Moon Rising

Chapter Two

            We all walked into the woods that surrounded my house and down an off trail that Chase claimed he knew by heart, which made me nervous. Ryan was bantering back and forth with him which left me and Paige to talk.

            "You know, I say that if you really like my cousin, go for it. He likes being chased as much as he does the chasing." I said in a low voice. She gave me a panicked look. I smiled and kept walking, leaving her to think about it.

            "So Ash, when do you turn eighteen?" Ryan asked as he dropped back to my side. I noticed Paige was on Chase's left, Ryan must know what was up. I wondered how he felt about his little sister having a crush on my cousin who was obviously an untamed child. Although his sister looked around my age, and Chase was two years older than my seventeen, I knew Johnny would have flipped if he'd found out about half the guys I crushed on growing up. 

            I gave him a questioning look. "In a few weeks, why you asking?" Then I thought of something. "Are you eighteen?" 

            There was a twinkle in his eyes. "I turned eighteen two months ago in April." The way he said it with pride confused me, just the number eighteen had no significance. There was no right of passage, nothing special about that age other than the transition out of high school and starting over again in college. 

            I nodded. "I'm practically eighteen, I will be at the end of the month." I grinned. Eighteen, I'd legally be an adult and I knew without a doubt my brother would not let up one bit with the over protective brother act. I'm used to it at this point, and know how to work the system great, but my brother had a talent at scaring people off that he didn't approve hanging around me in the past. Chase was the only exception because he was blood related and is not intimidated by anyone normally. 

            "Ryan," There was a warning in Chase's voice and I frowned at him. I couldn't see that well in the darkness of the woods, but  I could hear Ryan make an irritated sound. I ignored them and tried peering into the darkness ahead of us, the moonlight from the sky was shining down, but the tree tops were blocking most of it out. I started hearing loud music and people before I saw the dim bonfire light at the end of the shaded trail.

            "Whoa there," Ryan grabbed me closer to him when I stumbled over a thick root in the ground and Chase whistled out. I peered into the shadows and couldn't see much besides the silhouettes of two people... two people tangled in each other, it was easier to hear them than see them; a moan escaped the shadows around them. I scrunched up my nose and kept walking.

            "I'm going straight for the kegger, I don't know about you three..." Chase trailed off and made a left turn away from the enormous bonfire that dominated the center of the open clearing we were in. I felt eyes on me and looked up to see a group of people staring at me strangely, like I was the party crasher. 

            I leaned up closer to Ryan. "Do I smell bad or something?" I joked as my eyes made contact with every pair that were trained on me. 

            He grinned and slipped an arm around my waist. "You smell good, don't worry about them." As he finished his sentence he narrowed his eyes at the group of people, they seemed to shrink away from his gaze.

            We followed Chase and Paige to a circle of kegs full of beer, and coolers scattered around the place full of sodas or more liquor.

            "Ash," Chase handed me a red plastic cup full of beer. "Paige, Ryan," He handed them cups and finally got himself one. "Me." He grinned and held his up to us. "Glad to have my baby cousin back in town, to a summer of wildness." I rolled my eyes at Chase's words but nudged my cup against his. Ryan still hadn't moved his hand from my waist and I noticed Chase staring at it with a raised eyebrow. I continued to drink my beer and act like I  didn't notice the weird look from Chase.