Caleb's POV

To say that I was nervous was a big fucking understatement. My heart was fucking pounding in my chest, getting ready to explode at any second now. I was so sure that the two giggily girls behind me could hear just how loud my heart was thumping.

Isaac had instructed that I take his stupid ear piece out while I stood in line to get into the party, he knew for a fact that they would pull down my hood, and man did that kid know his stuff. I was patted down from head to toe, scanned with a fucking metal detector, and was even asked to remove my hoodie for a second while I got searched for a second time. These damn Italian's sure did take their parties seriously, but then again they weren't your typical ordinary people.

I hated the fact that my sister was in love with a fücking delinquent, then again she wasn't the same girl that I left behind when I went to school. And I hated the fact the he was the reason for her growth. I'd always imagine what it would be like when Hailey came home, announcing that she was dating, that she had a boyfriend, what kind of guy she would bring home, if I would be that older protective brother type. I'd always pictured him to be this dorky dude, maybe into sports, in a fücking club, i don't know, sure as hell not some mafia gang leader dude. I mean I didn't even know that my little sister was into guys, she was quiet, always kept to herself, never went out when her best friend, her only friend. And now, now she had a handful of them, she probably even had more friends than I did.

I threw my jacket and under sweater back on once the big guys were done searching me, and stepped through the back gate that was no longer being guarded. I don't know why I was expecting to see maybe about 80 to 100 people here, but man was my count way off. I was instantly met by a sea of people.

I walked deeper into the yard throwing my hood back over my head, while sticking the little ear piece back in. It really was fucking freezing out here, I'm surprised that it still hasn't snowed yet, but then again after a few shots that really didn't matter, you were no longer feeling cold. Sad thing is though I didn't plan on drinking tonight. I had a promise that I still needed to keep, not only to my dad, but to my girl too.

Again, I continued to walk deeper and deeper into the sea of people not really knowing where to go, or what to do for a matter fact. I've never gone to a party solo, that shits kind of depressing, I always had my friends around me, but I was swimming in new water tonight. I wasn't in my home town, I didn't recognize one face here, and that was saying a lot. I'm not saying that I'm this popular guy like Matteo and his friends, but I knew my fair share of people. With that being said all I did was stand around, doing nothing, waiting for my stupid instructions, and sure enough a couple minutes later a deep voice rang in my right ear, actually scaring the shit out of me.

"Have you never been to a party, Summers? You look like a fucking creep just standing there, socialize!"

I hear another deep voice laughing softly a second later, "Dee."

"Honestly KP, he looks like a fucking idiot, at least pretend you're on your phone, Caleb."

I snort softly pulling my phone out of my jeans. Isaac and his friend Dion were the only other two, aside from me, that had ear pieces in their ears as well.

"Wait, you're in already?" I frown, starting to look around. "That was fast. Can- can you see me?"

"Clear as day," Dion speaks, as Isaac continues to speak every now a then when he feels like it. "You're making me nervous just standing there, Summers."

"Oh my god," Isaac groans, chuckling softly afterwards. "Please put him out of his misery and go get a drink or something, Caleb."

I snort and turn to walk to the right of me, making my way into the house, where it's actually warmer.

"Be quick," Dion commands.

"Relax, Dee, Vin should be in there by now."

I ignore the conversation that Isaac and his friend are having and see that there's nothing but liquor bottles spread through out the kitchen, and actually catch myself sighing deeply.

"Can't decide on what you want?" A soft, feminine, but confident voice comes from the left of me.

"Hm?" I turn to look at her and she giggles shaking her head while reaching for a bottle that's in front of me. It's a bourbon, Jim Beam to be exact. I take a step back allowing her to pour her drink, while raising an eyebrow.

"What?" She smiles, clenching her perfectly shaped eyebrows together.

"Are you sure you can handle that?" I tease her.

She laughs, but it's more of a seductive type of laugh, rather than a cute innocent one. "pfft, I may be small, but I know how to handle my liquor." 

I hear one of the two guys laugh in my ear and realize that it's Dion, "ooo she sounds like trouble."

