Chapter 17

I take in a deep breath, enjoying the lovely fresh air the outside has to offer tonight as my feet roughly crash the rocks on the front yard. It’s been days since I’ve been out again let alone attend a party with other human beings. So just hearing the booming music coming from inside the house had my heart dancing.

“Come on are you just going to stand there?” Austin mutters next to me as Drew bangs his car door shut and walks to us.

We came together but I rode on my bike next to them. Not a good idea since I was planning on getting wasted, but I was planning on meeting a certain someone and she was into bikes.

“Let’s go guys” Austin insists.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” I nudge him with my elbow.

“It’s been quite a week. I just want to get drunk with other people that aren’t you guys” he shrugs.

“I second that” Drew nods.

“So, if both of you plan on getting drunk, who’s the designated driver?” I ask as we continue walking through the front lawn.

“Well, you owe us so…” Drew says and I groan.

“Come on, can’t you just drop that Justin shit already.”

“No, because you broke one of our best player’s nose” Drew scolds “And face.”

This was kind of serious than it sounded, Sparks was painfully kind of right and Justin almost pressed charges against me. If it wasn’t for Austin, I would be in jail for assault right now.

“I apologized” I defend “And it was his fault, he started it.”

I don’t beat people up for no reason, pft I’m not a psychopath.

“Listen, I don’t want to hear any of that shit tonight, okay?” Austin frowns as he looks at us. “Shut up, both of you” he points Drew and I. “He got what he deserved, but do that again Cain and I’ll let you get what you deserve.”

Damn, was that a threat? From sweet old Austin himself?

I mean he was kind of pissed off when he called to bitch about the Justin case but my boys are always on my side.

“Mm’k I guess” I look away and Drew shrugs.

“Now come on… Let’s get wasted” Austin grins as he pushes the door open.

A smile immediately takes over Drew’s face and he pats my back. “Damn I missed this” he whispers as the strong stench of cheap cigarette and beer hit me. It’s been a while since we went to any party, being so paranoid about the devil lurking so this felt really good.

“Me too” I smile as my eyes roam around the room looking at multiple possible hookups for tonight.

“See you guys” Austin says already walking away and I turn to Drew but he’s already gone. Traitors.

I don’t get enough time to register their betrayal when my eyes land on dark, wavy hair dangling in loose curls, eyes sparkling in the dim light of the room as she laughs… With some guy? What the fuck? Why is Sparks laughing with some guy?

My fists clench and my finger nails play around with the soft material of the bandage she’d wrapped around my hand the other week.

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve grown a bit close since that day. We’ve spoken constantly and I’ve learned a few things about her. Like how she takes astrology pretty seriously, she can’t stand the smell of cigarettes or direct smoke from weed. She’s never gotten high and I feel an itch to change that, corrupt her a bit. How she loves bright flowers and has no taste in music whatsoever, that’s something else I’d like to change.

“Well, hello there beautiful” I smile stepping between her and the boy and deliberately stepping on his foot.

“Oh… Hey” there’s a furrow in her eyebrows as she smiles back.

I lean closer and whisper in her ear “I’m alarmed.”

“Why?” she whispers back playing along and I can smell the vodka in her breath. It excited me.

“Because I think you’re following me” I move back to meet her eyes and she laughs Softly.

“You wish.”

“Come on, you can’t tell me this is just an accident” I roll my eyes.

“I can’t, because yesterday I told you I’d be here and you said you were coming too” she giggles and chugs the drink in her clear cup then burps a little after. “So you…” she pokes me playfully “Are the one following me.” I smile… She’s so drunk it’s adorable.

“Umm, excuse me…” someone taps my shoulder and I turn and look at the boy Sparks was speaking to who had the nerve to touch me.

“Yes?” I raise my eyebrows. Couldn’t he just… Walk away? He’s clearly an amateur and wasting his time.

“I… I was talking to her” he points Sparks and I scoff. What an amateur.

Was this Sparks’ taste in men? If so, she needed to give up on the idea of ever being with a guy and just stick to women. I have a candidate who’d enjoy giving her a tour.

“Good for you” I nod “You can go now.”

“Go where? I was here first” his left eye twitches a little and I can’t help but laugh.

“What the fuck is this?” I look at Sparks. I was judging her so hard.

“You didn’t tell me you were seeing someone” the guy who really needed to go speaks to Sparks from behind me and her eyes widen as she hiccups.

“Oh… This-” she points between us “-is nothing, she’s just a friend… Actually no, a person I talk to and accidently make out with at times. You, I see” she explains waving her hands around and pointing between us too much.

Ouch, why the fuck did that sting? I mean I knew that, but why did she have to say it like that?

“You heard her dude. Walk away.” The guy wasn’t really bad looking with his short, spiky, blonde hair and those eyes, damn I’d like to give him a black eye. “Go” he shoves me back and I move a few steps and smile clenching my jaw.

He really wanted this…

I bet Drew would understand this… It’s just the circumstances. This boy is a dick and I hate dicks.

“No, don’t you fucking dare” Sparks pokes me in the chest and I look down at her.

“What?”

