Infinite (Strange and Beautiful, Book 1)

by Brittney Musick

  “I know. I wouldn’t dare come in without an invitation.” I rolled my eyes slightly and sighed before asking, “So, you’re going to Jesse Millet’s party?”

  “How’d you know about it?”

  “Because I’m going too.”

  “No, you’re not,” he laughed. “Jesse wouldn’t invite you, and Mom and Dad aren’t going to let you go.”

  “Jesse invited Tierney, personally, and he told her she could bring friends, so she invited Tegan and me to go,” I argued. “And I’m going no matter what Mom and Dad say.”

  “Oh, you rebel.” His sarcasm could not be missed as he rolled his eyes and walked over to the door. He reached for the door handle and started to close the door, and I had no choice but to step back as Luke said, “Good luck convincing Mom and Dad.”

  Then, in true brotherly fashion, he slammed the door in my face. Maturely, I stuck my tongue out at the closed door before I marched down the hallway toward my room. I slammed my own door in answer to his rudeness and was all the more determined to go to that party.

  When Dad got home from work, Mom called Luke and I downstairs for dinner. Skylar wasn’t home. She’d dropped me off after school but didn’t say where she was going. I also didn’t bother to ask, but I guessed she was either with Stevie or Scott, who she was still dating even though it was past his expiration date.

  Dinner was quiet and unusually tense due to Mom and Dad’s apparent Cold War. Afterward, Luke ran upstairs, presumably to get ready for the party. I opted to go watch some television in the living room while I worked up the nerve to ask my parents about the party. I’d hoped they would eventually come into the living room, but when they didn’t, I sucked it up and went to them.

  They were still in the kitchen, and as I approached, I could hear only bits and parts of them arguing.

  “I’ll do it if I want to, Theo,” Mom said. “I don’t need your permission.”

  “So I have no say in this?”

  “No.” Mom’s tone made it clear she couldn’t be persuaded.

  Before they could continue on, I cleared my throat and made my presence known. They both turned to look at me, and I realized just how tired both of my parents looked. It was no doubt from a combination of working and arguing. I was curious about what Mom was planning to do, but I didn’t think it would do much good to ask. She’d probably just say it was “grown up stuff.” How insulting.

  “Did you need something, Sil?” Mom looked expectant and relieved by the interruption.

  “I just wanted to ask you if it was okay if I went to a party tonight.” I hated that I sounded so nervous, but, between their odd behavior over the past few days and not knowing what they might say, I couldn’t help it.

  “What party?” Dad already looked ready to say no.

  “Jesse Millet’s,” I sighed. I could already feel myself deflating. I hated the idea of lying and defying them. “Luke’s going. I thought I’d ride with him, and I could meet Tegan there.”

  Dad considered for a moment before he finally nodded. “If Luke’s going, I don’t see why not.”

  It rankled that it was only okay because Luke was going. I wondered what the answer would have been if Skylar had been going instead of Luke, but I guessed it didn’t matter. I had permission to go. I thanked them and hurried out of the room.

  Upstairs, I knocked on Luke’s door and informed him, when he opened it, that I was riding with him to the party to meet Tegan. He looked aghast, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he told me to be ready to go by seven-thirty.

  I called Tegan to let her know what was up, and we agreed that we’d see each other in an hour’s time. It didn’t take long to change into a plaid skirt that was similar to what the girls wore in the Harry Potter movies, and I wore a white, short sleeve button up Oxford blouse.

  Then I set about trying to fluff up my hair. In the bathroom, I backcombed my hair and used quite a lot of Skylar’s hairspray. I hoped she wouldn’t notice. Even though Hermione Granger didn’t strike me as the makeup wearing type, I put on a bit of mascara and lip-gloss just because.

  I realized I was missing my tie and went back to my room. I had to dig through some of the organized chaos until I found the red and gold Gryffindor tie I’d chosen last year as a birthday present from my parents. I fumbled around with it for a while before I gave up, grabbed my black robe and black Mary Janes and went back downstairs to ask Mom for help with my tie.