I snort softly slightly shaking my head and the pretty brunette to the left of me eyes me weirdly. I smile but I don't say anything and walk behind her so that she's now standing to my right. I steal another glance as I reach for an empty cup and note that not only is she just really pretty, but she's actually pretty fucking attractive. She had an amazing figure, a total hourglass thing going on, and her skin was absolutely beautiful, especially with her long dark hair running down her back. 

Alright, Caleb, relax. One, you have a girlfriend, and two, for all you know this girl could be Hailey's age, which would mean she's underage, idiot.

I smile one last time at her and reach for the two liter of 7up and quickly look away from her, pouring my soda into my cup. She attempts to hand me the bottle of bourbon and I kindly shake my head no.

She scoffs and actually looks a little taken back when I take a drink of my soda, "he's cute and he doesn't drink, what aren't you telling me?" She squints her dark eyes at me, a mischievous smile on her face.

I turn around about to say some stupid shit back, when I'm suddenly being bumped into by some idiot that's walking by.

"What the fuck," I mutter under my breath, looking for the dumbass that ran into me, but he's long gone by now.

I hear Dion laugh softly in the ear piece, when my fingers all of a sudden feel wet. I look down at my hand purely petrified. Not only is my hand covered in soda, but so is the brunette standing in front of me.

"Oh shit!" I quickly put my soda down on the counter, shaking my hand off, and look for anything that she could use to dry herself off.

"Caleb," Isaac's now speaking into the device, but i choose to ignore him.

I see a stack of napkins that are behind her, and reach around her, grabbing a small handful.

"Caleb."

"Here," I hand her a couple, "I'm so sorry. That guy," I point in the direction of where the guy walked off to with the hand that's hanging on to the rest of the napkins. "I wasn't my fault," I tell her. "He-"

"It's okay," she giggles while shaking her head, patting her shirt and jeans down with the few napkins I've given her. She had a black pretty shirt on so you can't really see the wet spot, but she had some of those light rip jeans on so you can definitely spot it out there.

"You're getting on my last fucking nerves, Summers, answer me!" He snarls.

I offer her an apologetic small smile, handing her the rest of the napkins I had left.

"Thank you," she smiles while taking them.

"Yeah," I say in return, hoping that Isaac gets the hint that I'm answering him as well. He does and I immediately tense up.

"That's her," he grits.

I swallow the lump that has suddenly formed at the back of my throat, slowly looking up at who turns out to be my target for the night. She's still attempting to dry her jeans off, trying to keep her hair out of her face. I was now feeling nervous all of a sudden. This couldn't possibly be who he was looking for, he had to have the wrong person.

"Well that was easier than expected. Out of all the people at this fucking party, she just so happened to fall into your hands."

"Shut the fuck up, Dion.. That was Vince who ran into you, Summers, purposely." What the fuck, I didn't even recognize him. "Don't fuck up now. She obviously fancy's you, just keep playing your cards right. Try and get her name so I can confirm if it's really her."

I catch myself wanting to nod my head but thank god I don't, my attention easily gets brought back to her and she's now pouting, making little whinny noises.

"Ugh, I just got these!" I look down at her feet to realize that her little boot heels things are now covered in wet splotches as well.

"Say something you idiot!"

I laugh a bit nervously trying to shake off the anxious feeling, "again, I'm so fücking sorry," I tell her. "It's just soda, I'm sure it'll come out."

"They're suede," she retorts.

"Who's he?" I ask and that earns a soft laughter from her, the nervousness eventually starts to die down slowly.

"Suede isn't a designer, it's a type of material."

"I know, I'm just fücking with you," I grin.

"Well that's a relief, you're not as dumb as you look," she grins in return.

I break out into a low chuckle, along with one of the two idiots in my ear piece, which I'm assuming has to be Dion.

"Funny you should mention that, my dad tells me that exact same thing!" I tell her, which only makes her giggle. I extend my hand out in between us, "I'm Joseph."

"Smart move, Summers, not giving her your first name." I mentally roll my eyes at Dion's little comment.

She's about to place her hand in mine, when someone's grabs ahold of her other arm, brutally pulling them back towards them, away from me. "Where the fuck have you been?" They grumble.

