“Tyler,” she says as I’m leaving. I reluctantly pause, slowly spinning back around. She’s folded her arms across her chest now and has an eyebrow raised. “Who says I want to go to a party with you? Sorry, but you’re sort of the last person I want to hang out with.”
So it seems she still hates me. Success. “Get ready,” I order.
“No.”
“Yes,” I say, my voice hard. Why does she do this? Why can’t she just be like everyone else and actuallydowhat I tell her? Why does shehave to fight so hard against me? Time to be a jerk. “What else are you gonna do? Sit here all night in your room like a damn loser with no social life?”
Her expression falters and she doesn’t look so tough anymore. She glances up at the ceiling and then back down, almost like she’s considering it, and then she quietly asks, “What will I wear?”
That’s more like it. Thank God I don’t have to go to this party alone. “Anything,” I say. My voice loses its firmness. “It’s not the same kinda party as Austin’s. This one’s more…chill. You could turn up in a pair of sweats and you wouldn’t be out of place.” Everyone will be too stoned to care, but I don’t even dare mention this. She’ll figure that out when we get there.
She definitely picks up on it though, because she looks perplexed. “Chill?”
“Yeah. Are you up for pre-drinks while you’re getting ready?” I offer. Did she even drink at Austin’s party last weekend? I’m not sure. I wish I’d paid attention. “My stash is running a little low, because Mom’s constantly searching my room, so all I’ve got is beer and some Jack and a little vodka. You know what, I’ll surprise you.” I smile at her, relieved she’s given in, and also relieved she’s not telling me no.
I drift back to my own room and immediately drop to my knees, searching under my bed for all of the shit I stash under there. I grab a bottle of beer and then mix up some Coke and some vodka for Eden. I don’t make it too strong. I don’t wanna kill the girl. My hair is still a mess, so I try once more to tame it a little before I head back through to her room with the drinks.
“I’ll probably be ready in twenty minutes,” she tells me. She’s by her closet, searching through it on the hunt for an outfit.
“No problem. Here,” I say. I pass her the drink and she takes it fromme, but our fingertips brush, and I don’t know why, but it feels weird to me. I don’t think she notices though, so I play it cool.
“Vodka and Coke?” she asks. Probably double-checking that I’m not poisoning her with weed killer.
“Yeah. Always a safe bet,” I confirm. I crack off the cap of my beer on the edge of her dresser, and then suddenly I realize it may not be what she wanted. “You like it, right? If you want beer, I can get you some—”
“This is fine,” she interrupts. Her lips may even be forming a smile. “I like it.”
“Okay, good.” Shit, what’s wrong with me? Why does she make me so awkward? I look up at the ceiling and chug my beer while I try to gather my thoughts, and then when I glance back down, I can’t look at her for some reason. “Just, uh, come get me when you’re ready.”
“Are you guys drinking?” a voice asks.
Both our eyes flash over to Jamie. He has appeared at Eden’s bedroom door, staring at us suspiciously. I can see his gaze resting on the drinks that we’re holding, so I quickly move my beer behind my back, but I don’t know what the point is. He’s already seen it, and now I’m about to be blackmailed by my little brother. I know him so damn well.
“No,” I lie anyway. My voice has softened. I can never pull off my Tyler Bruce tone whenever I’m with my brothers. “You know we’re not twenty-one. Why would we be drinking?”
“I can see it right there,” Jamie says. He nods to Eden’s drink, but I can already see it in his eyes that there’s a plan forming in his mind. “Does Mom know?”
I strain my neck and exhale. “It’s only a little. Can you give us some space?”
“Twenty bucks,” he demands. He holds out his palm flat to me,expecting cash, and he smiles at me with that devilish but charming grin that he’s mastered over the years. He waits patiently.
“I gave you thirty the other day,” I remind him. There’s no point in arguing though, because I know he will only twist my arm until I give in anyway. I put my beer down on the dresser and then pull out my wallet. “Because you wanted that video game, remember? Don’t think I forgot, because I haven’t.”
“Hmm.” Jamie goes quiet, tapping his lips with his index finger. “I’ll take ten then.”
“Fine, ten,” I agree with a laugh. I hate that he can play me so well. I really need to stop doing so much dumb shit that lets him blackmail me so easily. I pass him ten bucks, then push him away. “Now get outta here.”
He shoves the bill into his pocket, and as he turns around and runs back down the hall, he snickers, “I would have taken five.”
All I can do is laugh while I fetch my beer again and take another swig of it. “Kid treats me like an ATM,” I say with a sigh. Then, as I leave too, I tell Eden, “Get ready.”
I still haven’t texted Declan back, but whatever. I head to my room, finish the beer I’m drinking, then hop into the shower to fix my mess of hair. I take my meds that I forgot to take this morning, and I pull on some jeans and a plain T-shirt. I manage to drink another two beers in the time that it takes Eden to get ready—which is definitely more than twenty minutes—and I begin lining the empty bottles up on my window ledge.
“Okay, I’m ready and my drink is finished, so we can go now,” Eden says as shefinallyenters my room. It’s much tidier than it was the other night. I’ve even made my bed.
“It’s about damn time,” I tell her. Her hair is up and she’s wearing some makeup, and thankfully, she’s dressed casual. Just jeans and ahoodie, and unlike most people, she actually pulls it off and makes it look cute. I knock over the bottles of beer and then grab my car keys. Declan is gonna kill me if I don’t turn up soon, so we need to get going. I’m not drunk, and it’s not far.
“What are you doing?” Eden says, her expression horrified. She shakes her head at me. “You’ve just drank all those beers.”
