Miles to Go

“A party,” I repeated flatly, staring at Seth in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not. I think you could use a night out actually.”

“I’m not going to a party.”

His eyebrow rose. “Then I’m surprised, considering that’s all you did when we went to our old school.”

“Shut up, Seth,” I said, no heat behind my words.

“Go tonight.”

“No.”

He huffed. “Please?”

“Why do you want me to go so badly?”

Seth hesitated and broke eye contact. “I don’t want to go alone.”

“I’m sure you could find a date,” I said honestly, not caring enough to try and understand his irrational logic.

“I’m going because of a girl. I can’t show up with a date.”

“So you ask me?”

“Look, I’m asking as a personal favor. You can’t say no to personal favors. And I meant what I said. I really do think you could use a night out.”

I looked away so I wouldn’t give in to the urge to scowl, leaning against my hideously bright red locker. “Fine.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly. “Thank you so—”

“Sure. I’ve got class.” Sidestepping him, I made my way down the hall, wondering what exactly I’d just gotten myself into.

The lights had been dimmed down just a little too much, the furniture not pushed up against walls, the beer not out yet.

Clearly, whoever was throwing this party was a first timer.

“You already look bored,” Seth said loudly into my ear over the blasting music.

“Well, this isn’t how you throw a party.”

“So help her out.”

“Who?”

“Her.” He pointed to girl standing off to the side with strawberry blond hair, looking very out of place in her girly skirt and too-dressy-for-a-high-school-party top.

“No, that’s okay.”

He rolled his eyes, firmly but carefully grabbing my wrist and all but dragging me through the not yet packed living room to the girl. “One, behave. Two, I didn’t hurt you, did I? Wrist okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, avoiding eye contact. This version of Seth reminded me too much of when we were kids, and I didn’t know how to handle kindness anymore. I preferred people’s nonchalance towards me.

“Charlotte?” Seth said, and I watched as he lightly touched her shoulder, as she turned to him, a too wide smile spreading across her lips. “This is my sister, Rylie. Rylie, this is Charlotte. She’s throwing this party.”

She smiled nervously, the kind of smile where you were too stressed out to put an effort behind seeming genuinely honest or happy to meet someone and was really just a tilt of the lips, no teeth or anything. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you, Rylie.”

Seth pointedly looked at me, nudging me forward.

I cocked my head, sliding my hands into my back pockets. “Do you… need any help or anything?”

“No, no, that—that’s okay, thanks.”

“Sure,” I said, taking a small step back, only to be nudged by Seth again.

Charlotte, seeing this, groaned and buried her face in her hands. “This was such a bad idea. This party already sucks.”

“Rylie’s pretty good with parties. Maybe she could help…?” Seth offered.

I sent him a glare as she politely declined.

When Seth only glared back, mouthing that I should help her as another personal favor, I sighed, glancing around the room as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my slightly baggy hoodie. “You have two things to your advantage right now. One, everyone isn’t here yet. Two, this party can’t get any worse.”

“Rylie!” Seth chastised. “Charlotte, sorry, she’s always like this.”

“Shut up, Seth,” I said. “Go put on something different. Alternative is good. When the place fills up, change it back to this so people will have something to dance to.”

“I didn’t invite enough people to fill this place up….”

I stared at the girl. “You only invited people from school, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then the place will fill up. Go change. Jeans and a regular t-shirt should work. I’ll move the furniture. Tell me you put valuables away.”

“Uhm.” Her eyes roved across the room. “Yeah, everything’s put away.”

“Okay.”

“Rylie!” she called as I turned away.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you moving the furniture?”

“Your coffee table is made of glass. Do you want to get sued when someone gets drunk and falls through it or something?”

“There’s no alcohol.”

This time my lips actually parted as my jaw fell slightly open in disbelief. “Is that an attempt at a joke?”

“I’m sixteen! Where do I get alcohol from?”

I rolled my eyes. “Just go change.”

“Uhm, okay.” She glanced at Seth, biting her lip. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” he smiled at her just before she turned, hightailing up the stairs.

“Is that her? The girl you came for?”

“Yeah, it is.”

I nodded. “She’s not very bright.”

“Rylie!” he snapped, but I was already dodging the crowd, making my way into the kitchen.

Taking out my phone, I searched through my address book until I found the number I was looking for.

“S’up?”

“John,” I said, “it’s Rylie. I need some drinks for a party tonight. Can you get me anything?”

She came back down a half hour later, her hair, which had previously been in a bun, falling down her shoulders and her makeup redone in blacks. She wore nothing but onyx eyeliner, and red lipstick. Dark blue skinny jeans took the place of her skirt and her upper body was clad in a deep navy long-sleeved V-neck. “Better?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Her eyes moved past me, to the entryway of her kitchen. “Isn’t that John? What’s he doing here?”

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“I haven’t heard good things,” she said, making a face as she looked away. “He kind of gives me the creeps, but I don’t— is he drinking?”

I followed her gaze to a boy sitting on the sofa, and sure enough, in his hand was a bottle of beer. “I—”

“Crap,” she groaned, “I’m going to get in so much trouble!”

“No one’s going to find out. Relax,” I assured, and that much, at least, was true.

“How do you know that?”

“I just do,” I said easily. “Besides, the thing about parties is that people come and go. For each person that comes in later, there’ll probably be someone leaving.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, because people who’ve been here from the beginning are going to leave as the people who are just getting here stay.”

“Huh. Okay,” she said doubtfully. “Th—Desmond!”

