Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High 5)

back on the spokesman. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a party. We were invited.”

“And that’s why you’re facing off against Sam?” Logan moved forward a step.

“We weren’t facing off against her.”

The girl snorted, folding her arms over her chest. “Yeah, right. That’s why you wouldn’t let me go past to the car, because you weren’t ‘facing off’ against me. You could’ve walked around me, dickhead.”

A little laugh slipped from me. I might like this girl.

Kade threw me a sideways look.

I clamped a hand over my mouth. Not my fight. Not my place to interrupt. When his eyes lingered on me, I started to wave a hand for him to go back to his confrontation, but he turned back before I could. I felt more laughter bubbling up, so I slipped backward into the crowd, then turned away. I was being inappropriate, but then again, I was drunk. Jason said to get drunk like we were back in high school. I wasn’t so appropriate back then, either.

Mission. Accomplished.

Douchebag One said something back to Kade, but I couldn’t hear it. The crowd was starting to get louder. Kade replied, but again, couldn’t make it out.

“Come on. Who invited them?”

“Who are these guys?”

“Park’s lackeys, and they aren’t invited.”

More and more people were talking. They were annoyed. An excited buzz was filling the atmosphere. People wanted a fight. They wanted to see some action. The three douchebags threw looks at the crowd. Two stepped back. They were becoming more wary, but the third snapped his attention back to Kade. His top lip curled up in derision, and his mouth moved, saying something I couldn’t make out.

Oh boy. I swallowed.

Whatever he said, they were fighting words. I recognized the look in his eyes. His anger wasn’t fading. It was increasing—then it didn’t matter.

As soon as I recognized it, Kade’s fist flew up, punching the guy right in the face. Douchebag One’s head flung backward, and he stumbled a few steps before recovering. His two friends shared a look, both unsure what to do, but Douchebag One made the decision for them. He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, locked eyes on Kade, and charged.

The fight was on.

“No, no, no.” Jason shoved his way through the crowd. He yelled over them, “Cops were called. Everyone scatter—” Before he finished talking, the sounds of sirens were heard. They were faint, but he was right. They were coming.

Douchebag One reared back. He was going to hit Kade.

“Stop!” I yelled out.

Kade heard me, his head whipping to mine. I pointed behind him and he ducked, turning at the same time. Douchebag One’s arm went over his head. Kade caught it, twisted around, and rammed his elbow into the guy’s gut. He hit him with an uppercut and then bent over and tossed him over his back. The other two douchebags ran and pulled their friend to his feet. They took off with the scattering crowd.

I paused, frowning. We weren’t in high school. I didn’t think we really needed to worry about getting in trouble with the law, but Jason grabbed my hand. He yanked me after him, saying, “Come on. There’s illegal shit here. We don’t want to get caught. Trust me.”

“Well,” I wrinkled up my nose but went with him. “Forget that.”

Kade looked back at me. His eyebrows furrowed together, but Jason and I zipped past him.

“Logan,” the girl called out from farther down the road.

She was waving from an Escalade. Jason veered toward them. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he soared right past the vehicle. I glanced back and watched as Kade sprinted for the vehicle. He leapt, took hold of the top of the Escalade, and somehow threw himself into the opened seat. The girl was clambering to the backseat.

Kade reached out and pounded on the top of the vehicle, barking out one command. “Let’s go.”

The driver took off and they were past us in two seconds.

Claire pulled up next to us, coming behind the Escalade.

Jason hurried into the passenger seat, and I threw myself into the backseat. She gunned the engine, and we were pulling onto another street as the cop cars turned to where the party was.

“That was close.”

I wasn’t sure who said it, but it didn’t matter. We were all thinking it. Then I grinned. I’d had fun. That was all I cared about, but I kept my opinion to myself. Something told me my friends wouldn’t have understood.

(Coming winter 2015)