Tuct Side - 3. Chapter 3

Sunday, May 27^th, 2012

The next night, West prepared himself for a party. Just as he implied to his mother, he wasn’t much for partying. That characteristic belonged to his dad, which was passed on to Isaak. A small get-together, he preferred, but if it wasn’t for Justin, he’d be searching through online shops for a camera right about now.

After hearing another run-down of the rules from his parents, his father adding in tips on how to be a “real Tier”, he headed out.

“Don’t do anything haven’t already done!” Isaak teased.

West chuckled as he stuck his hand in his jeans’ pockets and strolled toward his hatchback.

First stop – Kaspar.

The Dedekinds didn’t live too far from their relatives, only a couple of streets apart from each other. Though, it seemed that his cousin was as eager for his party as he was. The redhead was already out and ready on the doorstep of his family’s bungalow, but so was his mother.

As West pulled up, the two ambled up to him, Kaspar casting an apologetic glance his way. Still, the blond gave his aunt a warm smile. His mother’s sister was always a kindhearted woman who spoiled her nieces and nephews whenever they came over, but few knew she could get heated as the color of her hair when Mama Bear mode kicked in. Her oldest son adopted the hotheaded temperament.

So, at first, West thought there would be complications – Aunt Karlotta barring Kaspar from going to the graduation party. Fortunately, she returned his charming smile with one of her heartening, glowing twinkles, which meant that they were in the clear. Kaspar rounded the vehicle to climb into the passenger’s seat.

“Westford, dear! How are you?” she greeted as she reached West’s window.

“All good here, Auntie Kar! I’m finally following in my Papa’s footsteps.”

Karlotta rolled her eyes. “Lord, I hope not. Rich is a great man, according to Sis apparently, but you would not believe how many times he made it into the tabloids back home because of his shenanigans.”

Back home, meaning Copenhagen in Denmark. Sofie and Karlotta were indeed born in Germany, but moved after their fifth birthday to be closer with their dying grandmother. Something stuck in Denmark, though, having them live out the rest of their childhood and teenage years there.

West’s mom always said she and his dad stumbled upon each other by accident during his team’s visit to a local bar, but over time, he speculated the notion of Friedrich pursuing Sofie after a first glimpse.

“Thank the heavens Isaak was born before me. He took the party genes with him,” the blonde joked.

“That’s why God gave us Justin,” Kaspar said, smirking.

West had to laugh. It really was because of Justin they were going to this party.

“Alright,” Karlotta began to head off. “I just wanted to see you guys off. I’m sure your Momma laid down the law?”

West nodded. “That she did.”

“Have fun, then. And do come over more. I’ll bet you two grand I host better parties.”

“Mom…” Kaspar groaned, causing his cousin to guffaw once more.

That statement was also true. Karlotta’s parties were legendary when they were little.

Five minutes later, Justin was next…

…and currently sprinting down the sidewalk toward the approaching hatchback. West had to floor it so he wouldn’t drag the brunette across the street. The latter wrenched the door open and literally hopped in the backseat.

“Let’s get this shit on the road and party!” he hollered.

“Dude! What the hell!?” West exclaimed incredulously. “I nearly killed you! Three months into my driving career!”

Kaspar was quietly giggling to himself. The psycho.

Though, no more than Justin, who just dismissed the reprimand with a wave. “Ah, I’m fine. I didn’t do all those crazy stunts when we were kids for nothing.”

Naturally, the budding party animal had to be a daredevil back in the day. He still was, but he mellowed out only to pacify West’s sanity. In spite of this, the wild boy’s eccentric behavior was on a steady rise again.

Cue noticing the eight pack of Bud Light beer in his lap.

“Is that…” West gaped.

Kaspar gawked. “Who did you-”

Justin shrugged, but a mischievous grin overcame his feigned nonchalance. “I may have cashed in on a few favors from my cousin – God bless Cynthia – and bought us a ticket into mega-stardom our sophomore year.”

The redhead narrowed his brown gaze on the brunette. “And you got this past your super Catholic parents… how?”

“Behind the pillows. I’ve committed to doing my chores every day now.”

West blew out a breath, shaking his head as he drove for Finn’s abode. “Knowing you, you’ll probably come to regret it.”

“Oh, but the benefits have never been better!” Justin chortled.