Hands in his pockets and shoulders tense, he looked over, sending Charlotte a strained smile. “Hey.”

“Oh, you came! That’s awesome. Thank you!”

“Sure.” His stormy blue eyes moved to me then, narrowing just slightly in surprise. “Rylie.”

My chin lifted in reflex. “Desmond.”

Charlotte looked between the two of us before saying, amused, “I’m going to go look for Seth. Excuse me.”

I watched her leave before glancing back at Desmond who was now watching people dance (Seth had changed the music right in time) to the beat. Placing my hands in my back pockets again, I turned towards the kitchen, going to the counter where John had put the beer. Just as I picked up a bottle, I heard my name and turned to see John.

“Let me,” he said smoothly, as he moved to take the bottle from me. His bloodshot eyes told me everything I needed to know about his sobriety.

“No, thanks,” I said, moving it out of his reach. I might’ve asked him to help me out, but I had enough self-preservation to instinctively avoid guys like John. Something told me letting him give me an open drink was practically like asking to get drugged.

He shrugged. “Sure. You staying for this?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Are you kidding? This is the lamest party I’ve ever been to.”

“I like parties like these,” I said, taking the bottle opener he offered me.

He laughed. “And here I thought you were hardcore.”

“Guess not.” I handed him back the bottle opener.

He watched me as I took a sip of the beer before shrugging. “Whatever. I’m out. There’s a real party going on at the beach, if you feel like seriously partying later.”

I watched him leave, eyes narrowed, and took another sip.

“You actually talk to that kid?”

I turned to Desmond, brow furrowed. “So what if I do?”

“Nothing. Good for you.”

I looked down at the bottle in my hand, at the liquid there. Normally you throw a party and put beer in the kitchen, there wouldn’t be space to walk, but here, the kitchen would’ve been empty hadn’t it been for Desmond and I. People had gotten their drinks and immediately dispersed to dance, socialize.

This town was so weird.

“Do you want something to drink?” I asked finally as the silence got too much.

He shook his head no. “I don’t…” He dropped his gaze to my hands that were all but clutching the bottle now.

“There is soda, you know.”

He only nodded, going around me to the counter and grabbing a plastic cup and the large bottle of soda. “I hadn’t really pegged you for the party type.”

“Likewise,” I muttered, taking a sip and observing him over the bottle. He was uncomfortable, his muscles tense and stiff.

“Yeah, well.”

“So why did you come? If you don’t like parties?”

“Why did you?” he shot back, not missing a beat.

I considered it and, deciding I had nothing to lose, answered honestly. “My brother.”

Looking thoughtful, he stared at me before finally saying, “Charlotte and I are friends and she’s my lab partner. She asked for the support.”

Thinking of Seth, I asked, “So, it’s not because you like her or anything?”

He laughed. Loudly. “No, nothing like that. Charlotte’s really nice and everything, don’t get me wrong, but we’re just friends. Besides, she likes someone else.”

“Oh?” Trying to seem innocently curious, I asked if he knew who it was.

“No idea,” he said smoothly, not breaking eye contact.

My lips tightened into a thin line. I was a firm believer that if you couldn’t lie well, you shouldn’t bother. And while I could believe that he wasn’t a bad liar, quite the opposite in fact, I could still somehow tell he was lying. I wondered if it was because I myself was so good at it. “Oh, well—”

“Rylie, what are you—” Seth broke off, looking between me and Desmond. “Oh. Never—”

“Seth,” I called, not looking away from Desmond’s ocean eyes. “Wait up. I’m coming.”

I met him at the doorway, following him out to the living room.

“Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting you to be with anyone.”

“It’s okay. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just thought you might have gotten bored and were concocting an escape plan.”

“Not exactly.”

He glanced around at the lively living room before looking back at me again. “So, I didn’t want to say anything in there, but…”

“What?”

In response, he reached over, plucking the bottle out of my hands. “Did you do this?”

“Do what?”

“Get the beer?”

“Yeah.”

“At least try lying.”

“Why? I don’t lie about stupid things.”

“Right, you wouldn’t want to waste your talent, correct?” he asked sarcastically. “Whatever, it’s already here, nothing I can do about it. But I can do something about you drinking it.”

I rolled my eyes, hearing the anger in his tone. “Take it.”

“Just like that?”

I shrugged, not really caring. Besides, a beer wasn’t going to do anything for me.

I thought of John’s words, of the party at the beach.

No. Whatever I did, good or bad, I’d never stooped so low to hang out with people who made me uncomfortable. And I had no intentions of changing that.

“Did you at least dance with her?” I asked as we walked home after the party. Once we’d gotten everyone to leave, Seth and I had hung around, helping with the transition to normal again.

We were almost halfway home, and we’d walked in silence nearly the entire time. I wasn’t sure if it was because Seth was still mad about my drinking or he was just too tired.

“Yeah. A couple of times.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah. What about you? Dance with anyone? Maybe the kid from the kitchen?”

“No.”

I followed him silently up our walkway and into the house, following Seth’s example and trying to keep all noise to a minimum. Had it been just me, I wouldn’t have cared. But Seth was the good kid—I didn’t want him getting into trouble, too.

“I promised them we’d be home by one, and we’re late. They should be asleep already, but just in case they’re not, don’t make too much noise, okay?” Seth whispered as we stood in the foyer before finally venturing forth.

He walked me to my room, pausing in the hallway until I’d gone inside. After I closed my door, I heard him softly continue down the hallway to his room.

Not knowing what to think, I forced it out of my head and climbed into bed, exhausted.