I leaned against the headrest of the car and listened to the music as it vibrated from the house. Students from Zobel College house never failed to amaze me, this one was no exception. It was larger than I'd thought. It is adorned with colorful flowers hung from buckets along the front, blooming beautifully. More glass than necessary lined the walls just to give a breathtaking peak of the expensive interior. It also provided a nice view of the coastline the houses were built along.
"I don't think anyone will die in this one if that's what you're worried about," Deshawn reassured while he was in the passenger seat. It was as if he'd fizzed into place as he'd always been there.
"Unless there's a serial killer on the loose. Then, in that case, you might have an army of ghosts to help you out," he joked.
I threw him a glare before biting my bottom lip with nerves, smudging the red lipstick. "I just kind of wish I stayed at home now."
"Me too."
"We should get out," I muttered and fumbled to open the door. I knew I had to use tonight as my way of figuring out the situation. I could look into people and try to figure out suspects and motives, but I didn't know where to start. I wasn't sure who to approach first or what to say or where to take it.
Zobel boys were a mystery to the rest of us, that was the attraction to them. They were embraced in this perfectly crafted adoration but God knows they didn't deserve it. They kept their business tight under wraps unless it was to show off and because of that, I didn't know the ins and outs of these people's lives. I truly was stumped about where to even start.
I turned to ask Deshawn what he thought when a boy fell at my feet in a heap of long limbs and thick, black hair that splayed across the stone walkway. He erupted in laughter before groaning with pain.
"Oh my God, Taron." Deshawn chuckled.
The ghost boy crouched in front of the stranger who was sprawled out on his back with a giddy smile. He was obviously drunk as he reached his long arm to the sky above.
I walked forward until I was looking over him, blocking his sight of the moon above. He smirked. "I died, didn't I? And you're the angel who has come to take me away. Oh beautiful soul, leave me be. Please allow me another chance, angel," he cried out to me.
I frowned and flickered my eyes to Deshawn who barely contained the laughter that bubbled from his lips.
Taron Rios, Deshawn's best friend, lifted himself into a seated position with a groan. He rubbed at his temples and uttered curses under his breath while I reluctantly crouched in front of him. If he was Deshawn's best friend then it was reasonable to believe he could point me in the right direction.
I waited while he sorted himself out. Taron patted down his midnight black hair until it was safely settled into that soft middle pattern he was known for. Then, he looked up at me with soft blue eyes that had girls drooling.
His pale arm lifted so that his fingers could trail the harsh line of my jaw. His smile widened.
"What are you doing?" I asked evenly.
"Reniella De Vega." He smiled before his finger stopped at my chin where he pulled it down for me to meet his eyes.
"Taron Rios," I replied. His pale face beamed at me and though we'd never spoken, I could read him like a book. The cold skin of his thumb swabbed over my chin lightly leaving the ghost of tingles in its wake before he brought his hands back to his lap.
"You know, Reniella, my name means God of Thunder." He bragged proudly, puffing out his chest slightly and holding his hands out as though the words were written in lights above us. "It's Welsh, comes from the God Taranis."
I scoffed at what he said. "Is that how you impress all the girls?"
"Are you impressed yet?" He smirked.
He continued talking nonsense when I didn't bother answering him. "I'm glad you made it to my party."
"It's your party?"
"Of course!" He grinned again. "Do you want to go swimming? I was just headed to the beach before I fell but I'm glad I fell now, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the chance to speak to you." Taron rose to his feet.
He was a tall boy with long, skinny limbs. His black hair was the stark contrast to his pale skin and his pale skin a contrast to his bright eyes. It seemed that wherever you looked on this canvas of a boy, there was a new detail.
I followed his lead and stood too. I wasn't surprised to see the height difference, though I wasn't short he was ridiculously tall.
"I don't think you should go swimming, Taron. You're too drunk for that," I said.
He yawned and scrunched up his nose adorably.
