HIS HEART GAVE a violent lurch. For a moment it felt like the whole world stood still, and it wasn't until Elina Petrova threw her head back to laugh that he finally let out a shaky exhale.

Canyon hissed, urging him up the stairs as the corners of his mouth dipped down in faint displeasure.

"C'mon," he said.

"What? I was just kidding." Elina's heels clicked as she jogged to catch up with them when they swept past her. "You knew that, right?"

His face still burned from her casual cruelty, but somehow Wyatt managed a nod, introducing himself as they stepped into the mansion and she got her first good look at him.

"Wow," she breathed after a stretch, cocking her head to one side as she took a step closer to Wyatt, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're stunning."

"Thank you?" he mumbled, not sure of how to take it since it'd sounded accusatory, if anything.

The moment passed when Canyon threw his hands up in exasperation, waving them over his head coming between them.

"Alright, alright, my turn," he said, and Elina relaxed as he swept her into a hug that made her squeal delightedly. "I've missed you."

Wyatt felt awkward and a little bit jealous. It wasn't an emotion he was used to, or one he liked for that matter.

"I've missed you too, babe," Elina confessed, pulling away to look up at him before going in for another hug and tightening her arms over Canyon's midriff, so that after a moment he began to squirm.

He may have wheezed a stop suffocating me you barbarian but Wyatt couldn't be too sure and stood to a side until they finally disentangled themselves from each other.

"Wyatt," Canyon started, throwing a casual arm over his shoulder as he came to stand beside him. "Meet my best friend, Elina."

Something in him uncoiled, and Wyatt pasted on a genuine smile in greeting as he and Canyon followed after Elina, who led them through a series of maze-like corridors, and past a room that had an entire floor-to-ceiling of luminescent tempered glass behind which all types of small sea-life darted, and another that boasted row upon row of expensive-looking paintings until finally they came to stand on a patio and he paused to take in the small group of about fifteen, most of whom milled about aimlessly, though some swam in the wide pool at a far corner.

The atmosphere was relaxed, curls of smoke snaking through the air as an RnB song played.

With a start Wyatt realized that he knew none of these people and he mentioned this to Canyon, who threw him a mischief-filled grin, shrugging as he confessed that he'd lied.

"Well, are you coming?" Elina threw over her shoulder, and when it became evident that Canyon hadn't moved because of him Wyatt forced a leg in front of the other, taking small steps which felt like they were drawing him ever so closer to an early demise.

The small group let out a cheer as soon as they drew closer and Wyatt realized that it was because of Canyon, who raised his hands, looking right at home, and he startled when Elina grabbed his arm without preamble.

She led him away from Canyon, off to a smaller group and asked, "Do you model?"

He shook his head, earning a small frown.

"I know a couple of people so if that's something you're interested in just let me know, okay?"

Before he could say anything in return she led him into the small circle of three that they'd made a beeline for and positioned him in the middle.

"Everyone meet Canyon's special friend Wyatt." He blushed. "Wyatt, this is my boyfriend Hassan."

A boy with medium brown skin stared up through heavy-lidded indifferent eyes at him, giving a slight nod of inclination as he took a drag from his joint and leaned into the deck chair he was reclined on. He was stoned. The next was a redhead, Bella, who Elina called her soul mate.

"And of course, my brother, Harlan."

Wyatt swallowed a gasp, hoping the expression on his face wasn't coming off as anything too star struck, because even in his sleep he would've recognized Harlan Petrova.

At nineteen, the most known Petrova stood at a little over six foot and had the slim powerful build usually associated with competitive swimmers―a body he hadn't been shy to show off in a Calvin Kline campaign last year that sent the whole of queer Twitter (and a lot of the heterosexual part too) on fire.

He'd played minor roles in a couple of popular TV serials and was best known for his YouTube channel, which had little over eight hundred thousand subscribers last Wyatt had checked; a freshman at Georgetown studying for a business degree, he also happened to be gay so... well.

Didn't the Lord work in mysterious ways?

Wyatt had always had him on his radar, but the first time he saw him, truly saw him came in the summer he turned sixteen, a few short months after Wesley, when he and Rashad were still an undefined. It'd been a hot, listless day, and realizing there was nothing else to do he'd been on his bed scrolling through fashion blogs until he happened upon a Vanity Fair feature on the then newly turned eighteen-year-old Harlan that made him fall hard.

