“You made it,” she yells over the music, and I stop dancing.
She knew he was going to show up? What happened to having a girl’s night to celebrate my birthday? She lied to me.
“Sure did, baby, but we’ve got to go. We just had trouble out back and I don’t want to be in here if they come looking. It’s only Darius and me, you feel me?”
Trouble? Of course they ran into trouble. I’m sure it follows them like cheap cologne. What surprises me most is Clare doesn’t argue with him. We were having a blast and now she’s prepared to leave because he says so.
She looks over her shoulder at me and while her mouth moves, I can’t make out what she’s saying. She reaches for my hand and because I don’t want to be left here on my own, I let her drag me through the crowd, following her boyfriend until we’re out on the street. A car is sat idling by the curb. Tariq throws open the passenger door but climbs in the back, pulling Clare with him. I guess I’m sitting up front.
“What’s going on?” I hear Clare ask as I climb in.
As soon as I have the door closed, the car is wheel spinning away from the curb and pulling out into the sparse traffic.
I glance over at the driver, and it’s the guy with the rose tattoo, who I now know is called Darius.
“Like I said, we hit trouble, and we’ve got to get out of here,” Tariq tells her.
“Where are you taking us?” Clare demands.
“We’re hoping you’ll tell us, gotta lay low for tonight and all that.”
“My father’s away, we could go back to mine?”
I try to catch her attention in the rearview mirror but it’s no good, she’s only got eyes for Tariq.
“You sure?”
Yeah, are you sure, Clare?I think so loud I’m surprised she can’t hear me.
“I wouldn’t say if I wasn’t, but I want to know what happened.”
Glancing at Darius, who’s keeping just as quiet as I am, I notice his knuckles are split open and blood is starting to dry and crust between his fingers.
Their trouble was violent and now we could be implicated with whatever they have done.
“We ran into some guys from another crew, and it got out of hand.”
She’s content with his limited answer and rattles off her address to Darius. While kissing noises and giggles come from the back seat, I keep my face forward and take in how fast but smooth Darius drives. It’s weird how he knows the streets around here and when he arrives at Clare’s house, he asks for the gate code. Before Clare can give out all her secrets, I jump out of the car and walk around to the keypad. I finger punch in the code and jump back in the car as the gates begin to open.
“Wise.”
I shoot him a what-the-fuck glare hearing him speak for the first time tonight and he smirks.
As soon as the car comes to a stop, I climb out and debate whether to go home. I could walk from here and I have done so many times, but no one’s there and I don’t want to leave Clare alone with her boyfriend and his trouble.
Tariq keeps his arm around her as they walk up the grand white stone steps and he hovers close as she unlocks the door. Darius and I follow quietly behind them.
“Fuck me, baby, I knew you were a rich girl, but this is something else, eh?” He picks her up and swings her around in the foyer. Her laughter echoes in the grand space and she wraps her legs around his waist.
“Make yourselves comfortable, we’ll catch you in the morning,” Tariq says with a flash of mania in his eyes.
Clare doesn’t complain as he carries her up the stairs and I faintly hear him ask what room hers is and then a door close while silence weaves around Darius and me.
In this moment it doesn’t feel like I’ve spent half of my childhood in this house, and my mind is blank as to what to do next. Mr. Burley is going to have a heart attack if he finds out about this.
“There must be some hella good liquor in this place, yeah?”
Okay, alcohol. Finding a drink is something we can do. SomethingIcan do.
