The Cover-Up

Chapter Six

Rae felt like she was floating. The bright colors of the paintings and tapestries throughout the living room danced around blurrily. She felt as if she were walking underwater; time seemed to have slowed, but when she checked her watch, already two hours had passed.

Rae had always enjoyed going to parties with friends, but she was never one to consume alcohol. She had only been intoxicated about three times in her life, and she had not enjoyed those experiences. This time, though, she felt light and carefree; all of her worries were floating away.

She was sitting on a plush white loveseat with a boy who had introduced himself as David. He was wearing a lilac suit with silver jewels embedded along the collar and cuffs, shiny black shoes, and winged eyeliner that put Rae's to shame. Rae had been enjoying her conversation with him, but suddenly, she felt an overwhelming panic that almost knocked the breath out of her. She was unsure where it had come from, but she grew hot and flustered and excused herself from the seat, heading towards the large doors on the back side of the house.

She stumbled through the doors and pitched up against a railing, trying to catch her breath. It took her a moment to become aware of her surroundings; she was standing on a large balcony on the back side of the house overlooking the river. The moon was bright and shining, reflecting on the flowing water of the river, and Rae took deep breaths and focused on the sound of the water until she calmed down. She leaned back against the wall in between the two doors, breathing in the warm air, when suddenly one of the doors opened. Rae looked up to see who had come out, and her breath caught in her throat.

He was one of the most attractive boys she thought she had ever seen. He was tall and muscular, looking even sharper in a black suit and black tie. He had tanned skin, with black, tousled hair and grass-green eyes. His jawline was sharp and distinct, his biceps bulging against the tight material of the jacket. He walked towards the edge of the balcony, bracing his hands against the railing, and his head fell.

Rae stood awkwardly against the wall. She wasn't sure if the boy had seen her, but she didn't want to intrude. It seemed to be a private moment for him. She began to slowly make her way towards the door, attempting to exit the balcony quietly, but before she could take more than a few steps, his voice stopped her.

"Who are you?" He asked in a gruff voice, not turning around.

"Um... My name's Rae." She assumed her position against the wall as the boy turned around to face her. Meeting his eyes, she was even more overcome with butterflies than she had been when he had first walked out.

"But who are you?" He asked, his eyes narrowing as he took her in. "I've never seen you before."

Everything about him was tense. His body language, the way he was standing, his careful facial expression of annoyance and suspicion that was clearly a facade. He was probably going to make some rude remark towards her to mask the fact that something was bothering him. Being bestfriends with a boy for her whole life taught her how to read the ways that boys tried to hide their emotions.

"I'm the new girl, from Brevard," she said. "I came here with Jada and Mckenna."

At the mention of their names, he seemed to relax a little. "Oh, them," he said with a laugh. "The only cool people at Central Windham. How'd you get mixed up with that crowd?"

"I don't know. They just came up to me on the first day of school, talked to me, showed me around. Took me under their wings."

The boy was becoming more relaxed as the conversation carried on. He moved towards the west side of the balcony and took a seat in a rocking chair looking out over the river. Rae sat in the chair next to him.

They sat quietly for a minute, listening to the distant sounds of the party and the flowing water of the river. After a moment, Rae was struck by surprise when she realized that she didn't even know the boy's name.

"Who are you?" She asked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone, mocking his earlier question to her. He looked at her in surprise.

"Evan Fields," he said. Rae felt her jaw drop.

"This is your house? Your party?" She couldn't believe that she had been talking to the richest and hottest boy in the town, according to Mckenna, and she hadn't even realized it.

"Sorry," he said, nervously running a hand through the already messy waves of his hair. "I should've introduced myself. I just assumed- I mean, I guess I thought that- I thought that you knew who I was. That was foolish of me to assume."

"It's alright," Rae said, "I just can't believe that this is your place. So, you have these insane parties every weekend? Where are your parents?"

He began to fidget with the cufflink on his sleeve, avoiding Rae eyes as he said, "Uh, my dad travels a lot for work. My mom's not around anymore."

Rae's face began to burn with embarrasment. She couldn't believe she had so thoughtlessly asked that question; she of all people knew what is was like to have to explain her asshole dad's dissapearance.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," Evan said, cutting her off. "I get the question a lot. My mom died when I was younger, and my dad's hardly home; he's a movie producer. He's pretty much in California all of the time."

Rae watched him carefully. His eyes were cast out towards the river, his fingers still nervously toying with the cuff link. His jaw was clenched tightly and his leg was bouncing. She had a strong urge to put her hand over his, to still his nerves, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't like it.

"That sucks. I'm really sorry. I can sorta understand; my dad bailed when I was younger. It's just my mom and my brother and I now."

Evan finally locked eyes with her again and gave a halfhearted laugh. "I guess we've both got some pretty screwed up families, huh?"

Rae was about to respond when the door burst open and Mckenna stumbled through.

"Rae!" She shouted, running across the balcony towards her friend. "I've been looking all over for you! We were so worried- we thought something had happened, you just disappeared-"

She stopped mid-sentence as she reached Rae's rocking chair and realized who she was sitting with.
"Evan," she breathed, her face turning pink with embarrassment.

"You're in bad shape, Kenna," Evan said, and Rae turned to look at him. She felt as if she were looking at a completely different person.

Gone was the boy who stumbled over his words apologizing for making an assumption, who fidgeted with his cufflink and bounced his leg up and down nervously, who was talking openly about his family troubles.

In his place was the boy she had seen when he had first come out on the balcony. The one who had a carefully composed expression of amusement and a hint of annoyance, who was guarded and had a smirk on his face. He was slightly slumped in the chair, his arm slung carelessly across the back.

"Um- I, uh- I'm fine," Kenna replied, stumbling over her words. She turned her attention back towards Rae, saying, "We're leaving. It's getting late. Jada's driver will be here in a few minutes."

"Okay, Rae replied. "I'll see you inside."

She watched as Kenna made her way back into the house as quickly as possible, stumbling over herself. Rae turned back towards Evan, and opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it.

"Best not to keep them waiting," he said, avoiding her eyes.

She was shocked. They had been having a nice, open conversation, and now he was just going to push her away like it didn't happen?

Whatever. She didn't know him that well anyway.

"Fine. See you around." She walked back into the chaos of the party without a second glance back.

*I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Thank you so much for reading! What do you think of Rae and her friendship with Mckenna and Jada? What about Evan? What are your predictions about Andrew?
Hopefully all of your questions about Andrew will be answered in chapter 7!
<3 Olivia