I look down at it to see it’s full of what looks to be water, but the strong odor tells me otherwise. “What is it?” I ask him.
He laughs, pulling me into his side and answers. “A good time.”
Her blue eyes instantly narrow on me, and I pull out from under David’s arm. “What is she doing?” she asks, not even bothering to say my name.
“She’s gonna hang with us,” he answers.
She rolls her eyes, giving me her back, and walks away. “Babe?” He calls after her.
I turn around to go wait for them by the car when I run into a body. “Shit. Sorry …”
“It’s okay.”
I look up into a set of brown eyes, and I feel my breath catch. “Hey,” I say lamely.
“Wanna get out of here?” Eli asks.
My heart begins to pound in my chest at his question, and my hands get sweaty. He’s the only guy at our school who has ever made me feel this way. It’s scary. “What?” I blink. I’m afraid he may be talking to someone who stands behind me, but I’m too nervous to turn around and check. This could be some kind of joke. And I hate the thought of it not being real.
He tilts his head as his brown eyes look me up and down in a way that tells me I should run. No one should look at you like that. The hunger in his eyes makes it clear what he wants. And I want to give it to him.
He reaches down and takes my drink from my hand. Bringing it to his nose, he smells it. “Mmm vodka. My kind of girl.”
I bite my bottom lip and look at my shoes in the sand. Without a word, he grabs my right hand, and I allow him to lead me off the beach and over to his car, praying he doesn’t feel how it shakes with nervousness.
“I’m not sure,” I answer her, pulling myself out of that memory. That was almost two years ago. Right before things went to shit. I’ve tried to forget it, but it’ll never go away. Not completely. It’s just another reason I hate my sister.
“Come on. Invite Seth.” She shrugs. “We’ll sit around the fire, tell some ghost stories, and get trashed.” Lauren wiggles her eyebrows. “It’ll be fun.”
I pull my cell out and send a quick text.
Me: Wanna go to a bonfire this weekend?
He messages me back immediately.
Seth: Of course.
I look over at her and smile, knowing that Seth will never hurt me. Not like others have tried. I trust him with my life. “We’re in.”
DEKE
I open my heavy eyes as I stare out my tinted driver’s side window. Leaning against it, I enjoy the cool glass on my skin. Cole sits in the passenger seat with his back ramrod straight and stone-cold silent.
I sat outside for another twenty minutes this morning with him while he swam, but we didn’t speak. After I had a couple of cigarettes and enough to drink, I left him and went to bed. When I finally woke up, Austin and Lilly were already gone, and he was in the kitchen. He didn’t even look up at me; he just told me we were leaving in an hour to go pick up Bennett at the airport.
So we’re playing hooky from classes today, and here we are, sitting in uncomfortable silence. I don’t know what to say to him. Or what I can do for him. At this point, I’m afraid he’s about to jump off the deep end. And I wish I could say I feel lighter now that he knows Becky was lying, but I don’t. Instead, I feel worse. And I hate that bitch even more for putting us all in this situation.
“Why the fuck did he bring him?” Cole snaps.
I look out the windshield to see Bennett walking toward us and right beside him is Shane.
Well, fuck! I don’t think Cole’s seen or spoken to him since the night at the hospital when Kellan shot Austin.
Cole, Bennett, and I all sit in the waiting room. Becky cries, and I try to console her, running my hand through her hair, but there’s not much I can do or say. Honestly, I’m surprised they haven’t come out to tell Cole that she’s dead.
Cole hangs up his phone with his nanny, making sure she can take care of Lilly. Seconds later, he jumps to his feet, and I look up to see Shane standing in the waiting room. I push Becky off me and do the same.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Cole snaps.
