Dealing with Devils (Book 2 in the Road to Salvation Series)

CHAPTER 19

The party was just as crowded as Katie thought it would be. She recognized all of the students that had been at the funeral, as well as several who looked like they had just come from school. Was there anyone left there to teach? It was obvious this shindig was becoming less of a farewell for Paul and more of an excuse for kids to drink.

The Ruins were abandoned buildings in various states of disrepair tucked back in the forest several miles outside of town. It was the remains of an old mining town built by the first white settlers in the area. All students in town learned about it in the fourth grade, and students used to take field trips to the site, but when the vegetation became too thick and the buildings became unsafe, they stopped visiting the area. The teens, however, never stopped frequenting the place. Even in elementary school, Katie saw the tell-tale graffiti and empty beer bottles that marked the teens' visits. She'd heard stories. Although, this was her first visit to the Ruins since her grade-school days.

She and Deb showed up a while after everyone else. Deb insisted that they run to her house and change their clothes. Katie had hoped to use the dress as an excuse to leave early, but she made the mistake of telling Deb that she had to get it back to her mom at the funeral home, so Deb took it out of the equation all together. Katie tried not to let it bother her, but when she looked out the window at Deb's house and saw Braden leaning against her friend's car, her irritation flared again.

As she stepped through the trees down the narrow trail to the Ruins, her mood greatly improved. The scent of moist dirt calmed her nerves. The shade from the trees surrounded her with coolness. There was just one unpleasant aspect to the whole day and that was that she had told Braden she would let him show her something—something spectacular—and he had yet to do that. Was he planning on dragging it out the whole day so she would be stuck with him? She hoped not. And she was about to tell him his time was almost up. But, she reminded herself, if she wasn't completely awed, he would leave her alone forever. That lifted her spirits further.

The group stepped through the trees toward the main building. It was nothing more than a foundation and one crumbling wall, but it was the largest in the area, and it afforded a flat and clear space for a fire. There wasn't one lit yet, but wood had been piled in the ring and next to it in preparation. That either meant they were going to start one soon or they planned the party to go late into the evening. Katie for sure wasn't going to be there that long. There were also several kegs stacked next to the wall. How did they get here so fast? A large group of students hovered around them, filling their cups.

Deb disappeared into the crowd as soon as they were close enough. Katie hung back and found a felled log to sit on. Braden took a seat next to her.

"Why are you always so antisocial?" Braden asked. "You have a problem with your classmates?"

Katie stared at him with a furrowed brow. "I'm not antisocial. Being in a large crowd is just not my favorite place to be. Especially when they're drinking. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Why? Are you afraid they're judging you?"

Katie squinted across the way and stared at the group. Why didn't she want to hang out with them? Was she afraid they would judge her? That was probably part of it. She was always afraid to know what others thought of her for fear that it would be bad. Her thoughts drifted back to the reservoir when Wes and Josh were fighting and the accusing glances that were directed her way. It had felt as if her classmates blamed her for what was happening between the two boys, but was that really true? Deb tried to tell her it wasn't, but Katie didn't really believe her. The other few interactions she'd had at the reservoir went just fine. So what was her problem?

Part of it was definitely the alcohol. She'd tried it a few times in the past, but she never enjoyed consuming it. It made her stomach turn. It also constantly reminded her of what happened to her dad. Being killed by a drunk driver made her leery of those around her who drank. It made her angry. Maybe that was the real reason she didn't want to be around her classmates. Their actions angered and sickened her, so she just tried to avoid them at all costs.