Unexpected Friend

The party was well on its way when we arrived. Music blared from within the stately home, its elegant arches and columns quite at odds with the thumping rap blasting and gyrating teens I spied through the windows. Tara bounded out of the vehicle before I managed to unbuckle, not that I was moving very quickly. Not a single part of me wanted to be here.

Two steps down the drive, and I nearly twisted my ankle in the damn heeled boots I'd been forced to wear. They were gorgeous, black suede that hugged my legs, all the way up to my thighs. A chunky, cowl necked sweater covered my top half, the end of the sweater just hanging over the top of the boots. I could only imagine my dad's face right now if he realized his only daughter was in public without pants.

My tongue scraped along the front of my teeth to make certain no lipstick had rubbed off, and my fingers kept rising up to touch my lips, the lipstick on them foreign and distracting.

"Stop," Tara said. "You're going to smudge it, and no one will see my masterpiece."

"At least have someone else smudge it if you're going to ruin such beautiful work."

"Hello Niko," I said, spying Tara's girlfriend on the porch. I supposed that was what they were. Tara informed me the other girl didn't care for labels, but she'd promised to devote herself to their relationship for the time being.

"You look gorgeous. Not that you don't usually, but damn."

I blushed and twisted one of the soft, auburn curls that fell over my shoulders. Whenever I tried to curl my hair, I ended up looking like Shirley Temple until I brushed it out, and then it became frizzy kinks that stuck out everywhere. Tara had managed to create the perfect movie star waves.

"You look amazing as well," I pointed out. And she did. I hadn't seen her out of her uniform before, but I'd expected her personal style to mirror how she wore those clothes. The tighter the better. But the girl was dressed in black skinny jeans, ripped on the knees, and a basic white t-shirt covered by a loose, red flannel. Brown ankle boots and a fedora topped off the look.

She laughed at my appraisal. "I wear my uniform like that to protest its message of conformity, but it's terribly uncomfortable."

"Maybe I should follow suit. I hate those things. At least let the girls wear pants."

"Right on," Niko said, bumping my fist with hers while slipping her arm around Tara's hips. "Ready?"

"I've been ready all week," Tara said. "Isla?"

"Lead the way."

What had been loud on the porch was deafening inside. People shouted over one another to be heard, their voices slurred by whatever concoctions they were sipping in their red cups. Al was lounging on a couch deep in conversation with a girl who looked a year or two older than him, but he waved at us when Tara called his name.

Sweat broke out on my forehead. The sweater was too much in here, in the thickest part of the party. Tara and Niko had vanished, and no one else looked familiar. I pushed through the crush of bodies, searching for an exit or entrance to a quieter room, but everywhere I looked it was packed. I backed into a corner and struggled to breath.

"It's okay. Stay calm. Stay calm." The room became warped and fuzzy. This was a mistake. I should've put my foot down, said no. A hand grabbed mine and whisked me through a door, a blast of fresh hair soothing the fever from my cheeks. "Thank you, Ki-Ewan!"

"Not who you expected?" He put his hands on his hips and smiled. His long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and despite Kieran and Tara's warnings, I felt myself relax. I'd normally find his type of flirting to be skeezy and off putting, but there was something comforting about him. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"I didn't expect anyone in particular," I lied, folding my arms across my chest and looking around to avoid meeting his eyes. We were in a natatorium. Glass walls and ceilings arched over a large pool, steam rising above the placid water and fogging up the lower panes. The only light came from the stars and multicolored LED lights floating in the pool. "This place is- wow."

"Yep," he said, sitting and rolling his pants legs up so he could put his feet in the water. "We keep it locked during parties, but you were looking a little overwhelmed."

"We?"

"Jenny is my older sister."

"Oh, makes sense. Thank you. I guess I didn't expect so many people. Our class is so small."

He nodded. "Well, most kids on the Island start coming to parties during S4, and we've got people who have been out of school for two or three years here. Makes for a bigger scene. You should sit down. The water is nice."

"Um, no." I pointed at my boots. "Can't get these wet, and I can't take them off."

