"Wait, what?" I shot forward and clasped onto their seat.
"Yeah." She was a grinning idiot. "They're usually so exclusive. I mean, I heard no one's allowed in their house, but I guess they live on the beach. It's in front of their home."
Every tendon in me wanted to snap. By the time we got to my house, the tension suffocated me and was weighing me down. Becky hot-footed it out of the car, but my legs couldn't move.
A party. At my house. By my soon-to-be-stepbrothers.
Adam had grown silent too as he glanced back. "You okay?"
Becky shoved her head next to his. "Yeah, you look pale, really pale."
"I'm fine." My voice was calm, but my body trembled. My knees buckled an inch when I got out of the car, but Adam caught me and held me upright. I flashed him a smile in thanks and then turned to see Becky's grin falter a bit.
My stomach dropped. That wasn't good.
A crowd of people had congregated at the bottom of the driveway, but they started to head around the hill and down to the beach. I let out a small breath in relief. I remembered their other party. No one had entered the house then and I hoped no one would this time.
When we bypassed the gate around the pool, Becky grabbed one of the bars. "Look at that. They have their own pool and a hot tub." Her eyes were wide as she took the rest in, the sand volleyball and basketball courts.
Adam touched her shoulder. "I think they have a bonfire started down here."
"Oh, wow…" Becky was lost in stardust as she followed the line downwards.
I breathed another sigh of relief when I saw the divider door was still closed, not to mention locked.
Then we were on the beach and there were three bonfires. A keg had been hidden in some bushes towards the back of the beach with coolers placed all over. When people quickly congregated to them, I figured they had alcohol inside.
"Oh, look!" Becky pointed to the farthest bonfire.
Logan and their friend were there with others grilling over the fire. Soon music blared from speakers placed by the pool.
Adam suggested we sit around one of the smaller bonfires and after we snagged some lawn chairs, Becky jumped back up. She was all smiles. "I'm going to get something more to drink. You guys want?"
She hotfooted it away before we could answer and Adam looked over with a hesitant smile. "More?"
"We got into her mom's wine."
"Ah, I see. Nancy. She does love her Moscato."
I grinned. "My mom's decided she loves tea, not the coffee she's been drinking since I was born, but tea now."
The small smile disappeared. "Yeah, uh…I heard your dad that night…" He seemed to be choosing his words.
"No one knows. Please don't say anything."
He nodded quickly. "I won't. I wouldn't—I mean—I know what that's like, to have your personal life on display, you know?"
I nodded. "Yeah…"
"So," he sat forward and leaned closer. "You and Sallaway, huh? You two were together for awhile."
"We were."
His eyes seemed to be watching me intently. "And you don't think there's any chance…?"
It took a moment before I realized what he was asking and my eyes went wide. "He cheated on me for two years with my best friend. Some girls might tolerate that, but I have self-esteem."
His shoulders loosened and he grinned. "That's good, I mean, you deserve better."
"Any girl deserves better."
"You're right. No one deserves a cheater."
From the dark look on his face, something relaxed inside of me. He understood. "I heard DeCortts cheated on you?"
He looked startled for a moment and then cleared his throat. "Yeah, uh, she did."
I lifted a shoulder. "It was all over school."
"I know, I just…hearing it from a stranger is different, you know…"
"I was informed the two of you were the 'hottest couple ever'." I thought those were Lydia's exact words.
He stiffened in his chair. "I guess so. She's—she threw herself at one of the Kades, of all people." He laughed and gestured around.
"Which one?"
"Logan, I think." He frowned, and then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. She said he turned her down, but I still knew what she'd done. I heard the whole thing at some stupid party. Then Peter told me she'd been sleeping around for the last six months."
"Peter Glasburg?" His best friend.
Adam nodded. "Yeah, I don't know who with, but I trust him. Peter doesn't say much and if he said it, then it's worse than he let on."
I grew silent and turned to watch for Becky. She'd been gone awhile, but I couldn't squash an inklin of jealousy. He had a friend who looked out for him and that friend wasn't the one to sleep with his girlfriend. My mouth clamped shut and my chest grew tight as something burned inside of me.
But then Mason and Logan's friend walked towards us from the beach. He had gone past at some point and he was now going back to the other bonfire. A couple of beers were in his hands and as he started to bypass us, he stopped, backed up, and frowned at us.
Adam lifted a hand. "Hey, man."
The friend shot him a look and glanced at my hands. The gauze I had used to wrap my fingers was gone. I scowled up at him, waiting for what he was going to say, but then he held out a beer to me.
"Thanks." The word felt awkward on my lips.
He rolled his eyes and kept going.
Adam twisted around to watch him. "Do you know him?"
I shrugged.
"That was…odd. Do you know who that was?"
Again, I shrugged.
"That was Nate Monson. He's best friends with Mason Kade. He moved away last year, but I guess he comes back to visit." Adam continued to look at me strangely. "I have never seen him do something like that. That was weird."
"Do something like what?"
His eyes seemed to be inspecting me. "Be nice to a random girl that he or his buddies aren't sleeping with."
I shifted in my seat. "I'm not sleeping with anybody, if that's what you're getting at."
His hands shot in the air in surrender. "I didn't mean that. I've just—do you know him?"
