brick fire pit.
“Up,” Valen says, smacking the tops of my thighs. “We need more beer.”
I stand too fast and stumble a little, feeling tipsier than I thought I was. Aiden stands and his hands steady me at my waist.
“You good?” he asks quietly.
“I’m so good.” I laugh. I haven’t let my guard down like this in over a year, and it feels like a weight has started to lift from my chest. Not fully, but enough to notice. Enough to breathe a little easier.
A giggle rings out into the night air, and I look up to see Thayer standing on the balcony above us, hands braced on the ledge, staring daggers at me. A small group of people are up there with him, and a girl named Lissa whispers something into his ear, pressing her tits into the side of his arm. Lissa graduated last year, but it seems she still hasn’t given up on getting Thayer to notice her. I frown, looking away.
“Take care of her,” Valen says, pointing a threatening finger at Aiden. “I’ll be right back.”
“I need a re-up, too.” Holden stands, and the two of them walk inside together. Once they’re gone, Taylor takes the opportunity to sidle up to me, and I can tell by the look on her face that she’s way too excited about whatever bomb she’s about to drop on me.
“Since you like jokes so much, want to hear a funny one?” she asks, tilting her head to the side with a fake-innocent expression on her face.
“Let’s hear it,” I deadpan. She’s going to say it either way.
“Okay, it’s a good one.” She claps her hands under her chin. “Are you ready?”
When I don’t respond, she continues, cupping her hands around her mouth in a mock whisper. “It’s you. You’re the joke.”
I poke out my bottom lip, patting the top of her head. “We’ll work on it. You’ll get better with practice.”
“Oh, that’s not all,” she says when I start to turn around. I pause, waiting for her to finish. “The only reason you’re here right now is because Thayer told Holden to get close to you. But it’s super cute that you actually thought they were your friends.”
What? I falter, not expecting that.
“What the fuck, Taylor? Chill,” Aiden chimes in.
“What? You don’t believe me? Just ask him.”
“Tay!” Christian snaps, and the look on his face is all I need to know it’s true. The way Holden flip-flopped so suddenly and basically forced me to be his friend again. The way he’s always there, whether it be at lunch, in between classes, or picking me up from practice.
My stomach churns, feeling stupid, but not exactly surprised.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, because your time here,” she lowers her voice, moving close enough to tower over me, “is almost up.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I manage to force sarcasm into my tone.
“Anytime.” She smiles.
I turn to the side yard, knowing there’s a gate over there I can leave through so I don’t have to walk back through the house.
“Shayne,” Aiden calls out, but I wave him off.
“I’m fine. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I hear bickering break out among Christian, Baker, and Taylor, but I keep going. I make it to the perimeter of the yard, outside the clusters of people, eyes glued to my Chucks as I follow the fence down toward the gate. Using my free hand, I pull my phone from the purse at my hip and open Valen’s text thread to let her know I’ll be out front.
“Where you going in such a hurry?” an unfamiliar voice asks, or slurs, rather. “I remember you.”
I stop short just as Ryan…something approaches, beer in hand. I don’t know much about him, other than he used to play basketball with my brother and graduated last year. “It’s me,” I deadpan. Not in the mood for small talk or reunions, I move around him. Ryan sidesteps, blocking my way, and his beer jostles with the movement, spilling down my chest. I gasp, holding my arms out to shake off the excess beer before pinching the wet fabric of my dress and pulling it away from my chest.
“Shit, my bad. Let me take care of that for you.”
Before I can blink, his cup falls to the ground, forgotten, and he wraps his arms around the small of my back, bringing his mouth to my chest with all the desperation of a newly turned vampire needing to feed.
“Gross, get the hell off me,” I grunt, shoving him