When He Calls (Moons of Nibiru - Book #1)

chpt - 9: a toast

warning: there's a small scene of abuse in this chapter

please read with caution

thank you

***

RYAN AND THE OTHERS LEFT THE party an hour before it was expected to end. None of them actually wanted to go home, so Brendon offered they hang out at his place; his parents weren't home.

"The TV's busted, so you guys will have to connect your phones to the speaker if you want to listen to music." Brendon informed them. He left them in the living room and moved to the kitchen to get them beverages.

Olivia connected her phone to the speaker and their ears were caressed with soft jazz music, the bassoon being the main star.

"There's no progress on the disappearance of the children." Caitlin said, scrolling through the articles that popped up when she went into Google Chrome. "Scientists are studying the stuff the kids left behind when they disappeared."

"How do we know the kids didn't just turn into the dust and dirt?" asked Olivia.

"That would mean the kids are dead." Caitlin said. "It's better to believe they're somewhere else other than spread all over the earth."

"Can we talk about something else?" Ryan pleaded.

"I second that." Kendrick said, raising a hand.

Brendon returned with a case of six beers. He handed them each one, even Noah.

"I don't —"

"Just take the drink, man." Brendon interrupted Noah from declining. "There's nothing else in the fridge, and it's kinda rude to decline someone giving you a drink in their house."

Noah, slightly pressured, took the bottle from Brendon.

Brendon, after giving Noah the drink, took one out for himself and put the rest on the floor.

"So, Brendon, where are your folks?" asked Ryan, his attempt at changing the subject quite bleak.

"Probably at one of my dad's friends' houses." he answered. He lifted the glass bottle to his mouth and bit off the cap, spitting it onto the coffee table. "They won't be back until near midnight." He spread his left arm over the long couch and around Olivia's shoulders, and used his free arm to raise the cold beer to his mouth.

"You guys ever been afraid to shit at someone else's house?" Caitlin asked.

Kendrick laughed with the bottle in his mouth, struggling to get the cap off. "That's so random." he said, taking the glass out of his mouth.

"No, I'm serious." Caitlin said, and her tone was serious. "Even though I'm basically Ryan's sister at this point, it's still awkward to take a dump in their toilet. I feel like their toilet's only reserved for their assholes."

"Ew, why are we talking about this?" Olivia asked, the disgust shown on her face.

"I once shat at your place, you know, and I had to clench my cheeks when a huge turd wanted to drop into the water." Brendon said, ignoring Olivia's dislike towards the subject. "Your dad was outside talking to your mom, and it was the first time I met the guy. I didn't want him to think bad of me doing something natural in his house."

"Wait, when you met my parents for the first time, and you quickly had to make a private call upstairs? You were taking a dump?" Olivia asked, and she sounded too shocked than she should have been.