Chapter 20 P-A-R-T-Y? Cuz I Gotta
After lunch Parker drove Aderyn home, and Booth followed him so that Parker could take his car. "So I'll be back in a hour and an half?" Parker asked Aderyn just before they got out of the car.
"Nah, give me 45 minutes. My foster sister has been driving me crazy lately."
"How so?"
"She won't quit asking me questions about you." She said casually as Parker pulled the car up next to her foster parents house and smiled.
"What has she been asking?"
"Everything, she is mad at me because she has had a crush on you forever."
"The bitch on wheels has a crush on me? No, no way, I bumped into her once in the hallway and she slapped me across the face!"
"She told me about that, she wanted you to grab her, push her up against the wall and kiss her."
"Wow, women are crazy!" Parker leaned over and kissed Aderyn, "I'll be back in 45 minutes to get you." They both got out of the car.
"See you in a little while then, tell your parents thanks for lunch again," and Aderyn limped inside. Parker got into Booth's car and they drove home.
"Hey Parker, we have decided that you are going to take my car instead of Seeley's tonight. You are okay driving my car right?" Bones asked.
"Yeah that's fine. Thanks again for lunch, Aderyn wanted me to tell you."
"It was fun, I really like Aderyn. She is an amazing catcher!" Booth said from the front seat.
"I know, she is amazing!" The rest of the ride back to their house they were talking about the game.
Parker pulls up to Aderyn's house, walks to the front door and rings the bell. Thinking for the first time that maybe he should have changed out of his jeans and Aderyn's softball t-shirt. Jules Kemp, Aderyn's foster sister, answers the door. Parker does a mental groan. Then he puts on a smile, "Hey, Jules, is Aderyn here?"
"Yeah, but I don't see why you want to date her…" Jules mumbles, as she lets him into the house. "ADERYN! THERE IS A BOY HERE FOR YOU!" Jules looks at Parker and scoffs, "Nice shirt."
Parker looks down and smiles, "One of my favorites. The softball and baseball teams trade off one of their t-shirts so that the other team can wear them to the games."
Just then Aderyn hobbles down the stairs and smiles at Parker, and then rolls her eyes at her foster sister. She is also wearing jeans and has on a purple boyfriend tank. "Let me go tell Rob and Kirsten that I am leaving and then we can go."
10 minutes later they were on their way, Aderyn had called Ryan to let him know that they would be there in an hour. Parker didn't want to bring up Josh, but he really wanted to know what was gong on. "So, do I get to know why you hate Josh?" He asked.
Aderyn sighed, "Josh is an asshole. Though now that I think about it, if he is there, me bringing you will really piss him off." She paused considering this, and then continued. "He is one of those guys who tries to hit on every girl who they bring over to hang out with them. And last summer he was OBSESSEDwith me. I was all that he would talk about, and it drove everyone nuts. I went to lunch with Ryan one day and he told me that all Josh would do was sit there, play Magic, drink beer and talk about me."
"Josh plays Magic?"
"They all do." Seeing Parker's raised eyebrows she added, "Yeah I know, they are all winners."
"Do you play Magic?"
She just looked at him. "No."
Parker laughed, "So other than being obsessed with you what did he do?"
Aderyn's eyes darkened, "He spiked my drink at one of his parties and tried to get me to go into his room so that he could have sex with me, Ryan pulled him away from me. I don't think either of them remember it, and I like to keep it that way."
"He spiked your drink with what?" Parker asked softly.
"I wasn't drinking, and he would make me drinks that he told me were non-alcoholic, I really don't think that they had alcohol in them, but I just felt... wonky. I didn't realize it until it was too late, I had been playing drinking games with them so I was drinking them really fast. I don't know what was actually in the drinks, I just know that after Ryan pulled him off of me I ran outside, Bill, Roy, and Ryan all sat in my car with me until I felt like I could drive. They were all really drunk, but I think that Roy and Bill remember. Not that they need me as a reason to hate Josh."
Parker tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Aderyn, I am so sorry."
"Are you okay?" She asked him quietly.
