Angelfire
Page 31

"You look great, El ie," Landon said.
"Thank you!" I replied, beaming.
"Kate, don't you think that is a little revealing?" my mom asked, shooting her an odd look.
Kate shrugged. "My boobs aren't showing."
"That is such a shame," Chris said as he passed her, and she promptly smacked him on the shoulder.
Night had fal en, the paper lanterns were lit, and my backyard was a glittering stage. The lantern light gleamed and sparkled off the surface of the pool. Beyond the backyard was a stretch of woods that led to a smal lake behind our neighborhood, and moonlight streaked in between the trees, making the lawn glow. I couldn't be happier. Burning with excitement, I hugged and thanked everyone. When my dad got home, I dragged him outside to see everything, but his expression made me clam up.
"Do we real y need al of this?" he said, scowling.
"It's my birthday," I insisted. "Doesn't the yard look nice?"
"This is absurd."
"We just put up paper lanterns."
Something in his gaze flickered, dark and deeper than anger, like shadows passing behind his eyes. I blinked in surprise.
He gave his head a shake and the look vanished. "I have no idea why you'd make such a big deal out of this."
I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of his statement if I hadn't been so close to tears. "It's my birthday."
"Aren't you getting a little old for birthday parties?"
He held my gaze for another agonizing few moments, his upper lip twitching. Then he made an unintel igible noise and eased across the patio to inspect the burgers Mom had cooking on the gril . He inhaled the gril ing meat deeply, acting as if he hadn't just practical y broken my heart. Why would he say something so dismissive and hurtful? Didn't he understand how important my birthday party was to me?
Wasn't I important to him?
I bit hard on my tongue to keep myself from crying and making my mascara run, and I stomped inside the house. Mom had set a beautiful two-tiered cake on the bar in the kitchen and moved the stools out into the dining room so people wouldn't have to scramble around them to get to the cake. Chris had brought some speakers; he plugged in his laptop, and soon the house was fil ed with thumping music. Everything was almost enough to forget how cruel my dad had just been to me. Almost.
At eight the guests began arriving. Kate enjoyed playing hostess, letting everyone in the front door and leading them through the foyer into the living room. My friends told me how great I looked and, one by one, hugged me before going off to enjoy the cake and music. Evan and Rachel had arrived just as the house was beginning to get crowded. I was happy to see that Josie Newport showed up--with her entourage trailing behind her. She wore a sunny yel ow cocktail dress and her walnut-colored hair hung in loose curls around her tanned shoulders. She smiled at me and gave me a hug that felt authentic and wished me happy birthday.
My house and backyard were fil ed with high school students by nine thirty. Mom and Dad had retreated upstairs when the place started to get too busy for them, and I was glad. No one wants their parents hanging around their party. I moved from group to group, chatting and dancing, and when I spotted Wil , I stopped dead in my tracks.
He had actually come. I was even more shocked to see him wearing a nice pair of black slacks and a wel -fitted garnet-colored silk shirt with the top few buttons left undone and no tie. Only a smal portion of his tattoos was visible above his shirt col ar. Before I could get his attention, one of Josie's friends, Harper--or Harpy, as we al liked to cal her
--was there in front of him introducing herself. I stifled a laugh when I saw the apathy on his face. Harper wrapped an arm around his and proceeded to guide him farther into the party. Behind them, Kate made a comical face and an equal y appropriate hand gesture that made me laugh. When Wil 's gaze caught mine, he pul ed free of Harper's grip without a word to her and walked up to me. She deflated and gaped in disbelief, while I couldn't stifle the victorious smirk on my face. That would teach Harpy to think she owned the place
-- and Wil ! Not that I was territorial, or anything. Okay, maybe a smidge.
Kate brushed by me and stopped to make a gagging noise into my ear. "I can't believe Josie brought Harpy Knight," she said in a low, annoyed voice. "She's such a termagant."
I laughed and nodded even though I had no idea what that meant. Kate grinned, flashing her bright white teeth, and moved on.
Wil stepped close to me and bent his head down to speak into my ear. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," I said, biting my lip when I felt myself blushing. "You look very sharp yourself. Where'd you get the shirt?"
"A friend."
"You have friends?"
"Don't be so shocked. I've lived a long time. I was bound to find someone who likes me. It was just Nathaniel, anyway."
"Oh, that's so cute," I said, pinching his cheek. "He shopped for you. You're, like, biffles."
He brushed me off and looked around the living room.
"That's enough of that."
I grinned at him, resting my hands on my hips. "You look so tense."
"It felt weird coming in the front door."
"Oh, yes," I replied with a smal laugh. "You should have just climbed in through the window, since you're so good at that."
He smiled crookedly and turned to face me. "I thought about it."