lvcid
Elder Member
shiloh.
For a car ride between three people that were as close as Shiloh, Malachi, and Khalani were, it was oddly quiet. There was no playful bickering, no sarcastic quips on Kai and Khal’s part nor Shiloh’s overzealous chatter—the only sounds to break the silence were the tires’ crunching over sticks and gravel as they carried the passengers to the woods. Shiloh itched to lean over and turn on the radio, fiddling with the dials until she found something decent, but she forced herself to refrain for fear of accidentally altering the chemistry in the space for the worse. Instead, she distracted herself from the awkwardness of it all by absentmindedly scrolling through her phone, opening and closing miscellaneous apps with no real rhyme or reason, her nerves still evident in the way she twisted her hair between two fidgety fingers.
In all truthfulness, Shiloh was likely at partial fault for the tension. She didn’t even know if her friends liked parties—if she had to guess, probably not given their general attitudes elsewhere—yet there she was, dragging them to one. They were only going to appease her. After so many years of being locked away, so to speak, Shiloh had gotten so swept up in the excitement of it all that she hadn’t even stopped to consider how Khalani and Malachi felt about the situation. It hadn’t taken much convincing on her part, but it never did—they always bent over backwards for her…
There was that stupid guilt again, paying her an unwanted visit. It was starting to become a regular thing at this point.
When the car at last came to a stop, Shiloh was quick to clamber out of the backseat, grateful to finally be out of the stuffy atmosphere they’d created for themselves. The buzz of the party was a stark contrast, and soon, she could feel her eagerness replenishing. She had to reel herself in, though, because she’d taken a step too many by the time she realized Kai and Khal weren’t with her, and she backtracked to accommodate their slower pace.
The orange glow of the fire washed over Shiloh’s skin as they neared the party, bass from the speakers vibrating in her bones. A small crowd had gathered, some of them dancing or talking amongst themselves, others already drunk and dangerously close to the flames yet didn’t seem to have a care in the world. A few familiar faces dotted the space but most of them bled together in the shadows that the bonfire cast over the group.
So, this was what the teenage years were supposed to be.
The sudden weight of a hand on Shiloh’s shoulder brought her back, and she turned to meet Khalani’s kind yet motherly gaze. Shiloh nodded in agreement at the older girl’s words. “Got it,” she promised, lips twisting into a smile. Her gaze darted to Malachi for a brief moment before she hurried off into the midst of it, not giving him a chance to offer any resistance, or if he did, she didn’t hear it.
Shiloh admittedly wasn’t paying attention to where she was going when she bumped into someone, but luck was on her side when that someone turned out to be Aspen. Out of all the people she’d encountered at Nightshade thus far, he was one of the friendliest. Of course, their mutual amiability was made that much easier by their closeness in age.
“Oh!” Shiloh started. “Hi! Sorry, I wasn’t—”
The Ward girl allowed the rest of her sentence to die in her throat as she became aware of a glare trained in her direction. A glance to the side told Shiloh that not only was she in the presence of Aspen but Esme as well.
The Hearthstones had a reputation on campus, Shiloh had learned, that preceded them everywhere they went. Most steered clear of them, which she assumed was what Esme expected her to do, given the scowl on her pretty face. Shiloh was about to concede, too, when Aspen began introductions.
Shiloh tucked her hands into her jacket’s pockets, shifting on her feet. She was a bit surprised at Esme’s admission. She could understand the brunette knowing Malachi, sure—he’d been there for years already—but herself? If anything, she’d expected to be recognized only as Kai’s little sister.
“Nice to meet you,” Shiloh said, grinning sheepishly, though that expression grew to be more genuine due to Aspen’s compliment, a blush coloring the apples of her cheeks as she tucked a particularly bothersome strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks,” she returned. “It’s—”
God, talking to those two was giving her whiplash.
Shiloh glanced down at her outfit with a frown, brow furrowing. She’d thought the jacket would be enough, but clearly, some people were harder to please than others. She supposed this was some karmic reaction for stepping out of her comfort zone and doing something her mother wouldn’t have liked for once. It was as if Meredith had eyes everywhere.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that. You’ll be cold—” But it was no use; Aspen was already holding his flannel out to Shiloh, leaving her no choice but to relent. “Thank you,” she muttered, taking the flannel and tying it around her waist for the time being. It didn’t do much for the outfit overall, but she supposed she appreciated the sentiment—or, rather she would have, had Aspen done it of his own accord.
