His Choice - Rafe Cameron

21. Kook Party

The door swings open, revealing Topper with a white button-up shirt undone showcasing his bronzed chest. He has a beer in his other hand and steps aside, welcoming me in. A puzzled expression is on his face, as though he doesn't recognise me. "Scarlett, I almost didn't recognise you. You look great." He pulls me into a hug and I can smell the alcohol coming from his breath, mixed with the strong cologne on his body. 

"Stole some of Sarah's makeup to cover all the bruises."

I told the others that I was having an early night and went inside. They were all surrounding the fire pit, roasting marshmallows, drinking and sharing memories of their childhood. That's when I went inside, put some of Sarah's makeup on and changed into some of the clothes that Wheezie gave me - courtesy of Ward's credit card. Then I snuck out the bathroom window and walked here. I know I shouldn't walk alone at night, but I took that risk. 

Sarah's foundation is a little dark for me, but it works. Everyone here will be too drunk to tell that my foundation is one shade too dark. The bruising around my eyes looks like eyeshadow so I added some mascara to complete the look. Thanks Dad for the smokey eye, it really makes my blue eyes stand out. 

"Speaking of, no Sarah?" He looks over me, trying to see if Sarah will mysteriously appear from behind one of the bushes in his front yard. 

"Sorry to disappoint, but it's just me." I respond, stepping into the house. It smells like lime and sage, giving the house a fresh scent the second you step through the door. 

There's off white stone tiles along the flooring and light grey paint on the walls. A large chandelier is hung directly above the dark grey mat on the floor in the centre of the entry hallway. The brightly lit room makes this old home feel welcoming. 

"I'm glad you came. To be honest, I didn't think you would."

"Neither did I."

"What does JJ think about you coming to a Kook party?"

"He doesn't know."

Topper lets out a quiet chuckle as he leads me into the kitchen where there are ten or so people crowding around the island and the rest are scattered in groups leading to the living room. I receive a few odd stares and glances up and down from the females in particular. Some whisper to one another while staring at me, making it obvious that they are speaking about me. 

"Who invited the Pogue?" Derek asks as he kicks the fridge closed with his foot. He has a tub of ice cream in his hands and is eating it from the tub. "Hey Top, tell your mum that nobody likes raisins in their ice cream."

Topper takes the tub of ice cream from his hands and tosses it in the bin. "Well my mum does, so keep out of our stuff. I told you that the booze fridge is in here." Topper leads him to another room where there is an apparent fridge dedicated to booze. 

Someone slings their arm around my shoulder and given by their fruity scent, and hairless arms, I know it's a female. "Come, let's get you a drink." I look to my my right to see that it is Jane with her arm around me. 

"Hey, how are you?" I ask her, resting my head against her arm as I follow her lead. She has a bronzed makeup look going on and her skin has a healthy glow to it. "You look gorgeous." 

"So do you, this looks good but let me just blend this out a little more." She lightly taps my neck and blends out my foundation. "What foundation do you use? It's a little dark for you."

"It's Sarah's."

"Sarah should know better than to colour match you properly."

"She doesn't know that I'm wearing it."