Chapter 2 - Shea (before)

The cool fall air brushes gently against my face, rustling the trees off in the distance. The sounds of the party behind me fell aggressively through the screen door tumbling into the backyard of the big house. I don't know why I came here. It's not like I know anyone, or have any desire to know anyone. So far, freshman year of high school has been boring, and I can't manage to bring myself to care. 

The red solo cup in my hands feels awkward and out of place. I pull my legs up under my body, sinking farther into one of the lawn chairs arranged on the deck of the house. The music pours aggressively through the open screen door, cascading in a disorganized stream of bass drops and some weird house music I've never been into. I can hear people inside laughing and screaming as they move through the house without inhibition. 

I close my eyes, leaning back into the chair. I should probably get going here soon, I didn't exactly tell my parents where I was going to be. Not that my dad cares, but I want to be home before my mom gets off work. She's normally home by 1 am after her shift at the bar. My dad hates her job, but she's worked at the same bar in town for as long as I can remember. She started there before she had me as a means to pay extra bills, and then never left. 

My mom is a loud and beautiful woman. She has a quick wit, and a sharp tongue when it counts and when it doesn't. She holds her own in a bar full of drunk men, but the scars on my soul from her verbal lashings as a child still ache. I don't think my mom ever wanted to have kids, but she loved my dad and he wanted us. He's never worked more than necessary and has always been there. 

At that moment the screen door opens abruptly, and two people stumble into the dark safety of the back porch, invading my sanctuary. The girl is smiling and giggling, pulling the boy to her by his shirt. In the next beat, the boy has her up against the wall of the house, burying his face in the crook of her neck, eliciting a moan from her chest. I try to look away but I am transfixed by the expression on her face as he works his way down her shoulder, kissing aggressively on her skin. His hands cup her ass, dragging her hips closer to his. I look away for a moment, peering out into the yard, and immediately meet a pair of icy blue eyes. 

I feel my face flush under the intense gaze of a boy standing in the yard, holding a lit cigarette between his fingers. 

Just then the girl shrieks as the boy's hand finds its way under her skirt. She throws her head back and I realize how completely intrusive I'm being. Quickly I stand, walking out into the yard where the boy is standing, now leaning against a tree. His eyes are still on me, and I fidget with the hem of my shirt, straightening it and smoothing my hand over my stomach. His eyes sparkle as I stand next to him, turning to look back to the porch where the boy and girl are sharing a beer.

"Do you like to watch?" The boy's deep voice shakes my insides, sending nerves scattering through my body. 

"What?" I kick myself for how small my voice sounds. 

A low chuckle rumbles from his chest and I turn to meet his eyes. There's something wicked twinkling in them and it makes me uneasy, but a smile is pulling at the corners of his mouth, causing my stomach to flip flop again. "You heard me." He flicks the butt of his cigarette across the yard and steps closer. "Do you like to watch other people?"

My face turns an impossibly bright shade of red I'm sure. "That was not my intention at all. They basically fell out onto the porch on top of each other." I feel myself rambling and I clamp my mouth shut. I don't need to explain myself to a stranger. Defiance creeps up inside of me, shoving the nerves I felt out of the way to be front and center.

This time he throws his head back and laughs. I feel confused and annoyed at his sudden outburst and I glance back at the couple on the porch. They finally noticed us, the girl giving me a quizzical look as the boy stands casually, shoving his hands in his pocket like he wasn't just dry humping her against the wall moments ago. 

"I'm just playing with you." There's still a wicked gleam in his eye that makes me wonder if he really was just messing with me, or if maybe there was more in his question than I was catching on to. 

"Oh," I say stupidly. Smooth, Shea. I chastise myself. I try and relax my face where I can feel myself frowning. I hear my mom's voice in my head chastising me for always frowning. 

"What is a cute girl like you doing sitting outside alone at a party like this?" He asks, pulling another cigarette from the box and lighting it.

I finally find my voice, "I could as you the same thing." I say a little more accusingly than I meant to.

"What is a pretty girl like me doing out here alone?" He mocks, sending another flame of embarrassment burning across my face. 

"You know what I meant!" I huff out indignantly, feeling wildly unable to handle any type of human interaction tonight. I take a moment to study his face as he laughs again, taking another pull of his cigarette. He's got a dusting of light scruff across his angular jaw, and bright unnerving blue eyes that remind me of a cat. They don't miss much. His chest is toned and his arms are corded with thick muscles. He looks like he picks up whole trees for a living. 

"What are you drinking?" He asks, taking my cup from my hands and taking a big sip. 

"I honestly don't know, someone just handed it to me when I walked in, I haven't even taken a drink of it yet."

"Don't you know you should never take cups from strangers at a party? That's how you end up in a stranger's bed with no panties on." He wiggles his eyebrows jokingly, but his voice holds more weight.

"I..." I don't know what to say back. "I didn't think about it."

"You should, sweetheart, a cute little girl like you is way too easy of a target." He hands the cup back to me. "What's your name princess?"

My cheeks and chest flush at his words, "Shea Martin."

"Nice to meet you, Shea Martin, I'm Tyler Dashell."