chapter Thirty-Nine
Schuyler
chuyler wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She'd been to tons of fancy parties in New York, and even more beyond that. Masquerade balls, elaborately themed galas...She should be completely jaded by now. But for some reason, the thought of going to a basic college kegger was freaking her out. She tried to explain it to Oliver as they walked the few blocks to the house where the party was being held. Finn was up ahead of them, with Ivy and a bunch of her other friends.
"Oh, it's not surprising at all," Oliver said. "It's to be expected, really. You're off to a classic Red Blood social function with your newly discovered human half-sister. Have you ever been more out of your element? It's not like we got invited to parties at Duchesne all the time."
"I guess that's it. I feel like it'll be high school all over again, and what a success we were at that," Schuyler agreed.
"Don't worry, this won't be like high school; and besides, haven't you forgotten? You married the BMOC. You're like the prom queen," Oliver teased. Seeing her reaction, he turned grave. "I'm sorry - it was a tacky joke."
"No, you're right, and I'd rather not pretend like Jack's not here, like that whole thing didn't happen."
"He's alive, Sky, I know he is. And he's thinking of you too, wherever he is."
She nodded. "I just wish..." I just wish I knew where he was. If he was okay. If he and Mimi hadn't destroyed each other, then what had happened to them? Where were they? Was Jack all right? She felt unmoored without him. There was so much she wanted to tell him and to share - about her father, her human family, Finn. It was as if things had not truly happened to her until she told him about it. She was glad for Oliver's company, but it wasn't the same. The watchful presence was still around, she noticed, but subdued somehow. She wondered if she would ever find out who or what was watching her.
"Listen, at some point we have to find a way back into Finn's room when she isn't there. I have to see if there's any way to extract the blood from those paintings. If there's any chance it's Ben's, this might be what we're looking for."
The party was in a house that was, for a lack of a better way to describe it, disgusting. It was a run-down Victorian that was shared by a group of eight boys, none of whom seemed to have any interest in maintaining a hygienic residence. Schuyler's shoes stuck to the hardwood floor when she walked in the front hallway, and it was even worse in the kitchen, where the boys had stored the keg. There were so many people, they had to push their way through the crowd to make their way in.
"Is there anything else to drink?" Oliver asked. "Whiskey maybe? I'd settle for a blend if you don't have single malt."
Finn laughed. "You're so funny! If you go through the cabinets you might be able to find some Soco."
"Soco?" Oliver sniffed.
"Southern Comfort?" Finn laughed. "Ever heard of it? It tastes okay with Seven Up."
Oliver scrunched his face.
"You're such a snob, Ollie," Schuyler chided. "Come on, let's have a beer." She didn't really want one, but if they were going to try to fit in, they had to do what the natives did.
Reaching the keg seemed impossible, though - there were so many people swarming it: preppy boys in their gingham button-downs over T-shirts and jeans, girls in ironic grandma dresses, everyone jostling for red plastic cups. "You have to be aggressive at parties like this," Finn said, and used her elbows to muscle her way up to the keg.
"Impressive," Oliver noted.
A tall boy in a lacrosse hoodie nudged Oliver out of the way and handed Schuyler a beer. "Here. Pretty girl like you shouldn't have to wait for a drink."
"Oh, thanks," she said, a bit unsure whether it was a good idea to accept.
"At your service, m'lady. May the gentleman inquire as to your name?"
"Oh, leave her alone, Trevor," Finn said, with three beers balanced in her hands. She gave one to Oliver and nodded to Schuyler. "Looks like you're all set, and you've met our resident lothario. Trevor, go find some naive freshman to hit on. Schuyler's with me."
"It was worth a shot." Trevor shrugged and made his way back into the crowd.
"Oh, he was harmless," Schuyler said.
"Sure, if you're looking for a one-nighter with no phone call afterward," Finn said.
"Speaking from personal experience?" Oliver asked.
Already jealous, Schuyler noted. Interesting.
"No, that's Ivy's territory. More beer for us, though." Finn took a long drink from her cup and motioned for Oliver to do the same, then nearly spit it out when she saw the look on Oliver's face as he downed his drink.
"Come on, it tastes like New York tap water," Schuyler said to him. "Don't be so uptight." It wouldn't hurt him to have a few drinks to loosen up in front of Finn, she figured.
After two beers Schuyler felt a little looser herself, so she decided to go exploring. Unfortunately, the rest of the house was even grimier than the parts she'd seen. The bathroom had apparently never been cleaned; there were rings of mildew around both the tub and the toilet, and the bedrooms were carpeted with what had once been beige shag and was now trampled brown. The undergrads were boisterously drunk, and after watching one of them vomit into the pot of a long-dead plant, Schuyler decided it was time to go.
Oliver and Finn were in the living room, dancing to some horrible pop song. She hadn't seen Oliver dance since the old days at the Bank. She'd forgotten what a good dancer he was. He was pretty smooth, she noticed. He blended in so well with the college crowd that she hated to drag him away. "I think I need to get out of here," she whispered.
"Would you totally hate me if I stayed here with Finn? I'm actually having a really good time."
It was just as she'd expected. "No problem. Our flight leaves first thing in the morning, though, so if you don't come home, text me and I'll meet you there, with your luggage. Finn, would you mind if I went back to your dorm? I think I left something there."
"Oh, sure," Finn said. "Someone can let you in the front door, and my apartment's unlocked. I know it's totally unsafe, but my roommate's always forgetting her keys, and we don't have much to steal."
"Thanks a lot," she said. Easier than she'd expected. She didn't like lying to Finn, but it was better than breaking in and risking getting caught.
"I'll walk you out," Oliver said.
"You don't have to," she said.
"I want to."
Oliver helped her elbow her way through the crowd until they made it outside. "Are you sure you're okay with this? You know I'd normally go with you, but..."
"I understand," she said.
"The thing is, I don't know if this is weird, but..."
"You're really into Finn."
He brightened. "Do you think she's into me?"
"It's pretty obvious, and yes. I think you two would be perfect for each other."
Oliver wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you," he whispered.
Schuyler felt a momentary pang of loss. It had been a long time since they'd been together, and they'd never talked about it, but she knew they'd both been wondering what might happen if Jack never came back. She hadn't wanted to fully contemplate the possibility, and Oliver had gone to great lengths to get Schuyler out of his system, literally, but the prospect was always there, an unanswered question between two old friends.
But now it was clear. Even if Jack never came back, Schuyler and Oliver weren't meant to be. Maybe it was too soon to say that he'd found someone he was meant to be with, but Schuyler couldn't imagine anyone better. Her best friend and her newfound sister - what could be more perfect?
"Don't screw this up," she said, and reached up to give him a brief kiss on the lips.
One last kiss.