BETA Sky Heart

Chapter 1

Chapter One

I heard the music before I reached the house and hoped I wasn't too overdressed. I'd chosen a short black lace dress with patterned tights. The dress had a red sash that matched my shoes and a flower in my hair. I made my way to the door, wobbling in my heels, as the pebbled stones crunched beneath my feet.

People were always coming and going from their house, so they rarely locked the front door. I pushed the handle of the PVC door down and entered the bustle of a packed house. I was a little late but hated arriving at a party before it had even started.

I made my way through the people searching for a familiar face. I saw Fallon's older sister Scarlet. She was almost a mirror image of Fallon, but older. She smiled, "Fallon's in the conservatory!" Everything she did was with confidence. Even the little nod afterwards to check I'd heard her oozed confidence.

I cut through the kitchen to get to the conservatory. On my way through I bumped into Fallon's older brother, Nate. He was standing around the fridge with all his friends, Budweiser's poised at their lips. He had blonde curly hair and green eyes. He gave me a cheeky wink as I passed and I felt myself flush red.

There was no denying that he had the 'good look' gene that ran through the Rein family. Everyone fancied Nate but we all knew he was off-limits. I remember the sleepover when Arizona confessed she had a crush on Nate and Fallon flipped.

"Are you using me to perv on my brother!" she'd spat.

Arizona started mumbling trying to backtrack but Fallon hadn't finished.

She turned her red painted index fingernail on us, "No friend of mine is dating my brother! Understand? I don't want to see you making out with him. That's gross!" Her attention flashed back to poor Arizona who now wished she'd kept her mouth shut. "You get that filthy idea out of your head otherwise it's not going to end well for you."

Arizona was Fallon's number one best friend. If she wasn't allowed to date her brother, the rest of us didn't stand a chance. The bizarre thing was, afterwards, Fallon dropped her attitude and bounced across the room to grab a bowl of popcorn to offer around. It was almost psychotic the way her moods could flip like that.

I stepped into the conservatory. Fallon was on a wicker frame sofa, watching two older lads playing Guitar Hero. Her face brightened when she saw me and I got a distinct impression that she had been bored.

"Kiely!" she cheered and got up from her chair to embrace me in a hug. I could smell alcohol on her breath.

"Are you drunk?"

She grinned and let out a little laugh, "No."

"You are!"

"Not yet, but I'm working on it," she reached into a crate of Smirnoff and passed me a bottle.

"Bottle opener?" I asked.

"Jim!" she yelled over the noise into the kitchen, and waved her arm to get someone's attention.

In response, one of Nate's mates made their way towards us, eager to help. I couldn't help but snigger at him walking with a slight limp which I got the impression he did to look cool, not due to injury. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a key chain with a bottle opener on it.

"Ours have all gone walkabout," Fallon shrugged. As her green eyes sought his, I saw his cheeks flush.

"No worries," Jim took my bottle, opened it for me, and handed it back, all without taking his eyes off Fallon.

Fallon swished her hair around as she turned her attention back to me. I caught a waft of her expensive perfume before she leaned back into the chair, with one arm dangling across the back. She stretched out her free arm to get a selfie of us together.