Ren

After cake and ice cream, Gio, Charlie, and I walk across the courtyard and into his room. Charlie holds the door for Gio, who has his arms full of all his gifts. He crosses the room and piles most on top of his dresser while I take a seat on the end of his bed, but then he lingers, looking into the envelope again before carefully tucking the money into his top dresser drawer. Charlie turns the desk chair around and brings it closer, and Gio takes a seat next to me.

"So, change of plans," a familiar twinkle of mischief glimmers in Charlie's brown eyes. "Jake and Jeremy's grandpa had a stroke, so their parents took off for the weekend, so their place is free to party at tonight."

"Really? Fucking score!" Gio high-fives Charlie, but then I see him grimace guiltily,  and he adds as an aside to me, "I mean, too bad for their grandpa, but that's way better than partying outside, it looks like it might rain tonight."

Charlie shrugs his jacket off, getting comfortable. "Damn straight! And..." he continues, hyping the next part up with dramatic effect, "Jeremy's going to get us a keg!"

"No shit. Fuckin' A," Gio says, impressed. "Hey, my mom got me Tomb Raider. Wanna play for a bit before we head over?"

Charlie scoots his chair even closer. "Yeah, awesome, I heard the graphics are fucking sick," 

Gio tears the cellophane off his new game, and Charlie turns on his TV and console. This is turning into a  guys' evening, but I'm happy to hang out. I mean, I'm usually around a lot of male energy anyway, at my dad's house or even at Jace's. It feels very comfortable, actually.

Charlie and Gio switch off, engrossed in playing the new action-adventure game, but then Gio changes out the game to Mario Kart so they can both play at the same time. Gio passes the second controller to Charlie. 

"Ladies first," Charlie smiles, offering the controller to me.

Oh no.

"Nah, I don't really like playing," I say, waving my hands in front of my face to further demonstrate my wish to decline his offer. "Thanks, though, I'll watch."  I've never played this game before, and I don't want to suck in front of them.

"Okay. Just let me know if you want to," Charlie says graciously. 

The boys played heatedly—dissing each other and enjoying themselves.

"Where's Jake's house?" I ask eventually, finally getting bored of watching.

"Two blocks over," Gio says tonlessly, still fully focused on the game.

Charlie laughs. "Everywhere is two blocks away around here, yo." 

"YES!" Gio fist pumps the air as he wins the round. 

"Hey Lauren, come on, play with us. It's lame if you just watch," Charlie prods me.

I give a half-shrug. "I don't know how to play." 

Feeling my face and body temperature rising with the admission, I unzip my Adidas hoodie and toss it behind me on Gio's bed. When I turn back around, both boys are staring at me. 

My face heats more. Why?

I look where they're looking. Oh yeah, the baby tee and the pushup bra. I wrap my arm around my exposed mid-drift and feel the edge of my pants, only to figure out my black lace panties are exposed a little, too. My cheeks flame more.

Charlie gulps, and his voice comes out low and hoarsely, "I'll show you how to play." Then he tries and fails to bite back a suggestive smirk. 

"Goddamn it, Charlie!" Gio snarls. "Shut it, or I'm going to beat your ass. I'm showing her."  Gio narrows his eyes at him in warning.

Charlie stifles a laugh but holds up his hands. "Sorry, Gio, my bad. I'm trying, I swear."

It seems Gio's not going to give me a choice now. He presses the controller into my hands, then climbs behind me so his knees are on either side of my hips, and his arms reach through mine. He places his hands on top of my hands, both of us holding the controller and helps me press the buttons to start the game. 

My body tingles with the warmth of his body wrapped around me, and he smells so goddamn good. We lose the first race to Charlie, but it's tons of fun trying to work together to control the car, and I'm glad he can laugh along with me when we lose control and crash into a barrier.

Gio helps me for two more races, doing less and less of the actual pressing and more verbally coaching me, and by the fourth race, I have picked it up, and Gio can just enjoy watching, his arms wrapped around under my chest, chin on my shoulder. 

In the fifth race, I use a red shell to spin Charlie's car, and I blow by him. He tries to catch me, but I block and evade him at every opportunity, and I win.

"Shit," Charlie says with a smile, taking it in stride. "Gio, she's getting good. Props, girl," he says to me, punching me lightly on my upper arm.  "See, I knew you'd like playing it," and he gives me this super cute grin that reminds me exactly of his winning smile back in eighth grade. 

"Here, Gio, you play her, I'm gonna take a leak." Charlie gets up and shuts the bathroom door behind him. 

I'm really into it now, and I don't want to stop. Gio and I get ready to race. He's Mario, I'm Princess Peach. As our cars take off, Gio cuts me off immediately. 