“You’re not fighting…. Not now, not here.” She’s witnessed me breaking Justin’s face and almost paying for it. So, I guess it was right for her to protect her boyfriend.

“Then ask your boyfriend to back off” I grit and she rolls her eyes and steps between us. I hated that I was ruining her buzz but he was ruining mine by existing next to something he shouldn’t.

“Not now Cainine” she glares at me looking sober now and I sigh.

I guess she wasn’t drunk enough to take my side.

What’s shocking is, this amateur boy isn’t what has a sharp irritating pain piercing through my chest. Her words and the side she’s picking is what has me irritated and I want to punish him for it.

But it’s not worth pissing Austin off again. She chose him and I choose me.

“Okay” I nod taking a few steps back.

Who cares anyway, right? I came here to get drunk and have fun after one hell of a paranoid week and I deserved it.

I turn to walk away and hear her speak again.

“I’ll call you Cole” she says.

Before I can turn to look at her, I feel her arms around my neck and I can’t explain the stupid smile that takes over my features almost immediately.

“When did you become such a crybaby?” she mutters close to my ear and I laugh the previous sting numbing.

“Didn’t know you had a boyfriend” I turn and look at her leaning closer when she doesn’t remove her arms around my neck.

Moments like these, when we’re this close make everything else I’ve ever experienced seem useless.

“Cole is my brother’s friend” she breathes. “And you don’t really care” she concludes on my behalf.

“True” I agree.

She has her rights; she’s a grown woman after all. I don’t care who she gets with. “Can I get what you had to make you this wasted?”

“Did you come with your bike?” She throws another question at me and I hold her by the waist her baby like expression making me smile.

“Maybe… Why?”

“This party sucks. I want you to take me home” she mutters and the look in her eyes makes me want to teleport her home.

“But I just got here.” I chuckle my heart rate weirdly increasing as she presses her soft body against mine unintentionally and pouts.

“Please…”

What the fuck is she doing to me?

“Okay, but we’ll make it quick cause I’m coming back. I’ve seen a lot of things I like” I smile down at her and she rolls her eyes and pulls away from me way too soon taking me by the hand instead.

Sparks pulls me through the crowded living room and opens the front door pulling me outside. The cold air hits me hard and I have to stand to adjust to the different atmosphere.

Sparks takes a deep breath and turns to look at me a smile on her face.

“Damn, I want the happy drink you had.”

“I’m not even that drunk” she slurs, her tone sounding a bit more sober and before I can ask her more, my phone’s ringtone interrupts and takes my attention.

I search my back pocket and pull it out, but silence it immediately when I see the caller ID tucking it back in my pocket. Not tonight… I’m smarter than that, devil.

He hasn’t called me in a while though, I wonder why he would today. Probably to fuck my night up. Anyway, he’s been running through my mind the past weeks I’m not letting him ruin tonight.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah, everything’s fine, why?” I shake off the weird look on my face.

“It’s just that you face…” she tries to explain.

“I’m fine” I interrupt her.

“Mhm” she nods eyeing me suspiciously.

“Let’s go?” She nods again and follows me closely.

We get to my black sports bike that’s parked next to Drew’s car and ogle it with grins on our faces.

“Cain-” she whispers “I want to ride it.”

“Well shit… Now I’m jealous of Ty” I shake my head and she looks at me.

“You named it Ty?” Sparks raises her eyebrows and I sense judgment.

“Yeah… Tyler freaking Joseph” I wave my hands speaking as if it’s obvious.

“Hmm?” she looks puzzled for a while and I take this moment to gasp in shock.

“I’m going to act like you’ve not just gone like ‘hmm’ and still preserve my cool image of you.”

“Is he a basketball player or something?” she laughs.

“Shut the hell up before I run you over with my bike” I laugh, placing a hand over my chest “Seriously I’m offended, Sparks, have you never heard of Twenty-One Pilots?”

“They fly planes?” she laughs again.

“It’s not even funny anymore” I frown shaking my head in mock disappointment and get on my bike “Get on.”

“You still remember my address, right?” she asks.

“Oh no, we’re not going to your place.”

“Where to?” she frowns and I feel the weight shift on my back as she gets on.

“My place. I’m going to take you to heaven.”

“What?”

“I’m going to take you to heaven” I repeat.

“Should I be scared?” I could hear the concern in her voice.

“I don’t think so” I smile as I feel her arms sneak around the waist unsurely “Come on, hold on tight we don’t want you falling off now, do we?”

I could feel her eye roll, but for the first time she listens to me, and I feel her arms tighten around me.

“Why don’t you have a helmet?” she asks as the bike roars to life.

“Oh no, we don’t do those here.”

And with that, we drive off the compound as she mutters about helmet and safety. I mute her… I mute everything and let myself drown in the moment, the feeling of the calming breeze brushing through my hair and against my face and ears.

The shitty smell of petroleum and cigarettes, the dust in my eyes, and last, the feeling of Sparks nuzzling my back making me feel all warm inside. I could imagine her beautiful face looking peaceful with her eyes closed and her arms secure around me. This felt good, I loved riding alone because it was peaceful but this… This is beyond expression…

**
Re-editor here, you know the drill, yes you do.