I didn’t complain about her rules. It was nice to have someone who worried about me but still let me have a little freedom. It was the best of both worlds. I grabbed my coat from the hall closet, pulled my boots on, and then stepped out onto the porch to wait for Brad. It was cold; the wind whipped around me, and even though what I was wearing was not exactly suitable for winter weather, there was no way I was changing. It’d be warm once I was inside the party.

A car was slowly making its way up the drive. I knew it was Brad because he’d installed these stupid blue-toned bulbs in his lower light. Plus, my parents were gone for a conference for three days and wouldn’t be back until Monday or Tuesday, depending on travel time.

They had this entire world and life I could never be part of, which always meant there was a huge space between us. It used to hurt a lot, made me feel like they didn’t want to be around me, didn’t trust me with their secrets. Now I understood that it was their job and they were legally unable to share the details with me, but just because I understood didn’t mean I liked it.

“Hey, Maiz,” Brad said through the open window as he pulled up. “You look smokin'. Seriously. But you’re gonna freeze your tiny ass off.”

I wrinkled my nose at him while hurrying down the steps to get out of said freezing winds. It hadn’t snowed yet, at least; that would definitely have ruined my suede boots. Brad had the window back up by the time I slid into the passenger seat, his heater sending delicious bursts of warm air across my half-frozen body.

“This party is inside, right?” My teeth chattered slightly. I seriously didn’t think it was this cold in November last year. Mother Nature was kicking in her cold snap early.

“Yep, Owens has an entire basement decked out. His dad just finished the renos and this is the christening.”

I nodded, settling back into my seat. I wasn’t a huge fan of Mitchell Owens – a soccer star at our school who thought he was top shit. He was blond, ripped, and had biceps for days, because he basically lived at the gym. His ultra-confidence didn’t bother me as much as the vibe he gave me. I had a decent douche-radar, as I liked to call it. If there was a guy around who made me even slightly uncomfortable, I made sure to never be alone in a room with him. It was one thing my mom taught me, something she learned after being raped at a party when she was fifteen.

Her parents never allowed her out at night, so she’d snuck out one time and the worst had happened. It shaped her entire world for years, basically until she met my father and learned to trust men again. She finally found the happiness she deserved.

“I’m surprised you don’t have a date tonight,” I said to Brad, needing to think about something less stressful.

He shrugged, focusing on the traffic we were slowly moving through. “Honestly, the girl drama has been a bit much lately. I’m thinking a nice, relaxing night with my best friend and a few drinks is the ticket.”

I laughed. “Yeah, okay.” This wasn’t the first time he’d started with those intentions, but by the time “a few drinks” happened, he always managed to get snared by one of the scantily-clad chicks there.

Brad flashed me his trademark crooked grin, the one he pulled out to get him out of trouble at school, and into trouble with women. “Scout’s honor.”

My laugh turned into a snort. “You’re no Scout, my friend. Not even close.”

He didn’t argue, because as usual, I was right.

2

It took us about twenty minutes to make it through traffic and reach the very nice development that Mitchell’s house was in. Cars were everywhere on the sidewalks, down the street, and across the road. Brad didn’t even bother looking for a spot, he just drove right down the main driveway, which was off the side of the house, and parked behind Mitchell’s car.

“Owens told me that it was cool for me to bring my baby closer to safety,” he explained as he switched the engine off.

I nodded, because I seriously didn’t care what the reason was. I was just happy I didn’t have to trek for miles in the cold. It also meant I could leave my coat in the car – I could brave the cold for a few minutes.

As soon as I stepped out, I wasted no time heading for the house. “Come on, the new entrance is this way,” Brad told me, leading me past the path I thought we would take.

I’d been heading for the front porch, but apparently that was not the way in now. We walked around the side of the house and there were people scattered everywhere, smoking and drinking. Brad waved and greeted most of them as we continued toward a set of open double doors that lay almost flush with the ground. Basement entrance, I would assume.

Loud music could be heard before we were even close. We took the stairs down to the ground level, and … I could admit it, it was impressive. The area was huge; an entire floor had been cleared out and redesigned in a similar setup to a club: couches, tables, a designated dance floor – even a bar, which was packed with people. I recognized a ton of kids from school, but there were also a lot I didn’t know.

“Big party,” I shouted over the music.

Brad pushed a hand through his hair, ruffling it up a little. “Yeah, I kind of expected he would go all out now that his party space was ready, but this is pretty insane.”

It was hard to hear him – I never quite understood why the music had to be so loud at parties. But after a few drinks I wouldn’t care. I’d just be dancing and dancing until my legs gave out.