Finn’s home was the farthest. Tuct Side was pretty diverse when it came to the ethnic roots of its residents, but immigrants from Saudi Arabia were in the lowest percentage of the minority group. Finn’s apprehensive nature when it comes to strangers does not stem from out of nowhere, regrettably. Despite being born in Seattle, the ebony-haired boy and his family had run into unsolicited trouble with a less-than-disagreeable group of people. The location of their small-scale cottage was a testament to their trepidation of a repeat occurrence.

It took another ten minutes and a walk into the woodlands, but the three, and, in all likelihood, the rest of the town, understood the Casbald family’s plight.

“I hate having you guys walk a thousand miles over here,” Finn lamented.

“Then, where else would I have showcased my daredevil prowess?” Justin waggled his eyebrows.

The short small forward shook his head. “You’re so lucky my parents never caught us on that. We would’ve had to skip town if everyone found out you broke your arm in our backyard.”

“Nah. Mama and Papa Casbald love me.”

“And you’re lucky they do.”

And they did. Out of the other three, Justin was as closer to Finn as Kaspar was to West.

“Speaking of,” team captain looked over at the darkened Casbald cottage, “are your parents in right now?”

“No. Dinner date tonight. Said they’re taking a page from my book and going out more. It’ll be good for them.”

“Well, now that we’ve reached celebrity status around town, they’ll have a much easier time getting around,” Kaspar shrugged. “Not that they had such a hard time, to begin with.”

West glared at his cousin. “Dude-”

He was cut off by an amused laugh from Finn, who nodded in agreement anyway. “Nah, you’re right. We’re just… paranoid.”

“And for good reason, buddy,” Justin wrapped an arm around his short teammate, “but I know what’ll get your moods up and bouncing!”

Finn smirked. “Party time?”

“Let’s go fuck shit up!” the up-and-coming party animal hollered into the night, followed by the whoops of his comrades.

It was the sound, the thumping of the rap music, that directed the rest of the way. It could be heard throughout the entire town, but luckily, it had yet to be shut down. Of course, graduation parties were a bit of a blossoming tradition. Parents, neighbors, and the police probably empathized with the youngsters, remembering their own stressful and anxious school days and their need to cut loose one last time before they skipped town for more stressful and anxious school days in college.

Nobody would be filing a noise complaint tonight. This party was going on without interruption.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take that long to find parking amidst the sea of motor vehicles. West chalked it up to being lucky – from Finn’s cottage, he had turned on a street and happened to find a space in a nearby cul-de-sac. If he had come directly from his, Kaspar, or Justin’s, it would have taken them years to find a vacant lot.

“Damn, I feel sorry for the neighbors,” Justin whistled, not sounding the least bit sympathetic. “I can feel the ground vibrate from here.”

That was true. The hosting house was a bit larger and older than the others. Being of colonial architecture, it stood alone amid the growing forestry, covering the deep corners and any additional parts of the building. An array of colors flashed from each window, lighting up the wide, clean-cut yard and pathway as people filtered in and out. The noise of yelling and laughter ricocheted alongside the beat of the song as the door opened, a group of giggling girls spilling out.

“So,” Kaspar drawled awkwardly as he gazed at the girls, a blush creeping upon his cheeks. “You think I’d be able to get laid tonight?”

“With those kinds of girls,” Justin sauntered up beside him. “Not a chance in hell.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence there, bro,” the redhead scowled, elbowing the brunette.

“I’m just saying, dude, anyone in there is probably experienced in that area.”

“I dunno. We’re kind of famous at school,” Finn ruffled his black hair, blushing as well.

“Yeah, and the farthest I got with that fame was a handjob from Millie Warden,” Justin’s lips curled into a slight leer as he reminisced on the particular memory while his shy friend’s face went red all the more.

“Luckily for you, bro, Shoemaker bought us our ticket into paradise,” West clapped a hand on his cousin’s shoulder as he looked over to said brunette for confirmation.

“Right here, baby!” he lifted the eight-pack contribution.

“Wait,” they turned to a gaping Finn, whose shocked eyes were on their team captain. “West, you’re actually trying to…?”

While other boys would go on and on about their most-likely-didn’t-happen sexual activities, West was reserved in that area almost as much as Finn. So, it was quite the surprise to hear even the typically meek team captain wanting in on some action with a girl or anyone available for that matter.

