Burn Before Reading

I was quiet, waiting for her to spill, but she glanced at me and sighed.

"Look, it doesn't feel right to tell you. I might not like the Blackthorn boys, but I don't want to drag them through the mud, either. We all stopped talking about it a long time ago, and I feel like that's where it should stay. In the past."

"Fine," I put my hands up. "I get it. I'll just have to pry it from some extremely drunk senior at the party."

"And here I thought you were just a quiet geek!" Kristin slapped the steering wheel. "You're so tenacious."

"When I have to be," I winked.

"Oh yeah? What's Mr. Blackthorn dangling in front of you? It can't be a college recommendation like it is for me – you’re two years too early for that."

"My scholarship," I said. "I want to keep it, so -"

"Aha, I getcha." She nodded. In a few minutes, we were parking in a fancy suburb, and she and I got out. She pointed to a massive McMansion in the distance, then fist-bumped me. "Let's go get what we want."

We walked down the sidewalk, the muffled music growing louder, other dark shapes sauntering towards the lit-up house. Kristin laced her arm in mine.

"Fitz gets super drunk," She said. "He stays downstairs and parties it up. Burn doesn't drink, but he always heads to the yard, somewhere quiet and with the least amount of people. And Wolf -" She made a face. "It's hard to describe what he does. I know he likes high places in the house. Balconies. Rooms."

"Alright, thanks. That makes my job a little easier."

Kristin smiled. "Anything I can do, I'm here for you. Just come find me - or you can text me."

"Will you be, er - drunk?"

"Oh, I don't like drinking. I'm just here to dance. And maybe make out with a few people." She winked, and I felt my face flush.

"Right. I forgot that happens at parties."

We made it to the front porch, and Kristin rang the doorbell. The thumping music came in crystal clear as soon as the door opened, a senior I'd seen around flashing a smile at Kristin. They hugged, and she led me inside. The house was a hundred times hotter than outside, the decor all tasteful tapestries and family photos that were slightly askew thanks to the fact people were jammed in here wall-to-wall. 'Smaller than you think' my ass, Kristin. I followed her like a sheep follows a shepherd - my eyes darting everywhere as I struggled to take in what was going on all at once; the living room was crowded with dancing people, the kitchen was a little quieter, half-empty liters of soda and vodka bottles lining the counter like weary soldiers. The hall wound around the house, and most of the guest rooms were – you guessed it - occupied by people furiously making out. Kristin pointed to the kitchen.

"I saw Fitz in there just now. Go say hi! I'll be dancing!"

And just like that, she disappeared into the crowd, and my lifeline was gone. My palms started sweating as I struggled through waves of people to get to the kitchen. I recognized only half of these people - the other half didn't go to our school. Everyone was dressed to impress - with metallic eyeshadow and black leather jeans and curled hair. I could hear the mutters that followed me, just barely audible below the thumping music; ‘Isn’t that her?’. ‘She tried to make-out with Wolf, right?’

Great. That awful rumor was spreading even more. I wanted to snap the truth at them, but something stopped me – would they even believe me if I did? Probably not. People just believe what they want to – and what they want to believe is always that one lie that’s more interesting than the truth.

God, this was such a bad idea. My first party, and I was already adrift in the sea of faces.

But then I spotted one I knew. Fitz was at the stove, a frying pan in one hand and his arm slung around a giggling girl's shoulders. He wore a brightly-colored, open-collared shirt that would've looked stupid on anyone else, but went perfectly with his curly blond hair and scarecrow physique. He flipped the pan, a pancake doing a perfect arc, and the girl clapped excitedly. His eyes found mine, and he smiled.

"Bee! About time you showed up. You want a pancake? They're chocolate chip."

"N-No, I'm good," I said.

"You look awful," He looked me up and down. "Are you gonna be sick? Did you drink too much already?"

"I'm fine!" I snapped. "Thanks for the concern."

"You should eat something!" The girl next to him chimed. "It helps with the booze."

Fitz plated the pancake on a huge stack of them, and picked the plate up, jerking his head to me. "Come on back - we've got a secret hideaway."

The girl laughed and trotted after him, and I didn't know what else to do, so I followed. They led me to a game room of some sort, with a pool table. Five or six people played, a few others sprawled on beanbag chairs and the sofa. It was a little quieter in here, the walls sheltering us from the music. Fitz hefted himself onto the pool table and plopped the plate of pancakes in the smack-dab middle of the pool game. People complained.

"Aw, shut the hell up!" Fitz shouted. "I made you food and this is how you repay me? Ungrateful children!"

He waggled his finger at them as people laughed and lined up. Some used forks the girl had brought, others just straight grabbed them with their hands and chowed down like they were tacos. Fitz downed a half-glass of some amber liquid and rubbed his hands together.

"So, Bee. Shirt and jeans, huh? Can't say I'm not surprised."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I put on my best sardonic voice. "Was I supposed to wear something else, your highness?"

"At least a skirt," He groaned. "Liven my life up, a little."

"You're a pervert." I accused.

"Unfortunately," He agreed, stuffing a piece of pancake in his face.

"Also unfortunately," I pointed at his bright shirt. "You have no taste."

He laughed. "Oh, you definitely grew up poor, didn't you? The tastelessness is exactly what makes it haute couture."

"Oh, I get it now. Make it as ugly as possible, and people will buy it thinking it's subversive and edgy."

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