Sitting at the large oak table in one of the balconies sat a small, brown-
haired girl with golden brown eyes. The balcony was the largest in the
house. In the middle sat a long, heavy oak table surrounded by oak chairs
with high backs on them and arm rests. They were padded with burgundy
upholstery. The floor of the balcony was marble. To the left (if you were
facing the railing) was a large screen TV with a PS2 hooked up to it and
beanbags and a rug in front of it. There was a doorway to the right of the
TV, leading out into a hallway which led into the rest of the house. To
the right was another, wider hallway that led to the stairs and down into
the club.
The girl brushed a few stray pieces of hair from her eyes and sighed. Kacie stared boredly at the table before her. Purple cubes of jello made from grape schnapps sat on platters before her. She had only had one - she didn't much care for Jello shots. She didn't really care for Jello, period.
She messed with one of the small hoops in her ear. She was bored. Toby had promised to meet her in the balcony over an hour ago. She was getting restless. He was supposed to show her some new program or game on his computer. He was also supposed to teach her how to hack into some site about cars . . . she forgot which one.
Frustrated, she got up and marched to the railing. She leaned on it and looked over the crowd, searching for some sign of Toby. There was none. She sighed and leaned farther over. She still couldn't see anything. She had good eyes - it was easy for her to see in the dark usually. But she didn't see him. She saw X standing near the bar with Yelena and Yorgi . . . she saw Sam and Kolya on the floor . . . she even saw as Kirill made his way through the crowd to join Yorgi and the others . . . and Viktor was near the stage, talking to some blonde. Kacie rolled her eyes. No woman in her right mind would ever look at Viktor - they just knew he had lots of money. Sure, he was okay for a friend and great for a body guard, but a romantic relationship with the man? The thought of it made her stomach churn. She shuddered. The movement from her shoulders caused her hands to slip. The next thing she knew, she plunged over the edge of the railing.
Kacie screamed as she felt herself hurtling towards the floor. She suddenly snapped back, like she was attached to a short bungee. Someone had her ankle in a vice-like grip.
She looked up and saw Toby straining to pull her back up. His face was beat red, trying to pull her back up. He leaned backward with all his weight, both hands clamped in a death grip on Kacie's ankle. Both of them toppled backwards onto the balcony, gasping for breath. She pushed herself up on the palms of her hands and looked over her shoulder at him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded weakly. "Where the crap were you?"
Toby blinked. "I was in the basement. It takes forever to get all the way up here. Yorgi should install an elevator."
"You tell him that."
Toby shook his head. "No way. I'm afraid of that dude."
"You're afraid of everyone," Kacie said as she stood, brushing herself off. Her hands were shaking and she felt like bursting into tears, but you didn't do that there.
Toby stood as well and sat at the table. He was about 5'8" with short blonde hair, a baby face and blue eyes. He had a medium build. He wore a long-sleeved Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt and baggy jeans with white sneakers. Toby was always primed and pressed. He liked things that way.
He sat down at the table and eyed the shots. "Have you been eating those?"
Kacie shook her head and sat down next to him. "Only one."
Toby picked up one and sniffed it. "Dang!" he cried, "those things must be strong."
"They are," Kacie sighed.
Shrugging, Toby popped it into his mouth. He normally never did anything like that, but after seeing his best friend plunge over a railing, well, his nerves were pretty much shot. He was thankful that he had walked in just in time to see her. Otherwise, she might not have been there.
The party downstairs continued; the people never even noticed her hanging upside down.
"I miss Jenny," Kacie said. Toby was the only one she really spoke to besides Jenny.
Toby thought of Kacie's older sister. "She'll be back soon."
Kacie heaved another sigh. "Sure. She's probably forgotten all about me."
"No, she hasn't."
"Bet me."
"I don't have any money to bet," Toby grinned widely. "If I did, I wouldn't be here. I'd be out looking for a new car."
Toby was Kacie's age - sixteen - and hadn't yet owned his own car. He dreamed of going on the boosts with the others and making some extra money or of boosting his own car. But he didn't have the know-how or the guts to do it. And Yorgi knew this. Toby was only there to find the cars and hack different systems. And he was good. But that wasn't what he really wanted. He wanted to go on a boost. But Yorgi rarely allowed anyone under 17 to go on an official boost. Jenny and Lindsey had been exceptions to the rule.
Toby narrowed his eyes at the thought of them. He didn't much care for any of the girls that had gone to Japan. In fact, he had been glad to see him go. At one point he had had a crush on Jenny - he loved the way her long brown hair flowed and bounced when she walked. He loved the sound of her voice when she spoke or she laughed. He loved the smell of her perfume. Okay, maybe crush wasn't strong enough of a word. Infatuated was more like it. It angered him to see her with one of the older guys - usually Tumbler or Kolya. And what did they have that he didn't? Okay, maybe a few inches taller, some muscles, and cars . . . he sighed. They had everything he wanted but didn't have. It wasn't fair. But that infatuation was long gone. Now Toby liked Kacie. But it only came across as a friendship because he was afraid that she might laugh at him or something if he tried to approach her in that manner.
He sighed again.
"What's wrong?" Kacie asked.
"Nothing," he lied. "I guess I'm just shook up from seeing you fall like that."
