Once Whitney brought up the party, Duncan invited me–to be polite. And I politely turned him down, because I was definitely smart enough to know that walking into a house filled with people who I had literally grown up with and was actively trying to hide from was a horrible, terrible, stupid bad idea.
“Wear the black button-up. It’s more mysterious and it shows off your beefy contractor arms. So, you know, mega bonus.” Onyx snickered from the other end of the discord video call, their chin rested on their hand as they sat at their work desk in the apartment.
I rolled my eyes as I tossed the blue button-up I had previously been wearing aside. “I don’t exactly plan on picking anyone up. The last thing I want is to date someone I knew in high school. That’s literally my worst nightmare, actually.”
“Who said anything about picking anyone up? This is about you showing off your beefcake arms.” Onyx wiggled their eyebrows as they watched me grab the black button-up in question and throw it on.
“I literally don’t know what the difference is.” I started fumbling with the buttons, my attention locked on the floor-length mirror that was mounted on the wall to the right of my childhood bed.
I had been to parties, sure. I mean, hell, I lived in L.A. for god's sake.
But it had been eight years since I had been to a Chestnut party.
Needless to say, I was feeling more than a little nervous.
“Oh, come on. You know exactly what I mean. You’re going to a party with a bunch of assholes you knew in high school, so you can say ‘look at how hot I am now.’ That’s the only reason anyone goes to a party with a bunch of assholes they knew in high school.”
I rolled my eyes as I started trying to calm my unruly curls. “Except that no one knows it’s me. And I would literally die if anyone figured it out.”
Onyx huffed on the other end of the Discord call. “I still don’t understand why you aren’t telling anyone. They’re going to figure it out sooner or later, Dawny.”
I shot a look back at my phone. I was still trying to figure out the wifi, and my old desktop didn’t exactly have a webcam–plus, I was pretty certain if I tried to run Discord on it, it would self-destruct. So, I was stuck using my data at least until I figured out the internet. “It’s not like I came here intending to lie to everyone. I just assumed they knew already.”
“Right. And then when they didn’t, you just.. Neglected to tell the truth.”
“You don’t know Chestnut, Onyx. It’s not exactly the most accepting place. I figured my stay would be less of a hassle if I just… kept to myself and didn’t get close to anyone.”
“Right. Which is why you’re getting all dressed up to go to a party with a bunch of your high school buddies.”
“I never said I was good at making decisions. Now, how do I look?” I turned around to give Onyx a solid view of my outfit.
“Oh, so someone does care about how he looks.” Onyx wiggled their eyebrows, their piercing glinting in the light of the LA apartment.
I dropped my arms to my sides roughly. “Onyx!”
“Fine, fine, you look great, my dude.” They waved their hand at the camera dismissively. “I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
I sighed and grabbed my keys off of my desk, slipping my wallet into my pocket. “In a few months, the house will be sold, and I’ll be gone. They probably won’t even remember me. It’s not worth making it a whole thing.”
Onyx shrugged. “Sure, man, whatever you say.”
“I gotta go. Duncan insisted on driving and he’s going to be here any second to pick me up. I’ll talk to you later.” Onyx said their goodbyes before I ended the video call and stepped outside, waiting on the sidewalk on the other side of the fence.
Duncan pulled up a few minutes later, in the old pickup truck he’d had since high school. I slipped into the front seat and greeted him stiffly. “Hey. Thanks for the ride. And the invite.”
Duncan shrugged, and I could have sworn his eyes lingered on me slightly before he turned his attention back to the road. “No worries. Greyson’s house is a little out of the way. It can be confusing if you don’t know the town. I figured this would be easier for you.”
I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his worry, that I could get there just fine on my own, but I kept my mouth shut. I buckled up as he pulled away from my parent’s house and turned onto the street that led out of the neighborhood.
Greyson’s house was already filled with people by the time we arrived. Some of the cars I actually recognized, but most of them were much newer. The house was on the far east end of town, in one of the gated communities. It was a large, two-story place with a wrap-around porch and a huge backyard surrounded by a brown, wooden fence. Several people dotted the outside, holding various drinks.
Duncan parked along the curb, and I slipped out. Suddenly, my heart was in my throat. It almost felt like going into the belly of the beast. Sure, I had gotten away with hiding my identity with the few people I had run into–but a party? Filled with people I used to know? One of them was bound to recognize me.
I don’t know what I was thinking.
“You ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Duncan appeared at my side, and I jumped.
I cleared my throat, trying to hide my embarrassment by running my fingers through my hair and at least attempting to look calm, cool, and collected. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“You sure?”
I shrugged, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “I’m… not that great with crowds,” I admitted.
“Really? I thought you were a city boy. Isn’t the city just… one big crowd?”
I laughed. “I mean, I guess, but you don’t have to mingle with an entire city.”
Duncan hummed. “I suppose that’s true.” He hopped on his toes a little. “Well, don’t worry. I’ve known these people for basically my whole life. They’re cool.” He gave me a little nudge. “I think you’ll fit right in.”
I sucked in a deep breath–until it hurt my lungs. “Let’s hope you’re right about that.”
Duncan dragged me up the driveway and into the house.
It wasn’t actually as crowded as I feared. There were a few pockets of people, but it wasn’t completely packed. Most of the faces were ones I recognized–cheerleaders, math geeks, nerds, reformed goths… A collection of people who absolutely did not mingle in high school, chatting away like they weren’t mortal enemies as teens.
There was a stairway directly across from the entryway, and a large living room to our left, which opened up to a kitchen. Most everyone was there, or just outside the sliding glass doors that lead to the backyard. A particular group at the far end of the living room caught my eye.
There were four of them, huddled around each other with their drinks. One of them was a tall, lanky man with a scruffy red beard and wild red hair, which brought out his collection of freckles across his face and arms. He was talking animatedly to a much shorter, brunette woman with long braids and a cute little party dress. Another man, a muscular blonde that was only about a head taller than her, had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Last was another woman with big, round hipster glasses, a red beanie that her black hair was neatly tucked into, in her signature plaid paired with jeans and combat boots.
I recognized them instantly.
My old crew.
And Duncan was bringing me right to them.
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