Touch of Hellfire

☕️70☕️

"Ooh," Mom smiled broadly. "I smell meat!"

"Well, I thought that we may like appetisers with our cocktails," Grandpa said, bringing out the drinks.

"To meat!" me and Rory raised our glasses, as did Grandpa and Mom.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Grandma demanded, stomping up to the poolhouse. "The agreement was that the girls have drinks with you and dinner with me!"

"We're having appetisers Emily," Grandpa told her calmly. "Those are skewers!" she snapped at him.

"But they're little ones," Mom pointed out.

"Little, tiny skewers," I smiled.

"No it isn't! This is a main course and a cheap way of cheating me out of my dinner!" she lost it.

"You are the most paranoid woman I have ever met!" Grandpa exclaimed. Grandma glared at us. "You three had better be hungry after this!"

She stormed off and we just helped ourselves to more skewers. And did that backfire? Well of course it did.

We hardly touched our food and Grandma got very annoyed. "He can't stick to a simple agreement! he was making his portion of the evening more enjoyable! He's nothing more than a spoiled child!"

All I know is that I'm going to pass out from a god damn food coma.

***

Liz, Jess' mom and I are actually still in touch with one another. Luke told me that she, in his terms, 'shockingly knows how to use a computer' so I get an email every week or so.

I figured out how to set up up video chat, like me and Tessa did last year so hopefully I can get it up and running again.

"Okay hang on.." I clicked on a button. "You are not there."

Rory's face showed up on my computer. "I can see you!"

"So what's up?" I asked her. "Grandma and Grandpa invited us to a party on Friday," she explained. "It's likely a Yale only event," I rolled my eyes. "But come, please?"

"Okay," I muttered. "Is there a dress code for this event?"

"Just a dress," Rory told me. "Anything new in your life?"

"Yeah, Liz and I are emailing each other since, she likes me, despite being her son's ex-girlfriend," I told her. "I was able to publish the article," Rory told me. "The fact that you were there and did the stunt brought Yale and Columbia back together, thank you."

"You're welcome," I smiled. "But some of the students are dying to know who it is."

"You can't tell them!"

"I'm not going to, but Andrea was SNOOPING THROUGH MY STUFF!" I yelled at the door. "I said I'm not going to tell anyone!" she shouted back.

I looked at Rory. "If I tap my nose twice, that's the 'kill me now' sign."

"Received and understood."

***

I drove to Grandma and Grandpa's and Rory arrived at the same time, like always. "This is getting really weird," I chuckled.

We walked in and Grandma was ordering the party staff around to space out the chairs.

"Rory, Heather!" she announced our presence in the room. "Both of you look stunning, I'll take you both upstairs to get your hair done."

I looked at Rory and frowned. What's wrong with my hair?

I was sat down in front of a mirror as my hair was pulled into a braid as someone put a sapphire around my neck. The braid was made into a crowned braid.

Grandma came in to fetch Rory, to introduce her to any and every guest.

I came downstairs to see a lot of young boys down there. "Oh God, I know what this is," I mumbled.

I mingled with the guests and snuck out onto the patio. Oh poor Rory, they're setting her up with some Yale putz.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the girl who jumped off a ledge with me," Finn came up to me. "Party not your thing?"

"No, Yale boys aren't my type," I told him. "Then what is your type?" he asked me.

"If this is a flirt attempt, I'm ranking you down buddy," I told him. "Hear that Logan, she's rejecting me," Finn rolled his eyes. "You're not her type Finn," he laughed. "Hey Thea."

"Hey Logan," I greeted him. I didn't mind the nickname as long as he knew that Heather was my real one. "Can I ask a favour?"

"Sure," he nodded. "My sister is probably getting cornered in there, can you rescue her for me?" I asked him. "Aye aye, captain," he saluted me and went off.

He came back with two bottles of champagne. "Finn! Heather! Change of venue!"

Okay, now I'm satisfied. Rory came over to me and hugged me tightly. "Thank you for the save."

"No problem," I told her. "Logan's family is pretty close with ours," she told me as we were heading towards the poolhouse. "Now you have a date for Friday Night Dinner."

"Evil," Rory elbowed me in the gut and I winced. "She's the evil twin?" Logan asked pointing at me. "She's the angel, I'm the demon," I clarified.

Logan opened the bottle and poured everyone a glass. "Careful, you're a bit of a lightweight," Rory laughed.

"Give over," I rolled my eyes and drank.

"So it's obvious that this thing is a meat market, for you two to pick," Logan pointed out.

"Pick me!" all the guys came up to us. "I'm exotic," Finn winked at me. "So is the Asian Bird Flu," I retorted. "And my sister over here is taken."

"Shit!" Rory yelled and ran out the door. "Where is she going?" Finn asked me. "To see her boyfriend," I told him.

"Now, you said your sister is taken, are you?" Finn asked me.

"Well...sort of," I mumbled. "Sort of?" Finn raised his eyebrows. "I'm dating someone," I told him. "But it's casual."

"Hey Thea," Logan came over with a crying Rory. "Oh Ror what happened?" I asked her as she hugged me. "He broke up with me! Again!"

She wiped her eyes. "I overheard them talking to Mom, because they don't think Dean is good enough for me, or that Jess was good enough for you," she sobbed.

"Ror," I tried to calm her down. "I love Dean and he loves me! And I know you still love Jess deep down but they don't care! They care about their dumb reputation!"

I looked at Logan. "She may have had a little too much to drink," he explained.

"I'll bring her home," I told her and we snuck out the back way and I put Rory into my car.