Heather

In the morning, Fletcher gives me a ride home. I check my phone and see a text from Kayne asking if I needed a ride last night.

As if I was going to get a ride home from him after he publicly made out with Ali, who is supposed to be my friend. I was better off staying in Fletcher's bed, although he clearly wants sex a little too much.

Boys are so problematic.

I don't want to have sex with him and have him breakup with me because I'm no good at it. I've only had sex with one person (Ryder) after all so I'm not diversely experienced.

Although Ryder and I had sex at least once a week for a year and a half, it wasn't that great at the beginning. Eventually, we built a rhythm to it.

I've figured out that the more you have sex with someone, the better it gets because you get to know each other's likes and dislikes. But, I still haven't caught the vibe that Fletcher will stick around after we first have sex.

I immediately head back to my room and take two Ibuprofen pills from my nightstand. When the medicine kicks in, I call Mac to fill her in on the events of the night before.

Around noon I get a text message. I'm expecting it to be from Kayne again, either to apologize or tell me that he's running away with Ali to get married.

However, the message is from Fletcher.

Fletcher

If you were a chicken, you'd be impeccable.

Me

...if I were a chicken...

Fletcher

I admit it's not my best work. I'm not the poet that God was when he made you.

Me

That was the smoothest one so far.

Fletcher

How are you doing after last night? Hungover?

Me

I'm fine thanks. This morning was rough. Thanks for getting up early to drive me home.

Fletcher

Did you get in trouble with your dad?

Me

Not yet. I did much worse when we were living in California, so I'm sure this will barely be a blip on his radar.

Fletcher

I feel like this is definitely not a subject we should be talking about over text, but I don't think I could say it in person.

Is there a reason that you won't have sex with me?

After Fletcher double texted me, I take a few minutes before responding, feeling really awkward to be discussing this.

Me

I'm just trying to feel things out. We've been having fun, but I don't know what this is going to turn into. I'm not just looking for a hookup.

The dots appear and disappear a couple of times, signaling to me that Fletcher is carefully drafting his response.

Fletcher

Oh.

So are you just a tease? ;)

Me

No. I've just been hurt before and I want to be sure about you before we get into bed together

Fletcher

Believe me, I can't see myself with anyone other than a girl like you.

Me

Well, with time I'm sure we will get there. Believe me, I've been having to restrain myself, too. Just in my mind it's better if I'm sure.

Fletcher

Absolutely. Whatever you need. Would you like to go out again this Friday? I have something planned for us.

Me

I would love to! Will you give me a hint?

Fletcher

The only thing I'll say...I'll bring us dinner if you make plans for dessert. ;)

I laugh at his boldness. On the other hand, I feel like the entire conversation was a waste of time. He doesn't seem to understand that I'm not trying to move fast through the main course. He seems too keen on dessert, which I have made clear that I don't want to engage in just yet.

He's really sweet, but I can't help feeling pressured into physical stuff.

Later that afternoon, I get a text from Kayne, which makes me glad that I didn't text him earlier and go off about seeing him with Ali.

I turn off my read receipts before reading his message.

Kayne

We need to talk.

That doesn't sound good. I watch the dots play their disappearing and reappearing game as he keeps typing. Finally, the message comes in.

Kayne

About the investigation. We need to combine notes from last night.

I sigh a breath of relief and the pace of my heart slows down. I was afraid he was going to tell me something about him and Ali. I honestly have no desire to hear about what happened after I saw them last night. I turn read receipts back on before I reply so that he doesn't realize that I turned them off.

Me

Okay. 30 minutes at my house?

He sends back a thumbs up emoji and a gif of a guy on a motorcycle to signal he was on the way.

I get dressed in just an oversized t-shirt and athletic shorts. I pull my hair up into a ponytail. There's no reason to get fancy for him, especially since I still am not feeling back to 100%.

While I wait for Kayne, I decide to go downstairs and fix something for us to snack on. My dad is sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a glass of Pepsi. His fingers are anxiously tapping on the table. The sound makes me wince. Normally this signifies the beginning of an argument.

