Demon: Book 1

Chapter 36: Base Acid

I hurried upstairs after getting home from tutoring. I had three hours to decide whether or not to go. Comrade and Ricky would be there, but what college students would want to hang out with a high schooler? Chewing on my fingernail, I glanced at my phone. Spending the night talking to Titus wasn't a bad alternative. We could have the 'omega talk.'

With a groan, I rolled onto my stomach. I wasn't going. When we were still friends, Chris would rarely invite me to this kind of thing, mostly because my mother said no. Flipping onto my back, I banged my head on a pillow. This shouldn't be that hard of a decision.

"I'm not going," I whispered. It was that simple.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Titus:

Can't talk yet.

My dad is making me help him with a few things.

I'll text you later.

With a sigh, I tried to figure out what I was going to do until then. I ended up messing around on my phone and noticed something interesting. The football team was whining about having an extra practice under the lights to get ready for the playoffs. Chris wouldn't be able to go to Base Acid. He'd get done around midnight and still have to go home and get ready. I clutched my phone to my chest. This could be my one chance, but how would I get my mom to say yes? I sent Comrade a text:

Have you left yet?

I got a reply a few minutes later.

No one shows up early.

You definitely haven't been to a party before...

Did you ask your mom?

I swallowed hard:

I'm about to.

The football team has an extra practice, so that guy won't be there.

Comrade gave me a thumbs-up and told me to let him know if I had permission. The concert wasn't until late tonight. I had been pushing the limits with my parents lately, so there was no way in hell they'd let me go. I didn't have to ask, and I kind of wanted to meet Kyle.

It wouldn't be the first time I had snuck out. Chris had convinced me to do it before. My parents went to bed around ten, and the concert didn't start until eleven. I took a deep breath and waited a bit longer before replying to Comrade.

***

Car lights appeared down the road. Hopefully, this was them and not one of my neighbors. The vehicle slowed down, and I spotted Comrade in the passenger seat.

He rolled down his window. "Hey, Aden. Are you ready for this?"

Nodding, I climbed into the back. "A little nervous but excited."

"How'd you get your mom to say yes?" asked Comrade.

"I told them about Kyle." I turned to the other boy in the back seat. "Hi, I'm Aden."

"Hey." The brown-haired boy gave a slight wave. "Glad I could be of use in getting you out of the house."

He was dressed completely in black, a stark contrast to my bright red jacket. I should have thought my outfit out better. I was going to stick out for all the wrong reasons.

"This is Ricky." Comrade clasped his boyfriend's hand.

The guy was huge—not as big as Titus, but he probably wasn't a werewolf. Or maybe he was... I wouldn't have been surprised. The car ride was mostly Comrade talking to Kyle. I was too nervous to say much. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out to see a text from Titus: