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As the band meed People huddled together, vying for attention and tiirls surrounding Kaidan, asking hihs with per I folloithout question We went into the kitchen, finding an unoccupied corner, and I checked out the beverage selection

I reached for a Coca-Cola

"Want some?" I asked

"I do not drink caffeine," he said

"Wow, you irl; that’s hard to do"

He cracked a big se di flapped ina little for a cup

"Don’t letWe don’t need you all hyped up on caffeine How about ginger ale instead?"

"Is that drink not only for upset stoood" I poured a tiny bit into a cup and held it out "Here, take a sip"

He took the cup and drank "Rene?"

"When I was younger, before I changed my life"

I took the cup froer ale, then handed it back

"Whatin serene remembrance "When I was fifteen, I ith my two brothers to a revival camp in a nearby town set up by missionaries from Wales Our intentions were to er When we arrived they were praying I’d never seen anyone in prayer, and I felt strange For the first time in my life I experienced hope I returned hoht at the very least he would disown me, but he reacted with silence He pretended not to hear what I said In all of the years since, he has spoken only a handful of sentences to e, I applied to college and left hoe I wondered why he wasn’t the one to inherit the hteousness If he was scared of anything, he didn’t show it

As the party grew,us closer to each other I saw Kaidan on the other side of the rooirl next to hi her white-platinuhtened I hadn’t seen hiolden and handed it to Kaidan He tipped back the shot glass and glanced , as he set it down I put ht was a rays sprinkled throughout As drinks were consurew louder

Marna and Jay squeezed through and stood with Kopano and er and Blake were not far behind Two h the croith the bottle of liquor, shot glasses, and slices of liirl

"Tequila, anyone?" he asked our group, but his eyes were on me

"Hell, yeah, K, break it out," Blake said