Chapter Six

I walked into Kalina's party with Destiny by my side. She is saying hi to everybody we pass. They all fawned over her cheetah print mini dress that hugged her waist a little too tight, telling her how amazing it looks. She didn't even bother asking my opinion, knowing I would say something negative which I would've. Destiny's style reminds me of a mix of wannabe Kardashians and strippers. Her hair was curled and full with a heavy load of makeup on. I opted to wear skinny jeans and a tight blue shirt with a pair of blue vans. Our very different styles. Our very different personalities. Yet we complement each other in more ways than one.

Kalina's party is at her cousin's house because of its larger size. She has tables of food in the kitchen and a gorgeous three-layer red velvet cake in the dining room. She wanted to be like the queen of hearts so everywhere you looked was red with hearts hanging from the streamers. Megan The Stallion is playing from the huge speakers next to the makeshift dance floor where most of the guests are twerking and grinding. I see a girl with neon green hair wearing a hot Cheeto dress and struggle to hold in my laughter. Destiny sees and compliments her.

"So, Scar," Destiny grabs my hand and we walk towards the dance floor. "How do you feel about us dating twins?"

"I feel like that's never going to happen," I can tell she doesn't believe me. "No, seriously it could never work out."

"Why?"

"For one... he doesn't even know what school I go to. Two-" She holds out a hand to stop me from continuing

"Excuse me, he doesn't know what school you go to? Did he ask?"

"Yeah... about that, he thinks I go to an all-girls private school." The last words rush out of my mouth. Her eyes narrow at me accusingly.

"Why would you lie?" I look around and focus on the girl twerking on Latrell in the corner and the kids smoking backwoods on the back porch.

"I can't tell him about this," She scoffs

"You're ashamed, aren't you?" My head jerks back in surprise.

"No, of course not. I love this, but I just..." I took a minute to think of what to say next. "I just need some time."

"I just don't understand what the point of lying was," She takes a second before her eyes light up in a fiery rage. "Did he talk shit about the city or something?"

"No no that's not it," I deny. She raises her eyebrows. "I panicked! His friend Carter asked and I didn't know what to say-"

"How about the truth?"

"Are you going to tell him?" I asked.

"He's going to find out," She sucks in some air and I wait for her to continue. "But it won't be from me." I breathe out in relief and give her a big squeeze

"Thank you D-" She holds up a manicured finger.

"I'm not going to tell him, but you will."

"I will tell him, I promise." She nods and we go back to dancing.

A few songs later I excuse myself and leave Destiny with Erika. I pass a few girls doing the Renegade on my way to the drinks. A boy I know from Geometry sophomore year hands me bottled water. I looked past him and saw the finest boy in my junior class. Kayden Williams.

I would never date him considering he is close friends with Latrell, but Kayden is a fine specimen to look at. We had biology together freshman year and we became kind of friends. Bad news: he probably hates me now considering I called out his best friend. Good news: he needs me if he ever wants to score a date with my best friend. He glances my way and I stare down at my bottle like it's the most interesting thing on the planet.

He just got his braces off last week and is wearing an all-black outfit with a bandana to match. I would be lying if I didn't say I loved his slick new Air Maxes. The next time I looked up his light-skinned 6'2 self he was walking towards me with Latrell nowhere in sight.

"Hey-" His greeting is cut short by the lights cutting off and a spotlight shining on the stairs.

I almost forgot I was at a birthday party until Kalina walked down the stairs with her boyfriend Nolan, looking like a princess in her floor-length red gown and curly brown hair cascading all the way down her back. Nolan is wearing a tux with a red tie to match her dress.

I would pay money if somebody looked at me the way he looked at her. Everybody whooped and hollered, her best friend Tamara was in tears. Kayden was next to me pumping his fist in the air and yelling. The lights came back on when they descended the stairs and he turned back to me.

"You look really good tonight, Scarlet," He shouts over the commotion of people vying to snap a picture of Kalina for their Instagram just to say that they went to a party tonight.

That way when they looked back on their high school year, they would see that they didn't waste it on studying or jobs or internships. But the real important stuff: parties where they got drunk off their asses and spent the whole night doing bad things with people they regret.

But for tonight, I stare at his full lips watching him as he licks them before pulling them into a smile. I know what you're thinking. Scarlet, you're a liar, you said you would never date anybody at your school, but I still hold true to that. I would never date a single soul in my school, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a boy who looks good.

"Thank you," I give him a once over before meeting his amber-brown eyes. "Kayden."