Parker looked at her confused, "I should be the one asking you that."
"Your knuckles are white on the steering wheel. Are you okay?"
"Aderyn I am fine, I am just worried about you." Aderyn nodded and looked out the window.
Parker and Aderyn drove in silence for a little while Aderyn could see Parker in the reflection of the window, she could tell that he was loosing up, his knuckles were no longer white, and he kept glancing over at her. Parker had a few questions about what happened with Josh, and could not stop thinking about it.
"Just ask the questions. I can tell that you have at least one." Aderyn murmured.
"Why didn't you tell Ryan?" he asked in a low voice.
"Because he would kill Josh. He knows that something happened, because I don't like to be where he is, if he shows up at a party, I leave. Ryan says that Josh was told by both Werner's to not be there, But if he shows up, I am going to call Nick to see what he is doing, is that okay?"
"I just like to spend time with you so we could do whatever you want. But if he is there, we may have to leave quick, because I hate guys who take advantage of girls, and I would want to punch him, repeatedly, in the face."
Aderyn smiled, "That is what Nick and Kyle said. Emily wanted to kick him in the shins." She paused and finally looked over at him, "I like spending time with you too."
Parker slid his hand into hers, "I just want you to know that I would never do what Josh did to you."
"I know."
"Good, because I would hate for you to be afraid to be yourself around me. I want you to be able to let your guard down."
"There is nothing about you and Josh that is similar. Josh is someone who falls in love with a girl after talking to her once. He won't leave her alone either. And you," she paused, "You make me feel safe. That is the only way that I can describe it."
They were quiet for a few minutes and then Parkers' curiosity got the better of him, "Did anything ever happen between you and Josh?"
"He grabbed me once and stuck his tongue down my throat, does that count?"
"Depends on what you mean by 'tongue down your throat.'"
It was a kiss, in the broadest sense on the of the word. His tongue was all over the place. I literally wipe off the outside of my mouth. It was so gross."
"I mean did you stick your tongue back down his throat?"
"Ew."
Parker laughed.
"No. Hell no. I pushed him away."
"I see."
"Worst ever." Aderyn shutters, "Just thinking about it gives me the heeby-jeebies." Parker laughed. "What you've never had a bad kiss before?"
"Nope! Every person that I have ever kissed told me that I was a good kisser, I believe you said I was incredible."
"I jus.. I just wanted to stroke your ego."
"Ha ha ha. I bet!" Parker said with a smile.
"Okay maybe I wasn't, but you have had to have a bad kiss! I am not saying that the kiss was bad on your part, heaven forbid!
Parker pauses, "Okay, when I was seven the first girl I kissed bit my lip."
"SEVEN?!" Her eyes wide.
Parker chuckled, "Yeah, how old were you when you had your first kiss?"
"I was 14 before I had my first kiss! It took me twice time it took you!"
"What can I say? I mature really fast!"
"Grrr… turn here!" Parker laughed and followed her directions.
"Okay, we are in the middle of nowhere! You brought me out here to kill me didn't you?" Aderyn just laughed. "You must have the wrong place… we are at a dead end."
"Nope, you are going to turn left right after that tree, it is blocking the road so you can't see it. We are almost there calm down!"
"Finally! I am so far out that I couldn't find my way back if my life depended on it!"
"Good thing that you have me then, hun?" She said raising her eyebrow. "Okay I am going to need help to get down to Werner's basement."
Parker smiled, "Want a piggy back ride?"
Aderyn laughed, "I guess that's the best way." Parker crouched down and Aderyn climbed up on his back.
"Okay where to spider-monkey?"
"Go down to the left of the house and around the back." She laughed.
"As you wish." Parker started walking down a steep slope.
"Okay, now you can put me down." Parker let her down softly, as to not hurt her ankle anymore. Aderyn grabbed his hand and pulled him into the dark garage.
"Do you know where you are going?"
Aderyn laughed again, "Stop worrying! I have spent more time here than most people!"
