Free Drift (Drift Series) by Michael Dean Page B

grills remained cool.
    One detail that fully completes the splendor of his home are two log porches that surround the second and third floors. Just like the pool area, the same kind of chairs and tables are sprawled out precisely. Wondrous sights can be seen from these porches, so I hear. Acting almost like a backdrop, a slew of windows surrounded the two upper levels.
    A breathtaking view of a very long drop-off down the edge of the mountainside c ould be seen from one side of both porches. Since the porches hang so freely over the edge of the cliff, there would be zero chance of survival if someone fell over the railing. So, as Scruffy has mentioned to me before when people party here, they are not allowed to go on that side of the house at all. Even walking too far from the ground floor on that side can be a death sentence. Just to be sure family and guests don’t accidentally fall, his parents built a tall wooden safety fence on that side. The only way to fall off now is to either climb over the gigantic fence, or jump off one of the porches.
    Now one might think why on Earth would Darryl’s parents take the chance of such a tragic event occurring at their home because of their son’s parties? Well, it’s simple, they were out of town. They were gone a lot, so, either they didn’t know he does this, or they don’t care.
    I glanced down to see Scruffy sprinting into the middle of the masses ; a girl had called out to him.
    “Oh yeah, come along and watch the master work, Leo!”
    “I’m good, Scruff; I’ll just chill for now.”
    “I’ll bring you back a brew then, brotha!” Scruffy waved at me over the crowd and was quickly absorbed into it.
    I have my reasons for staying low-key, but tonight there was a lot potentially going down. Well, as long as Shade showed up. The last thing I needed was Darryl getting distracted by my presence. So, staying true to form, I stood on the outside of the party looking in, blending among the shadows as I searched for Shade.
    It wasn’t long till a familiar laugh called to me from the crowd, warming my inner core. My search was over. It sounded like Shade. Had she shown up?
    It only took a few moments to confirm she had arrived. I saw her gorgeous smile and heard her soothing voice through the plethora of high volume chatter. Her every move seemed slow and deliberate as she socialized with her friends, totally unaware she was being observed. Her smile resonated through my soul like a favorite song. I marveled that she’d showed up after Darryl had betrayed and violated her just days before. It showed she was courageous and strong-willed, another element of her personality that attracted me.
    “Dude, Leo —here, man!” I was buried so deep in Shade’s essence that I hadn’t seen Scruffy approach.
    “I called you like a hundred times. Couldn’t you hear me?” Scruffy nudged a cold beer against my stomach.
    “Take this brewski from me, broski.”
    “Thanks , man.” I accepted his offering. “I was dazed out, sorry. I didn’t hear you at all.”
    “Yeah. I know what you were doing —checking out Shade again. It’s pretty obvious.”
    Scruffy lifted his eyebrows over his cup, drinking in celebration of his keen observation of my behavior. “Why don’t you finally go up to her, Leo? She should know how you feel about her. Are you worried about Darryl or something, tough guy?”
    “Nah , man.” I wasn’t worried about Darryl at all when it came to Shade; I was worried about me. Something Scruffy couldn’t possibly understand even if I could tell him. “Darryl is nothing. It’s more because of reasons like not being sure how she would react to my advances. I’d be embarrassed if she didn’t feel the same way.” I was putting up a typical emotional front for Scruffy. Such interaction with her would be forbidden for something like me, although there was an element of truth to what I was saying.
    “Well…how do you feel about her? Really feel?” Scruffy