Chapter 17

Eventually able to get their laughter under control, Jayde noted that they were actually pretty far into the trees already. It was dark and got darker quickly, the light from the almost full moon blocked by the thick tree canopy overhead. Jayde looked back towards the school, wondering if the lights would pierce through the darkness, but was met with more darkness. She could see the edge of the treeline, though, the moonlight shining enough to highlight the blades of grass.

They walked for a while, chatting about classes and pointing out what they hated about certain teachers. They both decided that Ms. Canna was the best at the school, as the centaur was kind but strict enough to keep the class from getting out of hand. Pheli particularly disliked her science teacher, a weird man who Pheli was convinced was really an ogre. No one knew for certain what his species was, they just knew he stunk to high heaven. Jayde still felt weirded out by Mr. Sharie, but was getting a little more used to the way he acted. He was always walking around, pointing things out or checking work, but didn’t really talk about himself.

It was about ten minutes of walking before Jayde realized she could hear the party. The music was playing loudly with the bass turned all the way up. It was beating so hard that Jayde was surprised trees hadn’t fallen over from the vibrations. Then there was light that filtered slowly through the trees, lighting up their path to the bonfire as it flickered with the movement of the flames.

Jayde stopped and stared into the clearing from the treeline, amazed at the sheer size of the party even though Pheli had said it would be big. The clearing was filled with a monumental bonfire in the middle, and people everywhere else. Some were dancing, drinks in hand, while some stood in groups, talking as they drank from their red solo cups. It looked like the football team had set up two drink tables too, one being on the far right and the other on the far left of the clearing. Almost all of the girls were wearing short-shorts, short skirts, or tight pants. A few of the girls were literally walking around with just their bras on and short-shorts. Most of the boys had shorts or jeans on with either no shirt or just plain t-shirts on.

“This is it!” Pheli said excitedly, practically vibrating with it. She let Jayde’s arm go to clap, hopping in place. “Woo! Okay, drink or dance first?”

Trying to get over her amazement and shock over the size of the party, Jayde tilted her head towards the larger group of people dancing. “At least one or two dances before we grab our first cup. If that works for you?” It's not good to get drunk from the start. That’s how you get wasted fast and be the joke of the party.

Pheli nodded, already moving her body in time with the beat of the song. As they walked closer to the bonfire, and those dancing, it occurred to Jayde that her friend sometimes had the weirdest mood swings. One moment Pheli was hyper, bouncing around, and the next she was serious. It was enough that it could give Jayde whiplash if she wasn’t ready for the speedy mood change.

“Ophelia! You made it!”

They turned to see who had called Pheli’s name, and Jayde flinched, almost having a heart attack, as she screamed and ran towards the guy. Once her heart was beating normally again, she noted the dude was super tall with black hair and a beard slowly growing in. He picked Pheli up in a bear hug, swinging her around in a circle. Jayde’s eyes widened, hurrying forward as she worried for her friend’s modesty as the red-head was swung high enough for people to see under the skirt.

“Me? You’re the one who texted me and told me you weren’t coming!”

Jayde was a little amused at the exchange, happier once Pheli was on the ground and her modesty was safe. Ish. She tugged the skirt down a little bit in the back as Pheli smacked the guy’s shoulder. He just tilted his head back to let loose a deep, belting laugh, keeping his hands on her waist. Jayde stood behind Pheli and cleared her throat softly. Her friend turned a blush on her smiling face.

“Sorry Jay. I haven’t introduced you to my boyfriend, have I?” She turned, tucking her arm around the guy’s waist as he let his arm drape over her shoulders. “This is William. Will, this is my best friend Jayde.”

Well, wow that was a kicker. Ophelia was not known for her ability to keep secrets, yet she had a tall, drool-worthy secret boyfriend. Shaking away the surprise, Jayde held her hand out to Will. “Nice to meet you.”

Another large grin covered his face as he shook her hand, his gigantic hand engulfing hers. “Oh trust, the pleasure is all mine. I feel like I already know you even though we’ve just met. Fee has talked about you a lot since we got together, talking about how awesome you are, especially on your first day here.”

Jayde searched for sarcasm or any other hint of satire in his voice, but heard none. She looked at Pheli and her friend smiled back at her, even as her cheeks darkened almost to her hair color. She playfully smacked Will’s chest, shushing him. He simply smiled down at her. The atmosphere around them became filled with love and mushy gushy feelings that made Jayde feel awkward. Hello to being the third-wheel.

“I, uh, think I’m going to go dance. It looks like you two have a lot of catching up to do,” Jayde said, giving Phel a look. She wanted her friend to talk to her about Will, give her all the dirty details, and maybe explain why it took Jayde so long to find out about him.

Pheli caught the look and nodded, giggling as she rolled her eyes. She waved Jayde off as Will started pulling her in the opposite direction. Jayde watched for a moment before turning and walking into the throng of dances who were closest to the fire. She wasn’t able to feel the sunlight without consequences, so a fire was the next best thing.

Getting to a spot where she felt comfortable, Jayde smiled as “Low” by Flo Rider started to play over the speakers. It took her back to some of her middle school dances, but as it was one of her favorite dancing songs, she closed her eyes and let her body move with the beat of the music. With her eyes closed, it could almost be like she was back at home with her door closed, music blaring, and dancing like she didn’t have a care in the world.

Just like at home, when Tucker would barge in and turn the music off, the song stopped, and she had to return back to reality. She breathed in deep, taking in the smell of burning wood, and opened her eyes up to look at the stars twinkling in the sky above her.

A commotion to her left, in the crowd of people standing around the drink table, had Jayde snapping her head in that direction. Looking over, she spotted a guy on the ground as people started backing away. His hand was on his nose, and he was looking upwards at who Jayde assumed had hit him. Their raised voices reached her as the music was turned down, and she realized one sounded familiar. Jayde moved forward, gently pushing through the crowd as a burst of emotions bloomed in her chest. As she got closer, the clearer the voices were, confirming who she had heard as the bully.