Meet Me By The Dock

Chapter 27

Note to self: Rich kids don't always throw classy parties.

I realize this as Mattie and I make our way up a long driveway to a mansion filled with people. At least, I think it's a mansion.

As we weave through the cars and make it closer to the front door it quickly becomes apparent that this place is definitely a mansion.

There are two guys smoking on the huge front steps with three girls surrounding them asking for a cigarette. The music is so loud it seems to shake the stairs. I can't recognize the song with all of the conversations going on over top of it.

There are people stumbling in and out of the two grand front doors, laughing and completely drunk. Mattie's hand goes to the small of my back as we push through the doorway.

Oh my god.

We enter a huge foyer, taller and wider than mine twice over. I try not to gape at the crystal chandelier swinging above us and all of the very expensive looking paintings hanging on the walls.

There had to have been hundreds of people throughout the entire house. There were people making out against the banister of the stairs. People taking shots at the table in the middle of the foyer. The place is filled to the brim.

Mattie pushes through people and I slip my hand into his while I walk behind him. He leads us through the foyer into what I assume would be the living room under different circumstances.

Instead, the couches have been pushed to the walls and tables have been dragged into the middle of the room to host multiple games of beer pong. People circle the tables with red cups in hand, laughing loudly or screaming the lyrics to the blasting music.

One of the guys playing cup pong spots Mattie and yells, "Hey, Remington!" Over the absurdly loud music. Mattie doesn't hear him so the guy yells again. This time I pull on Mattie's arm and he stops walking immediately. He turns to me and his eyebrows are furrowed in concern, "Are you okay? Do you want to leave?"

I can barely hear him with the music, but I finally realize what he was saying, "No I'm fine," I smile to reassure him, "that guy is calling you!" I yell over the music that just changed to some rap song with a really loud bass.

His head searches the crowd until he finds the guy waving him over. He bends over and talks into my ear so I can hear him over the music, "He invited me, do you mind if we just go thank him for the invite real quick?"

"No." I laughed, why was he acting like I was going to bolt at the first opportunity?

We weaved through the crowd jumping to the song, the floor shook and the paintings rattled on the walls.

"Remington." Party Guy greeted him and they did their bro handshake that every guy does.

Then he turned to me.

"And who do we have here?" He slurred and looked me up and down, pausing at my chest.

"Hi," I said louder than necessary to get his attention back on my face, "I'm Lilah."

As I said my name Mattie slung an arm around my shoulder. I look up to see him giving the guy a hard stare.

Party Guy rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, message received." He looked back at me and smirked. Instead of making my stomach flip like Mattie's smirk normally did, it filled my mouth with a bad taste and made me want to turn in the other direction and run. Then he brushed past Mattie and said, "Hit me up if you ever feel like sharing, dude."

I wanted to throw up. I wanted to run after him and impale him with one of the pool sticks leaning on the wall. How dare he.

I caught Mattie's jaw tick as he watched him walk away. He looked back at me and his gaze softened. He seemed like he just realized his arm was still on my shoulder because he quickly slid it off.