Esme’s parting sentence left silence in its wake, and Shiloh watched her disappear between the trees. “I’m sorry,” she said, at last looking to Aspen once more. “I interrupted something, didn’t I?”
In all truthfulness, Shiloh was likely at partial fault for the tension. She didn’t even know if her friends liked parties—if she had to guess, probably not given their general attitudes elsewhere—yet there she was, dragging them to one. They were only going to appease her. After so many years of being locked away, so to speak, Shiloh had gotten so swept up in the excitement of it all that she hadn’t even stopped to consider how Khalani and Malachi felt about the situation. It hadn’t taken much convincing on her part, but it never did—they always bent over backwards for her…
There was that stupid guilt again, paying her an unwanted visit. It was starting to become a regular thing at this point.
When the car at last came to a stop, Shiloh was quick to clamber out of the backseat, grateful to finally be out of the stuffy atmosphere they’d created for themselves. The buzz of the party was a stark contrast, and soon, she could feel her eagerness replenishing. She had to reel herself in, though, because she’d taken a step too many by the time she realized Kai and Khal weren’t with her, and she backtracked to accommodate their slower pace.
The orange glow of the fire washed over Shiloh’s skin as they neared the party, bass from the speakers vibrating in her bones. A small crowd had gathered, some of them dancing or talking amongst themselves, others already drunk and dangerously close to the flames yet didn’t seem to have a care in the world. A few familiar faces dotted the space but most of them bled together in the shadows that the bonfire cast over the group.
So, this was what the teenage years were supposed to be.
The sudden weight of a hand on Shiloh’s shoulder brought her back, and she turned to meet Khalani’s kind yet motherly gaze. Shiloh nodded in agreement at the older girl’s words. “Got it,” she promised, lips twisting into a smile. Her gaze darted to Malachi for a brief moment before she hurried off into the midst of it, not giving him a chance to offer any resistance, or if he did, she didn’t hear it.
Shiloh admittedly wasn’t paying attention to where she was going when she bumped into someone, but luck was on her side when that someone turned out to be Aspen. Out of all the people she’d encountered at Nightshade thus far, he was one of the friendliest. Of course, their mutual amiability was made that much easier by their closeness in age.
“Oh!” Shiloh started. “Hi! Sorry, I wasn’t—”
The Ward girl allowed the rest of her sentence to die in her throat as she became aware of a glare trained in her direction. A glance to the side told Shiloh that not only was she in the presence of Aspen but Esme as well.
The Hearthstones had a reputation on campus, Shiloh had learned, that preceded them everywhere they went. Most steered clear of them, which she assumed was what Esme expected her to do, given the scowl on her pretty face. Shiloh was about to concede, too, when Aspen began introductions.
Shiloh tucked her hands into her jacket’s pockets, shifting on her feet. She was a bit surprised at Esme’s admission. She could understand the brunette knowing Malachi, sure—he’d been there for years already—but herself? If anything, she’d expected to be recognized only as Kai’s little sister.
“Nice to meet you,” Shiloh said, grinning sheepishly, though that expression grew to be more genuine due to Aspen’s compliment, a blush coloring the apples of her cheeks as she tucked a particularly bothersome strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks,” she returned. “It’s—”
God, talking to those two was giving her whiplash.
Shiloh glanced down at her outfit with a frown, brow furrowing. She’d thought the jacket would be enough, but clearly, some people were harder to please than others. She supposed this was some karmic reaction for stepping out of her comfort zone and doing something her mother wouldn’t have liked for once. It was as if Meredith had eyes everywhere.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that. You’ll be cold—” But it was no use; Aspen was already holding his flannel out to Shiloh, leaving her no choice but to relent. “Thank you,” she muttered, taking the flannel and tying it around her waist for the time being. It didn’t do much for the outfit overall, but she supposed she appreciated the sentiment—or, rather she would have, had Aspen done it of his own accord.
Esme’s parting sentence left silence in its wake, and Shiloh watched her disappear between the trees. “I’m sorry,” she said, at last looking to Aspen once more. “I interrupted something, didn’t I?”
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