House Party by Eric Walters

sirens had passed.
    Then the flashing lights appeared at the top of the street. It was a police car—no,
two
police cars. Then a third and a fourth and a fifth car appeared. They came up the street, blocking any other cars from leaving.
    The cars were trapped, but the people on foot weren’t. They turned around and started running toward the field and away from the police.
    While the police had blocked the cars from leaving, they themselves were blocked from coming any closer. The doorsof the stopped police cars opened and the officers got out—two per car.
    The police fanned out across the width of the street. It was eerie watching them come toward us, their passage illuminated by the pulsing of the lights on their cars, radiating out and across the whole scene.
    Jen appeared at my side. “I…I can’t believe all of this. How did it happen?”
    I shook my head. “I don’t know. It just kept building and building until it was out of control.”
    â€œWhat are you going to say to the police?” she asked.
    I hadn’t even considered that. I was just so grateful that they’d appeared. I hadn’t thought that they were going to come to the house. And it wasn’t what I was going to say that was important, but what they were going to say to me. Even worse, what were they going to do to me? Was I going to be arrested?
    The police officers started moving to the cars that lined the street. Doors were opened and drivers and passengers removed. Othercops formed a line on the street, forcing the remaining kids to run in the other direction. It didn’t look like they were even trying to catch anybody, just moving them away to break things up. Most of the crowd had left, and most of those who remained were fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them. The only ones who couldn’t run were Jen and me.
    Then I looked down at the lawn. There was somebody lying there, not moving. How could somebody sleep through all of this? Maybe they weren’t sleeping. They must have passed out.
    â€œWe have to get rid of all the alcohol,” Jen said.
    â€œWhat?” I asked. I understood the words but didn’t know what she meant.
    â€œWe have to dump all the alcohol. We have to get rid of the bottles. We have to hide the evidence before the police get here!”
    â€œJen,” I said, shaking my head, “it’s over…there’s nothing we can do…we can’t hide all of this.”
    I gestured around the room. If only it was just the beer bottles that littered the room. There was the smashed-out front window, the pieces of glass in the carpets, broken bottles, garbage, overturned chairs, spilled drinks and stains on the carpets.
    â€œThere’s nothing that can be done. Nothing.”
    I started to cry, and Jen put her arm around my shoulders.
    â€œI’m so sorry,” she said.
    â€œSo am I. But not as sorry as I know I’m going to be later.”

Chapter Eleven
    I watched as the ambulance slowly drove away, lights flashing. It was carrying the girl who passed out on the lawn. That was all it was. She had drunk so much that she passed out, and when the police arrived, her friends just ran off and left her. Nice friends.
    The only vehicles left on the street were the police cars. The only people left in thehouse were Jen and me and the police. The officers strolled through the house, their big thick black boots grinding the glass and garbage even farther into the carpet. They’d been walking around, checking out the house, making sure nobody else was hiding or passed out. Occasionally I heard one or other of them comment that they were glad it wasn’t their house.
    A female officer came up to us.
    â€œHere,” she said, handing me a glass.
    â€œThanks,” I said as I took it and had a small sip. It was water.
    â€œHow are you feeling?” she asked.
    She had been nothing but nice to me. I’m not sure what I had