"Good afternoon, Dad." I say cheerfully. I reach into the refrigerator for a pitcher of sweet tea.

"You got home late last night." He pauses. "By late last night, I mean early this morning." His words make my shoulders tense up, but my back is still turned to him.

"Sorry. I was at a friends house and wasn't feeling well, so I just stayed the night."

"Was this your new friend Ali? What's the other girl's name? Lauren?"

"It's Laurie, Dad. And yeah they dropped me off."

"That's a flat out lie. A boy dropped you off this morning. The same boy whose car you climbed into the back of the other day."

"How do you know that?" I ask incredulously.

"I had cameras installed outside last week. For security reasons," he says. Security reasons. What a load of BS.

After taking a breath, he speaks in a raised tone. "Heather, I thought the lying and devil-may-care attitude was going to stay in California when we moved out here." His tone makes my blood boil.

"So are you just spying on me now, Dad? Is that why you got the security cameras? Because you don't trust me?" I'm yelling now.

"Don't raise your voice at me. I am the adult and you are the child," he yells back.

"I'm 18 years old, Dad! I may still be in high school but I'm an adult. I'm long past that point now. You can't keep treating me like I'm eight years old."

"Go to your room! If you act like a child, I'm going to send you to your room like a child," he shouts.

"Fine!" I spit. That's when a knock on the back door startles us both. "That's Kayne. We're going to do some homework. Please don't bother us."

He finishes our conversation with "Leave your bedroom door open." I huff at my dad.

I race to the door, taking deep breaths to regain my composure. Kayne is standing on the porch waiting to be invited in. I grab his hand and pull him into the house. My dad has retreated to his study.

I microwave some pizza rolls and finish pouring two glasses of sweet tea for us. When I assemble our snack on a tray, I lead Kayne back to my bedroom.

~*~

Kayne

I was so shell shocked and frustrated seeing Fletcher on his knees in between Heather's legs that when I went back upstairs last night, I didn't even resist Ali.

The bitch had encouraged me to go down and see Heather in the basement. Ali said Heather had been asking where I was before she went with Fletcher to get beer. I immediately went down, believing that she needed to talk to me about the investigation. Of course, instead, I found them in the compromising position they were in.

When I went back upstairs, Ali approached me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "What's the harm in a little fun, Kayne?"

"Ali, I really don't have the patience for this."

"Come on, Kayne, have a little fun," Ali said before pushing me across the room and onto the couch. She climbed on top of me and started kissing me. I let her. Not only did I let her, but I actively kissed her back. Hey, she's legally 18, so I can't hate myself too much for it. I just got lost in kissing her for a while.

I don't regret the makeout session, but I know I'm in for a world of trouble with Ali. She's going to be all up on me thinking that we are an item now because we made out one measly time.

I sent Heather a text to ask if she needed a ride home but haven't received any word from her in the thirty minutes since I sent it. I had a feeling that whatever she was doing, she wasn't going to be eager to text me back. She's probably under Fletcher in the same position she was in earlier.

I conceded and went home, taking the truck. As per usual, I didn't drink at the party, but I felt hungover from the emotions this morning when I woke up.

On top of the emotional hangover, I've been feeling all the shame of the weekend, between stalking Heather on her date, being interrogated in front of Fletcher, and everything at the party.

I guess my explanation at the fair was pretty suspicious, but I chalk it up more to Heather's determination and newly discovered detective skills. I have no explanation for what happened at the party, but hopefully Heather will never find out about that.

At least the investigation portion of last night was successful. The drugs that Heather bought were exactly the ones I was looking for.

The plastic bag that contained the drugs had an ear of corn with different colored kernels, reminiscent of the variety of colors of ecstasy.

Deciding to focus on my work and not the previous night, I drove the truck to the precinct nearby to drop the drugs off in the evidence room. While there, I updated the captain on the status of the investigation, which he will later inform the Pasadena captain of. He's been my main contact with my home precinct. Anything that anyone needs to tell me regarding the investigation goes through him first.

