“I’d have invited him if Andy didn’t have an issue with your friend,” I say.
“I know.”
She takes my hand, and we head inside.
Twenty minutes after we arrive at the party, Danny gives us the two-thumbs-up signal. The place is full but not completely packed to the gills. But most importantly, Andreas isn’t drunk out of his mind yet. We want him lucid for this.
“Hey, Andy, we’re out of Perrier,” I say.
“There’s more in the fridge,” Danny pipes up from the other side of the counter.
Charlie gets her camera ready.
Andreas turns to the fridge. “You and your fucking Perrier, Troy. I swear to Go—” He jumps back, almost falling on his ass. “Motherfucker. Jane!”
I move closer, getting a prime view of Andreas’s panicked face. I bet he looks ashen under his makeup.
“What’s Andy freaking out about?” Paris pushes him out of the way. “Holy crap. That’s freaky.” He pulls the prop from the fridge. “Dude, is this your sister?”
I flatten my lips, trying not to laugh. Now that I got used to the sight of Jane’s severed head, it doesn’t bother me as much anymore.
“It sure is,” Charlie replies for me. “Hey, Andreas. Say cheese.” She points the camera at him and takes several pictures.
Still stunned, he doesn’t lash out at Charlie like I thought he might. Instead, he turns to me, wide-eyed. “What the hell, Troy? That was a sick joke. I’ll have nightmares for days. I need a drink.” Fumbling through the kitchen, he opens several cabinets until he finds a bottle of Patrón, something he usually hides at parties. He might come from money, but he’s stingy as fuck.
Charlie walks over to me, giggling. “Oh my God. That was so epic.”
“Did you get everything, babe?”
“Oh yeah. I got the moment on video and then several pictures. Man, Jane is going to love this.”
I watch Charlie text my sister, keeping a goofy smile on my face. The crazy feeling in my chest seems to expand. The words Charlie told me in the car make total sense. It’s a sweet agony to stare at her and keep my hands to myself when all I want to do is kiss and love her.
Man, I have it bad.
Unable to resist the temptation any longer, I wrap my arms around her waist and bring her back flush to my chest. Leaning close to her ear, I whisper, “I wouldn’t mind going home now and having my wicked way with you.”
“Troy, we just got here,” she replies feebly.
I bite her earlobe. “So? We pranked Andy. That was the highlight of the party.”
“When you put it that way,” she whispers, leaning against me. “I have to use the restroom first.”
Reluctantly, I let her go. While she’s away, I step into a conversation with Paris and Puck about today’s game. It’s easy to lose track of time with those guys. I’m laughing about a joke Paris told us when suddenly, someone yanks my arm, turning me around.
“Charlie?” I frown, noticing her furious expression. “What’s going on?”
“What the hell, Troy! I can’t believe you would take Ben bungee jumping behind my back!”
“Calm down. Why are you yelling at me? He had a great time.”
“Really? You call this a great time?” She shoves her phone in my face. I have to step back and pry the device from her hand to see what she’s trying to show me.
It’s a video of Ben jumping. Someone caught the whole thing, including when he lost control of his bladder. And then later, there’s a shot of him in wet pants. I can’t hear what the person who shot the video is saying, but the name of the video makes it clear that it’s nothing kind: Watch this idiot pee in his pants while bungee jumping. HILARIOUS. If the headline wasn’t bad enough, the comments that follow are vile and disgusting. It makes me see red.
Charlie yanks the phone from my hand and strides away.
“Where are you going?” I follow her.
“Leave me alone, Troy.”
She bumps into someone coming in and bounces back. Fate would have it that Brooke is the one who collided with Charlie.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” she asks with an uncomfortable smile on her face.
Charlie glances at her and, before I can do anything, shoves Brooke so hard that she trips on her high heels and falls down.
“What the hell!”
I’d stop to help her up, but Charlie is already out in the hallway. I can’t let her leave in that berserk state.