There was a party.

Crap. There was a party.

This was not how this was supposed to go, I thought as I stood at the end of 9242 Smith Mills Road's driveway in the dark taking in the scene before me. In all the crazy scenario concoctions I created on the trip up here, this was not one that had even crossed my mind.

Tomorrow. I'd try this again tomorrow when there weren't a million strangers around and when I actually had the nerve. Right now I felt on the edge between throwing up or passing out. Yeah, it was best just to do this tomorrow.

"Yo man, what's up?"

I jumped and nearly peed myself. Two burly guys stood behind me, each carrying a case of beer in their hands.

"You okay?" One of them gestured toward me.

"Oh, um, yeah, um--"

"Aren't you kind of young to be here? What are you, fourteen?"

"No, I, um--"

"This isn't a place for kids to be hanging out."

"Well, um--"

"Oh, you guys were waiting for me? How sweet!" A blond guy bounded up and gave one of the guys a playful hug while attempting to kiss his cheek, which the guy elbowed him for.

"Ouch. Always denying our love." He spotted me then and cocked his head. "Who's the kid?"

"Aaron Reeves!" I managed to gather enough nerve to squeak out. "I'm...I'm looking for Aaron Reeves?"

Not my most articulate moment, but at least I managed to get out a complete sentence finally.

"Oh, Aaron? He wasn't here yet when we went out to get more beer." One of the guys said.

So he was in this town. I should have been relieved, but I felt even more queasy.

"It's probably best if you leave before he comes though," the guy continued.

What? "Why?"

"Oh honey," The blonde came up to me and patted my shoulder sympathetically. "If Aaron hasn't contacted you yet it's because he doesn't want to see you again."

So he had told them about his relationship with his family? He was never a share, but that was a lifetime ago I guess.

"Still, I really have to talk with him."

"Reeves must be really good in bed," one beer case guy muttered to the other.

Blonde gave me another pat. "Aaron doesn't 'do' relationships so it's best to move on, find another lover, continue with life--"

What? Lover? "No, that's not--"

"--there's so many better options out there, a cutie like you will do just--"

"Really, that's not what--"

"--and honestly the world--"

"He's my brother!" The words exploded from my mouth and seemed to boom all around.

All three guys looked shell-shocked.

"You're. He's. Brother?"

I nodded sheepishly.

They kept staring at me as if I had three heads.

"Shit, I never knew Reeves had a brother. And--shit."

"Look. Um, I really need to speak with him."

Blonde was the first to recover. "You guys go ahead first. I'll take Baby Reeves inside to wait for Aaron."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" The other two were still staring strangely.

"I think this is the very best idea. And a very exciting development." Blonde winked at the others and grabbed my arm and dragged me up the driveway. "Come on Baby Reeves."

The house wasn't frat style-packed, but there was still quite a few people present. Enough to make my introverted self-feel more anxious at the already uncomfortable situation.

"Oh, Jace!" Blonde sung as he pulled me into the living room. "I've brought you a present!"

"I don't want any of your presents Nat," a man lounging on the couch sighed as he pushed his hair back. "I've still got rashes from the last one."

"This one won't give you rashes. You won't give him rashes, will you?" Nat whisper-asked me.

"No?"

My voice caused Jace to turn towards us and he raised his eyebrows. "Who's the kid?"

"Your present!" Nat released me and did jazz hands around my frame.

"He's not my type. You know who you should try."

"It's a joke," Nat huffed and stopped doing the hands. He nudged me over to the couch and pushed me down next to Jace. "I'll be right back."

And he left, leaving Jace baffled and I flabbergasted beyond belief.

"What's in the backpack?" Jace gestured towards it.

"Um, stuff." A stupid response, given that a backpacks sole purpose was to carry 'stuff'.

"Hm." Jace continued to side-eye me as he took another sip of his beer. I slunk further in the couch, wishing that it could swallow me up.

"One for me and one for you!" Nat plopped down next to me and shoved a beer into my hand.

"I'm underaged," was my lame response.

"And we're not the police," Jace shrugged.

"How old are you Baby Reeves?"

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen is perfectly old enough for a can."

"Baby Reeves?" Jace raised a brow.

"Yep," Nat threw an arm around my shoulder. "Baby Reeves, meet Jason. Jason, meet Aaron Reeve's little Brother."

Jace choked on his beer and hacked it up. "His what?!"

So he hadn't talked about his family to his friends at all with how shocked they were acting.

"Is Aaron going to be here soon?" The faster he got here, the faster we could finish the ordeal, and the faster I could go home and pretend none of this had ever happened.

"He'll be here soon I'm sure. He's always so fashionably late," Nat said as he hopped off the sofa to go mingle.

Jace seemed completely absorbed in his shock as he started off in thought. That left me alone, clutching a beer that I had no intention of drinking, wishing that I was anywhere but here.

That feeling quickly quadrupled when I heard someone yell, "Yo Aaron!"

And there he was, not even a room away from me, taking a light from some girl to light the cigarette in his mouth. And even though he was different from the last time I saw him, he was still the same. Still Aaron.

Somehow that made it all the worse.

"Oh, Aaron!" Nat sang as he sat down next to me again.

Aaron turned, his brown catching mine and widening as the cigarette fell to the floor as his lips formed one word, the first word I had heard from him in years.

"Fuck."