He requested a full report on his desk by the next morning. So, I'll have to work for the rest of the day on it in order to drop it off before school tomorrow.

After I get my precinct business done, I text Heather to tell her that we need to talk about the investigation. I can put aside my awkward feelings from last night to get my work done. Especially since I need to write a report on the party and identify the dealer who made the drop.

She responds quickly, letting me know that I can come over in 30 minutes. To kill some time, I pull into KJ's gas station to fuel up and get some snacks for school this week.

First, I get my snacks and pay the cashier enough to fill the tank up. While I pump my gas, an old truck whips into a parking spot, screeching its tires on the pavement. Out comes Patrick with some of his buddies. I haven't learned any of their names, since Heather is the main contact with Patrick.

I must catch Patrick's eye, because he glances at me and waves. Before I can respond, he starts to walk over to me.

"Hey, Kayne. How's it going, man?" His voice is slightly slurred. I pull the reigns on my cop urges to check for drug influence.

"Pretty good, you?" I respond.

"It's good, man." Patrick says, a mellow smile crossing his face. "Mid-day KJ's run for beer and taquitos."

"How are you buying beer at the gas station?"

"The guy who works the counter is my plug and I'm his when it comes to other goods."

"Ah got it. That's sweet, man." I reply.

"You're so chill, Kayne. You should come hang with us next Friday. My cousin is having a kickback at his house. We can get litty!"

"Yeah, thanks man. That sounds like a lot of fun." I reply. I look down at my watch at the time. "Well, I've got to be going. Heather's expecting me to be there soon to work on Calculus homework."

"Oh, I see you, dude. Get it." Patrick punctuates his words with a wink.

I shake my head, "It's not like that. She's going out with Fletcher."

"Mmhmm." He seems unconvinced. "It's high school, man. Have a good time. Laurie has updated me on what you and Ali have been up to recently." I take a gulp of air, shocked he would bring that up. "You keep playing the field, Kennedy. I'll catch up with you more on Friday."

"You've got it." I say, smiling, albeit defeated inside. The comment about Ali caught me off guard. I climb into the truck and resume my trip to Heather's. I pull up into the driveway and cut the engine.

Walking to the back door, I hear yelling coming from inside the house. I recognize Heather's voice and then a man's voice that I'm sure is her father's. For a moment, I feel like I should leave and let them have their argument without interruption. But, Heather is expecting me and we really need to talk about last night.

So, I knock on the door and wait for her to come to the door. The yelling stops immediately. Then, Heather is at the door, her face slightly red with fading anger. She shifts out of the way so I can enter the house. Then, she grabs a tray of snacks and leads me back to her room.

When we enter her room, I drop my backpack on the floor beside her desk and take a seat. The desk is on the left side of the room, with her queen sized bed in the middle.

Ever the hostess, Heather places a plate of Tostino's pizza rolls on her desk and sets two glasses of sweet tea beside it. I grab a pizza roll and bite into it, although it's still hot. I burns the roof of my mouth, so I down half of the glass of tea. Only then do I realize Heather is standing above me with narrowed eyes.

"Thank you for these." I say, believing she thought I was rude for not doing so before I took a bite. Her expression is unchanged. I decide to get straight to business. "So, we should talk."

Before I can say anything more, Heather uses a snippy tone to say, "You're right, we should talk."

Now I'm feeling lost. What could she have to talk to me about using that tone? Then, I think of the night before and barging in on her and Fletcher.

"If you want me to forget all about the Fletcher situation last night, I don't think I can. It's burned into my brain." I say. Heather winces, embarrassed by the thought. Then, a look of anger blazes on her face.

"Whatever happened to not wanting to get distracted by 'silly girls'?" Heather asks suddenly. I throw my hands up in the air, defeated at the fact that everyone keeps bringing Ali up. "Or was I the only silly girl you just don't want to get distracted by?"

