LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter Ten

      “Hey, girl!” Heather said, toppling over her six-inch heels into Henry’s car.

      Henry stood outside the door, his arms at Heather’s waist helping her balance.

      “You alright there?” I asked.

      “Absolutely,” she slurred. She turned to Henry. “Thank you, kind sir.” She exploded into a fit of giggles and tumbled into the back seat.

      Oh, boy.

      I blew the acrid scent of alcohol from Ally’s nose.

      “You look hot for falling down an escalator,” Heather said, using her lit phone screen to check out my outfit.

      I laughed. “Are you okay?”

      She ignored the question, pulled a beer from her purse and handed it to me. “Want one?”

      “No,” Cooper said without turning around from the front seat.

      I glared at him. I know. “I can’t,” I said.

      “Oh yeah, you’re on meds; that sucks! More for me!” She took a long swig from the can, then set it down in one of the cup holders.

      On the way to the party, Heather talked my ear off about how tonight would be “the night” with Brody. Whatever that meant. I nodded appropriately, trying to appear more Ally-like. Her memories were my constant companion in helping steer me in the conversations with Ally’s friends. Though Cooper was a big help too.

      Henry pulled up to Brody’s house, as close as he could. Cars lined both sides of the street. I looked out Heather’s window and saw teen boys running across the lawn without shirts on. The house itself wasn’t gated but its size definitely challenged the Greene home.

      “Ally!” Heather touched Ally’s arm. “We’re here.”

      “No kidding,” I said.

      Henry lurched from his seat and waddled around to the trunk. He opened it and I frowned.

      “You promised,” Cooper said smugly.

      Henry opened my door, holding the crutches out to me. I slid out of the car and took them.

      Cooper appeared beside me. “I’m going to check in with my team.”

      Just as Cooper disappeared, Aaron appeared at my side.

      I groaned.

      “It’s nice to see you too,” he said, grinning.

      I ignored him and waited for Heather to stumble out of the car and make it to my side. She struggled with her skirt, hiking it up to a dangerously short length.

      “Ready?” she said.

      As I’ll ever be.

      Heather’s heels clicked across the walkway in time with the crutches as we weaved through the crowd of teens hanging out in the front yard. They stared, but I kept my head forward, following Heather’s lead. Music filtered out of the open windows and the volume got louder as we neared the house.

      “Ugh, why is Carrie Richards here? I swear Brody needs a bouncer or something to weed out the dweebs,” Heather complained.

      Inside the house there were twice as many bodies and the music was deafening. Teens congregated in the hallway entrance, keeping an eye on who came and went. The smell of sweat and alcohol invaded my nose. Inhaling through my mouth helped ease the tightening of Ally’s stomach. Heather greeted some of the “cooler kids” as she called them; I did as well. Sticking next to Heather proved an asset and I quickly fell into the rhythm of the party.

      A new song came on and Heather squealed.

      “Remember this one? Oh my God! Sixth grade, that kid grabbing your butt! We need to dance.”

      She dragged me into the living room, where a group of girls were dancing. It was the first, and hopefully last, time I was thankful for the crutches. I leaned on them heavily and swayed to the music. Heather jumped around me and I became lost in her silliness. But a sinking feeling in Ally’s middle encroached on the mood.

      She should have been there to experience the party. Her youth had been taken from her just as her soul was. She needed this last week of her humanity. I hoped the Guard were onto a lead. Any lead.

      Cooper stood at the bay windows, his eyes constantly scanning the room. The few times I caught his eye, he nodded. He was all business tonight.

      “I need a drink!” Heather shouted.

      “Okay!” I said, thankful for the reprieve from the mass of sweaty bodies gyrating close together.

      Heather led the way to the kitchen and opened the fridge, handing me a bottle of water. She continued to the keg and flirted with one of the boys to pour her a cup.

      I leaned into the counter and took a swig of water. The crisp drink cooled down Ally’s flushed body.

      Heather bumped her hip into mine, nearly spilling her overfilled cup. “Where’s Seth?”

      “He said he was coming later.” Ally’s cell phone hardly stopped chiming all day long with texts, emails, status updates, and other random messages. I ended up turning it off right after receiving Seth’s message about the party.

      Heather thrust out her chest. “Oh.”

      I followed her gaze to a boy across the room. Brody?

      Ally’s memories confirmed my suspicions.

      “Don’t worry about me,” I offered.

      “I’ll wait,” she said, eyeing him.

      “Seriously, go,” I said, nudging her with the crutch. “I’m going to text Seth to get him here sooner.”

      “You are the best!” She kissed my cheek and went to Brody, who took her hand and led her out of the room as if his next breath depended on it.

      I finished my water and left the empty bottle on the counter. What to do now?

      I spotted Aaron in the hallway and headed in the other direction. I found a set of sliding doors that opened to the back yard. My head pounded and I needed a break from the thumping bass.

      The night air tickled Ally’s slick skin. I stepped onto the patio, leaning heavily on the crutches and greeted a few kids. They gave me open-mouthed stares, indicating Ally was not actually friends with them.

      Okay, moving on.

      With each step I took from the house, the fewer people there were. Except for the half-naked kids splashing around the hot tub. I hobbled to a gazebo at the edge of the property. When I was sure there was no one around, I dropped the crutches and stretched out Ally’s legs and leaned back against the railing to watch the millions of stars shining bright against the moonlit sky.

      A deep breath escaped my lips and I thought of what happened at the mall. I had only taken my eyes off her for less than ten seconds. In the past I’d have to quickly get a soul

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