Something in how young and yet so effortlessly self-assured he'd been in the photo-shoot appealed to Wyatt: the poses he'd struck in his custom-made Gucci suits and Louis Vuitton handbags, an Alexander McQueen gown worn over a pair of sky-high Manolos. Harlan Petrova was a stunning, and it went without saying that Wyatt was one of the devoted one million people who followed the teenage heartthrob on Instagram (#harlansquad #blessed.)

"Nice to meet you," Harlan murmured, breaking through Wyatt's reverie when he offered his palm out for a handshake, making everything in Wyatt go on high alert till it felt like he would combust.

Of course he admired Elina, but he had worshipped at the church of her brother for almost two years and mere admiration didn't stand a chance in face of the awe he felt escaping him.

It felt like a dream and Wyatt kept waiting to wake up from it, this perfect plane of existence in which he got to shake his idol. I am not worthy, he thought as he mentally fortified himself, but I am ready.

Their hands making contact sent his senses into an uproar that ended all too quickly, and once more he found himself under the scrutiny of a group of strangers, except this time Elina peeled away from his side as she walked away and lowered herself into an empty deckchair.

"So get this, you guys," Elina began, speaking to no one in particular. "Wyatt is, like, a nobody."

"That wasn't rude," Wyatt bit out, unable to hold back as he flushed furiously, and all four pair of eyes fixed on him as he took an empty seat.

"Excuse me?" Elina said, sounding somewhat confused, and Harlan sighed.

"He's right you know," he muttered, and when his sibling pinned him with a narrowed glare he shrugged. "I've told you to pick your words around strangers." He turned to Wyatt. "Sorry about that, she's kind of an asshole."

"It's okay," Wyatt said, the sting of the insult all but vanishing when the older boy flashed a disarming smile at him.

Elina rolled her eyes. "Obviously I didn't mean it like that. I meant that he wasn't a public figure, or like, an influencer or something. Are you?"

Wyatt shrugged. "I just hit five thousand followers on Instagram."

A stretch of silence followed this announcement until Hassan let out a sudden snort of laughter, that didn't stop even when his girlfriend smacked his shoulder. No one else joined in, though from the looks on their face it was clear to see that they all wanted to.

"Oh, honey, that is cute," Elina said when Hassan's snickers finally subsided.

"Beyond," Bella rushed to add. "Personally I don't use social media, but five thousand followers is such a milestone."

She pulled a velvet lined scrunchie off her wrist and began to put her hair into a ponytail, the movement giving Wyatt caught an unhindered view of the diamond studs that flashed ostentatiously on her ears.

Harlan remained silent, though he bore a faint look of amusement that left Wyatt with no inkling as to what may have been going on in his head. He felt like he was being made fun of, and gave a small smile, letting himself fade into the background as the rest delved into conversation until Canyon arrived shortly after.

He shook hands with Hassan, bent over to place a loud kiss Bella's cheek, and pulled Harlan in for a warm hug before plopping down the chair beside Wyatt.

"I can see you've all met my bro," he said, a statement.

Briefly he wondered who this bro he spoke of was, before realizing it was him. So this is how it's going to be?

"Yes, and think he's adorable," Elina answered, snatching the joint right from Hassan's mouth and flicking it do the lit end glowed slightly. She took a deep drag, puffing expertly. "Right, Harlan?"

"Definitely," the older boy said distractedly, not looking up from his phone.

"He literally just hit five thousand followers on Instagram," she continued, and Canyon caught the grimace of Wyatt's face.

"El," he stated, "you're a patronizing bitch."

"Don't talk about my girl like that man," Hassan cut in, deadpan, and Elina smiled sweetly.

"I know," she said in reply to Canyon, who shook his head as normal conversation resumed and he turned to Wyatt, asking if he was alright.

"Yeah," he answered (read as a resounding no.) "I'm doing great. Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome," Canyon said, the sarcasm going completely over his head as he and his friends caught up, though this time Wyatt managed to join in as Canyon usually paused to provide some context where needed.

