dangerously close // jaden hossler

ch3 - the afterparty

Jaden wasn't sure what was going on, Senna had disappeared and then the crowd went wild. Screams filled the air as he rushed to find her. It was to no avail, the party seemed to have swallowed her whole. Jaden could only hope she was okay, it's not like he could be certain about anything about her, even her name.

It was hazy after that, people shouting, shoving, the music getting turned off and the lights getting turned on. Jaden just followed the crowd, maybe his friends would spot him.

Being honest, the whole situation was insane. How could someone get murdered at a party in front of everyone and no one knew who did it? If he turned his head, Jaden could see where the poor man's body laid on the dance floor. It was a gruesome sight. His stomach turned, his high was not an enjoyable feeling, now making him sluggish and tired.

"Found him!" an arm snaked around his shoulders, "Jaden, where have you been?"

Jaden turned his eyes to Josh, "Looking for you dumbasses."

Josh just forced a smile, leading them both to a corner in the kitchen. Jaden could see the rest of their friends all huddled there. Bryce was obnoxiously recounting his life story to a poor police officer a few feet away. Jaden couldn't help but tense up at seeing the cop, and Josh seemed to notice.

"They are only interviewing people that were next to the man or spoke with him tonight," Josh let his arm fall to his side, "You're good. There's too many people to breathalyze."

Jaden still felt uneasy. He slumped in a chair next to Griffin, the older boy looking at him with concern. Everyone else was busy on their phones. He could only hope someone was getting an Uber or something to get out of here. Suddenly, Griffin tugged off the hoodie he was wearing, throwing it at Jaden.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Jaden asked irritably.

Griffin did a scan of the group and leaned in, "Maybe try to put it on before you get asked about the bloody handprint on your shirt."

Jaden's eyes widened, looking down he saw that Griffin was right. The bloody stain wasn't fully dried but it was definitely a handprint. He knew that it would be suspected if the cops saw it, and his reputation would crumble at him being linked to a murder. Griffin's hoodie was soon tugged on, a size or two larger than what he'd normally wear.

"We will talk about it when we are home," Griffin's voice was deep, "If you know who did it, I expect a police report to be filed."

Shaking his head, "No, I don't. I was caught up in the crowd, anyone could've left this."

There was a pause, "Well, if that's the case it'd be better for you to not speak of it. We can't deal with the backlash, especially since we were already seen at this party."

Jaden just nodded, not wanting to argue. Griffin was right about it being damaging to their careers. It still felt wrong, shouldn't he try to help the case be solved? Guilt stung his chest, Senna, or whatever her name was, could've gotten hurt. She was in a rush when he'd tried to talk to her, right before everyone started running. He even remembered her pushing him.

His thoughts paused in their racing. She had pushed him, he could feel the warmth of her hands on his chest. Dread started to creep into his mind. There could be no way? She had been scared when he grabbed her. No, Jaden rationalized, she definitely had nothing to do with it. She must have been next to or close to the man when he was killed. He assumes that she might grabbed him on his fall down and that's where the blood came from. Jaden could picture her terror, and hope he hadn't made it worse. It was a traumatic experience.

He was interrupted by Bryce's loud yell, "WE ARE GOING HAVE THE GREATEST VIDEO AFTER THIS!"

Jaden swears everyone groaned at once. Griffin stood to go calm Bryce down, hopefully convincing him to not post a vlog of the party in the morning. Josh grabbed his arm again, forcing him to stand. Jaden realizes that the group of influencers are all heading out of the house.

The Uber ride home was a blur. Jaden was pretty sure he'd fallen asleep with his head on Kio's shoulder. Luckily for him, Kio just woke him up and didn't complain about any drool. They all stumbled up the stairs to their rooms, it'd been a long night for them all.

Stepping into his bathroom, Jaden stared at his appearance. He looked like shit, dark eye bags forming, his hair a rat's nest, and Griffin's hoodie adding to his scruffiness. Was this who he was? Fearing that he'd dwell on his appearance too long, Jaden started to undress. Slowly he began to methodically prepare for bed. Somewhere after washing his face, he cleaned the blood out of his shirt. It left a tinge if pink to the once white shirt, but wasn't noticeable. He set it in his dirty laundry, he'd bleach it another day.

He was settled into his bed, hair still wet from his shower. In spite of all that happened, Jaden couldn't sleep. His mind kept supplying him with terrible thoughts about the party, about the girl.

The squeak of his door opening made his head shoot up. Soft footsteps padded into his room, the soft lighting catching Josh's yawning face. Without speaking, Josh sat at the end of the bed.

"What do you want?" Jaden's voice came out raspier than he'd expected.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. When we lost you in the crowd I was so scared that you'd been hurt," Josh softly responded, "I feel like a shitty friend for ignoring you tonight."

Jaden mulled over Josh's statement, "It's okay, we all are safe, that's what matters. I know you were distracted by Nessa being there, she's your girlfriend it's expected."

"Yeah but I knew you were upset about Mads texting you today, she crossed a line," Josh chose his words carefully, "Look, getting told you need rehab isn't fun. Especially when you are working on yourself. I should've been with you tonight."

God, Jaden wanted to sink into the floor. Mads' text had ruined his whole day. They'd broken up a couple months ago but still maintained contact. She seemed to be constantly concerned with everything he did wrong. You wouldn't have been able to tell that he was the one to break up with her. Jaden knew he should just stop talking to her, but it was still a fresh wound.

"It's fine," Jaden hoped that his voice didn't betray his hurt, "I met a girl there."

"What? Tell me about this girl," Josh settled in on the bed, ready to keep Jaden company.

Thinking about it, Jaden knew he wanted to tell someone about her, Josh was the best candidate. He sat up straighter, coming closer to Josh. Deciding to leave out the possibility of her leaving him with a bloody handprint, he told Josh all he knew about her. They both agreed that Senna wasn't her real name, and Josh seemed determined to have them meet again. It was almost dawn by the time Jaden and Josh finished talking. Sleep overtook Jaden as soon as Josh had left his room. The darkness welcomed his troubled mind easily.

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A/N: thank you guys for reading! pls remember to vote!! also do you guys have a certain direction you want this story to go? or should i keep it a surprise?