Page 24 of My Rules for Revenge (Twisted YA Mysteries #1)

HEATHER

I t was the night of the party. I dressed up in a ripped t-shirt and black boots, my usual flair. Vivian wore a colorful pantsuit with a pink bandana. She also wore many decorative rings and bracelets. That was her usual flair.

I arrived with her and stepped inside Frankie’s sizable palace. His front door alone must’ve been like sixteen feet tall. The interior was just as impressive, with black marble flooring, grand archways, and a high-end kitchen.

I hadn’t attended many high school parties.

They weren’t my thing, but when Eddy asked me, I wanted to go, obviously.

It was funny how I thought he had asked me to ride with him to the party, but he just wanted to be near me the entire time.

He called me to apologize for confusing me.

He was a sweet soul. You couldn’t make something like that up.

It was a genuine mistake. He also wore a fedora hat that night.

That should’ve told you everything you needed to know about Eddy.

Vivian and I maneuvered our way through the boisterous party crowd to find the boys.

When we got through to the other side, we saw them in the kitchen near the plastic-packaged drinks that Frankie had assembled.

It was not that much of a surprise—his parents were fairly wealthy.

Frankie had asked them if he could throw a massive “banger.” They only said “yes” because they were certain Frankie would play professional basketball.

They knew that when the time came, he’d buy them a retirement island in the Caribbean.

His parents were rich, but not that rich, apparently.

When I caught Eddy’s eyes, he smiled and enthusiastically called us over. I laughed as I saw Frankie attempting to give Eddy a shot of whiskey. He completely refused while he shook his head.

When we went over, Eddy surprisingly hugged me for a considerable amount of time. Meanwhile, Frankie gave Vivian a long kiss on the cheek. They had been hanging out together ever since the incident in the cafeteria. Vivian told me they had “bonded” somewhat, much to our surprise.

“Hello, ladies. Welcome, welcome. Drink?” Frankie asked.

“Maybe later,” Vivian replied.

“Definitely later,” I added.

“Dude, they just got here,” Eddy pointed out.

“Relax, man, it’s a party.”

Frankie rubbed his shoulders to get him to loosen up.

“Thank you so much for inviting us,” Vivian said with gratitude.

“Of course. You know I wanted you here,” Frankie assured.

“Oh, I know.”

“Well, we all know now,” I remarked.

“Frankie, why don’t we talk upstairs?” Vivian asked.

Vivian gave him a seductive look; Frankie smirked in response.

“Yeah, sure. I like talking. Talking is good.”

Frankie softly grabbed Vivian’s hand, and they snuck upstairs.

“Wow! That was quick,” Eddy laughed.

“Vivian will surprise you. When she likes someone, she likes them. We’re very similar in that way,” I admitted.

“Oh, well. That’s cool. You’re direct. That’s good,” Eddy complimented.

“Yeah, I’m very direct. Pour me a damn drink, Eddy. Right now,” I demanded.

“Wait, what? Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll get one for you right now.”

I laughed, and then softly tugged at his arm.

“I’m kidding—that was just an example of my directness,” I joked.

“I should’ve known by now.”

I grabbed a wine cooler and popped it open.

Eddy did the same, and we clinked bottles.

Soon after that, we had another drink, then another drink…

then another drink. A half-hour passed by before I realized how many I had.

I wasn’t blackout drunk, but I was definitely a little woozy.

Eddy, on the other hand, didn’t have as much.

He was having a hard time catching up, so I slowed down.

I didn’t want the poor kid to get intoxicated.

“So, are you a virgin?” I asked.

Eddy almost spat out his drink.

“I’m joking. You don’t have to answer that,” I replied.

“Well… I am. I don’t have any secrets to hide,” Eddy commented.

“No secrets…at all?” I asked.

Eddy visibly gulped.

“Uh, no. I have no secrets. I swear.”

I affectionately squeezed his arm.

“I know, I know. I trust you. You’re a good guy,” I admitted.

“Thanks. I try to be.”

“So…what have you told Frankie about me? Good things, right?” I asked.

“Hmm…well, I’ve told him I think you’re cool and funny.”

“That’s all?”

“Uh…” Eddy trailed off while he continued to drink with a nervous look about him.

“Is that all you told him about me? I’m sad.”

“Don’t be sad, Heather. I… I like you. I like you a lot,” Eddy said nervously.

My heart warmed, fluttered, and burst open when he said those words. I wasn’t a sentimental person, but I was still human, and it felt heavenly that he liked me. There was no other way to explain it.

“Aww. Yay!” I exclaimed.

“I think we’re both a little drunk,” Eddy commented.