  Dad was noticeably absent, and Mom seemed distracted and tired as she fixed my tie. I gave her a hug, because she seemed like she could use one, and thanked her for her help. For good measure, I even told her our mediocre, at best, dinner was good. That made her smile, and I thought it made the lie worth it.

  Because it was almost seven-thirty, I slipped on my Mary Janes and pulled on my robe and went to wait for Luke by the front door to insure he didn’t leave without me.

  In the car, Luke tuned the radio to his favorite rock station and cranked up the volume. I tried to tune it out at first, but after a while it started to give me a headache. Then some song with heavy base and indecipherable lyrics came on, and I decided I’d had enough. I turned it down.

  Luke looked annoyed but, before he could give me the lecture about how it was his car and I wasn’t supposed to touch the radio, I spoke up. “Mom and Dad were arguing again tonight.”

  “Yeah?” He slanted his eyes toward me. “About what?”

  “I’m not sure. I just heard Mom say she was going to do something whether or not Dad liked it because she didn’t need his permission.”

  Luke frowned. “What’s she going to do?”

  “No idea, but they were arguing about money on my birthday.”

  Luke shrugged, unconcerned by this revelation. “Dad’s just a tight ass about money.”

  “I know, but Mom’s been acting kind of weird too. She hasn’t been cleaning as much, and when she’s folding laundry she doesn’t seem to admire the socks while she matches them.”

  Luke spared me a confused look at this last part. Apparently, I was the only who noticed the way Mom seemed to lack her usual gusto for matching socks, but he did, at least, agree that she’d been acting weird lately.

  “Do you think Mom and Dad are going to get a divorce or something?” I asked quietly. It was a thought that had crossed my mind a few times over the last few days, but I’d been trying not to think about it too much. Married people fought, and my parents had been married for twenty years. They’d fought occasionally in the past. It had just been a while, which was why it felt so unnerving now, or so I told myself.

  “No way.” Luke shook his head, adamantly, and he looked relaxed, so I didn’t think he was just telling me what he thought I needed to hear. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Mom’s probably just annoyed with Dad being such an uptight tightwad all the time.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I agreed half-heartedly and looked out the window.

  Luke and I weren’t close by any measure. We never really talked or spent much time together, but he really wasn’t a bad brother—apart from the fact I wasn’t allowed to talk to him at school or admit to being related. He could be nice at times. Sometimes when he was bored, we’d play video games together. He always beat me, of course, but it was still fun. Even though those times were rare, it was a comfort that, in times like these, he seemed to know I needed him to take my concerns seriously.

  I knew when we’d arrived at Jesse’s house because there were cars beyond cars parked on the block and in the driveway and yard. Luke maneuvered his car in between two others, and I had to carefully ease myself out of the car because there wasn’t much room to even open the door. I was flush with the side of the car as I slid out of the small gap between the two. Luke had more room on his side of the car, and he didn’t even spare me a glance as he walked up to the house. I hurried after him, but as soon as he walked into the house, he spotted some friends and I went to look for Tegan.

  Because Tegan hadn’t told me what her costume was and eve
ryone was dressed up, it was hard to find in her the crowd. I realized belatedly that I’d been so preoccupied with what was going on with our parents that I hadn’t even really noticed what Luke had been wearing until now.

  He was dressed pretty much the same way he dressed every day—jeans, t-shirt, zip up hoodie and Nikes. Either he’d been really lazy about dressing up, or he was going for something ironic. I’d have to ask him later.

  When I finally spotted Tegan in the corner, it took me a moment to recognize her. I was a little shocked by her costume. She came wearing a purple 1920’s inspired flapper dress. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and while she looked adorable, it was certainly more risqué than how I was used to seeing Tegan dressed.

  “I love the costume,” I complimented once I’d crossed the room to her.

  “Thanks, Hermione,” she winked. “You should have dressed up as a flapper too.”

  “Couldn’t,” I sighed. “No boobs to fill out the dress.”

  Tegan rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’m beginning to wish you’d get boobs just as much as you do,” she said. “I’m sick of hearing about it.”

