The Cover-Up

Chapter Five

Jada's driver pulled into the circular driveway and stopped before the staircase leading up to the front door. The girls stepped out of the back of the sleek black car, the heels of their shoes clicking on the concrete as they stepped towards the stairs.

Mckenna and Jada began to ascend the stairs immediately, but Rae couldn't help but hang back in awe. This house was bigger than Jada's- much bigger- with white, colonial-style finishes. The lawn was green and perfectly finished, the river flowing peacefully in the distance behind the house. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow upon the river. The multiple massive windows covering all sides of the house were reflecting the pink clouds and golden rays of sun. On both sides of the front door, manicured gardens were filled with rose and peonie bushes. Rae was so caught up in admiring the beauty of the house that she didn't even notice that her friends were halfway up the steps, waiting for her.

"Don't see very many big houses in Brevard, do ya?" Jada asked with a smirk as Rae hurried up the steps towards them.

"There are a few," Rae said breathlessly as she caught up to her friends. "But none as big as this."

Once the girls reached the top of the steps, they were greeted at the door by a sharp man in a suit. He arched an eyebrow, and Jada pulled out a slip of paper from her purse with a roll of her eyes. The man inclined his head towards them and pushed the door open.

"Wow. I didn't realize we had an actual, physical invite-" Rae began, but stopped midsentence as the door sung fully open to reveal the scene inside.

Rae had only assumed that they were going to some sort of cocktail party or nice event. Each of the girls were wearing nice dresses and heels, expensive jewelry, and glittery makeup. Rae had even curled her hair.

She was sorely mistaken.

The scene before her was chaos. It was the spitting image of a typical high school rager, except with a nicer house and fancier clothing.

A speaker was booming music. The room was filled to the brim with girls in glittery dresses and guys in sharp suits. Instead of red solo cups with cheap beer, each person had champagne flutes, but they didn't seem to be taking much care of them. Within five seconds of standing outside the door, Rae heard the shattering of glass that she could only assume was a glass of champagne. She heard people cheering as a guy climbed atop a table, popping a champagne bottle and spraying the entire crowd with alcohol and fizz. She didn't think she had ever seen a scene quite like this.

"Yeah... these parties are kind of strange. A lot of fun, though!" Mckenna said excitedly, making her way into the house. Jada shot a look towards Rae, who couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene before her.

"You coming?" Jada asked, smirking, as she headed inside after Mckenna.

Rae looked towards the doorman nervously, who arched his eyebrows at her.

"In or out?" He asked.

Rae turned around to look back out at the driveway; Jada's driver was gone. She turned back around and took a deep breath. "In," she told him, stepping towards the door.