Vīgintī novem

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

The girl gives him googly eyes, brimming with enough puppy love and affection to ruffle my feathers. Immediately I'm on guard, especially after I feel the slight tension of Oakley's muscles under the hand I had tentatively placed on his chest only moments ago.

"Hey Cam," he chokes out. "How did you end up here?"

She shrugs. "Well, it's a Friday night and I thought I would get to know the town. A few kids I ran into said there was a party and pointed me in this direction." She shifts her attention in my direction, reaching out a hand for a handshake. "Hi, I'm Cam."

Summoning every ounce of hospitality in my system, I spread the most contrived smile I've ever conjured across my face and take her hand into mine, gripping just a pinch too roughly. Her returning grip is the same. The passive aggression between the two of us is only momentary, and we're the only two that could speak to its existence as our faces remain carefully schooled into a tentative expression appropriate for a first meeting.

"Sunday," I reply, trying to keep the coolness I feel from my tone. "This is my house. Feel free to make yourself at home. Can I get you something to drink?"

She shakes her head slightly, causing her sleek black tresses to sway with the motion. "Maybe some water? I don't drink alcohol. I prefer to stay sharp."

I raise an eyebrow but say nothing further about the general air of pretentiousness that seems to envelop every single word that leaves her lips. Grabbing another cup from the stack on the counter, I fill it with ice and water from the pitcher on the counter top before handing it to her.

"Want to introduce me around to some of your friends, Oak?" Cam says, a ghost of a smile teasing the corner of her full lips.

Hesitating only a breath, Oakley eventually turns to me, apology pinching his brows and clearly dancing on the tip of his tongue. "Cam is a friend from back home. I'm just going to introduce her to a few people so she feels more comfortable. I'll be back in a minute."

Her smile turns smug as Oakley leaves me standing in my kitchen, taking her into the crowd of students.

What a bitch.

I stand stock still for a moment despite the party that's raging around me, feeling oddly bereft at the loss of his touch. Oakley barely knows anyone here, so why did he take the first opportunity to leave me behind when I would have been able to introduce her to more people than he would?

I'm in the middle of a good fume when Veronica comes up beside me. "Who is that girl?" she spits with venom in her tone. That's a good friend's job. Vilifying the competition. It's a job that Veronica takes very seriously, and I appreciate her efforts immensely.

"Cam, apparently. She knows Oakley from out of town."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure yet. Where's Poe?"

She shrugs. "She was talking to Windsor in the hall last I looked. They were getting pretty friendly, so I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we found her in Law's bed getting her rocks off.

My brows furrow. "Jesus, Ronnie."

Laughing in reply she offers me a shrug when I hear someone in the living room begin to holler about cops, before the music comes screeching to a halt, telling me that someone was sober enough to think of turning off the sound system. The crowd begins filtering out the back door or up the stairs, for the most part, leaving behind only a few people who are either too drunk to care or too apathetic strewn around various areas of the main floor.

Setting my water on the counter I make my way to the front door when I hear another rough knock against the hard wood door. Fuck.

I open the door to three officers standing there in full uniforms. One of them is holding a pad and paper while the one in the front has his hand placed carefully on the but of his gun that sticks out of his holster.

"We received a complaint of a party here?"

I clear my throat. "Just a few friends, officer."

Suddenly, I hear Brock at my back as he places a hand on my shoulder in what I'm assuming he's intending to be a show of solidarity, but it just makes my stomach churn.

"Do you mind if we come in and take a look?"

I shift on my feet, unsure of what to say about that before Brock finally cuts in. "Do you have a warrant?"

I toss my head back enough that I can get a good view of his expression, noting that he does seem relatively sober, and gratefully he managed to put his shirt back on before coming to my rescue.

"We don't need a warrant just to ask a few questions, son. I know Sunday is underage so I can just get in touch with Law if I need to."

I groan under my breath, suddenly finding myself irritated with the fact that both my father and Laurie were so friendly with the local police. Not that they're bad guys– Law went to school with some of them, but you don't generally want the police force knowing you by name. It makes it a challenge to fly under the radar as a teenager.

"It's fine. Come on," I say, tossing my head as an invitation before opening the door wide enough that the officers can step into the entryway.

I turn and take in the state of the area for the first time– it's a disaster. Cups are discarded on the floor, beer cans litter the countertops, visible from the front door, and the sour scent of spilled beer hangs in the air.

Only one officer came into the space, the other two standing just outside the open door. "Alright. I'm going to have to call your sister, Sunday."

Irritation blooms in my chest as I grind my teeth at the thought of how Law is going to respond to this. She's not going to think I can be left here alone. I can just see her using this as a reason that I need to move to Boston with her. I can't have that.

Poe comes rushing down the stairs, clearly having gotten the memo that we had visitors. Her head is on a swivel as she takes in the scene with concern. Taking a deep breath, I gather my strength and look back to the officer standing just inside the door, noting that his nametag says S. Berman. "Come on, it's just a few of us."

Officer Berman cants his head to the side before putting both hands on his hips, giving far more attitude than I would think an officer of the law is capable of. "That's not how it works. You've probably got drunk kids in here. I can't leave it. I'm sorry."

He moves to brush past me, spurring me to place a hand against officer Berman's chest. A warm calm comes through me as I look into his eyes. A knowledge, foregone and faraway comes over me - like a voiceless direction from a spirit long since passed. "You don't want to do that, officer. There are just a few of us here. Having a good time. Right?"

His baby blue eyes burn into my own as his face goes slack, his pupils expanding at the edges as my voice flows through him. "Yeah, just a few of you guys, having a good time." His returning voice is

I nod slowly. "We're being safe and not breaking any laws, so you should probably get back to more important duties. We've taken up enough of your time.":

Smiling, Officer Berman nods. "Yeah, we have more important calls. You guys are fine."

He turns toward the door, ushering the other officers back to the two police cruisers that are parked at the curb in front of my yard. I watch them go, breathless at what just happened before letting the door close with a thud.

"What the fuck just happened?" Brock says unable to keep the awe from his voice.

Poe levels me with a look, and I know that we're going to need to debrief about this later because... what the fuck just happened?

"I guess they just had more important things to do," I say, walking back over to the sound system with an undeniable strut to my step. "Let's get this party back in action!" I call before flipping on the tunes and offering a sly smile to the students still standing around the entryway wondering what the fuck just happened as River by Bishop Briggs fills the air.