I can see the conflict on his face as he thinks about what I just said. For all his snarky comments and bored attitude, he’s afraid of his parents. More than anyone, I know how heavy parental disappointment can be. “I can’t.” He sighs and picks up his bow. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Amen to that,” I say, picking up my own bow and fingering the first note.
Four
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into taking the bus,” Kat complains as we walk down Fillmore toward the bay, her stiletto heels on the sidewalk sharply echoing her agitation.
“What else are we supposed to do?” I ask. “All six of us can’t fit into a cab, and getting two would have taken forever. Not like it’s going to kill you to take a bus every once in a while.”
Kat glances back at me from where she’s marching slightly ahead of the rest of us. “You don’t know that. From the looks of some of the people on there, a person might actually end up dead.” She stops, bracing herself against a building, and lifts up her foot. “Besides, I think I got gum on my shoe.”
Owen grabs her around the waist and sweeps her down the street until she squeals with pleasure. “If I had it my way, I’d get you your own personal limo for transport.”
They stop, and Kat kisses him on the lips quickly, then so deeply I have to look away. Owen’s thick Scottish accent makes everything he says sound sexy to her, so every time he speaks they end up in a lip-lock. I’ve never hung out much with my sister before, and now I know why—the display has left me slightly sick to my stomach.
Griffon grabs my hand and grins at me, and I wonder if this is weird for him too. I’d hate that his best friend is dating my sister, except for the fact that if I’m being honest, Owen chasing after Kat is the only reason I’m with Griffon now. I turn to see what’s keeping Rayne and Peter only to see them leaning up against a building, locked in an embrace. “Seriously?” I shout back at them. “You too?”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Griffon says, bending down for a quick kiss. I laugh and try not to give in to the sensation or we’ll never get there. Which would actually be pretty okay with me.
“All right, guys, let’s go,” Kat commands, in the lead once again. She straightens her dress and takes Owen’s hand. “It’s just down here on Beach Street.”
“Fancy,” I say as we approach a modern loft building, looking slightly out of place among the old Victorians on the street. The windows flicker with candlelight, and I can see the shadows of people moving behind the sheer curtains and hear the hum of synthesizer music that seems to vibrate through the walls. “Does this whole place belong to Francesca?” I know Kat’s boss has to have some money lying around—not every twenty-one-year-old gets to run her own clothing store—but even I know that buildings down here aren’t cheap.
Kat turns to face me. “Yes. Promise you won’t embarrass me. This isn’t some little-kid party. Francesca and Drew have a lot of influential friends, big people here in the city. Don’t blow it.”
The mention of Drew’s name makes my smart-ass comeback catch in my throat. The only reason I agreed to come was because I wouldn’t have to see him. “I thought you said Drew was still out of town.”
“He is,” she answers. “He had to do some business thing in LA. Why?”
I glance at Griffon talking to Owen on the sidewalk. I haven’t told him about meeting Drew at the shop or the fact that he recognized my ankh. I don’t know how to explain my feelings about Drew when everything is so new with Griffon and me. “No reason. Just curious.”
Griffon joins me on the stairs as Kat pushes the door open. The house is lit with a combination of candles and little twinkling white lights. Every surface seems to shimmer, and the effect makes me a little bit light-headed, like I’m trapped in a fun house mirror.
The front room with all the windows is crowded with people who look like they’ve just come from a gallery opening—well dressed, but with something a little artsy about each one of them: oversized rings here, fuchsia hair there. I look around, but it doesn’t take long to figure out that everyone here is older than we are, and I’d take bets that we’re the only high-school students to ever attend one of her parties.
“I’m going to find Francesca.” Kat takes Owen by the hand and leads him through a doorway, leaving the rest of us alone while she shows off her prize. At least she isn’t going to hang around and babysit.
Rayne puts her hand on my shoulder and whispers in my ear. “Good thing we brought our own cute boys, because there’s nothing but old men in this place.”
“You’re not kidding,” I say. All of the guys in this place are in their twenties at least, looking like they just got off from their nice, responsible jobs. Nobody is paying any attention to us; they’re just standing in small clumps, drinks and tiny plates of even tinier food in their hands.
Griffon slips his arm around my waist. “Want me to get you a drink?” He glances at a long table filled with bottles and glasses.
Rayne looks at me and shrugs, answering the unspoken question about whether we should drink real drinks or not. I look around. No keg in sight. Since we were at a fancy party, maybe it was time to be a little fancy. “Um, a glass of wine. White.”
“Sauvignon blanc or chardonnay?” Griffon’s grin gives him away.
I shove him in the arm. “You pick.”
“I’ll help,” Peter says, and the two of them walk off into the crowd.
Rayne drags me over to the window. “Wow, check out this view. You can see the Golden Gate and the boats in the marina from here.” I stand next to her, watching the lights on the boats bob up and down on the water. “What exactly does Kat’s boss do again?”
“She owns a clothing store on Union Street,” I say.
“Must be some expensive stuff to afford a place this nice.”
I wrinkle my nose, remembering the nearly empty store with its artsy, highlighted displays. “I suppose,” I say, absently picking at the paint stain on my jeans. At least I’d traded my Vans for some black flats.
Rayne nudges me with her shoulder. “Places like this always make me uncomfortable. I don’t think I’m meant to hang around rich people.” She glances around the room as if she’s looking at the exhibits at an aquarium.
“Me neither,” I agree. I see Peter and Griffon across the room, laughing at something the guy next to them said. I watch how easy Griffon is in this place, with these people; he seems to melt into any environment and look like he belongs wherever he is, like some sort of social chameleon. I wonder if that’s a skill you can learn.
Rayne follows my gaze. “I wish Peter was as into me as Griffon is you.” Her voice is tinged with sadness.
“He is! What are you talking about? I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Rayne’s cheeks blaze with pleasure and she turns back to the window to try to hide it. “You think so? It’s just that you can tell that Griffon would do anything for you. I mean anything.”
I think back to that day on the roof, where Griffon said that he’d die for me if that’s what it took. “He is pretty amazing.” I swallow hard to keep the image of him clinging to the side of the building out of my head. “But so is Peter. We’re both lucky.”
Rayne stands up straight and pokes me in the side, nodding toward the drinks table. “Who’s the old lady? She totally looks like she’s hitting on Griffon.”
I turn to see a woman standing close to him, almost pushing Peter out of the way. She’s gesturing as she talks, the massive diamond on her right hand catching the light every time she moves. The woman puts her hand on Griffon’s arm every chance she gets, in a way that seems more than friendly, and makes me more than curious. Most Akhet have a habit of touching people in order to get information, but she’s taking it a little far. Griffon backs up a tiny step, but she follows him, closing in on what anyone can see is his personal space. He’s smiling, but shaking his head at everything she says—his face is a mask of embarrassment. Griffon hasn’t glanced over here, but he must know that I’m watching. Drinks in both hands, he turns to walk away, but she folds something into his back pocket at the last second.