A curt laugh slipped past my lips as I unbuckled. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
Four hostile sets of eyes fell on us as we advanced up the pathway. To say their looks were scathing would have been kind.
“Oh look,” Liss droned, sarcasm dripping from her words, “our very own welcoming committee. You shouldn’t have.”
Raya took a step forward, planting a hand on either side of the wooden handrail that lined each side of the steps to the porch, barring our way. Her eyes ran a slow path up and down my body.
“Thought you said you were going to dress up nice? What happened?” She sniggered.
I tilted my head. “I know, I know, I must have missed the memo, no one told me the dress code was show up naked... or is that just you?” I hiked a brow, mirroring her contemptuous appraisal. My eyes skimmed over the barely-there skirt that failed to cover her underwear, and the scrap of material she wore across her chest that concealed her nipples, but that was it. There was enough under-boob on display to earn her a citation for indecent exposure.
Her eye twitched, chin jutting out. “You fucking wish you could pull off this look.”
“What look’s that, then... sex worker chic?”
I could see the vein in her forehead bulging before she spat, “You really are desperate. Showing up to a party nobody wants you at. It’s beyond embarrassing.” The mean girls behind her tittered, speaking out in agreement. When I began my ascent up the steps, Raya shook her head. “When will you get it through your thick skull? My man has no interest in your scrawny ass.”
Liss brushed past me, moving until she reached the top step, forcing Raya to arch backward as she got in her face. “Speaking of asses, did you bust an implant when Reno threw you on yours the other day? Because your backside is looking a little,” her head tilted, peering around Raya's side, “... uneven.” She ended in a mock whisper, grimacing with an exaggerated wince.
“Fuck you, Lissa. Nobody asked for your opinion.” Ashley’s screechy voice entered the fray.
“Well, it’s lucky I’m happy to provide my advice unsolicited then, isn’t it? Because none of you yes men would tell her she looks like someone stuck a pin in one of her blow-up ass cheeks. Or how mortified she should be rocking up in this ensemble... I wear more than this in the shower.”
When Raya would have opened her duck lips to defend her wardrobe choices or toss around more insults, I stuck my hand up. “Save it, this is boring. Just kindly back the hell up and have your guard dogs stand down. We will gladly stay away from you for the rest of the evening. With the way you’re dressed, I don’t know if you were planning on staying out here all night to solicit sex from passing cars or what, but we,” I wagged a finger between Liss and I, “came to party. So, shift your wonky ass.”
“You little—”
“Raya... move. Last I checked, this is my place and I decide who gets in.” Leon’s deep voice resonated as he emerged through the door onto the porch.
Raya remained unmoving for a beat before she exhaled harshly through her nose, nostrils flaring as she reluctantly released her grip and moved aside just enough for us to squeeze past her. When she shifted a foot forward slightly as if to trip me, I pulled up short and stepped over it, raising my head on the way by and throwing her a condescending stare. “Grow up.”
An hour later, I wondered if Reno had even bothered to attend his own birthday party since I’d yet to catch sight of him. His birthday wasn’t until tomorrow, but Leon’s mom and step-dad were out of town at some work fundraiser in the city tonight, leaving the house empty for what was not the small gathering I’d expected.
Leon had regarded me with an unreadable expression as I’d strode past him into the house earlier.
“Surprised to see me?” I’d asked, injecting a little sass into my tone to cover my hurt at the
deliberate exclusion. They’d drawn sides without my knowledge or consent, and Leon hadn’t landed on mine. I was glad of that, I truly was. Reno needed him much more than I did, but still, the entire situation saddened me. He’d shrugged those big shoulders nonchalantly, hands planted in his pockets, like it was all a non-issue. But his normally bright blue eyes were dull, sad, and he’d answered softly with a short no before disappearing into the crowd.
“Hey, I’m gonna go get a refill,” I said to Liss, who was chatting with a girl named Sara. Sara was Jason’s step-sister. Well, kind of. Their parents were together, and Sara and her mom relocated from Florida to move into Jason’s dad’s place last summer. She and Liss shared calc.
Sara seemed like a genuinely decent person: pretty, quiet, non-bitchy. I’d been dipping in and out of their conversation about college, stumbling over my answer when she’d asked where I was going. I’d applied to a couple of places. I’d also applied for financial aid and a scholarship, which wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. I achieved good grades, had selected AP classes and maintained a solid GPA throughout high school. I’d done everything, fully intending to go, but that was before.
Now, I just couldn’t imagine leaving home to attend school. I was toying with the idea of attending community college for the next couple of years. Then I could consider my options again. With graduation creeping ever closer, the prospect of leaving my mom, and Reno, to go to school didn’t sit well with me. Besides, I still had no inkling of what I wanted to do. Everything felt so up in the air, my life on pause while I lingered in limbo, waiting for things to level out, waiting for things that may never happen.
“You want anything?” I asked, casting aside the bleak thoughts. They both declined.
Refilled cup in hand, I meandered through the kitchen and into the rear yard. It wasn’t a huge space, but it overflowed with Claremont students. Worming my way through several clusters of bodies, I quietly walked around the corner of the house, heading for the small wooden bench I knew I’d find by the side fencing in a quiet corner set away from the main part of the back yard. There wasn’t a lot of light, so when I looked up and spotted a dark figure leaning back on the bench, I had to bite back a shriek, my steps faltering. I quickly established who it was.
I’d found the elusive birthday boy.
As I coaxed my heartbeat back to a normal rhythm, I made my way to Reno. Hooded eyes watched my approach, but he didn’t move a muscle. I halted a few feet in front of him, feeling strangely awkward at not being able to anticipate how he would react. It was disconcerting. Agitated, I squeezed the sides of the plastic cup too hard and felt cool liquid trickle over my hand. Switching the cup to my dry hand, I stretched out my sticky fingers in a bid to relax them, to relax me, before shaking them out at my side to remove the moisture.
Glancing up from my task, I felt the heat from Reno’s gaze as it raked over me, and catalogued the subtle changes in his demeanour as he took in my appearance. I noticed the way his fingertips pressed into his thighs before curling into fists. His throat bobbed as he swallowed and his breathing kicked up a fraction, his sculpted chest expanding, stretching out his tee. He might be hell bent on lying to me, but his body reacted whether he wanted it to or not. One fist expanded slowly, large fingers spreading and flexing against his dark jeans. It felt like an eternity passed before he spoke.
“Thought you weren’t invited,” he said, voice deep and husky, his shadowed eyes settling on my face.
“I’m crashing,” I offered.