Kacie reached over and squeezed his upper arm comfortingly. "Thank you."
He nodded. "No problem."
She smiled softly. "Weren't you going to show me that computer game?"
Toby's eyes flashed. "Oh yeah!" he cried, whipping out his computer. "See, what I did was . . ."
The girl brushed a few stray pieces of hair from her eyes and sighed. Kacie stared boredly at the table before her. Purple cubes of jello made from grape schnapps sat on platters before her. She had only had one - she didn't much care for Jello shots. She didn't really care for Jello, period.
She messed with one of the small hoops in her ear. She was bored. Toby had promised to meet her in the balcony over an hour ago. She was getting restless. He was supposed to show her some new program or game on his computer. He was also supposed to teach her how to hack into some site about cars . . . she forgot which one.
Frustrated, she got up and marched to the railing. She leaned on it and looked over the crowd, searching for some sign of Toby. There was none. She sighed and leaned farther over. She still couldn't see anything. She had good eyes - it was easy for her to see in the dark usually. But she didn't see him. She saw X standing near the bar with Yelena and Yorgi . . . she saw Sam and Kolya on the floor . . . she even saw as Kirill made his way through the crowd to join Yorgi and the others . . . and Viktor was near the stage, talking to some blonde. Kacie rolled her eyes. No woman in her right mind would ever look at Viktor - they just knew he had lots of money. Sure, he was okay for a friend and great for a body guard, but a romantic relationship with the man? The thought of it made her stomach churn. She shuddered. The movement from her shoulders caused her hands to slip. The next thing she knew, she plunged over the edge of the railing.
Kacie screamed as she felt herself hurtling towards the floor. She suddenly snapped back, like she was attached to a short bungee. Someone had her ankle in a vice-like grip.
She looked up and saw Toby straining to pull her back up. His face was beat red, trying to pull her back up. He leaned backward with all his weight, both hands clamped in a death grip on Kacie's ankle. Both of them toppled backwards onto the balcony, gasping for breath. She pushed herself up on the palms of her hands and looked over her shoulder at him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded weakly. "Where the crap were you?"
Toby blinked. "I was in the basement. It takes forever to get all the way up here. Yorgi should install an elevator."
"You tell him that."
Toby shook his head. "No way. I'm afraid of that dude."
"You're afraid of everyone," Kacie said as she stood, brushing herself off. Her hands were shaking and she felt like bursting into tears, but you didn't do that there.
Toby stood as well and sat at the table. He was about 5'8" with short blonde hair, a baby face and blue eyes. He had a medium build. He wore a long-sleeved Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt and baggy jeans with white sneakers. Toby was always primed and pressed. He liked things that way.
He sat down at the table and eyed the shots. "Have you been eating those?"
Kacie shook her head and sat down next to him. "Only one."
Toby picked up one and sniffed it. "Dang!" he cried, "those things must be strong."
"They are," Kacie sighed.
Shrugging, Toby popped it into his mouth. He normally never did anything like that, but after seeing his best friend plunge over a railing, well, his nerves were pretty much shot. He was thankful that he had walked in just in time to see her. Otherwise, she might not have been there.
The party downstairs continued; the people never even noticed her hanging upside down.
"I miss Jenny," Kacie said. Toby was the only one she really spoke to besides Jenny.
Toby thought of Kacie's older sister. "She'll be back soon."
Kacie heaved another sigh. "Sure. She's probably forgotten all about me."
"No, she hasn't."
"Bet me."
"I don't have any money to bet," Toby grinned widely. "If I did, I wouldn't be here. I'd be out looking for a new car."
Toby was Kacie's age - sixteen - and hadn't yet owned his own car. He dreamed of going on the boosts with the others and making some extra money or of boosting his own car. But he didn't have the know-how or the guts to do it. And Yorgi knew this. Toby was only there to find the cars and hack different systems. And he was good. But that wasn't what he really wanted. He wanted to go on a boost. But Yorgi rarely allowed anyone under 17 to go on an official boost. Jenny and Lindsey had been exceptions to the rule.
Toby narrowed his eyes at the thought of them. He didn't much care for any of the girls that had gone to Japan. In fact, he had been glad to see him go. At one point he had had a crush on Jenny - he loved the way her long brown hair flowed and bounced when she walked. He loved the sound of her voice when she spoke or she laughed. He loved the smell of her perfume. Okay, maybe crush wasn't strong enough of a word. Infatuated was more like it. It angered him to see her with one of the older guys - usually Tumbler or Kolya. And what did they have that he didn't? Okay, maybe a few inches taller, some muscles, and cars . . . he sighed. They had everything he wanted but didn't have. It wasn't fair. But that infatuation was long gone. Now Toby liked Kacie. But it only came across as a friendship because he was afraid that she might laugh at him or something if he tried to approach her in that manner.
He sighed again.
"What's wrong?" Kacie asked.
"Nothing," he lied. "I guess I'm just shook up from seeing you fall like that."
Kacie reached over and squeezed his upper arm comfortingly. "Thank you."
He nodded. "No problem."
She smiled softly. "Weren't you going to show me that computer game?"
Toby's eyes flashed. "Oh yeah!" he cried, whipping out his computer. "See, what I did was . . ."