Chapter 5

It was after 7:30P.M. when we approached the house of Camilla Rhodes. I only knew of her from around school. I'd never talked to her. Alex said he knew her through other people and he had been to a party there before.

I brushed my hair out with my fingers, then adjusted my shirt. I hated that I was in work clothes. Alex wore jeans and a t-shirt, casual but nice. He'd put a ton of hair spray into his hair, combing it to the side.

"Ready?" he asked me now, his hand on the doorknob.

"Uh, well-"

He grabbed my hand. "You'll be fine."

Inside, there were people - teenagers - everywhere. It was pretty much a blur of faces, bodies, music. Lots of people welcomed Alex, ignoring me. He kept me close, but as he blended in perfectly to this new scene, I felt so completely out of place.

The house itself was something out of a magazine. I admired the marble counter tops in the kitchen and the expensive looking leather sofas in the living room. To the other kids, this all seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary. I felt like I was the only one that didn't belong. No one knew me, or they knew me as the girl whose brother was in Juvie. I could tell by the half smiles and the side-eyed looks.

Alex had ducked into the kitchen to get a drink, promising to be right back. He had only been gone a few minutes when I had the urge to run out of there. I wasn't meant to go to parties.

"Hey." I heard a high pitched voice, and a girl came up beside me.

I saw her looking at me but didn't even comprehend that she was speaking to me. Her curly dark hair was flowing around her shoulders and she had bright eyes. She seemed familiar.

"Hey?" she said again, this time questioning. "You're Alex's friend, right?"

"Uh, yeah," I said quickly. "I'm Penelope."

"Lydia," she told me, then hugged my awkwardly stiff body. "I think we had a class together last semester."

"Oh, right," I nodded.

To be honest, I had no idea. The last semester before summer had been very rough. I had felt like a shell of a person, there but not really there. Somehow, I'd passed my classes, barely. But dealing with everything with Asa had been rough and really took a toll on me.

Lydia and I stood together awkwardly for another few moments, but all I could think about was getting outside and away from all of these people. Before I could excuse myself, Lydia was slammed into me, making me stumble. I remained upright somehow and grabbed for her arm, before she fell right to the floor. When her eyes caught mine, she was already apologizing.

But behind her, a guy with this perfectly styled brown hair and a button down plaid shirt was stumbling to catch his balance.

"Sorry," he said to both of us, his voice lazy. His eyes were glossy, but right away I knew who he was.

"Jesus," Lydia shouted, shooting him a death glare. "What the hell, Duke?"

The guy winced, looking only at her. "I said sorry. I lost my... balance."

"There's no reason to be that drunk," Lydia went on. "Why hasn't Camilla cut you off yet?"

"Ha," the guy - Duke? - said, stepping back. "She doesn't control me."

"Right," Lydia laughed, then rolled her eyes towards me.

I felt weird, standing there in the middle of a conversation I didn't belong in. I accidentally glanced at the guy, who caught my eye contact.

"I know you," he said, squinting. "But... how?"

I shrugged at him, but he shook his head like he was really trying to figure out this puzzle.

"Yes, I do know you," he said again.

"You don't," I said flatly.

"Duke, go find someone else to bother," Lydia told him, waving her hand.

But he stayed there, just beside her, keeping his eyes on me. I knew he was the rude guy from the library earlier that week. The guy who had tried to get in before it was open. The guy who checked out the Barbara Streisand autobiography. I knew it, but I could tell he was too drunk to remember me.

When Alex reappeared by my side, he looked confused to see Duke still close by. I saw them exchange looks and then Duke spun around and walked away, still stumbling.

"Hey, Lydia," Alex smiled at her.

"Heyyy. I was just chatting with Penelope when that asshole smashed into us," Lydia explained.

Alex raised his eyebrows at me, then passed me a plastic cup.

"Beer?" I asked, cautious.

He nodded. "It won't hurt you to have one drink."

"Right, I know." I nodded.

Alex knew my mom drank a lot but he didn't know how bad it could be sometimes. He didn't know I hated the idea of getting drunk for fun, since when my mom got drunk, it was never fun. It was always bad.

Lydia smiled at me again and then wandered away, now that Lex was back by my side. I saw a group of girls greet her as she approached them. They were dancing, laughing and I felt a pang of jealousy.

I turned back to Lex, sipping the beer. It was warm and I tried not to make a face as I swallowed the sip. He smirked, then I watched as he glanced around the party. He had a beer, too, and drank it back much easier than I did.

"You know... Duke?" The words just came out of my mouth. I couldn't stop them.

Lex's face changed as he turned in towards me again. "Why?"

"No reason."

"He's a dick. He's dating Camilla," Lex went on.

"He came in to the library a few days ago," I said, then finished the last bit of warm beer in my cup.

"Wow. I would never have thought the guy even knew how to read," Lex laughed.

"Does he go to our school?" I asked, suddenly nervous for the answer.

"Thankfully, no. He's rich kid. He goes to the private school in Chelsea," Lex explained. "He just hangs around down here a lot, because of Camilla."

I was quiet for a few moments, but then had another question. "Why is he a dick?"

"Pen, he's a spoiled rich brat who thinks the world and everyone in it owes him something." Lex didn't hesitate. "And his name is Winston."

This confused me. "Why did Lydia call him Duke?"

"It's his last name. Why are you so interested in him?" Lex gave me a weird look.

"I'm not," I said quickly.

Lex waited a moment before nodding, then thankfully let it go.

I didn't know why I was so curious about him. He had been rude at the library. Yes, he'd acted like I owed him something. Like he deserved to get in to the library before opening. And now he had smashed into Lydia, who had almost knocked me over. But something about him was... intriguing.

By midnight, I was yawning. Most of the people still there were drunk or still drinking, or already passed out. I was standing near the doorway of the living room, half watching Lex and some guys playing a drinking game. I should have left sooner, to get the train. Now I'd have to call an Uber to get home.

As I turned to go tell Lex I was planning on leaving, I saw Camilla walk past me, with a very drunk guy attached to her. She was carefully dragging him towards an empty sofa, then plopped him down onto it. I knew before I saw his face that it was Duke. Winston? Whatever. His eyes were mostly closed; his hair was now messy and damp looking. His shirt was bunched up at the bottom as he curled himself into a ball.

"Sleep," Camilla told him. "And don't puke on the sofa."

He groaned and reached out for her, but she smacked his hand away, then turned and walked back out of the room.

"Camilla, is your boyfriend always drunk off his face?" One of the guys with Lex asked her as she past.

I could tell she was embarrassed, but forced a smile. "He's fine."

I watched as she went back to the kitchen, then I turned to Lex.

"Hey, I'm going to go..."

"What? No. How will you-"

"Uber?"

Lex shook his head, but I could tell he hadn't exactly considered how I would get home.

"I can drive you," a guy with a blond buzz cut spoke up. "I was leaving anyway."

"She lives in Williamsburg," Lex spat out.

The guy eyed me. "That's fine. It's not that far."

"Matt, were you drinking?" Lex asked him, serious.

I liked that he was concerned for me, but I hated how he had told everyone in the room that I lived in Brooklyn, just like that. It wasn't something I was embarrassed about until recently.

"I'm good," Matt answered. "I swear."

I really didn't want to take an Uber from the West Village back to Williamsburg, so I agreed to the ride. Lex looked unsure as he hugged me goodbye.

"Text me when you're home?" he asked quietly.

"I will," I nodded. "Get home safe?"

He grinned. "You know I will."