"Yeah." She was a grinning idiot. "They're usually so exclusive. I mean, I heard no one's allowed in their house, but I guess they live on the beach. It's in front of their home."
Every tendon in me wanted to snap. By the time we got to my house, the tension suffocated me and was weighing me down. Becky hot-footed it out of the car, but my legs couldn't move.
A party. At my house. By my soon-to-be-stepbrothers.
Adam had grown silent too as he glanced back. "You okay?"
Becky shoved her head next to his. "Yeah, you look pale, really pale."
"I'm fine." My voice was calm, but my body trembled. My knees buckled an inch when I got out of the car, but Adam caught me and held me upright. I flashed him a smile in thanks and then turned to see Becky's grin falter a bit.
My stomach dropped. That wasn't good.
A crowd of people had congregated at the bottom of the driveway, but they started to head around the hill and down to the beach. I let out a small breath in relief. I remembered their other party. No one had entered the house then and I hoped no one would this time.
When we bypassed the gate around the pool, Becky grabbed one of the bars. "Look at that. They have their own pool and a hot tub." Her eyes were wide as she took the rest in, the sand volleyball and basketball courts.
Adam touched her shoulder. "I think they have a bonfire started down here."
"Oh, wow…" Becky was lost in stardust as she followed the line downwards.
I breathed another sigh of relief when I saw the divider door was still closed, not to mention locked.
Then we were on the beach and there were three bonfires. A keg had been hidden in some bushes towards the back of the beach with coolers placed all over. When people quickly congregated to them, I figured they had alcohol inside.
"Oh, look!" Becky pointed to the farthest bonfire.
Logan and their friend were there with others grilling over the fire. Soon music blared from speakers placed by the pool.
Adam suggested we sit around one of the smaller bonfires and after we snagged some lawn chairs, Becky jumped back up. She was all smiles. "I'm going to get something more to drink. You guys want?"
She hotfooted it away before we could answer and Adam looked over with a hesitant smile. "More?"
"We got into her mom's wine."
"Ah, I see. Nancy. She does love her Moscato."
I grinned. "My mom's decided she loves tea, not the coffee she's been drinking since I was born, but tea now."
The small smile disappeared. "Yeah, uh…I heard your dad that night…" He seemed to be choosing his words.
"No one knows. Please don't say anything."
He nodded quickly. "I won't. I wouldn't—I mean—I know what that's like, to have your personal life on display, you know?"
I nodded. "Yeah…"
"So," he sat forward and leaned closer. "You and Sallaway, huh? You two were together for awhile."
"We were."
His eyes seemed to be watching me intently. "And you don't think there's any chance…?"
It took a moment before I realized what he was asking and my eyes went wide. "He cheated on me for two years with my best friend. Some girls might tolerate that, but I have self-esteem."
His shoulders loosened and he grinned. "That's good, I mean, you deserve better."
"Any girl deserves better."
"You're right. No one deserves a cheater."
From the dark look on his face, something relaxed inside of me. He understood. "I heard DeCortts cheated on you?"
He looked startled for a moment and then cleared his throat. "Yeah, uh, she did."
I lifted a shoulder. "It was all over school."
"I know, I just…hearing it from a stranger is different, you know…"
"I was informed the two of you were the 'hottest couple ever'." I thought those were Lydia's exact words.
He stiffened in his chair. "I guess so. She's—she threw herself at one of the Kades, of all people." He laughed and gestured around.
"Which one?"
"Logan, I think." He frowned, and then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. She said he turned her down, but I still knew what she'd done. I heard the whole thing at some stupid party. Then Peter told me she'd been sleeping around for the last six months."
"Peter Glasburg?" His best friend.
Adam nodded. "Yeah, I don't know who with, but I trust him. Peter doesn't say much and if he said it, then it's worse than he let on."
I grew silent and turned to watch for Becky. She'd been gone awhile, but I couldn't squash an inklin of jealousy. He had a friend who looked out for him and that friend wasn't the one to sleep with his girlfriend. My mouth clamped shut and my chest grew tight as something burned inside of me.
But then Mason and Logan's friend walked towards us from the beach. He had gone past at some point and he was now going back to the other bonfire. A couple of beers were in his hands and as he started to bypass us, he stopped, backed up, and frowned at us.
Adam lifted a hand. "Hey, man."
The friend shot him a look and glanced at my hands. The gauze I had used to wrap my fingers was gone. I scowled up at him, waiting for what he was going to say, but then he held out a beer to me.
"Thanks." The word felt awkward on my lips.
He rolled his eyes and kept going.
Adam twisted around to watch him. "Do you know him?"
I shrugged.
"That was…odd. Do you know who that was?"
Again, I shrugged.
"That was Nate Monson. He's best friends with Mason Kade. He moved away last year, but I guess he comes back to visit." Adam continued to look at me strangely. "I have never seen him do something like that. That was weird."
"Do something like what?"
His eyes seemed to be inspecting me. "Be nice to a random girl that he or his buddies aren't sleeping with."
I shifted in my seat. "I'm not sleeping with anybody, if that's what you're getting at."
His hands shot in the air in surrender. "I didn't mean that. I've just—do you know him?"
