The Dinner Party

Unexpected Adventures are Better Than Home

My whole body feels frozen. Time seems to stop. Doesn’t anyone see me? Why isn’t anyone in the restaurant helping me? The stranger claps a hand on my mouth and drags me into the family restroom. The light flickers on and the stranger steps out in front of me.

“Beckham?” I say in shock.

Beckham is what the kids at school call ‘my partner in crime’. In simpler words, we both like going on long trips and not telling anyone. Beckham actually was one of the people who introduced me to the thrill of running away. Even though those blue eyes are easy to get lost in I can honestly say I don’t like Beckham as anything more than a friend.

“In the flesh.”  He says running a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack! ‘You shouldn’t be here.’ Ha!” I swat his arm.

“It’s true.” Beckham gets serious. “You promised you would stop running away.”

“Yeah? So did you! I haven’t seen you in weeks! Last time I checked I'm a year older than you; you can’t tell me right from wrong and then do wrong like it’s okay!”

“You don’t know why I left.”

“Oh, so now the ‘without a care in the world Beckham’ has a reason for these adventures?”

“Yes. Yes I do.”

“Like what?” I cross my arms and roll my eyes.

“I want to find my brother”

“Really? You’re back on the whole where’s Jasper thing?”

Jasper Crane is Beckham’s seventeen year old brother. He started our dinner party group. It only allows four members; Me, Japer, Beckham and Delphia. Our parents thought that this would be great for us and were okay with us being gone for a while as long as we told them ‘I’ll be at the dinner party’. Every Sunday we met up at Jasper’s house. Everyone would dress up and we would solve little fake mysteries, eat dinner and watch old movies.

It was fun for a while but eventually we got bored. So Jasper proposed the idea of running away or as he called it ‘go on adventures’. Not forever, just for a little while. A few days at most. Every Sunday we would tell our parents we were going to our dinner party, all pile into jaspers car and go. No specific location, just away from home. These became our ‘Dinner parties’.

 As the months passed by we went for longer and longer trips. I developed a huge crush on Jasper. The only people I told were Zahara and Delphia, my best friends. Of course she eventually started dating Jasper. There was nothing I could do.

I admit I was jealous and even more than that angry. Some nights I would stay up imagining how easy life would be if Delphia was gone. But I immediately shook that thought out of my head. I'm sweet, kind Darci, not serial killer, in need of mental help Darci.

One Sunday we all came to Jasper’s house but he wasn’t there. His car was gone. Beckham, Delphia and I started searching for Jasper. The hard part was that we had no police help. What happened in the dinner party group, stayed. No matter what. Eventually we all gave up. We still have our ‘dinner parties’, it’s just not the same without jasper.

“It’s been a year Beckham, he isn’t coming back, that is if he is even still alive.” I say trying not to seem harsh.

“I don’t care Darci! I need to find Jasper. I can’t keep sending my parents fake letters from him saying that he’s okay and in Ohio with grandma!”

“Well then I'm coming with you.”

“No, you need to go home. You have your life ahead of you and I don’t want Delphia getting suspicious.”

“You don’t think she already is?!?” I raise my voice. “I'm not going to lie to Delphia. She’s my best friend!”

“You can’t come Darci.”

“You can’t stop me. I care about Jasper just as much as you do!” I yell. “If you leave ill just follow you and if I don’t I will tell your parents; I don’t want to see you get hurt or worse hear about it on the news. You can’t risk expose the dinner parties! It’s all I have left.”

“Fine you can come. I need a ride anyway.”

“What happened to your car?” I raise an eye brow.

“I didn’t bring one. Ever heard of hitch hiking?” He grabs the door knob.

I smack my hand on the door.

“One rule. You stay by my side no matter what.” I stare into his eyes.

“Okay, I will.” Beckham opens the door. “Now don’t do that! When you stare at me I feel like you’re inside my head, it’s just creepy.”

Beckham and I step out in to the hallway. The stench of the restaurant is even stronger. I motion for Beckham and me to leave.

“Where to?” I step into my car.

                “I don’t know.” Beckham says.

                “How about Ohio? Maybe Jasper really is with your grandma!”

                “Probably not.”

                “Alright then where should we go?”

                I see Beckham tense up. He hates when I'm right.

                “Ohio…” he mumbles.

                I turn on the radio and plug in Jasper’s grandma’s address into my GPS. Suddenly a loud siren over powers the music and flashing lights of red and blue fill the air.

The police.