Ewan's eyes went dark as they went to the boots. With his voice huskier than before, he said, "Well, we could always get rid of it all and go for a swim."

"Tempting, but no. I should get back out there. Kier-others will be looking for me."

"Kieran Murphy. It's a shame yer in the same class as him. He likes to set himself up to be the good guy. Spreads nasty rumors." When I didn't say anything, he barked a bitter laugh. "I see he's already told you. I'm not going to try and convince you nothing happened because you don't know me well enough for anything I say to be trustworthy."

His transparency caught me off guard, but it was a refreshing change from Kieran's moody mysteriousness. A small step brought me closer. "He did mention there was an incident, but I'm a big girl. I draw my own conclusions."

A relieved grin split his face. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. I walked across that coffee shop today because yer beautiful, but I kept talking because I liked yer fire. I'd like to get to know you better."

"Hmmm," I pretended to think, "I suppose I could give it a go. Get an edge on the competition."

"Ach, we're back to that are we?"

"You don't give up on your dreams, Ewan. That's important." I managed to lower myself to the damp ground and sit without exposing myself.

"Yes," he said, reaching for my hand and sliding his thumb across my knuckles. "very important."

A gentle thrill went to my heart, and I let him continue to hold my hand as we talked. I forgot about the time and lost myself in the easy flow between us. Talking to him was simple. It lacked the intensity that swarmed me when I was with Kieran, and he never closed his emotions off. Never seemed to be trying to hide things from me like the others. Even like my father.

"Your sister sounds like a troublemaker," I said, my stomach hurting from laughing so hard.

"You've no idea," he returned, pulling his feet out of the pool and stretching out beside me. "She's got a thing for Kieran, too. Mean as a snake to any girl she thinks is after him, but he's never given her the time of day. Only good thing I can say about him."

An opportunity struck me. "Speaking of Kieran...the other day he took me out to ShipWreck Cove, and I swear I saw Tara and some others sneaking along the edges of the cliff. Is there a cave out there?"

I stiffened, preparing for Ewan to deflect and evade the question like Kieran, but he nodded, his kind face solemn. "There's a network of tunnels out there that lead to a big opening in the side of the cliff that faces the ocean. You can't see it unless you're on a boat."

"Why wouldn't he just tell me that?" I didn't mean to ask that out loud, but it tumbled out, the shrill words echoing in the glass chamber. "Do you know why he wouldn't tell me?"

"I don't deal in rumors. I've heard stuff, but you'll have to ask him, though his refusal to share seems to be pretty damning."

"You're right," I snapped, jerking my sweater down as I stood. "Ewan, I enjoyed hanging out with you, but I need to go."

He didn't protest and walked me to the door. Through the barrier, I could hear voices and music, but it sounded less energetic than before. There was no telling what time it was. Literally because I was still phoneless.

"I'll see you again?"

"Yes," I replied without hesitation. Rumors be damned. He'd been nothing but a gentleman tonight. It helped that the person who'd told me the horrible tale was currently occupying the number one spot on my shit list.

"Good. Good night, Isla."

We parted ways. This time, navigating the party was easy. Only a third of the attendees remained, and half of that group was passed out. Or making out, I amended, spying Al and his girl locking lips in the same spot I'd found them.

Tara walked over to her brother, just as I was about to sneak by. She snarled her nose and poked him: once, twice, three times before he broke the kiss and glared up at her. "What the hell do you want?"

"We can't find Isla."

"And that's my problem, why?"

"You know why."

"I'm here," I said, wanting to hear more but not wanting her to look up and catch me eavesdropping.

All the color drained from her face when she saw me. "Where have you been?"

"Well after you ditched me, I found someone to talk to."

"Someone that wasn't Kieran?" Anger vibrated in every word.

"Yes, actually. I didn't see him here. Are y'all ready to go?" I stomped out the door- or stomped as much as I could in these boots- and was immediately grateful for the weight of the sweater. The temperature had dropped at least twenty degrees.

Two long strides brought me to the steps, but just as I was about to go down the first one, his voice stopped me. "Where were you?"