Cade's car smelled like cologne and something minty. I sat in the passenger seat while Kyle and another guy sat in the back. The other guy had dark hair and sharp eyes. He smiled at me when I looked back.
"You must be Kathy," he said.
"Yeah. And you are?"
"Leo."
He had a nice smile. Like actually nice. Not the dangerous kind Cade had.
"Leo's one of my boys," Cade said from the driver's seat. "He doesn't talk much but he's cool."
Leo shrugged. "I talk when I need to."
Kyle laughed from the back. "He talks more when there's pretty girls around."
My face got warm. I looked out the window.
We pulled out of the parking lot and another car followed behind us. It was red. I could see Ryan driving and Chris sitting next to him. There was another guy in the back seat too but I couldn't see his face clearly.
"So where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see," Cade said.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're getting."
I rolled my eyes. Kyle laughed again.
We drove for about fifteen minutes. The houses got smaller and the streets got quieter. Then we pulled up to a big apartment building. It didn't look fancy from the outside but it was huge. Like five stories huge.
Cade parked and the red car parked next to us. Everyone got out. Ryan came over with Chris and the other guy. The other guy was tall, maybe taller than Cade. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like he could be a model or something.
"Kathy, this is Jake," Ryan said, pointing to the blonde guy.
Jake smiled. "So you're the girl Cade won't shut up about."
I blinked. "What?"
"He talks about you all the time," Chris said, grinning. "Like, all the time. It's kind of annoying."
I looked at Cade. He was already walking toward the building like he didn't hear anything.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.
"Sure you don't," Ryan said, laughing.
We all walked into the building. There was an elevator but Cade took the stairs. We went up to the third floor. He pulled out a key and opened a door.
The apartment was huge.
Like, really huge.
The living room had a big couch, a TV, and a pool table. There was a kitchen that opened into the living area and a hallway that led to what looked like a bunch of bedrooms. And there were guys everywhere. Like seven or eight of them. They were sitting on the couch, playing games, eating, talking. When I walked in, they all stopped and looked at me.
"Who's that?" one of them asked.
"That's Kathy," Cade said. "Don't be weird."
A guy with glasses stood up and walked over to me. He had a friendly face. "So you're Kathy. I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things, I hope."
He laughed. "Mostly good. He said you're pretty. He was right."
I felt my face get warm again. Cade made a noise from behind me.
"Alright, that's enough," he said. "Everyone go back to whatever you were doing."
Nobody moved. They were all staring at me like I was some kind of animal at the zoo.
"So what's your deal?" another guy asked. He was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed. "How do you know Cade?"
"We have a class together," I said.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
The guy looked at Cade. "You never told us she was this hot."
Cade walked over and smacked the guy on the back of the head. "Shut up, Marcus."
Marcus rubbed his head and laughed. "I'm just saying."
I looked around the apartment. It was messy but in a way that felt lived in. There were video games on the table. Empty soda cans everywhere. A basketball in the corner. It felt like a frat house but with more guys and less furniture.
"Come on," Cade said, grabbing my arm lightly. "I'll show you around."
He led me through the living room and down the hallway. There were five bedrooms. He opened the door to one and it was his. It was smaller than the living room but still big. There was a bed, a desk, and a bunch of clothes on the floor.
The walls were covered in posters. Big ones. There was a poster of a famous boxer, one of a basketball player mid-dunk, and a few action movie posters with guys holding guns and looking tough. It felt very... Cade.
"Sorry about the mess," he said.
"It's fine."
He sat on the bed and I sat on the chair by his desk. For a moment, neither of us said anything.
"So," I said. "This is your base."
He smirked. "Yeah. This is where we hang out."
"It's nice."
"It's chaotic. But it's ours."
I looked around the room. There were pictures on the wall too. Some of them were of Cade and his friends. Some were of places I didn't recognize.
"Can I ask you something?" I said.
"Sure."
"What do you guys actually do? Like, what's the deal with all this?"
He looked at me for a moment. Then he said, "I'll tell you. But not tonight."
"Why not?"
"Because tonight, is for fun and there is no way you're getting anything else aside that."
I didn't know what to say to that. So I just arched a brow.
From outside the room, I heard Marcus shout, "Hey Cade! Is she coming back out or are you keeping her to yourself?"
Cade rolled his eyes. "We're coming."
He stood up and held his hand out to me. I took it. And for a second, I forgot that I was supposed to be wary of him.