"How long do you think they are going to be?" Evan asked after Autumn checked his watch for the 5th time. "They said that they are going to be here at eight, but I guess they forgot about us." he said, swinging his arm out of his face away from the watch. "Well, here they are." Evan said when Zia pulled up in her car. "I know you are going to bitch, but Xavier decided that I must pick you guys up and meet them there at the very last fucking minute. I swear I could choke that guy.", Zia said as Autumn got into the front and Evan at the back. "You guys look hot." She remarked as she examined them. "If hotness was a curse, I swear we bitches be dead by now." She joked and pulled away. The ride to Alton's house was a bit quiet, but Zia's singing to Beyonce filled the car. Autumn could spot Evan looking at him through the rear mirror countless times. They finally stopped at the house after driving 5 minutes through a dark forest. "You ever wonder why people buy houses in the depth of the forest and know shit is gonna be happening." Zia asked, slamming her door close. "It's the perfect place to bury a body." Evan said as Zia and Autumn looked at him, shocked. "That's dark." Zia said and led the way to the entrance. The house was filled with underage drinking teenagers, and all are from their school. The music traveled loudly through the whole house and out the backside by the pool. "This house is sick." Zia said and spotted Annalee and Xavier through the crowd. She greeted in her way. Screamed compliments and hugs. Xavier looked the least bit happy after he saw Evan. "Do you know where the bathroom is?" Evan tried to ask Autumn, but Xavier seemed to hear him through the noise. "I'll show you." Xavier said and walked up the nearest stairs with Evan following him. "What was that all about?" Autumn asked, not wanting them to assume anything. "Xavier has been in a mood the whole goddamn day, and I need a fucking drink." Annalee said, making her way to through the crowded room to the kitchen. "See that they don't kill each other, please", Zia asked and rushed after Annalee. Autumn made his way to the stairs and stopped. "Fuck this," he whispered and rushed to the kitchen to get a drink. Knowing he is about to break his sobriety. Xavier leaned against the wall, drink in his hand, waiting upon Evan to come out of the toilet. He hears the toilet flush and the door opening. He swallowed the last bit of alcohol and threw the cup on the ground as Evan made it out the toilet. "Thank you." Evan said. He could smell the alcohol off of Xavier. "Look, I have to find-", Evan tried to say after Xavier cut him off. "Follow me." He said, stumbling around to the nearest room and closing the door behind them. "What do you want with Autumn." Xavier asked, leaning against the closed door, making sure no one can come in. "The real question is Xavier. What do you want from him", Evan asked sitting down on the dresser cupboard. "I want you to leave him the fuck alone." Xavier shouted. "Well, that's not your fucking choice Xavier." Evan stood up from the dresser. "You act like you know us all. I see you lurking around. Watching us. Making as if you know us." Xavier stumbled until he was in front of Evan. "I do know all of you. And I know you, Xavier. How you can't handle yourself when you drunk. Must be hard to resist me now isn't It.", Evan said, being face to face smelling the whiskey off Xavier. "You don't know jackshit about me.", Xavier said. "At least I'm not a fucking lunatic who preys on people who don't even know him!" Evan grabbed Xavier by the chest and pushed him against the wall. "All of you are fucking lunatics, Xavier. All the shit you have done. You are the real monsters here." Evan said, trying to get a hold on himself. Xavier didn't fight back. He could hear himself swallow. "You so worried about them, Xavier, but what is it that you want?" Evan whispered. Xavier could feel all urge rising in him. He pushed Evan's hands off him and kissed him. Evan thrust him back against the door while holding his chin in his hand and kissed him. Their breathing slowed down as Xavier release what he has done. He pushed Evan off him and stormed out the door. Autumn saw Xavier storming out the house and Evan coming down the stairs. "What happened?" he asked, stopping Evan on the stairs. "He had a lot to drink and wanted to start a fight. I tried to calm him down before things got out of hand.", Evan stepped down the stairs and made his way to the kitchen after Autumn ran out after Xavier. "Where's Xavier?" Annalee asked with Zia by her side. "Ran out after he had too much to drink - and if you are wondering where Autumn is, he's upstairs in the bathroom." he added after seeing them giving each other looks. Xavier kneeled by his car, crying. Autumn rushed to him and tried to help him up. "Get your hands off me!" he cried, pushing Autumn off him. "I'm just trying to fucking help you, Xavier." Autumn tried to pull him up, but Xavier got up on his own. "I'm a mess, Autumn. I'm a mess because I can't be like you. I'm a FUCKING MESS because I cannot admit that I love you and Annalee and I don't know how to deal with it.", Xavier stood crying while Autumn tried hard not to say anything that might upset him. "I'm a fucking mess!" Xavier screamed and smashed the side window of his car. Autumn stood still, afraid. Xavier looked at his bleeding hand as his wounds healed. "What the fuck." he uttered as a scream came from the house. Xavier and Autumn ran back into the house and pushed the crowd aside when they found Annalee and Zia unconscious. Xavier screamed Annalee's name as he kneeled before her. Picking up her head. "What happened!" he shouted. A girl that was kneeling over Zia answered. "One moment they talked, and the next I saw them drop dead onto the ground." Autumn searched the room for Evan but couldn't see him. "Where's-", Autumn tried to ask when Evan came rushing through the crowd kneeling with a soaked towel folded up. He placed it on her head and then on her chest. Zia woke up and grabbed Evan's arms with terror in her eyes. "Autumn take Zia outside." he commanded and shifted over to Annalee. Autumn helped Zia up and moved her through the crowd outside. "Carefully.", Autumn said as he helped her sit down. "What happened?" Zia looked at Autumn with no emotion at all. "I saw something, Autumn." tears fell down her eyes as fear rest in them. "I saw us all. I saw us do something, Autumn." Fear took over Autumn as Zia rest her head on his shoulder. Xavier came out with Annalee and rushed to his car, got in, and stormed off. "We need to get her home." Evan said as he pulls Zia up. "I'll drive." Autumn replied and took her keys out of her pocket. They carried Zia into the car and laid her down in the back seat. Autumn looked at Evan before driving off. He couldn't shake the feeling that somehow. It was all Evan's fault.