  “Okay, okay,” I shrugged. “I’ll refrain from talking about my breasts. Or lack thereof.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” she threatened, but I knew it was in jest.

  We found Tierney, in what appeared to be a billiard room. She was watching some guys showing off while playing pool. It did not go unnoticed by neither Tegan nor I that one of the guys happened to be Jesse Millet.

  Since most everyone else at the party was upperclassmen, we decided to hang out with Tierney for a while since she’d been the one to extend the invitation to us. After a while, though, the place got so crowded and hot I had to shed my black robe and go in search of something to drink. Tegan was engaged in conversation with a cute guy from our Journalism class, and I didn’t want to interrupt her, so I didn’t bother to ask if she wanted anything.

  I went to the kitchen and filled my cup with punch and took a much-needed sip. I probably should have known immediately there was something wrong because that first sip tasted a little funny, but because I was so thirsty, I didn’t think anything of it. I gulped down one cup before pouring myself another and headed back to Tegan and Tierney.

  After that my night turned out much differently than I’d anticipated. While drinking my second cup of punch, I started to feel much more relaxed, and everything seemed to become much more amusing than it normally would have.

  “What’s going on with you?” Tegan asked after I spent a solid five minutes guffawing over some lame joke made by the cute guy she’d been talking to.

  I wiped the tears that had formed in my eyes away and shrugged, unable to explain my amusement.

  Tegan frowned and grabbed me by the shoulders. She later told me I’d been teetering back and forth in a worrisome manner.

  When Tierney showed up again—apparently she’d migrated to another room for some more Jesse watching—she looked worried too. She grabbed my cup from my hand just as I was about to drop it.

  “It tastes really yummy,” I assured her through a fit of giggles as I reached for the cup, wanting another sip.

  Frowning, Tierney lifted it to her nose and sniffed. Then she sighed, “The punch is spiked. How many cups have you had, Silly?”

  My thoughts were sluggish as I tried to remember. “That’s just my third,” I finally said, grabbing for the cup and pouting when Tierney held it out of my reach.

  “I think you’ve had more than enough,” Tierney decided. “I’m surprised you’re still standing.”

  “I’m standing?” I laughed. It was at that point Tegan suggested finding Luke so he could take me home. I was completely unconcerned and had no desire to leave—especially after I spotted Jackson through one of the doorways.

  While Tegan and Tierney went to look for Luke—after telling me to stay put, as if—I made my way over to Jackson. He seemed extra tall all of a sudden, and I giggled at the sight of his costume—a red and white striped long-sleeved shirt with a matching hat paired with blue jeans and black shoes. The real kicker was his black-rimmed circular glasses.

  “Where’s Waldo!” I exclaimed.

  He looked up at my shout and smiled as I staggered over to him, where he was talking to some people.

  “No, wait,” I frowned. “You’re not Waldo. You’re Jackson.”

  He caught me by the shoulder before I could topple over. “Gravity still has it out for you, I see.”

  I laughed hysterically and nodded. “Gravity hates me, and I don’t know why. What did I ever do to it?”

  Jackson didn’t laugh, though. In fact, his gorgeous smile slid away and was replaced with a furrow between his brows. “Are you alright, Silly?”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” I said airily. “Someone spiked the punch, but I don’t care. It sure tasted grrrreat.” I said this last part in a Tony the Tiger voice, like he would if he were talking about Frosted Flakes.

  That drew Jackson up short for a moment. “You mean you’re drunk?”

  “So it would seem,” I nodded, bobbing my head up and down more vigorously than necessary. “But don’t tell the guidance counselor on me,” I giggled. “I didn’t have sex with anyone to get it, I promise. I didn’t know it was spiked.”

  The people who Jackson had been talking to—I thought one of them was that Chris guy that interrupted our conversation on my birthday—had been quietly observing up until this point, but my pleading and declaration of there being no sex exchanged resulted in a round of laughter, which I joined in on even though I didn’t know why they thought it was so funny.

