AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Travis was a deadly kind of serious as he cut in, “I’ll handle it. I’m on watch now, so don’t worry. Everything is going to be just fine.” And then he hung up without so much as a goodbye.
I couldn’t say why, but his last words only made my stomach harden in unease. I wouldn’t say I was a very anxious person, but lately it was impossible not to be. Anxiety crawled over me like a swarm of insects, making me feel sick.
Travis said everything would be fine, but I knew, deep down, it wouldn’t be.
Chapter Twenty-One – Ash
Kelsey’s plan was literally just to drive to Stanton, the local community college, and find whatever frat house or sorority house we could that was throwing a party. Just stumble along one and hope for the best. If it was too lame, she said, we could always leave and find another one.
I was the designated driver, though. Kelsey already warned me she wanted to drink and lose herself and all of her worries tonight. She also wanted to hook up with a guy she’d never see again, someone whose dick could help make her feel better about her troubles back home.
Whatever happened, I didn’t really care. I wasn’t here to hook up. Have a little fun, maybe. Get my mind off of everything going on in my life. No more Sawyer, no more Travis, no more Declan and Will. No more Ray. Just me, being a college student in America, trying to live the best life I could before I graduate and step into a world of uncertainty.
It wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
“And,” Kelsey went on, pulling the rust bucket off on the side of the road. We were on a side street near Stanton’s main campus, near the Greek houses. “If it doesn’t happen to be a costume party—which I so hope it is, because Halloween is in two fucking days and I need to fuck a vampire—we can take these off and boom! Normal outfits.”
I watched her put the rust bucket into park and turn off the ignition. “You want to fuck a vampire?”
Her dark eyes seemed lighter, now that they were lined in black. More of an amber than a straight-up brown. “Don’t act like you’ve never thought about it. I mean, if vampires were real and, you know, out like they were in True Blood, I’d definitely be a fang-banger.”
I let out a laugh. A laugh so long and deep I felt tears starting to well in my eyes. Oh, God. I got out of the car, letting the cool night air wrap me in a hug.
No crying, even if it was because of laughing. It would only mess up the makeup.
Kelsey got out of the car, locking it, even though there was nothing in it to steal. And even though we were at Stanton and not Hillcrest, it was still the most beat-up car around. “I am being one hundred percent serious, Ash. I don’t even care if he looks like Edward Cullen. Give me Dracula, give me Edward, give me Spike or Angel—I don’t care. I really don’t.”
“I know,” I said as we moved to the sidewalk. A few houses down was a party. You could tell by the strobing lights coming from the house and the people hanging out in the front, sipping from beer bottles and red plastic cups.
And, yes, they were in costumes, much to Kelsey’s happiness. Although, I had to admit, I didn’t think anyone would understand ours. The night was still young, but it looked like alcohol was flowing, and when booze and college students collided, rational thought processes died off.
Kelsey glanced down at her nametag. “The Devil and a vampire. The perfect combination.”
I said nothing as we headed to the house. I worried what would happen if we walked in and someone asked us where we went. Should we say we were Stanton students? Saying I went to Hillcrest was probably not the best idea, and Stanton was a big campus, having more students in general than Hillcrest. Hillcrest was the elite, while Stanton accepted anyone who averaged a C in high school.
Eh, no one would ask. No one cared. They’d all be too curious about our outfits and our stupid nametags.
God. I was God. Go fucking figure.
Kelsey was the first to walk up to the house, giving her best smile to the students lingering outside. They didn’t care that they didn’t know who she was, or me, for that matter. They waved at us and rose their drinks in the air in a welcoming gesture.
“Just remember,” I spoke, “no taking drinks from strangers, and if you set your drink down, just get a new one.” She wanted me to be her wingwoman, but I really knew that just meant to gather her up at the end of the night and make sure nothing bad happened to her. I knew the drill. This wasn’t our first college party. We’d snuck into quite a few during our high school years.
No one was getting raped tonight. No one was going to get drugged. If there was any fucking, it would all be consensual, providing Kelsey didn’t plaster herself right away.
“I know, I know,” Kelsey muttered. We stood before the front door, which was closed. The Greek symbols of whatever house this was hung over the door, and I had no idea what they meant. Alpha…something, something. “And, in case you’re going to lecture me on safe sex, you don’t need to.” She patted her pocket.
Oh, God. Kelsey had even brought a condom. She was that desperate, huh?
Well, alright. Let’s get my friend buzzed and hooked up.
Kelsey pushed inside, and it was…an almost stereotypical scene. I guess I’d grown used to the parties at Sawyer’s house, and the people who came to them. This was…just…like a scene from a TV show. So many bodies, all close together. The girls wearing slutty costumes that all looked the same, even if some were nurses or angels or cops. Some people didn’t wear costumes, but the ones that did vastly outnumbered those that didn’t.
I watched my best friend tug at her red shirt, pulling it down somewhat and exposing her cleavage. She was bigger-chested than me, and I was kind of jealous. She always complained she couldn’t lay down on her stomach, though, without the feeling of her boobs pressing against her lungs and making it uncomfortable.
We walked through the house, getting to know its layout. Most of the partiers were in the front room, dry humping and dancing away. Another small crowd lingered near the stairs, laughing as they drank. The kitchen had some food, but where was the booze?
Kelsey headed outside in the back, finding half a dozen large coolers arranged in the grass, along with a bonfire—which I honestly wouldn’t trust drunk kids with. Kelsey just laughed when she saw it, muttering, “Awesome.” She went to the nearest cooler and pulled out a beer. “Let’s scope some hotties out—”