"Hey!" I say, bumping him with my shoulder.

He bumps me back playfully and then releases a shell, which sends me spinning.  I try to play fiercely, but he has an experienced edge and knows the tracks by heart, as well as how best to use the items you uncover along the road.

"If you think I'm going to take it easy on you, you've got another thing coming," Gio grins, eyes glued to the screen. "It's my birthday." 

"Oh, I see how it is," I say, and just then, I get a mushroom. I smile spitefully. "Ha, I'm coming for you, bad boy." I press on as fast as I can to catch him, waiting for the best time to use my item.

"You better cum for me," he jokes sexily.

"Ha!" I laugh incredulously that he just said that out loud.

"I'm cumming as hard as I can," I shoot back, and I use the mushroom to boost my speed and fly past him, but I know it won't last long.

"Okay, you two, cool it down. I can't listen to that and not get turned on," Charlie laughs, watching us. I didn't even notice him come out of the bathroom.

Gio, without taking his eyes off the game, quickly grabs a pillow off the bed and hurls it at Charlie's face, but it falls short and hits his feet instead. But, it's just enough break in speed and concentration that I throw down a banana peel, which he can't dodge in time, and he spins out, and I beat him.

"Yay!" I squeal like a little girl, bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Ahh!" Gio groans, throwing his controller like a child. "Charlie! That was your fault. And don't talk about getting turned on around her, or I'm gonna freaking lose it!"

"Sorry, bro, can't help it. She's still hot, and frankly, so are you!" Gio hurls another pillow, this time hitting his target directly. Charlie is unphased, laughing hard. "Anyway, you should let your girl win in the beginning, so she'll play with you sometimes."

"Good idea, Charlie," I say and then kiss Gio on the cheek. "But don't worry," I whisper in his ear so Charlie can't hear. "I'll make it up to you... tonight." All Gio says is a long and low "mmm" in response, putting his hand between my legs and gripping my inner thigh.

"Okay, okay, that's it! Unless you're inviting me in on some sort of three-way situation, I need to get out of here—I can't fucking stand it!" Charlie gripes, heading for the door.

We put on our jackets, the boys put on their hats, and we walked out into the night. Gio slips into the kitchen to say bye to his mom and thank her again for his gifts, and I wait with Charlie in the courtyard. He moves to the gate, lighting a cigarette.

"Can I have a drag?" I ask as a nervous feeling creeps over me. I hate going to parties where I hardly know anyone.

"Sure," and he passes it to me. "You want your own?"

"No, just a drag or two, if you don't mind. Maybe later." 

We stand in the dark of the trees for a minute, with the orange tip of the cigarette illuminating our faces as we pass it.

"I'm glad you and Gio are together," Charlie says out of nowhere.

My head pulls back. "Oh, yeah?" 

"Yeah, he's changed. In a really good way. He's been smiling more in the last few weeks than I swear he has in the last six months." Charlie takes the cigarette back and pulls a long drag.

Huh.

I clear my throat. "Were you mad when you heard we got together?" 

He hands the cigarette to me.

"Now? No," blowing out the last of the smoke. "I was when Gio admitted he made out with you at the dance in seventh grade! But that was a long time ago." 

"Well, you certainly didn't look happy to see me at the concert," I point out, taking another drag.

"Oh yeah? Well, you definitely had me trippin' when I saw you there. But it wasn't about me. I was worried about Gio."

"Worried? W—"  

I hear the door of the kitchen close, so I shut up and quickly I hand the cigarette back. Gio comes out and joins us, and we file out of the gate and over the little board bridge. I pop a breath mint, and the air tastes extra crisp and cold. I'm glad that we will be inside tonight. 

We walk in the center of the cracked asphalt street, Gio's fingers intertwining with mine, the moon peaking out behind the clouds, barely lighting our way. But the boys know this area like the back of their hand, and they talk like they're barely paying attention. 

Soon, we turn onto a gravel driveway flanked by some large overgrown hedges and walk up to a long single-story faded blue house set back a bit in the wide property. All the curtains are drawn, but I can hear voices and loud music from within.

We enter the front door without knocking and follow the voices into the kitchen. A cheer erupts from the six occupants. Five guys and one girl have been hanging out in the fluorescent light of the 1980s kitchen, with dark brown cabinets and cream tile counters. They come and crowd around Gio.

The first guy to approach has sandy blond hair parted in the middle and looks possibly younger than Gio. He's got a Garfield t-shirt and jeans sagging so low I'm surprised they don't fall off him.