“I’m playing along for the most part, but I’m not a huge stickler of waiting for the right moment or whatever. All that matters is that it’s consensual and done with respect.”

“Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about, bro!” Justin high-fived the blond and pumped his fist into the air, brimming with barely unrestrained energy. “Live in the fuckin’ moment! Let’s roll!”

Patrick Baxter was a popular senior over at Patriot High, known for being a football player, class jokester, and an all-around friendly dude. He was one of the few upperclassmen West looked up to. Though, that didn’t mean he was virtuous enough not to host an end-of-the-year party that just might shake up the neighborhood.

As the boys headed up the expansive flagstone walkway, another group of girls sashayed out, though, the four males walking past seemed to catch their eye.

“Hey, boys!” one of them tittered.

The Jiving Four didn’t stop their advance to the house, but West did nod in greeting. Justin acknowledged them with husky “Ladies,” Kaspar addressed them with a cool and near-dispassionate “’Sup” while Finn blushed and waved.

“Shouldn’t we stay and talk to them?” the shy teen asked when the females were far away enough.

Justin shook his head. “They do the chasing. Not us.”

“And you gotta act like you don’t care,” Kaspar added. “I heard chicks dig that bad boy shit.”

Finn exhaled a long breath, looking up at the night sky. “I feel like I’m on a different planet.”

West smirked back at him. “Honestly, same, bro.”

The four stepped into the house to be immediately greeted with jostling bodies, the smell of sweat and smoke, and the cacophony of gossip and laughter. West gazed around in quiet shock. He had no doubt been to other parties, especially since the recent upswing in popularity, but being only a freshman, they were on a smaller scale.

This was insanity.

They were barely past the foyer, having to inch their way through the thin gaps between sharp elbows and broad shoulders. So far, they have yet to be recognized, but then they stepped into the main living room, which was just as packed.

“Westford!”

Said blond, along with the other three, froze in place, but his eyes searched the crowded den to spot a fellow fair-haired but older boy waving at him from the spiral staircase. Patrick Baxter, tall and lean with muscle from athletic training, skipped over to the freshman, somehow effortlessly weaving through the masses while holding a filled red solo cup.

“Jivin’ Four!” he exclaimed boisterously. “You’re actually here!”

West chuckled easily, feeling himself relax in a familiar presence. “In the flesh, Pat!”

“And we brought our tickets.” Justin lifted the pack of Bud Light beer into view.

Patrick’s eyes rounded in disbelief. “Holy shit! Dude! How’d you get your hands on that!?”

His cry snagged the attention of the surrounding attendees, but the brunette shrugged nonchalantly. “Family ain’t that Catholic.”

“Aren’t you Jewish?” Finn asked with raised eyebrows.

“Ain’t that Jewish.”

The Shoemakers were Catholics at heart – at least most of them were – despite being of Israeli descent.

“Fuck, bros! You’re a sneaky lil’ shit, aren’t ya? We can mix it with the other stuff we got,” the hosting alumn accepted the eight pack from Justin and smiled widely. “Seriously, I owe you guys!”

“Ah, it’s no issue,” West waved the appraisal away.

“Yo!” Patrick shouted, his deep voice booming over the pounding music as he hauled the liquid gift up above his head. “The Jivin’ Four’s arrived, y’all!”

Cheers and roars of admiration and thanks exploded all around the freshmen, showering them in veneration that will no doubt exalt them into higher statuses come the start of the new school year.

Justin’s, “Fuck yeah, dude!” began the consummation of the occasion.

The Jiving Four was welcomed immediately by the older crowd, hailing casually with the upperclassmen and being congratulated for their championship win regardless of the time passed. They chatted, danced, and played beer pong for the first time alongside their elder peers. An hour later, Justin was doing shots with a couple of junior boys while Finn stood close by, supervising his friend. The ebony-haired small forward had loosened up a bit from the warm receptions, but that did not stop him from worrying over their resident party animal from drinking more than he bargained for.

Just a few feet away, West and Kaspar were flirting with a trio of sophomore ladies. West remained laidback and easygoing, cracking jokes that made the girls giggle, while Kaspar kept up with his indifferent attitude. The team captain couldn’t see the appeal in the cold approach, but judging by the suggestive once-overs they had been giving him throughout the conversation, it was working pretty well.

