Page 80 of Hide and Sneak
“Who are you?” she demands.
An instant smile darts across his face. “Brendan. And yes, I’m single.”
Cara rolls her eyes. “Who invited you? I know you don’t live here.”
“I saw Evan’s livestream.”
We all look at each other before I ask, “What are you talking about?”
“Evan went live on social media. He said there’s a party at his place and everyone is invited.” He pulls up his phone and shows us Evan’s page. Sure enough, there’s an open invite and multiple videos of the festivities. “So, can I have your phone number?”
“Get out of here, you fetus,” Cara scoffs, shoving him away and making a beeline for Jarrett. We watch as she shows him her phone. After a lot of gesturing, he takes off inside the community building.
“Somebody’s in deep shit,” Sutton says, chuckling.
“We’re going to be too if we don’t get all these underage drinkers out of here,” Maren points out.
Pops and Archie think it’s the funniest thing ever, but agree that it’s time to end the party early. Maren stands up on one of the chairs and shouts that the party is over and everyone needs to go, but it’s too loud for her to be heard.
Cooper goes inside to shut down the music. Donna waves at Maren and shoves a canister into her hand. “I was going to use this the next time Milton tried to sleep all day but it looks like you need it.”
It’s an air horn and it does its job. The music stops at the same time that Maren blasts it and everyone freezes, looking her direction. “The party is over! If you don’t live here, it’s time to go! Cops are on their way.”
The last part is clearly a lie but it does send the underage kids scrambling to dispose of their drinks. Before she can continue, Jarrett bursts out through the front doors, dragging his drunk fifteen year old son by the front of his hoodie.
Cheers go up from the crowd, and Evan beams at the shouts of encouragement and praise he gets for “his” party. He clamps his hands together and shakes them above his head as if he’s won a boxing match.
His father halts his steps, infuriated, and starts lecturing him. It’s cut short when Evan abruptly projectile vomits. I swear, it comes out like a garden hose aimed right at his dad’s feet.
The cheers turn to uproarious laughter and Evan goes from celebrating his newfound celebrity to looking like he’s praying for a hole to open up and swallow him.
“Poor kid,” Sutton whispers in my ear, still laughing. “He’s never going to see daylight again.”
“Grounded until he’s forty,” I agree.
“Okay.” Maren tries again to end things as Jarrett drags Evan home. “Show is over! Time to go!”
Three loud pops make everyone duck and start to run. My initial fear of gunshots is quickly relieved by a guy’s frantic shout.
“Oh shit! The box of fireworks! It’s on fire!”
I’m not sure who brought fireworks but they’ve placed them way too close to one of the firepits. Within seconds, the air is full of whistling rockets, sky spinners, and explosions.
Bedlam breaks out. Those first few pops had most of the crowd making a break for it, but it’s total chaos now with peoplerunning every which way and trying to take shelter. Maren hops down from the chair and runs inside along with Archie and Pops.
Sutton grabs my hand and we end up crawling underneath a nearby van. Cara, Holly, and Theo—one of our teenage neighbors—join us.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“I’m good. Felt one whiz past my ear though.”
It turns out that flying fire can do what Maren’s announcement couldn’t. People scatter like roaches when the lights come on. It seems to take forever for it to stop while we lie on our stomachs on the cold driveway.
Cara looks over at me when I start cracking up laughing. “I’m really going to miss this place.”
CHAPTER 27
LILA
