Narrowing her eyes, Naya asked him, “I’m sorry, where’s mine?”
“You can stick with water tonight,” Will chastised her.
“Oh, so now you get to tell me whether or not I can drink?”
Pursing his lips, Will said, “I’m trying to look out for your health. For both of you.”
“Are you serious?” she shrieked. “For me and the…what? The egg? The embryo? We don’t even know what it is yet.”
“It doesn’t matter what it is,” Will said firmly. “You shouldn’t be drinking alcohol, and you know that as well as I do.”
“Well, congratulations, mister father of the year,” she said bitterly, in a whisper. She hadn’t meant for him to hear her, but the music had stopped suddenly, and her tone had cut Will deep. He turned around and walked off into the crowd, fleeing the argument that was clearly about to happen.
Naya watched him go, and just when I was sure she’d start crying, she targeted me with her anger: “Aren’t you going to say anything? Are you just going to take his side again?”
“I’m not on anybody’s side, Naya, but any person in this room would tell you if there’s a one percent chance you’re having that kid, then you shouldn’t drink—”
I didn’t get to finish before she marched off. So there I stood, beer in hand. Surrounded by strangers. Another exciting night in the life of Jennifer Michelle Brown.
I didn’t want to go home, but I also didn’t really want to be there. I didn’t want to drink, but there wasn’t much else I could do, and I sure as hell wasn’t in the mood to be out on the dance floor hopping around with a bunch of drunks. So I just took little sips of my beer, hoping that would liven me up a bit, and finally went out on the deck, which I assumed was where Naya had gone.
I found her sitting with Curtis in a wooden chair surrounded by a group of people, some of whom I knew from my classes. But instead ofinteracting with anyone, she had just crossed her arms and was staring out toward the city.
I thought she might feel uncomfortable if she saw me, so I started back toward the door. Curtis knew I was there, but he was distracted, with his arm around a handsome guy I’d never seen before. They were playing some game. Curtis held a card high in the air, then slapped it down on the table, and everybody cheered. After that, the two guys kissed. As I walked back into the kitchen, I found Chris looking out the window. He had seen everything. I could tell he was hurt, but that didn’t stop him from putting on a cheerful face when he saw me.
I guess all of us were having a bad night. Except for Curtis, obviously.
Chris and I chatted a bit, and I went to look for Will, thinking it was best to go home. I found him in the corner drinking a beer, looking bored as he watched a game of beer pong. He didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk, though, so I walked off to a corner and took out my phone. I wanted to call Jack. Hell, I’d even have taken Sue over this. But I didn’t want them to think we weren’t having fun. Knowing Jack, he’d try to come rescue me, and keeping him away from the wrong influences was more important than me having a good time. So I found myself writing messages, erasing them, and scrolling through photos.
I looked up when I heard a scream. It sounded blood-curdling, but there was no danger, it was just some girl flipping out over the lead actor in Jack’s movie. All heads were turned toward him, and people stepped aside to let him through. Just behind him, at the center of the entourage, was Vivian, looking much less formal than the last time I’d seen her. I guess she hadn’t been lying at the premiere when she said she hated her gown: she was now wearing jeans and a plain black sweater. She looked hot, of course. She was carrying a fancy water bottle, I could see the glistening white enamel on her nails from where I stood, and she had a look of vague curiosity on her face.
I thought about saying hi to her, but I wasn’t sure that was smart after what had happened the last time we were together. So I walked back to the kitchen and dumped out my beer in the sink, taking a drink of water instead. I heard her behind me:
“Hello again.”
I nearly cursed. Things were just getting better by the second here. Vivian was beside me looking through the liquors on offer with disgust. Finally, she chose a cognac—how European of her, I thought—which she poured into her bottle before taking a sip. “I know it must look strange,” she said, “but you never know how clean people are or aren’t, and I really don’t feel like swallowing somebody else’s germs.”
I had two choices: I could leave, and let her know on my way out what a snob I thought she was, or I could play nice and see if there was any chance we might get along.
“Sure,” I murmured. “Nice bottle.”
I remembered how at home, Sue would always scream at people for double-dipping, and how whenever she drank beer, she wouldn’t touch her lips to the edge of the can. I guess Vivian had taken that to the next level. “I’ve got a friend I think you’d get along with,” I said.
Vivian leaned against the counter and took another drink.
“Isn’t that nice, you have a friend. Congratulations.”
Was there something about my face that called out to people:Hey, come over here and be an asshole to me!?Was there something in my personality that brought out that side of people? I didn’t get it. “Thanks,” I grumbled.
“Is she your only one, or do you have others?”
“No, I’ve got quite a few. You might remember Jack.”
“Ah, yes. I hope you treat the others better than you treated him.”
Just as I was about to respond, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Lana, looking sweet and innocent, announcing, “I’ve been trying to find you! And you…you’re Vivian, right?”
As Vivian nodded uncomfortably, Lana said, “Wow, Jenna, I see you’re hanging out with high society these days.”