I'm actually about to intervene when I take a good luck at the guy, and he starts to look awfully familiar. He's about my height, my age, light tan skin, but I doubt that he's Italian because he has a head full of curly hair, that he currently has tied up in a bun.

What's her face quickly wrenches her arm away, "get the fuck off of me, Zeb!" She hisses.

I immediately frown, slightly tilting my head to the side, "Zeb?" He instantly looks over at me. "Zebbie?" I slowly start to grin.

His harsh features immediately vanish and resemble something similar to my own. "No fucking way, Caleb!?" I eagerly nod making my way towards him, as he does to me and we're clasping hands, pulling each other in for a bro hug. "Oh shit man," he chuckles, smacking my back. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"What am I doing here? What the fuck are you doing here, Zeb! When did you get back man?!"

"How the fuck do you know Zebediah, Caleb?"

"I thought your name was Joseph.." Both Zeb and I turn to look behind him, were the pretty brunette was now standing, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It is," I smile.

"Caleb shut the fuck up," Isaac growls.

"It's my middle name."

"Fucking idiot," Dion mumbles. It's actually starting to get hard to keep up with all these conversations that are going on in my ear, and in front of me.

"Ax is looking for you," Zeb says, his back is facing me as he talks to her. "I suggest you get to him, before you get into anymore trouble, Layla."

Layla, there's her fucking name, finally!

She actually doesn't say anything in return, she rolls her eyes, stares at me one last time and smiles before taking off to where ever she's heading too.

"Listen to me, Caleb," Isaac speaks low and calmly into the device. "I don't care how you know this guy, but I can assure you that I probably know him better than you do. He's one of them, one of the bad guys."

I ignore what Isaac says, but not because I don't believe him, but because if Zeb really is who Isaac says he is, I sure as hell don't want to blow my cover. I haven't seen Zeb in over seven years, we were actually good pals in middle school before he moved away, I don't know what kind of guy he is anymore, for all I knew Isaac could be telling me the truth about him.

Zeb turns around still smiling, "how do you two know each other?" He asked.

"We don't, we literally just met," I tell him.

"Do yourself a favor and stay as far away as you can from her. She's crazy trouble bro."

"Thanks for the heads up," I laugh it off. "When the hell did you get back? I thought you were still in Texas?"

"Fück man, I don't know, I've been back for awhile now. Like two and a half years, almost three now."

"No shit," I fold my arms against my chest. "Did your whole family come back, or just you."

"Just me," he says. "What the hell are you doing here? You don't live in town anymore?"

"Stop fücking chit chatting and get the fuck away from him."

"No I do," I tell him. "My boy actually told me to come through but he ended up flaking out on me, I was about to dip."

"Shady," he chuckles. "Why don't you stay for a while, come hang out with me and my friends, catch up a bit, this way the drive up here wasn't for nothing."

"No!" Both Dion and Isaac speak loudly into the ear device simultaneously.

I hesitate for a second not really knowing what to say or do. I pull my phone out of my jeans and note that it's a quarter passed 10 already.

"What?" Zeb scoffs. "You got somewhere better to be? Curfew?"

I laugh nervously but shake my head no, pointing down at my pocket where my phones at now, "my girl, I didn't tell her where I was going so she's blowing me up."

"You're playing in dangerous waters, Summers! If they find out that-" I quickly take the small device out of my ear and stick it into my jeans, while Zeb is being distracted by some guy that pop out of the blue.

He leans in closer towards Zeb, whispering something into his ear as Zeb glances over at me, nodding his head, a steely expressions on his face now.

Shit. Does he know? Did they see me pull the ear piece out?

Zeb's deep laughter pulls me out of my pensive thinking and I notice that he's now grinning from ear to ear, as the other guy turns to walk away.

"You ready, Cal?" He picks up a drink that he quickly made while the other guy talked to him.

I instantly smile, "you still remember that?"

"How could I not? Calster.."

I chuckle softly starting to follow after him, "you know Adam still fucking calls me that to this day."

"Shut the fuck up," Zeb looks to the right of him as we continue walking. "How's he doing? I can't believe you guys are still close."

