Under the Lights (The Field Party #2) - Abbi Glines Page 0,25
and a dark blue hoodie. Willa hadn’t come to draw attention to herself. “Hey,” she replied with a small smile.
“You leaving?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t what she wanted to do, because her ride was definitely busy.
“Uh, well, it’s late, and I’m tired. I saw Gunner head back here earlier, and I was hoping I could find him and see if he’d mind giving me a ride back to Nonna’s.”
Uh, yeah. Bad idea.
“I could use some company. It’ll be hard to find him out there, and he did take Serena with him. Might not want to walk up on that,” I said with an apologetic smile.
Her eyes widened like she hadn’t thought of that.
“Oh, yeah. No I don’t.”
I could take her home, but that would mean leaving Ivy to get hammered on her own. I’d picked her up at her house, and her dad had met me at the door. Made me promise to take care of her and have her home on time. I couldn’t bring her home drunk and past her curfew. So leaving to take Willa home wouldn’t be possible.
“Want a drink?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “I don’t drink.”
“You don’t drink? Why haven’t you died from dehydration yet?” I was teasing her.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t drink alcohol.”
“I wasn’t offering you a beer. We have water and sodas too.”
Her eyes lit up. “In that case, yes. My mouth is dry. I’d love a water.”
“Come this way,” I said, being sure to walk behind the crowd of people with Willa so Ivy wouldn’t spot me and swoop in to stake the claim she did not have on me.
We walked around the trucks that did park in the clearing of the field. We needed lights, somewhere to keep the keg, and extra seating, so a few drove their trucks right up in here. Ivy was dancing with Ginger and doing her best to entertain whoever was around. The Dixie cup in her hand made me mutter a curse. She’d be drunk and stupid the next time we spoke. Ivy had been comfortable and easy, so I’d let our relationship grow into something I never really wanted. I didn’t want to hurt her, and honestly, she had started feeling like an obligation. It wasn’t fair to her. Or me.
What Does Casual Mean?
CHAPTER 16
WILLA
The cold water felt good as I drank several long gulps before stopping. My mouth had been terribly dry, but I’d thought the only drink they had here came out of that large keg on the back of an old blue pickup truck with really big wheels. I really wanted to be at home in my room, reading in my sweatpants and cozy pink socks with the hearts on them that I’d gotten for Valentine’s Day from Poppy last year. The thought of Poppy as always hurt, and I mentally winced.
Seeing everyone so drunk and carefree had taken me back to a time when I was much like them. Except, unlike here, we had added drugs to the mix. There were no worries, and we owned the world. It was a foolish thing to think that way. Like you were invincible. Because no one was. Death would come sooner for some than others.
“Water taste that bad?” Brady asked, and I realized I’d zoned into the dark place I lived often. The one that had been my shield through the months following that night.
“No, it’s great. I was just thinking of things I’d rather not.”
That was the only truth he would get.
“Come on.” He nodded toward the woods. “Let’s get out of the noise and enjoy our water. You can tell me about the last six years of your life¸ and I’ll bore you with details of mine.”
“No, thanks,” was my quick reply. Talking about the darkness wasn’t happening. Not even with the counselor they’d made me see in the correctional facility I’d lived in.
He frowned. “You wanted to escape the party.”
I smiled because I didn’t realize I had sounded completely rude. “I do. I just don’t want to talk about my past. It’s . . . boring,” I lied. Nothing was boring. It was tragic.
“Fair enough. We’ll go drink our water and talk about my life. I love to be the center of attention.”
That made me laugh. “Okay.” Brady put me at ease. Once he had made me feel nervous, silly, and giddy. Now, though, getting to know the older, more mature Brady, I liked him. He was a good guy. Solid. Dependable.