Autumn laid Zia down in his bed and covered her with a blanket. "She'll be fine in the morning," Evan said as Autumn sat down on the edge of the bed. "What the hell happened, Evan.", he asked hopelessly. Evan sat down next to him, "We were talking, and Zia was upset over Xavier not being by her side, and she started mixing alcohol. Zia being Zia started exciting her up and did the same thing she did. They drank and drank until they both fell onto the ground, unconscious. I ran to go get the stuff, and when I returned, you and Xavier were there already." Autumn rubs his hands over his face blaming himself for not being there.
"Every time I turn my back, all of this happens. Bad things happen." Autumn didn't realize he was sobbing. "What do you mean?" Evan asked as Autumn jumped up from the bed. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and watched Evan sat on the end of his bed. Was he about to open up over something he barely evens want to talk about to himself? "My mom." Autumn said, trying to find the words to speak. "2 years ago, my mom died. It was Christmas Eve, and I was out with my friends. My mom kept calling me, but I was too wasted even to answer. She phoned Zia and Zia said where we were. Some party far from town. She then decided to get into her car and fetch me, because it is a tradition for us to spend Christmas Eve together. She got to the party and embarrassed me in front of everyone. I remember hating her so much for it that I said, 'I wish she would stay the fuck out of my life'. That was the last thing I ever said to her, while we came back home. I ran up to my room, wasted as I was, and passed out. Moments later, I heard my dad coming home than loud screaming. I rushed downstairs, and I saw her lifeless body lying in his arms. The whole house was a mess. Blood everywhere. We never found out who killed her, but she fought, and I was laying wasted, unable to hear anything in my room." Autumn couldn't hear himself speak. He couldn't feel Evan's arms around him while he broke down crying. He slowly stepped away from Evan. "I shouldn't be doing this. I barely even know you." '"If you want me to leave, I'll leave." Evan suggested. "I think you should." Autumn opened the door. "But come see me tomorrow," he said, standing inside of the door. "Around whatever time, just come see me tomorrow. I have something to show you." Autumn nodded and closed the door after Evan left. He took off his shirt and crawled up next to Zia. The crack in his window let in a summer breeze, and after a while of sobbing, he fell asleep.
Autumn awoke with Zia sitting up, staring at him. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. "How are you feeling?" he asked, throwing his hand over her. "Trying to remember what the fuck happened last night," she said, pulling her legs up. "Well, as I heard you and Lee had too much to drink, too fast. You guys passed out making a hell of a scene." Autumn said, pulling the covers up to his shoulders. "You see, I can believe that." she half laughed. "But there is something else I just don't remember. Some blank I can't fill in.", she said, trying hard to remember. "Well, that happens when you party way too hard." Autumn laughed, pushing her slightly. "Yes, you right," she said, getting up. "Also, are you gonna come with me to check on Annalee and Xavier?" Autumn sat up straight as the thought of Xavier came bursting through his memory. "I have to do a few things before I can go," he answered. "Well, I have to get home anyway. My dad is most probably calling the SWAT to send out a rescue team for my missing ass." Zia dressed and took her keys from his night table. "I don't know what happened last night, but that Evan guy-", she kneeled to look for her shoes. "Is one sexy ass to party with." Autumn felt a sense of relief when he heard Zia compliment Evan. "I'll text you when I'm done with everything," he said as she kissed him on his cheek. "Need to get you a car. I'm not your uber!" she shouted, rushing downstairs.
Autumn reached for his phone and saw the voicemails from Xavier. He listened to all of it as a drunk Xavier filled his ear. Xavier was rambling about what happened—telling Autumn about his love for him. Going on how about his love for Annalee as well, and he can't leave her. Autumn listened to the last voicemail, and his heart froze. Xavier kept rambling and crying over how he killed someone, how he can't forget about it. Autumn immediately phoned Xavier, but his phone went straight to voicemail. "Fuck.", he whispered under his breath and threw his phone to the side. He sat in his bed thinking about last night—Xavier and Evan, who were leaving for the bathroom. Xavier who was screaming about him being messed up. Zia said she saw them all doing something. Everything went a bit too far, and the only person in the middle of it all is Evan. Autumn stood up, dressed him, ate, and left to the house across the street. The mystery boy next door. The one guy who makes no fucking sense at all.