Without Paige

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

When Miles and I finally went back inside, we were met by teenage chaos. Trevor was standing on the couch belting out the lyrics to one of the songs he and Naomi had chosen, and Keith was trying to usher him back down to the ground. Katy was hiding in the corner with Jarrod, a can of palm bay in her hand and his fingers twirled around the other. Rikki and Liam were nowhere to be found.

"Miles!" Trevor said, stepping around Keith's large stature and jumping to the ground. He came around beside us and swung his arm around Miles' shoulders. Trevor was at least two inches shorter than him, so the action looked awkward. "That dude's totally trying to get in your sister's pants."

Miles cringed, pushing Trevor's hand off of his shoulders. Trevor stumbled a little, and Miles reached for the drink in his hand. "It's barely nine o'clock, man."

"Your point?" Trevor grinned.

I laughed, "I think that means you're being cut off."

Trevor grumbled as Miles took his drink and set it on the table in front of us. Miles pushed him towards the entryway to the kitchen, "Water."

Trevor sighed, "Okay, mom."

Katy stood from where her and Jarrod had been holed up in the corner, leaving her drink with him before making her way over to my side. She leaned into my hip and dropped her voice just low enough that no one else in the room could hear. "You having fun?"

We both knew what she was really asking. If she'd asked me before Miles and I had left, I might have had a different answer, but I wasn't nearly as worked up anymore.

"Yeah," I said. She turned to look at Trevor and Miles in the kitchen. I followed her gaze. Miles was handing a cup to Trevor and he looked at it with his nose crinkling in disgust.

Katy smiled, "You know, my brother's kind of an idiot."

I laughed, "What does that mean?"

She shrugged, but her smile had turned sly. "Just saying. He's an idiot."

Trevor came up behind us and put one arm on both of our shoulders. Water sloshed out of the cup in his hand and hit my shoulder, but I only laughed. At least it was water and not whatever he'd been drinking before.

Katy grimaced and flicked his hand away. "You smell like beer."

"Thank you," he said.

"I'm going back over there," Katy said, rolling her eyes. "You wanna come, Wren?"

I looked past her at Jarrod. He was staring down at his phone screen, oblivious. I swallowed and shook my head, "No, I'm good."

She made her way back to him and fell back against the chair they'd been sharing, and Miles came up behind me running a hand through his hair. He already looked tired, as though everything around him was draining. I smiled, "If anyone in this room could use a drink right now, it's you."

He laughed, leaning against the wall behind us. I followed suit. A few feet away, Trevor had moved back to the couch and fallen into it, using Keith as a backrest. He didn't protest, and instead only looked over at Trevor as though he was surprised to see him.

Miles sighed, "If my mom knew what was happening right now..."

"I thought she knew you were having people over?" I asked.

He pressed his lips together. "She knows a few people were. She doesn't know Trevor's here; he's been banned from drinking in our house ever again."

I grinned, "And why's that?"

"Because one time he tried to throw his phone on my bed and tossed it out my window instead." He explained, looking over at me. "My closed window."

I laughed at the image. It definitely seemed like something Trevor would do.

Miles snickered, "I'm glad you think it's funny. I had a board nailed to my window for three weeks after that, in the middle of winter. It was freezing."

That only made me laugh harder. From his spot on the couch, Trevor cracked one of his eyes open and fixed his gaze on the two of us. He sat up quickly, pushing against Keith to get himself upright. "What are you guys laughing at?"

"You." Miles and I both said, erupting just as soon as the word left our lips. Trevor frowned, but Miles and I were still laughing too much to care.

When the night ended, it did so with half of us already asleep. Katy led Jarrod back downstairs while Miles, Naomi and I began cleanup, throwing cans and half-wet paper towels into a garbage bag until it was nearly full to the rim. I peered out the window just in time to see Katy and Jarrod lean in towards each other, and I quickly turned away hiding an embarrassed smile. It worried me that Jarrod had known Paige, but at the same time, I wanted Katy to be happy. If Jarrod was a part of that, then I wasn't going to let my paranoia get in the way.

Miles looked at me and grimaced, "Don't tell me."

"Okay, I won't." I said, throwing an empty can his way. He caught it and shook his head, dropping it in the garbage bag he held at his side.

Naomi looked around the room with her hands on her hips, grumbling something about heading to bed before she disappeared down the hall towards Katy's room. She had to step over Trevor, who'd fallen asleep in the hallway leaning against one of the walls. I shook my head, holding back another smile. My cheeks hurt from laughing.

Keith turned over on the couch, scowling in his sleep and muttering something about us being quiet. I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Miles, who only rolled his eyes.

I'd all but forgotten about how the evening had started, and I knew I owed almost all of the distraction to Miles. He'd pretty much taken all of my worry over Paige and them knowing about what happened and thrown it out the door. As soon as Jarrod had shown up, I'd been sure the night was over for me, but he'd picked up it's tassled remains and sewed it back together.

Katy sauntered back in through the door, looking over the room with a curious glint in her eyes. "You guys cleaned up fast."

Miles shushed her, pointing to Keith on the couch and then at Rikki and Liam. They'd both fallen asleep on the arm chair, with Rikki sitting in the middle and Liam on the ground below him.

Katy narrowed her eyes at her brother, but dropped her voice to a whisper. "Did Naomi go to bed?"

I nodded, "A few minutes ago."

She sighed, "Well, I'm going to call it, too."

She headed back down the hall, nearly kicking Trevor's shins in the process. Miles dropped the garbage bag next to the door, "I'm beat."

"Me, too." I breathed.

Miles swallowed, "You can take my room, if you want. I don't mind sleeping in my parents room."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded, "No sense leaving one bed empty."

I pursed my lips. "Thank you, Miles."

I wasn't just thanking him for giving me his room, and from the way his eyes met mine, one blue and the other brown, but both clouded in recognition, he knew that. He smiled, "Anytime."