"Gio! Sup B!" Jake says, giving him a half hug. "Happy fucking birthday, dawg!"

I notice Adam and Kevin waiting their turn in the back of the group. Kevin waves at me, and Adam nods. I quickly wave back before Gio introduces me to Jake, his older brother Jeremy, another neighbor, Amber, and her boyfriend.

Jake takes us outside to the keg under a corrugated plastic roof on the back porch. Gio, Charlie, and I write our names with a black Sharpie on our red solo cups, and Jake fills them up. Then we head back inside to the kitchen. 

Gio's immediately engaged in conversation, and I don't want to appear super clingy, so I find the only other girl company: Amber, a shorter girl with a cute round face and long auburn hair. She looks at me with big olive-green eyes and smiles.

She clinks her cup against mine. "Hey, it's nice to meet you, Gio talked a lot about you last weekend."

My eyebrows shoot up, "Oh, wow. Good things, I hope," I say, laughing nervously.

"Oh, yeah. He's like, head over heels for you," she says, rolling her eyes dramatically. Then, leaning in, adds more quietly with a smirk, "It's so fucking adorable." 

I glance over to Gio to see if he heard that, but he isn't paying attention, deep in conversation with Jake and Charlie.

I tuck a strand of hair around my ear, turning back to her, "You live around here?"

"Yeah, at the top of the hill, across the street from Charlie. I've known all these boys since we were like little kids. They're like brothers."

"Really?" my eyebrows shoot higher. "What were Gio and Charlie like as little kids?"

"Terrors! They always used to steal my Barbies, hold them hostage with their G.I. Joes," she chuckles. I laugh, too, at a mental image of Gio as a little boy playing with dolls.  She continues more sincerely, "No, I mean, they were fun. We would build forts and go on adventures in the creek or the neighbors' pastures and stuff. Charlie's always been the outgoing, talkative one, the instigator. Gio is more quiet and reflective, but he can be pretty competitive in games. He's an awesome guy."

"Are there any other girls?" 

"Not our age, just older and moved away, or Kiki's age or even younger. I'm usually the only girl here unless I invite someone over," Amber shrugs. "My friends Jennifer and Aubrie should be here soon," she says deliberately, louder.

Jake's ears don't miss it, and his head pops up. "What?! Aubrie's coming? Tonight?" Jake looks both thrilled and nervous.

"Yes, Jake, chill." Amber sighs, "If you can't tell, Jake's got a huge crush on her."

"What school do you guys go to?"

"Redwood High."

My brow furrows. "Why do Gio, Adam, and Eddie go to Ives and not Redwood?"

"They gave the kids who got transferred to West Hills a choice to go to either. Eddie had been switched to Ives already two years before. Adam went because Ives has a better basketball team. I always assumed when Gio moved back, he chose Ives because of Adam, but it never really made sense to me. Charlie and him have always been closer. But maybe..." she raises one eyebrow, "it's because he knew you'd be there." 

My eyes go wide as I place my cup to my lips and take a sip of my beer. Gio chose Ives because of me?

I look for Giovanni again, and I spot the back of him now walking into the living room with Jake and Charlie. "Do you know anything about why Gio missed school in October?" I fish.

"Oh, um, not really. He won't go into it with us. Charlie probably knows more..." She scans the room for listeners. "Um... okay, Gio would probably, like, freak out if he knew we were discussing this, but..." 

She lowers her voice to as much of a whisper as the loud music would let her. 

"I think it had to do with this girl he started seeing just when school started last fall, but it was bad. I think she dumped him, like, fucking out of nowhere. I don't know if they were even a thing or just hooking up. Some shit happened at school, I don't even know. He started acting erratically and got super depressed. He was whacked. I've never seen him like that. I don't even think he left his house for, like, weeks."

I cover my open mouth with my hand. "Oh my god! That does sound really bad," not knowing exactly how to respond to that.

"Yeah, but he's been so much better now, especially recently," she adds, nodding to me with a raise of her eyebrows. "So... just be careful with his heart, okay?" Amber says it with love for her friend in her voice. "Oh, and don't tell him I told you any of that."

"I promise," I say with a nod. 

Just then, a bunch more people come pouring in the door, and Amber's hand shoots up in a wave. "Jennifer! Aubrie! Over here!" 

She leaves to say hi to her friends, and I go to find Giovanni.

https://youtu.be/tfzlwgm9jok

••• A/N •••

Thank you for reading!

If you liked this chapter, please vote for it by tapping the star :)

What do you think about older Charlie?

Are you happy or sad there wasn't more drama?

We are getting a few more clues on why Gio was absent from school. 

Just wait till next chapter when the party heats up.