Their group remained oddly compact, no other partygoer managing to infiltrate though several walked up to them and struck up some small talk before heading off. Two minutes in and it became evident that this small group of six, Wyatt included, was the nexus upon which this small group of privileged teenagers orbited. It was an intoxicating feeling.

Canyon accepted the joint from Elina, holding the smoke in for a long moment until suddenly, two lines of grey-white smoke streamed out of his nostrils, and he took another drag.

Wyatt watched thin tendrils of smoke curl past his lips, and imagined what leaning over to kiss him would taste like, if the other boy would blow right on his face, if that would be a different kind of high. He declined when Canyon offered it to him, knowing he'd need a clear head if he hoped to get home before his father realized he'd left in the first place.

"I scored us some blow," Bella announced, eyes shining as she unclasped her LV clutch to pull out a vial of white powder, which made Wyatt's heart lurch almost painfully as soon as he realized that it was cocaine.

Elina gave a delighted clap as Bella passed it to her, getting up to head inside and find something they could use as a surface to do lines.

"I remember expressly stating that there would be no drugs," Harlan scolded, lips pursed, and Elina pouted.

"Don't be disrespectful," she said as Bella arrived with a small stool. "Bella went through all that hassle to get us this top grade product."

Wyatt could feel Canyon's eyes on him, and he studiously ignored it, forcing himself to look anywhere but the small bottle with white powder that shook as Elina gestured. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead when he imagined a storm-in by the FBI.

What if there were satellites watching them at this very moment? They were outside, after all, and nothing to stop them. What if he became an accomplice to a crime?

Elina seemed unfazed by all of these thoughts as she retrieved a black Amex card from her purse that she used to expertly rack up the powder on the stool into a couple of skinny, long lines.

Wyatt tried not to, but it proved an impossible feat to stop himself from watching Elina, who cleared her throat in anticipation and bent over without preamble, body straining against the seams of her dress as she held one nostril close, snorting a line.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," the youngest Petrova groaned, gracefully wiping remnant white powder off her nose with a finger, which she rubbed against her front teeth.

"This is good but it tastes metallic," she offered, and then her beautiful face scrunched up in worry. "Like, cut with something petrol-like. Babes, I hope you weren't scammed or something."

"Clear out," Bella said, looking slightly affronted, she leaned over and did a line too, closing her eyes for one long moment before straightening. "My dealer is top tier so don't worry."

Hassan followed, Canyon too, to Wyatt's surprise, but Harlan declined.

"Spoil sport," Elina murmured, before turning to Wyatt with an expectant expression on her face.

He realized that everyone was looking at him and coughed. "I think I'll pass up on this round."

"Good," Bella said, "more for me."

"No," Elina interrupted, holding out a hand to stop her. She faced him; bright eyes hinting at the fact that the line shed done was starting to set in. "We're trying to let you in on something here. Don't ruin that."

Wyatt frowned. "I don't think I should."

"I mean," Hassan said, the first thing he was saying to him at all. "It may kill you."

"Not helping," Elina chirped, sending her boyfriend a sharp glare. "But he's right. It might―though it'll make you feel alive first. You want that, don't you?"

Wyatt looked to Canyon, who gave a lazy shrug, and the weight of five sets of eyes on him, the least cool/accomplished, was enough to finally have him cave in.

A voice in his head screamed at him not to but he shut it. He'd smoked weed a couple of times―this wouldn't be all that different, he thought, bending over and inhaling the line.

For a moment it he tasted the petrol-like substance Elina had mentioned, but the feeling was quickly overwhelmed by a flush of adrenaline, followed shortly after by an intense spike in clarity that made his eyes water as he groaned, wiping a white dusted finger over his gums like he'd seen Elina do.

"Yes!" Elina crowed proudly, snapping her fingers as the others let out a weak cheer that only stopped when Bella pulled out a tin from her bag, which she uncapped to reveal a hidden cache of pastel-colored pills.

"I bring the party," she explained with a mock bow, and Hassan announced to no one in particular that he was in love with her as Wyatt let out a resigned sigh.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
n o t e

so there you have it: a bunch of upper eastside teenagers doing drugs on a friday night lol―the update i promised. i hope you like it, because i don't know when next i'll be able to put up another one lol.