Time Can't Tell

I Can Wait

"This is a mistake," I said to Jake as he put the car into park.

He rested his hands on his lap as we looked at the cars parked in front of the illuminated house. It was not as low-key as they had made it sound. Maybe low-key for them. They used to throw business parties with hundreds of guests. Those were my favorite. My friends and I could grab half a dozen bottles of alcohol and disappear to drink and get high without anyone noticing.

Now, there were probably fifty people at the party and it was too many. I could handle fifty people in the lounge, but all they wanted from me was for their orders to be correct. In that house, there was probably fifty people who knew my story and were going to be judging me all night. It made me want to puke.

"We'll go in to get something to eat. If it sucks, we'll bail and watch bad horror movies while eating a shit ton of junk food."

"This probably won't be the fun hang out you were looking for," I told him, "but I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad Thessie is a quick learner," Jake replied. "I just hope it's a slow night and she doesn't fuck anyone's drinks up too much."

I forced a small smile. "She'll be blowing up our phones by the end of the night begging for help."

Jake snapped his fingers and pointed at me. "Our excuse if we need one."

"I like it."

"Okay," Jake said as he took a deep breath. "Ready to do this?"

I wasn't, but I nodded and got out. I slid my hands into my short's pockets. I'd kept my uniform shorts on and traded the polo for a plain white shirt. I wasn't sure what the dress code was supposed to be. I'd never had to worry about it when I was a teenager. My mom had always informed me how I needed to dress. She hadn't done that. I wasn't a kid and she didn't fit the role of my mother anymore.

I expected there to be classical music playing in the background as we stepped into the house, but there was nothing but chatter and laughter. A baseball game was playing on the television in the living room. Everyone was leaning forward, watching closely, and suddenly either cheered or groaned when a play was made that tied up the score.

The dining room had a group playing some kind of card game. In the kitchen were people gathered around the food platters. Snacking and talking in small clumps. Outside I could see a group of younger people playing water volleyball while other people lined the edge of the pool in chairs.

"Do you see your parents?" Jake asked. While I had been surveying the amount of people, he had been searching for the people we'd actually come for.

"No," I replied as I stepped closer to him. My anchor for the night. "You can't leave my side until we leave, okay? This..." I shook my head, the words not coming.

He looked over and smiled at me. "I've got you, Caspian."

"Hey!" Zach's voice called as he stepped out of the kitchen. "You made it!"

Jake stiffened beside me. He'd met Zach at the lounge, but I had always waited on him. I glanced at Jake, but he'd already recovered and was holding his hand out for Zach to shake. Zach looked down at it before he firmly shook it.

"I'm Zach," Zach said to Jake as he released Jake's hand. "I work with Caspian's father."

Jake nodded. "Yeah. I know. I'm Jake. I work at the lounge with Casp. We've met before."

Zach's enthusiasm wavered slightly. "Oh. Well. My apologies." His smile brightened. "How about I fetch all of us some wine? Let me be the bartender tonight."

Jake was resisting the urge to thump Zach. His face remained relaxed, but his eyes had narrowed in the way they did when people got too rowdy in the lounge for his liking.