Don't Go Out in the Woods Tonight...

I close the front door behind me, glad to be home after such a long time on the road. Troy walks past me and sets he bag on the coffee table. We haven't talked at all. Maybe that's a good thing.

Amelia darts into the room, scurrying around and picking up random things. I think she's cleaning up, but I don't have a clue why. She stops at the coffee table.

"Move this sack of cloth off the table" She points at it, likes it's invested with lice, "I've got friends coming over tonight."

"Um... How many friends?" I ask, "And how drunk will they be?"

"Not very drunk." She tosses her hair over her shoulder while going into the kitchen, "At the beginning."

I hear a thunk and a huge keg appears on the kitchen table. I sneer and go up to my room. Troy picks up his 'sack of cloth' messenger bag and follows me.

"You sure you want to stay here?" He ask, pausing outside the guest bedroom.

I shrug. "I've been to some of Amelia's parties. I know most of her friends. They're pretty nice. As long as the keg isn't empty."

I turn and walk into my room, Troy nods and follows me. I almost start changing out of my school clothes before I realize he's in the room.

"Hey, GET OUT!" I shove at him, but he doesn't move. "OUT! OUT! OUT!

He side steps, that little punk, and I topple forward. Troy reaches out and catches me around the waist, smirk on his face.

I look up at him and push away. "What's wrong with you, huh? You wanna talk, but when you finally get the chance you stay quiet. What are you hiding?"

"A lie."

That's not exactly the answer I was looking for and it's definitely not helpful at all. I cross my arm over my chest and look at Troy. "What kind of lie?"

He shakes his head. "I don't... I'm not sure I trust you with the truth yet."

"OH so you're just playing around. Staying close to me, flirting with my feelings? I don't see this being a very productive trust building exercise." I snip back at him.

He looks at me, his eyes stormy and gray. Then he half smiles, like he trying to hide and cover the sadness.

"I'm gonna head home for tonight. Talk to you later," He says softly.

~ + ~ + ~

Troy walks down the stairs. I'm shocked into complete stillness. I hear him go out of the front door and away from the house. I snap out of it and race down the stairs.

"Whoa, whoa whoa." Amelia say, catching me by the elbow, "You can chase after him later. Right now, you got to help me with the party."

I fumble after her. I look out the window once, but I've lost sight of Troy already. Amelia snaps me back into focus with a string of orders for me to fill out.

"Bring that here. " Put this over there." Turn on this music. "ARRG! Turn off that music"

"Am! Stop telling me to go something," I scream at her from the kitchen, " And then telling me to do the opposite!"

"Sorry!" Her sarcasm drips like venom from her words, "I can't help it that I have no clue where anything in the house is!"

"Sure you do!" I yell back, "You've had the whole day to raid the place!"

"True." She says, walking into the room. "And I must say your paintings have gotten a lot better since you got away from --"

"Shut up!"

"Well it's true." She starts raiding the frig. "Or maybe it's that new guy, Trey."

"His name is Troy." I put my hands on my hips, " And he's not---

" 'Not my boy friend.'" Amelia sneers out in a falsetto. "I know. I know already, you don't need to tell me."

I sneer back and leave the room. I look around the living room, and I must say, that on such short notice, the party looks pretty good.

Music is pumping through the house and Amelia somehow got lights. All it needs are the people and the booze and we're set.

Ugg.. someone call the cops right now.

The doorbell rings, just as I start climbing the steps. Amelia yells for me to get it. I jump the three stairs to the landing and trip over my feet.

The mirror shakes almost off the wall when I hit it trying to catch myself. I limp over to the door and open it to the first of our guests.