Over the shoulder of the raven-headed girl, named Bailey, West caught sight of a group of familiar juniors standing over in a circle in the kitchen corner, surrounding a man, long limbs in all-black clothing and gelled-back dark hair in a beanie. He wore sunglasses as well, so the only feature left uncovered was the alabaster surface of his skin. The scruffy chin indicated an even older age. For a second, West thought a several-on-one brawl would start up, but the eager head-nodding of the younger males as the roguish, mysterious man spoke lowly for their ears only told him otherwise.

“Ooh,” the team captain cooed playfully, pointing the strange assembly not too far from them. “Secret society meeting at four o'clock.”

“Hm?” a short girl with similar golden hair to West’s, Sasha, followed the direction of his finger and promptly paled. “Oh, shit!”

Marilyn, the curvy dark-skinned beauty he was showing more interest in, looked between her friend and West. “What? What is it?” When she turned to whatever Sasha was gawking at, she smirked playfully. “Oh my. Tall, dark, and handsome.”

Kaspar elbowed West’s arm in irritation, to which the latter mouthed a silent apology.

“No! No, no, no,” Sasha shook her head rapidly. “Yes, he’s sexy beyond sexy, but…”

Pause.

“What?” Bailey leaned in, as well as the others.

“What’s up with him?” West asked.

“If my memory isn’t sludged from all this gin by now, I think that’s one of the Rabellino brothers. Rumors have it he’s the ‘hit and run’ type of guy. Probably not worth the heartbreak.”

Rabellino? The name sounded familiar…

And, apparently, Kaspar realized that, too, for he piped up with, “Hold on. Rabellino? As in Jorge and Javier Rabellino?”

“You know them?” Bailey questioned him.

West cocked his head to the side as his gaze lingered on the man, who was now heading out to what he guessed was the back porch through the kitchen’s slide door alongside the juniors. “Not personally, but they’re well-known around these parts. Very good basketball players. The younger one, Jorge, the Hangman, played varsity when he was a freshman at Wildwood and the older one, Javier, coaches for the Humberston University team.”

“Ugh!” Marilyn rolled her eyes at Sasha. “Alumni and former basketball superstars. Girl, better grab some holy water because I’m being tempted.”

The blonde girl dismissed her complaint with a wave. “I’m saving your life. Both of yours. Besides, we already have a couple of basketball superstars right in front of us,” she grinned at the two males. “Right, boys?”

For the first time that night, Kaspar let a wide smirk grace his face. “That, we are, meine Dame.”

The five found an unoccupied room minutes later upstairs, which was quite a surprise. The house was packed tonight. Despite that, the house was basically a mini-mansion. There must have been a boundless number of rooms.

Both West and Kaspar, being fifteen-year-olds – West nearing sixteen in about a month –did not have a lot of experience in sexual practice. Kissing, fondling, and relief through porn clips were as far as they went. Tonight, they made it to third base. At first, Kaspar felt it awkward for him and his cousin to be in the same space, but that discomfiture vanished when lips met with the skin below the waist. Being new to the position, it didn’t last very long, but that meant it didn’t take too long to start up again. They were lucky the girls were so intrigued by them.

Half an hour later, the two cousins exchanged numbers with girls, fist-bumping each other in triumph before heading back down to the living room to look for Justin and Finn. Fortunately, their search ended early. However, the party animal, as predicted, was so sloshed he could barely stand upright. He was blessed to have Finn and another girl West recognized to carry him by his arms.

“H-He ruz da ball,” Justin’s head bobbled slowly as he slurred. “Uh, passin’… passes it t’ th’ fucker on th’ l-left. He shits… he scores!” he shot upright and pumped his fists into the air, nearly tripping backward on his ass before his two associates scrambled to catch him.

“Damn,” West winced. “How much did he have?”

Finn exhaled a breath while looking down at his plastered friend. “Four. To be honest, it’s more than I’ve expected.”

“Shit,” Kaspar laughed. “Party animal’s a lightweight.”

“I’ll show you lightweight, Gingerbread!” Justin pointed a crooked finger at the redhead’s crotch, making the latter crack up even more.

“Don’t worry,” the familiar girl patted the brunette on the shoulder. “You get used to it over time.”