“Just a little.”

We both started giggling. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him in closer.

“That is a very tight grip,” Eddy pointed out.

“Shh.”

“Shh?”

“You do? You like me?” I asked with a surprised look on my face.

“Yeah. I really do,” Eddy replied.

He leaned down, and we kissed for several seconds. A parade of invisible fireworks exploded around us. Our mutual attraction to one another had finally come to fruition.

“Wow! That was, uh… that was very unexpected,” Eddy pointed out.

“Yeah. You have good lips. I’m gonna go dance,” I remarked.

“Oh, alright. Do you want me to go with you?”

“Later on, handsome. For now, I dance alone,” I said as I batted my eyelashes.

“As you wish, beautiful,” Eddy replied with a smile.

“Oh, I’m beautiful now?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

I swiftly took off his fedora and placed it on my head.

I ruffled his curly hair and jetted away with another drink in hand.

As I went to the crowd, I passed Luna and winked at her as she headed for the kitchen.

While she talked with Eddy, I danced wildly.

It was what I usually did when I was a bit drunk…

or a lot drunk. I liked to get the blood flowing.

I twirled and twerked for a good ten minutes before I saw him. I would recognize him anywhere. Hell, it could have been thirty years later, and I still would have recognized him.

I saw him stumbling up the stairs. He wore a horrible beanie and a flannel shirt that only douchebags owned. I set aside my drink and pushed my way through the crowd. What the hell could this moron be up to? I thought to myself.

When I got to the second floor, I saw him enter what seemed to be Frankie’s bedroom. As he shut the door, I lunged towards it, but he’d locked it. I jangled the doorknob and pounded on the door.

“I’ll be just a minute,” Jacob announced.

“You better open this door right now before I hurt you,” I threatened.

It was no use; I had to wait until either Frankie or Vivian came to open it.

Admittedly, I wasn’t on my A-game. I was pretty drunk, so I didn’t think to pick the lock with a hairpin or a metal string.

I felt nauseous and dizzy after I shouted, so I stayed quiet for the first time in my entire life.

For now, I pressed my ear to the door and intently listened to their voices.

“Excellent tongue technique, Frankerson. I had no idea you and Vivian were screwing around. This is quite scandalous,” Jacob commented.

“Jacob? What are you doing here?” Vivian asked.

“You horny dogs got room for one more?” Jacob added.

“Yo, what the hell, man? Why are you in my room, dickhead?” Frankie asked.

“Frankie, you didn’t lock the door?” Vivian asked.

“I was so focused on you, babe—that I forgot,” Frankie replied.

I rolled my eyes when I heard that cheesy one-liner.

“You can’t fault a man for being focused on his girl,” Jacob commented.

“Wait, why the hell are you at my party? No one invited you,” Frankie remarked.

“Well, I had a plan to get laid at this little shindig. It’s not working out. I drank a lot. I feel strange, and my stomach is bubbly,” Jacob explained.

I vaguely heard a brief shuffling. It sounded like a pair of clothes being taken off and subsequently thrown.

“Jacob, please put your pants back on,” Vivian requested.

“Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re about to get your ass beat,” Frankie threatened.

“Frankie, wait. Let’s not resort to that,” Vivian pleaded.

“Yeah, Frankie. Let’s not resort to that. Let’s resort to having a threesome. Who’s with me?” Jacob asked.

“Alright, that’s it. We’re fighting. Get your brown ass over here,” Frankie ordered.

“Frankie, no. Don’t fight,” Vivian pleaded.

I couldn’t see what was happening, but I was pretty sure Vivian was holding him back. At this point, I had heard enough—I was getting inside. I was so angry that it sobered me up a bit, so I softly knocked on the door.

“We’re busy in here. Come back later,” Jacob answered.

“Luna’s here. She wants to talk,” I said.

“There’s no way. Is she really? Is this a prank?” Jacob asked.

“She’s here at the party. She wants to talk to you. She told me personally. She feels bad for what she did,” I expressed.

“She does?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah. She told me that, too, Jacob,” Vivian added.

Thankfully, she caught on quickly.

“Yeah, come look for yourself,” I suggested.

“How come she isn’t talking?” Jacob asked.

“She’s shy and ashamed. She doesn’t want to talk here. She wants to talk somewhere in private, just the two of you,” I explained.

“Just the two of us? Wow! That sounds great. Wait, who are you? You sound very, very familiar!” Jacob exclaimed.

I did my best to mask my voice by making it sound like a jock. It sounded absolutely ridiculous.

“Why don’t you open the door and find out?” I asked.

“Nah, I don’t trust you, whoever you are,” Jacob replied.