I could have fallen over and died right then. I can't believe she saw me with Ali.

"It wasn't what it looked like." It was exactly what it looked like, I thought to myself before saying, "She ambushed me last night.

"Trust me, I think I'm more mad at myself for what Ali is going to think now. She's going to expect me to start hooking up with her all the time which I am not interested in."

With a note of hurt in her voice, Heather says, "After last night, I'm not sure I believe that."

I take her hands in mine to reassure her. "I'm here for my work. That is my main priority. We both know that." I stare into her eyes so she can see that I'm telling the truth.

After a moment of searching my eyes, she seems satisfied enough to change the subject. "Well, if you're here for work, then I guess we should get to it."

"You got it." I say and place my bag by Heather's bed. "I need you to write down the names of the guys who are associated with Patrick and his dealer friend."

"We are going to need to look into their social media accounts and find out as much about them as we can. Where they hang out, other people they're associated with, and anything incriminating they have photos of." I say, watching Heather nod her head as she soaks in the information. Then, she opens her laptop and gets to work.

~*~

Heather

I navigate to Facebook's search feature. My phone is at my side ready for me to search through Instagram. Kayne hands me a sticky note to jot down the names from the party that I can remember.

At my desk, Kayne opens his own laptop. He sticks the note to his laptop, scanning through my scribblings.

Patrick Newman - rich kid has to know about drugs

Laurie Sands - dating Patrick

Faulkner Holtz - Patrick's cousin

Sherman Harris - Patrick's friend

Chris Sweeney - Patrick's friend

Matt Rick - Patrick's friend

"I'll check their social media," I say and begin searching through different platforms. It's easy to find Patrick, since he's got a hundred thousand followers. For what, I don't know. I realize as I scroll through his pictures, he posts a lot of pictures of him on exotic vacations. The pictures look all professionally taken.

"His profile doesn't even look like a high schooler's instagram account."

"Who?" Kayne asks.

"Patrick's. It's like he's a travel influencer or something. I don't even see any pictures of Laurie on here."

"Could he have another account?" Kayne suggests.

"Brilliant, Kayne." I exclaim. "I'll see if he has a finsta."

"A what?"

"Fake Instagram. Keep up, grandpa." I tease. Kayne scoffs at me.

"While you're doing that, I'm going to run their names in the police database. I'll check Patrick's parents too, since you said they're loaded."

"What makes you think that rich means drug dealer?" I ask.

"Well, pills aren't a cheap drug, so if anyone is going to be getting their hands on them, it won't be the general public, unless they're friends with a richer person," Kayne replies. I nod in understanding.

I find Patrick's finsta by searching through Laurie's tagged photos. I scroll through his profile, looking closely at each picture. "What I'm gathering so far from his Instagram profile is that he parties a lot and breaks a lot of hearts. There are a lot of girls on his page."

"Write down the names of the people in his pictures so we can see who shows up the most and is in his close circle," Kayne says, handing me a pad of paper and a pen from his backpack.

"He wears a lot of nice clothes. A lot of these pictures are on a boat. Weekend trips to Vancouver in a helicopter. The pictures are almost like his travel account, but with plenty of red cups with questionable liquids inside." I babble.

"Look closely. See any drugs in the background? Any other recognizable faces as well."

"I don't see anything mentionable in the background so far," I tell him as I click on the tag to Faulkner's account. "Moving on to Faulkner!" I scroll through, seeing a lot of the same types of images, many with Patrick in them. I examine the background of each photo closely but never spot anything out of the ordinary. I follow both guys from my Finsta, but I doubt I'll be getting any follow back notifications anytime soon since they don't know me that well.

"Anything to report?" Kayne asks after a few minutes.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. They're both two rich peas-in-a-pod. Laurie's account is set on private. I sent a follow request but haven't gotten anything back yet. I'm looking at Cassie now." Cassie's account is filled with a lot of close-up, black and white images. Each caption has a lyric from a song or a snippet of a poem. I look closely at the pictures and stop at one. I screenshot it and zoom into the background.

