Pyro

Chapter 1

I whistled to myself. The sun hung overhead, bathing the city in its afternoon light. The busy hum of traffic soothed me and even Quinn had a smile on his face.

We strode in tandem amiably. Quinn proclaimed he needed to take me somewhere, but he hadn't revealed where yet.

I cast him a sidelong glance. His blonde hair, swept to the side, shone as warm as the sun's rays and his blue eyes sparkled like bright blue pools. To be honest, I was always jealous of his appearance. His looks attracted girls like moths to a flame.

Quinn caught me studying him, and he frowned. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

I shoved my hands into my jean pockets. "Just thinking about how you always have a girlfriend because of your looks."

Quinn scoffed. "Just my looks?"

"There isn't much in terms of personality, so yeah, your looks." I grinned and Quinn shook his head disdainfully.

"Rude. And how many times do I have to tell you, Henry? Every girl in school would kill to date you. I see you turn down dates all the time."

I sighed heavily. "Not true."

"Yes, true. Girls are crazy for that tousled black hair and those jade green eyes."

I raised a brow. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted to date me."

Quinn chuckled and clapped my back. I winced. "Those're Rebecca's words, not mine."

I straightened at the mention of her. "She said that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, man. She totally has a thing for you."

I scowled. "Don't joke about that."

Quinn grinned, revealing rows of gleaming, pearly, teeth. "I'm not. I know you've had a crush on her since we were kids."

A picture of Rebecca fluttered to my mind: her beaming smile that could charm anyone and her warm brown hair spilling behind her in luscious locks. Her beauty alone outshined any other girl I'd ever met.

Quinn nudged me with his arm and flashed me a smile. "Look, we're going to meet her tonight. I'm taking you to a party." I began to protest, but Quinn silenced me with a glare. "You're going to this party, even if it kills you. Got it?"

"You do this every time..." I uttered. "Why take me if you're just going to go off and get drunk and hit on girls?"

"Because you need to learn from the master if you want to tell Rebecca how you feel."

I snorted. "I'd normally pass. But if Rebecca's going..."

Quinn patted my shoulder again. "Good. Now we're gonna have some fun!"

****

Quinn failed to mention the party was in some random club. The fact that the club allowed minors in its confines astounded me: especially since they served alcohol. The stench of booze sickened me.

Quinn urged me to 'loosen up' and 'have a drink' but when I refused, he called me a goody-goody. I smirked and watched Quinn at the bar, slurring his words and guzzling shots down at inhuman speeds. At least I won't be nursing a hangover, I thought, a grin spreading on my face.

Served him right for dragging me here and ditching me.

I leaned against the wall of the club, inspecting my surroundings.