Now I was smoking weed in the kitchen, watching Isla dance around. She was loving every second of this birthday party charade, this mockery we were letting her perform in hopes that she would actually leave us alone.
They were dancing in the middle of the room. Isla wore a white dress, twirling in a circle, enjoying the song, the atmosphere, and the vibes. I continued to watch her until Kraven approached her with a beer in his grasp.
He grabbed her hand, twirling her that time. I watched from afar as they all danced without a care in the world. Rage quickly tried to take over, and I shoved it back down. Melody made their way over to them, grabbing their hands before Kraven spun them both, smiling ear to ear.
My blood boiled.
Hot.
Searing.
Scarring its way into my skin.
“You need to hit that blunt again and chill the fuck out,” Roland demanded, inhaling a hit himself. “It’s a party,” he breathed out through smoke.
“I’m doing my best.”
He nodded to them. “You should go dance with them.”
“I don’t dance.”
“Julius—”
“If you’re about to take her side, Roland, I suggest you don’t try me. I can’t deal with another person taking her side in this whole ordeal.”
“Isla and Kraven are not taking her side, Julius.”
I gestured to them. “What is that then?”
“It’s them having a good time and living in the moment. A moment that may never happen again, and you should be taking advantage of it too.”
“I don’t need you toSesame Streetme.”
He held his hands up in the air in surrender. “Listen, I come in peace.” After passing me the blunt, he made his way over to them. Proving his opinion on living in the present.
Melody shrieked in excitement, grabbing Roland to dance with him.
She looked so happy, reminding me of all the times I’d seen her exactly like this, but what goes up must come down. It was the law of physics.
When she noticed I was staring at them, she shouted, “Julius! It’s time!”
She wouldn’t…
She couldn’t…
“Right, everyone? Let’s hear my boys play!”
Of course she is.
The crowd cheered, clapping and hooting. The nerve to put us on the spot. Kraven’s glossy gaze shifted to meet mine. I waited for him to object, to tell her to eat shit, and that we weren’t her little wind-up monkeys to perform for her at her beck and call.
Except he didn’t. Instead, he shrugged it off and mouthed, “Why not?”
It was Isla’s expression ofit’s your brother’s birthday, and if he was good with it, then you should be toothat felt like it was me against the entire party. I moved in autopilot while I allowed the booze and weed to consume me.
No longer seeing red.
No longer feeling the blazing heat on my skin.
