Yeah, calculating bitchiness isn’t my thing. Violence is. Besides, I’m from Haven Falls, that’s got to count for something.
Rivers tears my attention away from the bodies as he brings me to a stop in front of a drinks table. He bends down and scoops two beers out of a cooler before passing one to me. “Here,” he grumbles.
“Huh?” I grunt, taking the ice cold beer from him despite the fact that I can’t stand the shit. I mean, it tastes like piss…not that I know what that tastes like. “I thought I was on an alcohol ban for tonight.”
Rivers shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not your keeper, Henley. That’s Noah’s job. Do whatever the fuck you want, just don’t overdo it. I don’t want to be the one to explain to Noah that I let it happen.”
“Got it, dude,” I grin, holding the beer up for Rivers to clink his against.
He grins down at me, shaking his head as though being seen with me is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to him. Nonetheless, he clinks his beer against mine and starts leading the way out the back door.
After getting bumped into and elbowed for the fifth time by the hundreds of bodies cramped into this too small house, I hook my hand around Rivers elbow and let him drag me out behind him. “How did Monica get this many people to come to her party anyway?” I grumble as we finally break out into the night. “Isn’t she still down the bottom of the social ladder?”
“Technically, yes,” Rivers says over his shoulder. “She’s been climbing her way back up, a little too quickly for my liking,” he adds. “It’s actually her little brother’s party and she’s just taking advantage. And trust me, most of these people are only here because it’s the only party in Haven Falls tonight and rumor has it that Jesse Ryder is going to be here.”
“Yeah,” I tell him as he walks towards a few deck chairs that have been placed around a little fire. The chairs are all taken, but the second the people occupying them see Rivers heading their way, the chairs are quickly vacated and offered up to him as though they were in the wrong to be sitting in them in the first place.
I shake my head. I will never get used to that kind of pull. I mean, it’s freaking awesome having people jumping at the chance to do your bidding. Though, I guess that’s more what it’s like with Tully. Noah and Rivers add the fear factor to it and the people of Haven Falls wouldn’t dare cross them.
“Henley,” a high-pitched squeal comes from behind me. I spin around to find Kaylah barging her way through the crowd, with a girl who I’m assuming is Tora and Jesse walking up behind them, though naturally, he doesn’t need to barge his way through the crowd, it just seems to part for him like the red sea.
Within seconds, Kaylah slams into me, throwing her arms around me and sending us off balance, wobbling back into Rivers who has to steady us before we eat dirt in front of a crowd who would most likely trample us while we’re down.
“How are you?” I screech, squeezing Kaylah with everything I’ve got as Tora and Jesse catch up to us.
Jesse steps in behind her before she has a chance to respond and nods at Rivers. “Yo, what’s up?” he murmurs as though he’s too cool for the party, but I guess he sort of is.
Rivers just nods back without saying a word and just like that, Jesse drops down in the seat beside him which is probably where the two of them will stay, far enough away from everyone that they can actually relax without people begging for their attention. Just the way they like it.
Kaylah draws my attention back as she grabs the girl beside her, pulling her in. “Have you met Tora?”
“Can’t say that I have,” I tell her, giving the girl who seems larger than life a welcoming smile. I mean, she’s Nate Ryder’s girlfriend. News like that travels far and wide and comes with the utmost respect of every female around. She did the impossible, nailed down the one guy that everyone wanted. Except for me though, I was batshit crazy about Jackson Millington. How idiotic.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Tora says with an amused grin. “It’s about time I put a face to the name. Kaylah is always talking about you and I was starting to think she’d made you up.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her. She has a habit of talking shit.”
“Hey,” Kaylah warns. “Tonight isn’t going to turn into another ‘tease the shit out of Kaylah’ night, got it?”
“Fine,” I laugh. “What are you guys doing here anyway?”