Page 35 (1/2)

He chuckled "We’re gonna head to a party over at The Creek How ’bout you come on out?"

"Sure," I said The Creek was actually an abandoned subdivision not far from my house I’d heard of many a party out there but had never been invited to one I dressed and checked ratulations I shot backlot tee the win Most of the fans didn’t seenize oing to get pregnant if I kept bu!" Katie said as she came up behind me She laced her arms around my neck as I turned and kissed me Not a peck Not on the cheek She kissed me for real, just as she had earlier in the hallway

A hot burst pinged onwith Ash and Nyte several yards away in the sea of revelers Soer? She turned away and pushed through the crowd before I could rins plastered on their faces, apparently unaware Elyssa had left

"What’s wrong?" Katie asked

I stared at Elyssa’s retreating back "Nothing" I took a deep breath to diminish the knot in my throat

I arrived at the entrance to The Creek, Katie in tow, and located the party in question by the sheer nu the road in front of a mostly finished house The party house was almost fully built but the rest of the subdivision was filled with empty lots and wooden frames Nathan shouted when he saw s

Katie looked at him and shuddered Annie and Jennie squealed at her fro Nathan warily I couldn’t blaroped her and tried to steal a kiss In a sense, that had been the incident to kick-start e destiny It was clearer now--the headaches and blurred vision had all been supernatural growing pains I was no longer Justin Case I was soht I was just a person like them

"My main man, Case!" Nathan roared over the loud music He handed me a plastic cup filled with pee-colored beer then pulledshots and playing drinking games He eyed me for a minute and das "We’ve been through some real crap, haven’t we?"

I took a sip of the beer and gri it mildly"

He nodded "I hated you"

"Are we best buds now?"

"I wouldn’t go that far" He chuckled and gulped down half his beer "I guess the point is, I’

I cupped a hand to an ear "I didn’t quite catch that"

A growl ruy froood At the same time, it hardly covered all the mistreatment he’d put h Baby steps, I told y ht for sure I’d just pushed the wrong button But when his eyes focused on his beer I knew for sure it wasn’t anger he was feeling but eavelook Actually it washis head was

"But you’re a football player," I said as if one of the laws of physics were being broken Didn’t woazed wistfully at Katie through the sliding glass door as she gabbed with her friends "You stole her right out froets chicks just for having a ave him a confused look Was this the same Nathan I’d always known or had an alien scooped out his brains and replaced theed h hell and I still wasn’t entirely sure why she’d suddenly fallen forfor sure"

Interest kindled in his eyes "What’s that?"

"Girls don’t like it when boys try to force theured that one out"

"Girls also don’t like nice pushover guys no matter what they say The way I see it, you have to be souy but not a total asshole?"

"Exactly" I honestly didn’t have a clue what I was talking about, but if it ue? "But first I think you need to apologize to Katie"

"And that way, I’m not a total asshole" He slapped me on the shoulder "Case, you’re fricken devious, ones be bygones, I always say" I’d actually never said that once in nani "What ever happened to you and that Goth chick?"

"Things didn’t work out," I said, h with e in the universe Maybe it did His face brightened "Hey, I want to try out your advice" He ledabout shopping for shoes There were soe but had apparently notto a pretty brunette nae eyes and sabbed excitedly tofor a sorority while she slammed down shot after shot I mostly nodded and said "Uhuh" and "Mh out my patented "Not a Total Asshole" approach by alternatively coly--or so on at least one of them Or maybe the rollercoaster of emotions had simply short-circuited her brain

Katie appeared frorabbed htly slurred voice The odor of soered on her breath

I introduced her

"Justin is a to keep her balance She’d taken four shots in the space of tenPow!" She smacked one hand off the other for illustration and nearly toppled her drunk little self in the process

Katie s all right"