You, Me, and All The Spaces In-between

CHAPTER 24

The party was at the house of Kyle Barker, a wealthy, popular and athletic Grammarville student, and one of Cash's many friends. It was being held in Kyle's large two-storey, and it was the kind of party that didn't require an invitation-You just kind of showed up.

And as soon as Robert and I pulled up to the curb, I knew we were out of our depth.

Music reverberated loudly, spilling out onto the street and making the floor vibrate beneath our feet. Lights flashed in the windows, changing colours so quickly it made me dizzy. And the scent of cigarette smoke permeated the air in thick clouds as we stepped up to the front door.

"Wonder how the neighbours stand it," Robert snorted, pressing the doorbell.

A second later the door flung open, and we both jumped back as a very drunk and very shirtless man stumbled from the house.

"Wassup?" he asked, words slurring together. "You guyss here t'partay?"

"Yes," Robert said, lifting his chin. He spoke loudly and slowly, enunciating each word as though the man were hard of hearing. "We are here for the party."

"Ah ha! Ha!" The man laughed loudly and pointed at each of us in turn. "I knew it!" He seemed to be having trouble focusing on us; his eyes kept darting from our faces to the street beyond, and then back again. "Well, come in! Come in!"

He ushered us frantically inside, sweeping his hands forward in sharp movements.

"Great," Robert muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The door shut with a resounding thud behind us, and we both flinched as the man shoved past and darted upstairs, laughing the whole time. "I'm already regretting this."

"Cheer up, you grump," I teased, trying to quell my own nerves.

Around us, the party was in full swing. Music thumped at an obnoxious volume through the house, seeming to shake the floor and walls with the magnitude of its sound, and people were clustered everywhere in small groups. A few couples were making out by the stairs, and four particularly drunk people were staggering clumsily by the speakers, dancing awkwardly to the music.

"So...What to do first." Robert clapped his hands together in mock enthusiasm. "Shall we get sickeningly drunk? Try out some moves on the dance floor? Eat some germ-infested chips?"

I rolled my eyes and tugged Robert from the entrance way, pulling him into a hallway beyond. "Let's just...Get a drink."

When he raised a brow, I quickly added, "Of the non-alcoholic variety."

The hallway lead to a large, spacious kitchen that seemed to function as the centre of the party. Kyle himself was sitting on a countertop chugging from a beer, while two guys from the football team cheered him on.

I quickly scanned the room for Cash, deflating when I realised he wasn't there. He'd said he was coming at eight-thirty. Where was he?

"Dudes, look who's here!" Kyle crowed, spotting us.

I winced as he leapt to the floor and strode over, raising his arm in greeting.

"Don't usually see you guys at these things!" he announced, face red with intoxication. Luckily, he seemed too drunk to really care that we were there. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Robert stared determinedly in the opposite direction, chewing irritably on his cheek, but I called back "Do you have any coke?"

"Coke?" Kyle laughed delightedly. "Dude, didn't know you were that hardcore!"

"No, no." I shook my head quickly, then craned my neck to better be heard. "Like, coke cans? As in the drink?"

"Ooooh. Yeah, for sure." Kyle lead the way to the fridge and wrenched open the freezer. He thrust a can into my hand, but when he offered one to Robert, he shook his head.