin for me, Aydyn? Tell her that Casei's here, too," Naryna instructed lowly.

"Come upstairs. It's a no-alcohol party since my parents are in the backyard relaxin'. But I got the good shit in my room," Naryna smirked.

"Lowen Jaimes...in the flesh," I heard someone say sarcastically behind me. I turned around, mid-step on the stairs.

"Our surprise guest showed," Naryna stated, a little twinkle in her eyes. My head swiveled back to Sioyana, a durag over her micro-braids as her clear beads clattered. Those inquisitive, hazel eyes stared me down and her arms folded across her chest as she scoffed at me.

"Oh, hi," Casei helplessly waved at her.

"What's she doin' here, Naryna?" I turned to look back at Casei's friend, a few steps up from me.

"Me, Channin, and Sioy- Sorry, Chocolate, met at the hospital when we were all there. I got a chance to hear her side of things...and I invited her to the kickback to show that we were good. We all went through something traumatic that night with the accident," Naryna gestured towards Dylandra's best friend, "Chocolate experienced extreme remorse and I may believe that Maeve had a hand in things a lot more now. Me and Channin were in bad shape and that made us value our lives more. And Casei felt the same, too."