“Not lately, not now,” he said. “I’m happy just being in my own shoes.” He leaned in to kiss me.
We descended holding hands, and I couldn’t help it, I felt like a princess walking with her prince. It wasn’t hard to be like his mother and fantasize that I was someone very special to help people enjoy a very special party.
Most of those invited to Kane’s party did treat it like a very special invitation. Many of his close buddies in school, boys on teams with him, and some of the girls in the senior class had been here for much smaller events, as he had said, but always with his parents at home, too. This was his first time without even the housekeeper. However, Kane was very good at protecting his home, declaring what was out of bounds. He wanted everyone to be confined to what I was freely calling the ballroom. The girls who were my friends wanted to assist in bringing out the food and drinks. Kane was firm about no alcohol or drugs, and not only because his father had laid down the law. Recently, Don Hudson, a senior, had a house party that his parents were unaware of, and one of the boys, Ryan Bynes, drank too much and got into an automobile accident five minutes after he left. An elderly woman was seriously injured, and the police were at Don’s house less than a half hour later. His parents needed a lawyer.
Once the novelty of being at the biggest estate in the city wore off, many of the kids became bored and were wandering about aimlessly. Tina Kennedy kept annoying me with “So when’s the real party going to start?”
I heard some complaining that without booze freely pouring or someone passing around “something,” it was “like a chaperoned school party.” Neither the music nor the food was holding their attention. An hour into it, some broke off to find excitement somewhere else. Before eleven, the crowd was dwindling. Those who were already paired off left to be by themselves. I heard Steve Cooper suggest a group of them go up to Foxworth for kicks. I stepped in quickly.
“My father has been working on demolishing and removing what’s left of the debris up there. It’s fenced off now. There’s lots of dangerous material lying around.”
They all looked at me strangely.
“Whatever,” Steve said.
“She oughtta know that it’s dangerous up there,” Tina said. Lana had already told me she was quite jealous of my being with Kane.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kane asked, coming out of nowhere and practically pouncing on her. She backed off quickly.
“Nothing. Jeez,” she said. “Let’s go somewhere fun while the night’s still young.”
She and those with her were the only ones who left without thanking Kane.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” Kane muttered after them. “Don’t even ask,” he told me immediately. “I never even had interest in getting to first base with her.”
Lana and Suzette remained behind to help with the cleanup. After they left and we were alone, Kane said Curtis would clear the room tomorrow before his parents returned.
“I guess we did all right,” he added. “Nothing broken.”
I saw that he was a little down. “It was a great party, Kane.”
“Right. I don’t know what some of my so-called friends expected. Dancing girls? I wasn’t going to open my father’s bar. I made that clear to everyone for days. You didn’t see it, but asshole Barsto brought something he was passing around. I invited him to leave.”
“Oh. I missed that.”
“Probably the earliest end to a party this year.”
“Not for us,” I said, and he looked at me oddly for a moment and then smiled.
“What’s your curfew?”
“My father never set one. He depends on me to be responsible. I know he’ll be waiting up no matter what, so I don’t want to push it, but another hour won’t do any harm.”
“In that case . . .”
He began shutting down lights and took my hand to lead me into the den, where there was the pool table, books, and another of what must be at least a dozen televisions. There was a very comfortable, soft leather settee. He poured us both some ginger ale, which was what we had been drinking all night, and sat beside me.
“I shouldn’t have bothered with the party,” he said. “All I wanted here was you.”
“Not everyone was a dumbass, Kane. Most had a good time.”
“I spent too much of my time being a host. I don’t think we danced three times.”
“You’re right, it was two.”
He sipped his soda and looked at me. “I think I figured out what’s different about you, Kristin.”
“And that is?”