“There’s some pop there,” Matt said. He ruffled my hair and started off into the backyard where a bonfire was going on next to the pool and hot tub. “Why don’t you have one of those?”
I rolled my eyes again but didn’t bother to grab another cup. No doubt he would be keeping an eye on this area, ready to stop me if I tried again. Hating that my only options were to do what he suggested or go thirsty, I grabbed a can of Coke from the cooler.
“Mind passing me one too?” someone asked from behind me. I guess it was a fair question since my hand was already reaching in, but I still resented that they couldn’t just wait for a second to grab it themselves after I moved. But I wasn’t trying to get in a fight with someone at this party, so I just did as they asked.
“Here,” I said, holding it out to my side without looking at them. A warm hand grabbed in from me.
“Thanks, Mads.”
I frowned. “Hey, nobody gets to call me...” I faltered as I looked up and saw my brother’s best friend smiling down at me. “Oh. Charlie.”
“How’s it going?” Charlie asked. He was dripping wet and dressed only in a pair of swim trunks, and I really struggled not to let my eyes drift down to his stomach, where I knew his abs were on full display. The sky was dark, but fairy lights were strung up around the backyard, and the soft light bounced off every water droplet on his body.
“Not too bad,” I said. He grabbed my pop can from me and opened it, then handed it back, never breaking eye contact. He always did that for me ever since I mentioned to him a few months ago that the tabs were basically impossible to open with the long acrylic nails I always had on. “Thanks.”
“Don’t sweat it,” he said. He shook his head, making water droplets fly from his dark hair and land on me. I cringed back as the cold water hit me, but I laughed anyway.
“Charlie!”
“You should go for a swim,” he said. “The water’s beautiful.”
“I think you’re the only one who brought a swimsuit,” I said. I looked down at my outfit, which consisted of a mini skirt, red tank top, and leather jacket—all pieces of clothing that absolutely could not get wet. “I’m not really dressed for a swim.”
“So take it off,” he said with a shrug. I faltered at the suggestion. Did he mean to take off my clothes and swim in my underwear? Or was he honestly suggesting I go skinny-dipping in some random person’s pool? Neither suggestion was particularly good. He must have noticed my face because he laughed. “Relax, Mads; I just meant your jacket.”
“You don’t get to call me Mads,” I said, not wanting to admit that I hadn’t understood what he meant. “Only Violet does.”
My family had given me the nickname Mads when I was a young kid, and I had long since outgrown it, but Violet was theone person who could get away with calling me it. Honestly, I didn’t love when she did it either, but I felt like I couldn’t say no to her.
“And Matthew,” Charlie added. I scowled. My brother was under the impression he could call me whatever he wanted, and I had no say in it since he was older than me.
“No, he doesn’t,” I said. “At least he shouldn’t.”
Charlie smiled indulgently, the way he only did when he thought I was acting like a kid. It was annoying considering he was only a year older than me. He and my brother were the same in that regard, which I guess shouldn’t have been surprising. I wondered if Charlie would have looked at me like that so much if it weren’t for Matthew’s influence. If we’d met in a different context, would he still think I was just a kid or would he view me as his equal? Would he ever see me the way I saw him—as the person he wanted more than anything?
We both looked away at the same time as the patio door was pushed open again, and a group of drunk girls came stumbling out, giggling about something. They were all wearing bathing suits with varying levels of clothes over top, and one of them had a couple of towels draped over her shoulder—very clearly heading for the pool.
Charlie cleared his throat. “I should probably go after them,” he said. “Make sure they don’t drown.”
“A lifeguard’s work is never done,” I said, clicking my tongue. Charlie laughed and ran a hand through his hair, pushing the waves back. Even without flexing, the muscles in his arms were glaringly obvious.
“Let me know if you need a ride home later,” he said. He grabbed his can of Coke and headed for the stairs down the back deck. “I’m not drinking, and I’ll be around.”
“Yeah,” I said, but he was already jogging away across the grass. What if I went after him? He had suggested that I goswimming—even if I had to be in my clothes—so it wouldn’t be that weird, right? I could use that as my excuse, and it would mean that I could be near him for that much longer without being too obvious about my intentions. But it would also mean having to swim around all those other girls who would probably be fighting for Charlie’s attention as much as I was. He would definitely be more interested in any of them over me... Why would he choose his best friend’s little sister when he had plenty of girls his own age practically falling at his feet?
The choice was taken from me anyway when another girl poked her head out the door and called my name. I looked over and saw it was Sabrina Brooks, a girl from my grade.
“Come here!” she said, beckoning me with her hand.
“Why?” I asked, but I took a step towards her.
“We’re playing a game,” she said. Once I was within reach, she grabbed my wrist and yanked me inside. I tried over the entryway but managed not to fall as she navigated us through the house. I was a little worried she was pulling me back over to the beer pong game I’d been avoiding, but to my relief, she walked straight past them without sparing any of them a glance.
“What kind of game?” I asked.
“Uh, it’s like a version of seven minutes in heaven,” she said. “Except you don’t know who you’re in with.”
I’d never played a variation of the game like that, but it did sound fun. I wondered whether Sabrina was recruiting anyone she could find for the game or if she grabbed me in particular because she knew I was up for anything—the two of us were similar in that way.
