My Friend's Dirty Uncle

A few heads turned towards me and I couldn’t help but look at the floor in embarrassment. Being the center of attention has always made me nervous. Whereas other people blossom under the limelight, I shy away from it, my natural reticence coming to the fore.

Suddenly, Justine grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the first room into another room at the side. It was a large living area with a huge stereo set up. The music grew louder and I winced as my eardrums throbbed.

The speakers were blaring rap music. Justine walked up to a couple of girls who were chatting in the corner and I trotted anxiously after her.

“Justine!” One of the girls got up and threw her arms around my cousin. “I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight! How are you?”

“And miss your annual party? I’d rather die,” Justine replied drily. “Kristi, this is my cousin Daniella.”

Kristi looked at me, almost as if she was appraising a new car. “So this is your cousin?” There was skepticism in her voice.

Not knowing what else to do, I shoved my hand forward. “Hi, I’m Dani. It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

Kristi looked down at my hand and then laughed, her straight blonde hair falling forward. “Nice to meet you,” she said, her red lips turning into a cold smile. She was pretty, but in a weird fake way – it wasn’t hard for me to see that she had clearly had plastic surgery done even though she couldn’t be much older than I was.

Kristi turned and pointed towards the three other girls standing around. “This is Anna,” pointing to a tall red-head with huge boobs. “And this is Sheri,” she said, pointing to the short blonde next to Anna, “And this is Misty.” Kristi pointed to a girl with black hair. Anna and Sheri smiled and waved, but Misty rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. I frowned. Had I done something to upset her? Couldn’t be. We’d just arrived.

Kristi took me by the arm and led me to the kitchen. “Let’s get you a drink! Justine told me that you’re from Northern California?”

“Yes,” I said, trying to keep up with her pace. I tripped along behind her, trying to keep up. Blast these high heels, it was so hard to walk.

“I’ve been there a few times. My mother loves wine tasting. My stepdad bought her a vineyard, isn’t that cool? I mean, it would be cool if she wasn’t a total alcoholic,” Kristi added like it was no big deal. She steered me to the center island of a kitchen. On it were various bottles of booze. “What do you drink?”

I had honestly never had a drink in my life. My mother never so much as let me have a bit of the wine she occasionally had with dinner. As if sensing my hesitation, Justine piped up from behind us. “Just make her a screwdriver to start.”

Before I could ask what that was, Kristi grabbed a red cup and poured some clear liquid into it before going to the refrigerator and grabbing orange juice. The cup was in my hand before I knew it. “Let me know if you need more,” Kristi said, before she disappeared back into the living room.

“So, what do you think?” Justine asked, gulping from a cup that had magically appeared in her hand.

“I don’t know what to think,” I said honestly, as I took a tentative gulp from the cup. The alcohol numbed my tongue, burning slightly as it slipped down my throat. “Is this Kristi’s house?”

Justine took another sip of her drink and nodded. “Yep. Kristi and I have been friends since the eighth grade. Same with the other girls too. We’ve formed a nice little clique.”

“And Misty too?” I asked cautiously.

“Ignore her,” she said, as if anticipating what I was going to ask now. “She’s insecure and gets jealous. She’s such a bitch, just forget it.”

I thought it was very interesting how cavalier Justine was being about a girl she had known for so long. But I couldn’t dwell on it because as I turned around to survey the room, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the bluest eyes ever. They were so bright that they shone in the dark room, causing my heartrate to accelerate. In fact, every girl in the room was staring at the handsome man … but he was looking at me.

Chapter Two

Hunter

The music blared all around me, giving me a massive headache. I massaged my temples as I looked around the room. It was crowded with stupid kids, and I had no idea what had happened to my niece or nephew.

I groaned as another pimply teenager pushed past me and nearly spilled his red cup on my shirt.

“Watch it,” I snapped. “Are you even twenty-one?”