West looked at her closely, suddenly recalling yesterday’s run-in with the Wildwood gang. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“In a way,” she smiled. “Didn’t talk too much. Shaun and Enzo do that for the rest of us.”

“No-No, right?” Kaspar piped up.

“That’s a nickname, courtesy of Fish Fins over here.”

A silly grin danced across Finn’s face. “Guilty as charged.”

“The name’s Nora Orellana,” she waved at the two boys.

West nodded and began to reply, “We-“ but was interrupted by a stone-curt inquiry from his cousin.

“You here with your gang?”

West raised an eyebrow at the point guard, noticing his emotionless stare. It was Kaspar’s protective nature coming out. Luckily, it wasn’t in full force because that’s when some knuckles got bloody. It was a miracle nothing happened during yesterday’s confrontation. As Justin started mumbling along to the rap song in the background, Finn gave Kaspar a pointed, pleading look.

“Come on, man. She’s cool.”

Nora waved him off, her smile not diminishing the slightest in the wake of the point guard’s frigid glare. “Don’t worry. I’m not one for turning into a raging barbarian at the sight of easterners.”

“I believe you. West Kuttner,” the team captain nodded, then elbowed his cousin when he didn’t respond for several seconds.

“Kaspar Dedekind. This simp’s cousin,” he returned the blonde’s jab.

“And I see you met the Justin Shoemaker. Are you impressed?”

Said boy promptly stood up straight and stretched his long arms out, smirking widely. “I’m the baby! Gotta love me!”

The sudden drunken outburst caused the others and a few surrounding passersby to guffaw.

“Pretty sure that title belongs to Fish Fins, but you’re adorable, too,” Nora teased, making the ebony-haired teen flush red.

“You went to Wildwood, right?” West asked when the chortles died down. “What happened? I thought that school was getting better?”

“I dunno,” Nora shrugged. She seemed greatly confused herself. “No one really does. I think Neil might have an idea, but he’s as tight-lipped as they come.”

That name.

“And Neil was…”

“The one I was sitting next to. He’s not much on socializing, especially with those from the other side of the tracks, but he’s not as bad as Shaun or Enzo. He just… has a lot to deal with.”

The blond thought back.

Cerulean, tempestuous eyes. Coal hair. A scowl that looked to be permanent.

“I can tell. Say, why don’t I invite you to a little game of ball next week.”

Kaspar narrowed his eyes at his cousin. “Dude…”

West ignored him, making sure his features remained as friendly as possible.

“Oh?” Nora blinked. “A-As in…?”

“You and your friends. Maybe we can start over and end on a high note. You know. Put all that hot water under a bridge.”

“Turn th’ tides, maybe?” Justin, who was now only being supported by Finn, muttered as his friend opened a water bottle with his teeth.

West nodded in his brunette companion’s direction. “What he said.”

It was probably a good thing he was drunk. Otherwise, he would have been dealing with a double veto from him and Kaspar.

Nora appeared to be unsure. She turned to Finn, who, while pouring the water into Justin’s mouth, gave her a bright, hopeful smile.

“I don’t know if the guys even want to get past all the beef. You did beat us out of the playoffs this year, but I know for sure they would never pass up a rematch.”

It didn’t come out filled with bitterness or resentment, which was a good sign. Using that, West put up the charm with a single sentence.

“We can start with that.”

A couple of beats of contemplation later, she nodded her agreement. “I’ll see what I can do. We usually hang out on the weekends. Show up like last time? I’ll give them a heads up.”

Nora crossed her fingers. West reciprocated, now on tenterhooks for positive results.

“That’s perfect. Thanks, Nora.”

“Any friend of Fish Fins is a friend of mine.”

The blond smirked and turned to his redheaded cousin. Kaspar appeared to be ready to argue, but he only exhaled an exasperated breath and gave West a look that said, “I hope you know what you’re doing, stupid.”

To commemorate their new friendship – and further rub it in Kaspar’s face – West offered to drive the girl back home. She had come along with a few girlfriends, but had gotten bored sixty minutes in. They exchanged numbers as well. Any communication could have just gone via Finn, but the opportunity of making friends was always too good to pass up.

Ten minutes later, the mystery man and his horde of juniors headed out of the house altogether.

Another hour later, the Jiving Four left as well, Nora and Justin’s drunken ramblings accompanying them.