to the freezer to fill it with ice and then with soda and soda alone. “Some of us like to be have fun the old fashioned way,” he explained. “And I’m not the only one.”
“You too?” I asked Chase, craning my neck so I could look him in the eyes.
He just shrugged in response; I felt the movement of his shoulder against my back. His hand around my waist gripped my hip and pulled me closer to him. His body felt warm against me, his hand sturdy, holding me possessively to him.
“Well, don’t I just feel like the worst kind of heathen,” I grumbled. “If you guys don’t like to drink, then why have these parties?” I asked, completely dumfounded.
More shrugging. Was it too much to ask for complete sentences?
“Is it a popularity thing?” I pressed.
“It’s more like, everyone knows my parents are super relaxed about this kind of thing so they all just expect me to have them. If I don’t announce a party, one inevitably happens anyway just because people start to show up and then they call their friends and more people show up. If I invite people over, I have more say over when they happen. Plus, I usually wait for my parents to be out of town so that if the cops were ever to show up at least they wouldn’t be charged for allowing minors to drink and smoke. Plus, I need to arrange for my sisters and brother to go somewhere for the night.”
I gaped at Phoenix. “How very responsible of you, but it seems like a lot of work for you when you don’t even want this trouble to begin with.”
“That’s not true,” Phoenix defended and gestured around the house with two outstretched arms. “I like having people over. I like having parties. I just don’t like to lose control.”
I stood quiet long enough for our silence to be interrupted by violent retching coming from just outside the back door. I shot Phoenix a doubtful look but he just grinned in response.
“Ok, maybe I don’t like the cleanup part, but at least that was outside. My mom has enough flowers, they destroy my allergies anyway,” Phoenix’s eyes were glinting with mischief and I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.
“Really?” I asked unable to keep the skepticism out of my tone.
“His Zen is genetic. You should meet his parents. You could rob them at gunpoint and they would still ask you to dinner and make sure you got everything valuable in the house,” Chase explained and I wondered if that was true.
“Which wouldn’t be much,” Phoenix laughed.
“The weed has to be expensive,” I countered and then wondered if that was appropriate.
Phoenix just grinned wider, turning his happy face into a cartoon. “True. Very true. They could always take the drugs.”
“But then again you just give them away at your parties, so why bother with the gun?” Chase spoke up.
“Better to get them out of my house then have my little sisters find them,” Phoenix’s expression finally turned grim and I realized that maybe these parties were part of protecting his family.
If that was the case then I could understand his motives.
I had my own little sister to protect.
“Well, well, well if it isn’t our boy Fred,” Phoenix’s smile came back in full force and he reached out a hand to do the boy-hand-shake thing with Ryder.
“Fred?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Ryder turned his eyes on me and held my gaze for a long moment before answering. I felt like he was drinking me in, absorbing me into his reality. I shivered against Chase, not sure how I felt about the raw intensity Ryder always looked at me with. It was unnerving and made me feel vulnerable and exposed. I decided that I absolutely hated it.
At the same time I loved it.
“Sure, Fred,” he responded, his voice low and a bit gruff. “And Shaggy,” he nodded at Phoenix. “And Scooby.”
I felt Chase’s chest vibrate with laughter behind me.
“Shaggy makes sense,” I snapped my head toward Phoenix. “You look exactly like a Shaggy.”
“Groovy.”
“But you smell way too good to be a dog, sorry,” I looked up at Chase. His eyes twinkled down at me, his expression soft and sweet. “So that makes you, Daphne?” I asked Kenna when she trailed into the kitchen, two of her friends on either side.
“Yep!” She grinned at me and then threw her arms around Ryder’s waist. “We’re auditioning for a Velma. Ivy, you in?”
“I’ll