Enzo and I parked and walked across the empty highway toward the lights and noise. The full moon was high in the sky, and I wondered where Lizzie was and if the moon was on her mind too.
The barn doors were thrown open, creating a sort of half-inside, half-outside party. There were people everywhere. Small groups leaned in to hear each other over the sound of the band. Other kids were dancing and playing drinking games that had rules I’d never been taught. Enzo and I passed a girl who was on all fours, puking beside a trash can instead of into it. I was finally experiencing the sort of party I’d seen in a thousand movies. And I didn’t particularly like it.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” Enzo said, leaning close so I could hear him over the music. “When I was a teenager, I had nightmares about places like this.”
“We’ll just stay long enough to hear the band play, OK?”
“I’m the oldest person here,” he said, looking around like he expected the police to jump out of the bushes and arrest him for being too adult.
“Well, everyone here hates me, so we’re equally out of place.”
I strode into the barn like I had purpose, because I didn’t know what else to do. We squeezed by a group of football players and their girlfriends who were clustered around a keg. One of the guys shouted, “Holy shit, Hawthorn Creely at a party?”
“Don’t you have werewolves to hunt?” one of the girls taunted.
I ignored them and kept walking.
It was warm inside despite how cool the night was. The whole place reeked of beer. A stage was set up opposite the doors, and a band was playing. I didn’t see Logan though, so it must not have been Strength in Numbers. I looked around for something to do or someone for Enzo and me to talk to, and even though I recognized almost every face, there wasn’t a group we could join.
Enzo and I stood awkwardly at the edge of the crowd, and I was thinking what a mistake it was to have come when I heard someone shout my name in a much friendlier way than the jock outside had.
Emily ran up to me and gave me a hug. “I can’t believe you came!”
I was pretty sure she’d been drinking. Otherwise, she looked like regular Emily, wearing a peach cardigan. That made me feel better. Normal.
Logan was right behind her, and she introduced me to him, even though technically we’d met before. Then I introduced both of them to Enzo.
Emily was polite. She smiled at Enzo and told him it was nice to meet him. I was probably the only one who noticed that the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Or that Emily, with her impeccable manners, hadn’t offered to shake Enzo’s hand.
“Hey,” Logan said, “aren’t you the guy whose girlfriend is missing?”
I could tell how uncomfortable Enzo was without even looking at him. It’s like the feeling was radiating off his skin. “Yeah. I am.”
“That sucks, man. I’m really sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“So, are there, like, any updates?”
“No,” Enzo said, glancing around the room as if not looking at Logan would make him disappear.
Emily and I looked back and forth between them. I wished for something clever to say that would take the whole conversation in a new direction, but instead, I just stood there.
“You think an animal got her?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s harsh. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
Enzo ended the conversation by saying he was going to find us some drinks. Emily, ever helpful, pointed him in the right direction. For the second time in just a few minutes, I felt relieved.
“Why did you bring him here?” Emily asked as soon as he was out of earshot.
“I didn’t want to come alone.”
If it were any other time, she would have pressed the matter, and it would have turned into an argument. But we were at a party, and no one wanted to think about unpleasant things.
“You’re not alone,” Emily said, putting her arm around my shoulder. “You have me.”
I laughed and squeezed her back. The alcohol was probably responsible for her uncharacteristic display of affection, but I’d take what I could get.
? ? ?
An hour later, Logan’s band was onstage, and I was probably the closest to drunk I’d ever been, which was OK, because I felt great. Strength in Numbers was better than I thought they would be, Emily and Enzo were getting along, and I’d stopped caring about everyone else and what they thought of me.
“They have so much energy!” I said to Emily, and I wasn’t sure if she could hear me, because we were so close to the stage, but she nodded and grinned like she knew exactly what I was talking about.
Some people next to us were dancing, and I thought that was a great idea, so I started swaying back and forth too. Emily burst out laughing, then grabbed my hand and joined me.