"Crack pipe," I announce proudly and turn the phone towards Kayne so he can see.

"Screenshot it and send it to me, please," Kayne says with a tone of approval.

"Done," I say. I'm about to turn to Facebook to continue my research when I notice Patrick's icon on the story page.

"Kayne, I'm looking at Patrick's story on Instagram. Come see." Kayne gets up from the desk chair and plops down on the bed beside me, looking at my screen.

The video shows Patrick, obviously drunk as a skunk, talking into the camera while sitting on a couch. He turns the camera around so the focus is on Faulkner. Spread out on the table, there are ounce sized baggies of pills, similar to the one I bought the night before.

"Turn that shit off, bro," Faulkner yells at Patrick, to which Patrick turns the camera back around, gives a chuckle and signs off.

"What a dumbass," I say and Kayne chuckles.

"If they keep doing videos like that, this case will get easier to solve." I stare at Kayne, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. He returns my gaze.

I'm sharply aware of how close we are on my bed. His arm is pressed against mine as he just leaned on me to watch the video. His leg is folded under him, but his thigh touches mine. My skin heats up in the areas that he's touching me.

But that's nothing compared to the way I feel my face flushing.

I bite my bottom lip, anticipating what he might do next. Kayne glances at my lips. Those emerald orbs don't break their stare.

I swear, I can see him inch closer until his lips are centimeters from mine.

Then, Kayne blinks and it's like the spell is broken. He clears his throat and shifts his weight to stand. With his back to me, he adjusts his basketball shorts. He packs his laptop in his bag and throws the strap over his shoulder.

Still turned away from me, he says, "Keep up the good work. Let me know of any other developments." His voice sounds gruffer than usual, signaling that something had gotten under his skin, which makes me realize that I hadn't just imagined the encounter.

I nod in response, even though he doesn't turn back to look.

Man, I thought he was going to kiss me. It just goes to show that he considers me a silly girl. That's why he won't kiss me or admit he has feelings. I could see it in his face. I could see the urge to kiss me. His expression, thick with desire, dropped my heart into my stomach.

He leaves the room and I listen to each footstep as he moves closer to the back door. I hear him pause. His steps begin to grow louder. He's coming back. My heart thumps, matching the echo of each footstep back to me. I get up from the bed, anticipating what is coming.

Kayne reappears in the doorway. His bag drops from his shoulder as he closes the distance between us. Pausing again, he slowly places his hands on the outside of my upper arm.

"Heather," he says in a husky tone I've never heard before. His eyes scan mine for confirmation of what he's feeling. Then, all at once, he pulls me into his chest as he closes the distance between our lips.

He moves one hand up my shoulder and places it on the back of my neck as he deepens the kiss. I kiss him back with just as much feeling as he's putting into it. Tingles run down my spine and the culmination of the electricity I am feeling surprises me. I feel as if we are transferring energy to keep each other charged.

When he pulls back, his breathing is slightly ragged. I look back into his eyes, memorizing the green gleam. "So," he begins, "I'll see you later." Silently, he retrieves his bag and walks out, this time not coming back, but my heart doesn't feel disappointed as it did before.

~*~

Kayne

Well shit.

That kiss felt better than I was expecting it to. Our energies bonded together through our lips.

I can feel its effects still buzzing on my lips where her lips were feverishly pressed against mine. No kiss I've had before has ever felt like that.

Goddamn, Heather is truly out of this world.

I would have never imagined as I was ogling her and writing that speeding ticket that I would be kissing her months later. Let alone feel as connected to her as I do. Since Liza, I've never let another woman connect with me. Not even Alice, who has proven to be very insightful when it comes to Heather and me.

That's just how Alice is though. She sees things differently than anyone else I've ever met. At first, I thought it was from living four decades in Idahoan Nowhere, but now I believe it's her nature.

Alice was right about Heather, though. She clearly likes me just as much as I like her.

And I do. A lot.