Parker can see light at the crack in the bottom of the door, they walk through it into a laundry room and Parker could hear loud music playing, they walk through another door into a small finished basement. Aderyn pulls parker through the door and then closes it behind her, and then walks through yet another door. The music is blaring in the room, but as soon as Aderyn walked in the music stopped and there was a chorus of "ADERYN!"
Everyone ran at her at the same time. A guy with short hair got to her first. "Hey buddy!" He said.
"Ryan!" Ryan hugged her, and then she got passes around to everyone in the room. Parker stood by the door watching her face light up by being with her friends. Finally everyone was going back to the couch and the chairs that they had left.
"Okay everyone this is Parker, Parker this is Ryan, Kyle, Mary, Nick, Norm, Blain, Amanda, Michelle, Danny, and Wayne."
Everyone there said "Hey Parker!"
"Hello," Parker said, "To be honest, I do not remember any names."
"That's okay, there are a lot of us." One of he girls said.
"Well now that Aderyn is here the party can start!" Ryan said, he opened a cooler that was full of beer.
"Do you want a Mountain Dew, or a Pespi?" Aderyn asked him.
"Pespi."
"Okay I will be right back!" Aderyn walked back out of the room.
Parker stood there, feeling a little uncomfortable. Everyone was staring at him. Ryan, and either Blain or Wayne was smiling, and again either Blain or Wayne was glaring at him. Everyone else was just kind of looking at him as if trying to decide if he was good enough for their friend.
Aderyn walked back in, she handed him a Pespi and had a Mountain Dew for herself. She smiled, "I wanna play flippie cup!"
"Who else wants to play?" Ryan asked the group. Everyone but two people stood up. "Parker you playin'?"
I have never played before, but sure."
"Good man! I like him!" Ryan said, "Five on five then!" and then he said really quickly, "I got Aderyn!"
"I'm on Ryan's team!" Another guy said just after Ryan had claimed Aderyn.
"You can be on our team too Parker!" Aderyn said she had her arm around his waist.
"Michelle you are on or team too!" Ryan called out.
"Okay, so how do you play?" He asked looking around. There were ten red solo cups on the table behind the couch.
"Okay what you are going to do is chug you drink, then you are going to set it down up right on the edge of the table and tap it with your finger and try to get it to land upside down! Once the person in front of you gets theirs upside down you get to go." Aderyn explained, and then did it perfectly on her first try.
"Okay… what is the point?" Parker asked looking around.
"Well, you are on teams, and the first team done wins, and the other team kicks a player off, they still have to have the same number of cups, just one person has to drink twice. Get it?" The guy who was not Ryan on his team spelled out.
"So it is a race?" Parker asked again.
"Yep! Now try it a few times to see if you can get it to land upside down on the table." The same guy told him. Parker put his cup on the edge of the table and tapped it trying to get it to flip over and land correctly. The cup flew up into the air and flipped over about five times and landed on its' side. "Too much, try softer." Parker tapped it again with less force and it landed upside down.
"Let's do this! I'm Kyle by the way, though that I would re introduce myself." He held out his hand for Parker to shake.
Parker took his hand and shook it, "Yeah there are a lot of people here."
"Okay here is our order, me, Michelle, Kyle, Parker and our clutch with be Aderyn." Ryan said looking over at the other team. What is your order?
The guy who looked the oldest, Wayne or Blain?, and the one who was giving Parker the nasty looks said "Me, Norm, Danny, Nick, and our clutch will be Mary."
"Why am I the clutch? This is a bad call," Mary whined and Nick switched her positions. "Thanks baby!"
Ryan looked down at Aderyn, "You ready to drop the can?"
"Oh yeah!" She held a crushed beer can in her hand and she dropped it. There was immediate pandemonium, every one was yelling. Ryan and the other starter picked up their cups and chugged them down, Blain or Wayne finished first, and put his cup in the table and flipped it over on the first try, Ryan was only a few seconds behind him, Norm and Michelle finished at the same time, and Michelle's cup landed on the first try. Kyle was starting his first try when Norm got his to land right, Danny started his right as Kyle's landed correctly. Parker gulped down his Pespi and put his cup down on the table he tapped it and it didn't land correctly, he set it back up and tried again, and missed again. "Take your time, Danny sucks!" Aderyn yelled out.