"Yeah," I snort softly as Zeb takes a sip of his drink. "We were actually living together for awhile in California."

"No shit, Calster went off to college in a different state? Did you finish? What are you doing back?"

I shake my head, shrugging my shoulders, when a dark figure at a distance catches my eye and it easily makes me uneasy, reminding me of the situation I'm in. "Uh, I was starting to get home sick," I tell Zeb and he simply nods. "I had a year left until I finished, so I'm gonna enroll here when the year starts."

"Right on, get that degree. What are you going for?"

I quickly try and dodge Zeb's question, "enough about me man, what the hell happened? What made you come back, what have you been up too all this time?"

I didn't necessarily want to tell Zeb that my major was in criminal justice, especially after what Matteo said about him. I needed to think of a good reason to go home and fast.

"Nothing happened," Zeb smiles. "I just couldn't get accustomed to life out there, especially coming from such a big ass city to a small as fucking town. There's literally nothing to do out there, man. I got job at a local restaurant out there during high school, bussing tables, got my diploma, saved money, and as soon as I had enough to maintain my self for a bit I came back. But it wasn't easy.." he chuckles, coming to a halt. He stretches his arm out in front of me causing me to come to a halt.

I look up at Zeb who's now standing in front of me, as he continues to look behind him, to what looks like a pool house. "The friends you're about to meet, Cal, they're.." he pauses, sighing deeply. "They're not.. fuck, I don't even know how to say it... I got involved with the wrong people, just leave it at that, alright?"

"Why don't you just leave, Zeb, go back to your family.."

He snorts softly, "god, you don't know how many times I thought about it, but I can't, Cal. I owe them everything, they were there when I didn't have anyone else. I stayed away from home, from everyone I knew for a reason," he smiles sadly. "You'll be fine though, just don't say anything stupid, okay?"

I nod, "good, here," he hands me his drink. "Pretend you're drinking that, I'm not suppose to be drinking tonight."

I chuckle mildly taking his drink from him and we start to make our way over to the entrance of the pool house. The doors are open but there's two big serious scary guys standing near them, watching everyone's little movement.

"What the fuck took you so long, Zeb?" The guy on the left breaks into a small smile as they clasp their hands together. "Ax was about to send a search party for you when Santiago came back on her own."

Zeb laughs, "you're a fucking idiot. I got caught up talking with an old friend," he turns to look at me. "Cal this Eriq, Eriq Cal."

"What's up," I extend my hand out in front of me so Zeb's friend can take it, but he just stares at it. He stares me down for a couple more seconds and never once greets me in return.

He turns back to Zeb, "this is not a good idea, Zeb, he is not in a good mood right now."

I yank on Zeb's sleeve, gaining his attention, "Zebbie it's fine, I'll just go, we'll catch up another time."

To my relief he nods, "get my number."

I pull my phone out of my jeans to see a million messages from Isaac's number, the last one indicating that I'm a dead man, and choose to ignore them still. I get Zeb's number down and save it in my contacts about to say our goodbyes, when a pretty little brunette walks up to the door way, it's Layla.

"Eriq, Ax wants to kn-" she pauses at mid sentence the seconds her eyes meet my own and slowly starts to smile. "Are you stalking me?" She teases.

I chuckle softly, but Zeb beats me to the punch as he walks passed her into the pool house. "Why on earth would anyone ever want to stalk you?"

Layla doesn't laugh though, she merely squints her eyes at Zeb, glaring the shit out of him. "Ax's is looking for you," she grits in between clenched teeth.

Zeb takes off without another goodbye and Layla sticks around with her arms folded along her chest, "so, are you and Zeb friends or something?"

"Yeah," I snort softly. "Something like that. We go way back."

She nods, "do you want to come in? Hang out for a bit? Maybe do some shots?" She smiles mischievously.

I smile in return and immediately agree, "sure."

"Come on," she inclines her head towards the inside of the pool house, and I nervously look over at Eriq and the other guy, who's name that I do not know. "It's fine, don't worry about them," she says.

I take a step forward and they immediately step out of the door