"Okay," he replied. Taron wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned into my side for support as I practically carried him to the front door. All I could feel were the bones from under his skin as they poked at me through his shirt. Deshawn was only observing with a propped brow.
"Help," I squeaked to Deshawn as I struggled under Taron's weight. He wouldn't have been so heavy if it weren't for the height. It didn't help that I had practically no muscle either.
With an amused smile, Deshawn went to the other side of Taron and shared some of the weight. I watched him carefully as he breathed heavily to hold his friend up. From the veins that popped out from his temples, you could've sworn Taron weighed more than a car. Considering that just this morning a pillow flew straight through his stomach, he handled his friend well.
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Though Deshawn wasn't truly there, he could touch and hold stuff from our world. Taron's weight was shared between the crazy girl and the ghost of his best friend but he had no idea. It was unsettling.Together, the three of us walked through the front door where I was momentarily speechless at the interior. Just like every other Zobel boy house, it was large with winding staircases, expensive decorations, and designer wallpaper. The foyer alone was probably bigger than my whole house and led straight to the glass doors on the other side where more people danced in the garden. The smell of various alcoholic drinks and smoke clung to the air like a disease and groups of people came and went through.Girls idled on the staircase, boys screamed from the pool outside and the music pierced my eardrums.
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"So the obvious one would be his ex-girlfriend, Amalia Hadid. They were the most toxic couple I'd ever seen. I don't think they ever said one nice thing about one another, in private or in person. She cheated on him a few months before he died and they broke up because of that. It was a messy parting and he said a lot of dumb fucking shit about her when they finished. She was pissed and almost failed her exams because of it and the last thing I heard, her dad went around to Deshawn's house and told him to pack it in. He threatened Deshawn and at the time we thought it was the funniest fucking thing but I'm not sure anymore. Anyway, that's Amalia."Taron took his other hand and enclosed it over mine that rested on his chest. His fingers were long and bony, trapping me in place."Then there's Marco Arandia,
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I stumbled around the home, avoiding friends and plunging into the unknown.I'd heard of these stories before. I knew about Amalia and Deshawn's relationship and how they'd walk into a party hand in hand but leave while screaming at each other. I saw Marco and Deshawn's friendship, two guys you either wanted to be or know. Then it all stopped and Deshawn died.I retreated to the foyer and wondered if they'd even turned up. If this party was for Deshawn, would they have risked it? Did their hate run that deep or was it a silly misunderstanding washed away by the seriousness of his death? If Deshawn hadn't have died, would they have made up?There were still so many people and I struggled to see above it all as my tiredness caught up with me. Eve
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She blew out yet another sigh and stared at me. It was like something had finally clicked in her mind and her eyes hardened. It looked like she'd finally seen me for who I was."Reniella, you're lovely, honestly," she bit out. "I'm not sure if you've been told this before but you just have this vibe around you. You've got these eyes and this little smile that makes people feel like they should confess their entire life story to you. But I can't risk spilling any more secrets than necessary, I hope you understand."She brushed me off and turned to her friends.Without kicking up a fuss, I put the can back onto the kitchen island and stalk off. My eyes were heavy and I didn't feel like investigating anymore. I couldn't go upstairs to any of the r
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"Reniella De Vega?" He sneered, looking down his long nose at me. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent and I was glad he had lost sleep over Ross's adventures. "Jesus, you two. Stand apart for Christ's sake, you look like lovers or something."The bitterness in his voice, I assumed, was directed towards me. It was probably because I was poor, far from perfect for his little boy. If I thought Zobel boys were all the same, their parents were even worse. Mr. Rivera had always been a grumpy bastard."Get inside now. You better be quiet, I'm warning you. If you wake your mother up, I swear to God, Ross. You hear me, boy? We'll talk about this later." The big man hissed through clenched teeth. He placed a strong hand onto Ross's shoulder and with a swift push, he rushed his son into their home.
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