"Shut up Aderyn!" Danny called while still trying to flip his cup over. Parker hit it on his fifth try, just when Danny did. Mary picked up her cup and dank it down, Aderyn looked at Mary.
"Should I keep it interesting? Or should I just win?" She said cockily.
"Shut it!" Mary screeched at her. Aderyn laughed and stated to drink what was in her cup. She set it down slowly, Mary was still trying to get it, Aderyn tapped it once, and it landed upside down, they won the first match!
"Wow, that was crazy! I have never played anything like that!" Parker said.
"Okay Wayne, who are you losing?" Ryan asked with a big smile on his face.
Wayne looked at his team, "Danny or Mary?" he asked them.
"Danny!" Everyone but Danny said.
"Fine! I don't want to play your stupid game anyway!" Danny said in a huff and went to sit on the couch.
Everyone was laughing at him. "Michelle and Norm your start!" Wayne said.
"What? I thought Ryan and Wayne were the starters?" Parker whispered to Aderyn.
"It rotates, so each person starts, and each person finishes." She said before she dropped the can to signal the start of the game. They won again, and this time Mary was sent out.
"Nick and Kyle, your start!" Aderyn dropped the can again, this time Michelle couldn't close the game, and they lost, and they sent Michelle away.
They played until it was Ryan, Kyle, Parker and Aderyn against just Wayne. They won again Wayne by himself even though they agreed to take away one of his cups. By the end of the round Parker had gotten really good, hitting it by no more than two tries.
Everyone sat down to talk. "So Ryan where is Ali?"
"It is our Spring Break, and her parents made her go on another mission trip! We all leave tomorrow night for Virginia Beach!
"Yeah I miss her!"
"So Parker, that was your first time playing flippie cup?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah, my friends are really into beer pong, but I think that they would have a good time with flippie cup."
They played two more rounds of flippie cup, and they won those two as well, then they played a few rounds of beer pong (Aderyn and Parker not drinking beer though).
At 8:00 Aderyn and Parker hat to leave, and as they went to walk out through the garage they heard a moan.
As Aderyn walked by she called out, "Night Norm!" laughing, and then explaining to Parker that Norm passes out on a couch that is buried under all the junk in the garage.
Parker puts Aderyn on his back again, and carries her up to the car. "Thank you for introducing me to your friends, they are amazing."
"Really? I saw you getting some hairy eyeball from Wayne! "She said with a smile.
"You saw that hun? Do you know what that is all about?"
"Well, I dated Wayne for about a month, but he is told old for me."
"How old is he?"
"25." She said casually.
"Wow… that is a big age difference."
They were on their way home and Aderyn was giving him directions on how to get back to the highway. Aderyn yawned. "I forgot how tiring it is to hang out with them. Not to mention that I got up super early for my game." Aderyn closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest. Parker smiled as she slowly fell asleep.
When Parker pulled up to her house he didn't want to wake her up, she looked so peaceful. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, remembering what she told him on the drive up to see her friends. "I am so sorry that you had to go through that," he murmured to her, "I am so glad that you are able to trust after that. I am so glad that you are willing to trust me." He kissed her temple again and slowly rocked her awake so that she could go to bed. "Aderyn, babe, you need to wake up, you are home."
"I really like this guy daddy, he is good enough, I promise," she mumbled her voice thick with sleep.
Parker grabbed her shoulder and shook her again, "Aderyn, hey you are home!" He said a little louder.
Her eyes opened and she looked at him, confused for a minute and they she realized she was still in the car. "Oh, sorry." She leaned up and kissed him, "Thank you for coming to night."
"I had a blast, thank you for taking me."
She smiled, "Goodnight," and she leaned up and kissed him again.
"Goodnight," said as she was getting out of the car.
'I am really falling for her. Hard.' Parker thought to himself as he feel asleep that night.