  Even though Jackson still looked concerned, a small smile played on his kissable lips. “Who did you come here with?”

  “Luke. My brother. His name is really Lucas, you know,” I answered conversationally. “I hope I don’t puke on the welcome mat at home like he did. That was gross,” I commented as I noticed that Jackson was still holding me upright by the shoulder. My eyes glazed a bit at the sight of his long, pretty fingers.

  “Well, I think we’d better find Luke before that happens,” Jackson commented.

  “No, Tegan and Tierney are doing that,” I said, turning and pointing off in the direction where I’d last seen them. I went to turn back toward Jackson, but the sudden movement was just too much for my usually shoddy equilibrium and I started to fall forward.

  Evidently, I blacked out. I couldn’t remember much of what happened after that, but Tegan told me later I fell down on my knees and threw up in one of Jesse Millet’s mom’s plants as well as on Jackson’s black shoe.

  “Jackson was really calm about it,” Tegan assured me. “He didn’t freak out or anything. You really didn’t throw up that much either. I mean, it wasn’t like The Exorcist style projectile vomiting by any means.”

  I suspected she was just trying to make me feel less mortified by the experience; although I wasn’t sure that was actually possible given I’d thrown up on my crush in front of a crowd of people.

  Apparently, Jackson helped Tegan usher me outside to wait while Tierney looked for Luke. I vaguely remembered being shoved into the front seat of my brother’s car and him saying, “If you throw up in here, I’ll kill you.”

  I fell asleep on the way home, and when we arrived, Luke shook me awake. I was dizzy and tired and still a little loopy.

  “Be quiet,” he hissed, “and go straight upstairs to your room.”

  Of course, when I couldn’t even manage to get myself out of the car, that plan went awry. In the end, Luke pulled me out of the car, wrapped an arm around my shoulder and walked my dizzy, shaky and swaying self up the driveway.

  In the house, he cursed a litany of swear words I was sure would make a sailor blush, and all but carried me up the stairs and deposited me on my bed.

  “Are you going to throw up again?” he asked, shaking me slightly to keep me coherent.

  “If you keep doing that, I will,” I muttered.

&n
bsp; He huffed, releasing me to fall back against the bed. “Just go to sleep.”

  Stomach queasy, I closed my eyes and passed out before my bedroom door clicked shut.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The next morning I woke understanding exactly why people always said, “I’m never drinking again” after a night of partying. Head pounding and insides threatening to revolt and escape through my throat, I had absolutely no desire to move from my bed.

  This all, of course, was before I’d even opened my eyes. When I did finally work up the energy required to peel back my eyelids, I was immediately blinded by sunlight filtering in through my window. Despite feeling like death warmed over, I found this odd. I knew I’d closed the shades before changing clothes last night, and I had no recollection of reopening them before I left.

  “Morning Sunshine.”

  I shrieked and, despite my lethargy, sat up quickly. The room spun a little, but when it finally came into focus, I found my sister seated at the edge of my bed.

  “Damn, Banshee,” Skylar winced, “chill out. It’s just me.”

  “You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I exclaimed, heart still pounding.

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” Skylar rolled her eyes, and I fell back against my pillows, head pounding. “So, how are we feeling?”

  Shielding my eyes from the offending sun, I groaned, “Like shit. What time is it?”

  “Seven,” she answered. Then she held up a mug I hadn’t noticed before. “Drink this. It’ll help.”

  Sitting back up, slower this time, I took the mug. I looked at the contents as I took a whiff. It didn’t smell good, but Skylar was watching me expectantly, so I took a sip. It was hot and burned my tongue, which took away from the less than tasty flavor, but it felt good going down my dry throat.

  “So, first hangover?”

  I glanced at her and didn’t even have to ask how she knew. Luke had, obviously, told her about the events of the night before, which from what I could remember were absolutely mortifying.

  I nodded slightly, but it hurt my head, so I stopped. “Did Luke tell Mom and Dad?” I croaked, sounding suspiciously like a frog. I suspected if I said ‘ribbit’ a frog would probably come hopping into the room looking for its friend.