"So where's Destiny at?" Here we go, that's another reason why I would never date Kayden Matthews. He's in love with my best friend except she only uses him as a once every school dance fuck buddy. Kayden has always wanted something more and since I don't find him completely annoying; I try to help him out every now and again like right now.

"She's on the dance floor with Erika. Des is the one in the cheetah print mini dress." He nods and I sighed watching that god of a mixed boy stare as her with so much longing that it hurts my heart. "Just go talk to her already. You've been staring at her for a while and it's starting to get weird."

He glances over to me before sending me a smirk and walking towards my oblivious best friend. I watched him for a second as she half-heartedly talks to him. I can tell when Des isn't interested, she leans back instead of forward and doesn't push her assets in his face.

When he finally walks away, I go over to them.

"What did Kayden want?" I screamed over the loud music.

"He asked me out or something?" She says, nonchalantly.

"And what did you say?"

"I said no." I groaned and she gave me a weird look. "What?"

"Why won't you give Kayden a chance?"

"Not my type," She shrugs and leaves the dance floor with me in tow.

I'm about to ask her what's wrong with him when gunshots go off and everybody ducks. We all know that the gunshots came from outside probably on the street in front of us, but we all duck anyway in fear. Some guys at the party ran outside as soon as they went off. It felt like everybody in here was frozen in fear and every time the shots went off, we all took in a sharp breath. Breathing synched as we listen to one after another. The death toll rising from the number before. Knowing that at any moment it could've been us outside.

Half an hour later, we heard sirens and Kalina was standing in the corner with Nolan beside her, stroking her backside to calm her. I feel bad for her, she was looking forward to this party. All she's done for the past three months is talk about it and now everybody is so scared they can hardly move. We may all live in our fair share of bad neighborhoods, but that doesn't make this normal. Guns bring death.

Death isn't normal.

When we didn't hear anything for a while, people started to leave. Some crying. Others shaking but faking nonchalance. I left with Destiny soon after we spoke with a heartbroken Kalina. Kayden tried to comfort Destiny who was shaking violently, but she wasn't paying him any attention. He lets her go when we get to my car.

"Destiny, do you want to sleep over mine tonight?" I ask when we pull off, but she shakes her head.

"I'll be fine." I try to make small talk with her just to distract her as we drive, but her answers come out clipped and vague. I'm not surprised Destiny is always shaken up after gunshots even when we were freshman, hiding under my bed from everything going on outside.

I drop Destiny off at her house, she gives me a tiny wave as she unlocks the door. I'm ten minutes away when she calls me crying.

"Scar, I need you." Her voice is cracked and small. So different from the loud-mouthed, confident girl that I've come to know. I turn around and when I get there she is standing outside on the porch. I can't see her clearly because of how dark it is outside, but I see her stagger to the car.

I take a look at her face when she gets inside, throwing a bookbag in the back seat. Her eyes are bloodshot red and tears are falling faster as she tries to contain them. Her face is blotchy and her hair is a mess. I already know what happened.

"I-I'm ss-sorry," She stammers before breaking down in front of me. I just hug her and we sit like that for a while. She's silently crying, something that she has been forced to train herself to do.

We broke apart and she grabbed the tissue box near her feet. After she fixed herself, she let out a shaky breath and told me what happened.

"They were screaming at each other when I came home. I was listening from the top of the stairs while they were in the bedroom. He kept yelling these awful things and it wouldn't stop!" She took a deep breath and focused her thoughts. "Until it did. He came outside of the room and walked right past me like I was a ghost."

"Destiny-"

"His knuckles were bruised and there was some blood on them. I could hear my mother crying and I pictured everything that happened behind those doors," Her glassy eyes stared up at me. "It was horrifying, Scar."

"You're safe now, Des." My voice muffled as I buried my face in her hair and let her lay her head on my chest.

She tells me that she's tired and we drive in silence back to my house. The only sound in the car is the radio playing 92Q. I looked over at Destiny at every red light. I couldn't read anything that was happening in her head, something I learned a long time ago about Destiny is that you see what she wants you to see. You will only see her as vulnerable or tired if she wants you to see unlike me, who can't mask my emotions to save my life. Destiny is a solid hard rock who doesn't show any form of weakness and I admire her for that as well as worry for her. When the rock crumbles, what will she have left?

