Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(14)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“That’s not taking a chance, Charlotte. That’s being normal,” he said lightly.

“Well, I don’t have too many opportunities to take chances.” Between my father, my brother, and my uncle, I was pretty well protected.

“Well, we’ll have to see about that, but have fun with your rules.” With that, he walked away, toward the living room. I had barely processed our conversation when Kevin came into the kitchen with two girls.

“Hey Sis! How are you doing?” Kevin looked excited to see me.

“Hi, Kev. I’m doing alright.” I tried to sound enthusiastic.

“Charlotte, have you met Amanda and Karen?” He pointed to the girls.

“No. Nice to meet you.” I gave them a nod, figuring that this was not the time or place to shake hands.

“Well, have fun!” Leave it to my brother to have two girls hanging on him; he could be such a player sometimes.

I walked out into the living room and caught a glimpse of Anna and Molly, but they seemed be having too much fun flirting with the older boys at the party to notice me. I walked around for a little bit, starting to feel restless again. I decided to sit down on an empty couch to plan my exit strategy.

“Having fun, huh?” Liam asked, looking down at me.

“Oh, hey, Liam. It’s that obvious, huh?” I felt silly once again.

“Well, a girl sitting alone on a couch is never a good sign at a party.” Liam hesitated for a moment before sitting next to me.

“Yeah, parties aren’t really my thing.”

“I could kind of tell you weren’t thrilled when Brian asked you about it at gym, but I’m glad you came, and your brother sure is, too.”

“Yeah, well, he hates having a loser sister.” I played absently with the sleeve of my sweater.

“He cares about you, Charlotte; he just wants you to have fun.”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

Liam turned to look at me. “Well, I don’t think Kevin has to worry about you becoming a social hermit here if your first weekend is any evidence.”

“So did he put you up to all this?” I really wanted to know why he was being so nice.

“To all what?” Liam asked innocently.

“Inviting me to this party, talking to me now.”

“Why would he do that?”

“So I wouldn’t feel like a loser. I distinctly remember him asking you to help.” I found myself wondering once again why Liam was playing stupid. Was he just trying to spare my feelings?

“The invitation was all Brian; he’s pretty friendly.” Liam tapped his fingers on his leg like he was playing a bass line. He always used to do that as a kid.

“Yeah, I get that,” I said, and he looked at me kind of funny.

“So, I’m all for you coming out, but just let me know if anyone is… well, too friendly, you know?”

“Ha! Thanks, Liam.” I felt awkward again. I couldn’t imagine going to Liam because a guy was hitting on me too much; that would be too weird.

“So, how did that library thing with James go?” he asked casually.

“Oh.” I was surprised that Liam even remembered. “Fine, productive.”

“I still can’t believe Monty let him drive you. How was the ride, anyhow?” He seemed genuinely curious.

“Yeah, I think Monty’s trying to be cool. This whole telling me what to do thing is new, and the car felt just like any other car.” I wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear.

A boy I didn’t recognize came up to Liam and said something so quietly I couldn’t hear it. Liam turned back to me. “Hey, I hate to run, but I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”

“Not a problem,” I said, as he walked away. I briefly wondered what that was all about.

I got up and walked around again. My desire to be at the party was progressively waning, so I looked around for Kevin. I saw that he was still engrossed with Amanda and Karen. Next, I saw Rachel, who I hadn’t even said hello to yet, but she looked pretty cozy with her boyfriend; I didn’t want to interrupt. Finally, I spotted Anna.

“Hi, Anna,” I said. “Could I ask you a favor?”

“Sure.” She seemed slightly hesitant.

“I’m really tired and want to head home. Could you tell my brother that I went ahead and left?”

Anna reacted just as I had hoped. Somehow I knew Anna wouldn’t mind having an excuse to talk to my brother. “Sure, I totally don’t mind giving Kevin the message. Not a problem!”

“Great, thanks!” I was both surprised and relieved that she didn’t ask how I was getting home.

As I headed toward the front door, I caught a quick glance of Liam talking intently to a girl I didn’t recognize. I guessed that she had something to do with what the other boy had whispered to him earlier. No need to bother him and ruin his fun. It was nice that he talked to me, but he clearly had his own life.

I slipped out the front door and closed it quietly behind me, even though no one would have heard if I had slammed it, considering how loud the music was. I knew that walking home alone at night was a bad idea, but I had really needed to get out of there. No matter how hard I tried, social situations were always awkward. It took so much effort to figure out where to stand, who to talk to, and what to hold; it never seemed worth it. Just thinking about how strange I had felt at the party made me want to cry. I didn’t get why I couldn’t be more like my brother, comfortable no matter what the situation.

I walked home as quickly as I could, wishing I had worn sneakers instead of boots. The further I got from the party, the more nervous I felt about walking alone. Suddenly, I felt the sensation that I was being followed. I started to get nervous; I wondered if those few sips of lemonade may have made me sick. I picked up my pace.

“You know, you should be more careful about where you walk alone at night; you never know who could be following you.” For the second time that night, I jumped as a result of James.

“What are you doing here?” I was startled but relieved that it was James and not a stranger. Still, the way he talked about someone following me gave me the creeps.

“I saw you leave the party alone and decided to see where you were going, you know, see you home safe. Why did you leave alone, anyhow?”

“No choice really.”

“What about Liam? He is your neighbor, after all.”

“He was busy. Plus, he’s Kevin’s friend, not mine.” I hoped James didn’t hear the disappointment in my voice.