My parents don't say a word as we walk inside the house. They know what happened. This happens a few times every two months and after the first time, they've stopped questioning. We make it up to my room after getting bottles of water to soothe her hoarse throat. She changes out of her ugly cheetah print dress into a pair of mesh shorts and a tank top and I change into basically the same thing. She pin curls her hair to keep it curly and fresh while I find a movie to watch.

Destiny joins me in bed and falls asleep shortly after I turn on one of my favorite movies Aladdin. I have always been obsessed with Disney movies because of the romances they showcase. Aladdin like me is a hopeless romantic, but I'm no diamond in the rough. Jace texts me in the middle of Friends Like Me to ask my opinion on a birthday gift for Jasmine. She briefly mentioned her birthday during our tutoring session and invited me to her party in a few weeks. It's supposed to be this huge cookout with and I quote 'a million bouncy castles and a load of cute boys.' I remember Jace coming in from the kitchen to voice his disapproval.

She told me last week that she

wants a pair of ice skates

Thanks for that

It's a little sad that I don't know

what my own sister wants

Maybe a little

I was going to leave it at that, but then I sent another text.

But at least you cared enough to

want to give her a gift

What are you doing on this fine evening?

Doing what I do every Saturday

Watching Disney movies and wish

they were happening to me

I don't know why I told him that maybe as a self-deprecating joke.

I don't know why I just said that

I get it

Do you really?

You've probably got girls lining up at your door.

I think you're thinking of the wrong twin

Jasper kind of ruined every chance

I've ever had of getting a girlfriend

That can't be true.

Jace lives in a fantasy world where people like him get to live. They are good looking and wealthy and have all they could ever dream of. He could never understand what it is to be me on the other side of the fence in reality.

People at my school don't even notice me

when I have Jasper as a brother

I would notice you

He doesn't respond for a few minutes and I sit and wait.

I wouldn't blame you if you didn't

But I would.

Anyway, my life aside

Jasmine is freaking out in my ear right now

Why?

That boy she was talking about in the mall

Is my best friend Alexander's brother

and he's coming to the party

That's amazing!!!

Why is she freaking out?

Don't ask me... she came in screeching about hair and outfits

Alexander is over here and she didn't know he was there

Ooooh

I can guess what happens next

I swear she was two seconds from saying his brother's name

When she saw him her mouth shut and her face went bright red

It was hilarious!!!

You're SO mean!!!

I laugh alongside him, but also feel a strong surge of second-hand embarrassment for Jasmine.

She shouldn't have assumed I was alone

What's happening now???

She left and slammed the door.

Alex is all confused

I can't stop laughing

STOP IT!!!

SHE'S PROBABLY MORTIFIED!

She'll get over it.

He sends me a picture of him and I'm assuming Alexander. Jace is sitting on top of him while Alexander is playing Grand Theft Auto. Jace's dimples show as he does his cheeky smile and his eyes scrunch up, his curly hair floppy over his forehead. He looks a little like Joshua Bassett, but even Jace can't reach his level. Alexander contradicts him, he looks angry and serious, probably because Jace is sitting on top of him. His light brown hair is pushed back and his eyes are narrowed. Alexander isn't smiling if anything he's scowling.

Your friend looks angry

No. he LOVES it

I send him a picture of Aladdin and Jasmine as they sing A Whole New World

I LOVE ALADDIN!

That warms my heart considering I've never met a male who watches Disney movies.

Every time I watch this movie

My expectations for guys raise a little higher

Alexander is obsessed with that movie

He finds Aladdin to be the most attractive Disney prince

Does Jace have what I've always wanted? A gay best friend.

Yes, Alexander is gay

It's nice to know you're not homophobic

It's nice to know neither are you

That may be hard considering that most people in my family are, including Ashley. I was always quiet when that subject came up in church (actually, I'm always quiet in church). A lot of churches accept the LGBTQ+ community, mine just isn't one of them. Another reason why I don't understand the bible or its interpretations. I just can't believe in a book that discriminates against somebody's sexuality.

A yawn escapes and I decide to get some sleep so my parents don't chastise me for sleeping in church.

I have to wake up early tomorrow

Church?

Yes, do you go?

My parents do,

but I don't believe in that sort of thing

Are you an atheist?

I was hesitant to ask that question, but I knew I had too. I've never met anybody like me or at least close. My whole life I've been surrounded by people who believe in some form of God and it's hard to believe something that nobody else believes. I've never been able to escape from it.

I would never say that, but I guess if I had a label

Not that I would ever bash your religion or anything

No, stop...

I'm kind of like you

I don't have a label, but yeah

Cool

Jace Kingston. You have no idea.