“Whoa.” He gets to his feet and helps me move away from the edge of the cliff. He tries to get me to stand, but I stumble over my feet. “How much did you drink?” he asks.
“I …” I blink. “Not much.”
He grabs the drink from my hand and looks down at it.
“I think … I’m gonna get sick …”
He brings the cup to his lips and takes a sip. Then he’s spitting it out. “What the fuck? Who gave you this drink?”
I try to think back. Who was it? My mind is foggy and … “Becky.” I slur.
“You sure?”
I nod and almost lose my balance again. “Yeeeaaahhh.”
He pours the drink out and shoves the now empty cup into the pocket of his hoodie.
“I ... I don’t feel well,” I slur, leaning over and placing my hands on my knees.
“I know.” He places an arm under my legs and the other across my back to pick me up.
Looking up at him, I blink as he carries me through the cemetery and down the hill. I watch his sharp jaw and a muscle tic in his neck. He’s angry with me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t …” My eyes close. “Drink.”
Then everything goes dark. When I open my eyes next, he’s placing me in the passenger seat of his car. He reaches across me and buckles my seat belt. My arms feel heavy, my mind sluggish. Then his hand cups my face. I lean into him.
“This isn’t your fault, Demi.” His narrowed eyes search mine before he growls. “Your sister drugged you.”
Present
“Ready To Die,” by TheUnder pumps through the speakers of my mother’s house. I stand in the kitchen sipping away on a rum and Coke. It’s my third one. I’ve come a long way since I had my first drink out of Deke’s bottle that night on the beach. I learned several important lessons that night that I’ll never forget.
“What are you thinking?” Lauren asks, coming to stand beside me.
She’s the only friend I have here. But I’m not like Becky; I choose to have a very small circle. Most people don’t like my sister, but it’s the opposite with me. I don’t like most of them. They lie. You can’t trust anyone.
She pours herself a drink. She’s pretty much the only one here from our high school. Most of the people have been invited by Seth from the University of Texas. And hardly anyone dressed up in costume. They’re all too old for that shit. There are a few girls who remind me of my sister and are half-dressed begging for attention from the men, but for the most part, the partygoers are just here to get drunk and have a good time. I didn’t even put up any decorations. And my mother doesn’t bother herself with such pointless shit. Her words.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.” She giggles. “Where’s Seth?” She looks around the packed kitchen. The guy to female ratio is laughable. There are probably five guys to every one girl. Seth plays football for UT, so he’s popular with all the athletes at the college. He spread the word well.
“Somewhere.”
“What is up with you?” She shoves my shoulder.
When I don’t respond, her eyes follow my line of sight across the open kitchen to see Deke and Cole standing in the formal dining room, leaning up against the forest green wall.They came.Just as I knew they would. Deke can’t pass up a party. They’re talking to a couple of guys who Seth knows from UT. I watched them walk in an hour ago. Neither one of them has said a word to me. Cole hasn’t even looked my way, but I’ve caught Deke staring several times.
“Damn. Who the fuck are they?” she asks.
“Taken,” I say.
She snorts. “As in married?”
“The one on the right is engaged.” Cole might as well be married.
I finally finished Austin’s journal. And to say I was surprised to read about their love story is an understatement. They went through so much. He tortured her in such a way that it made me rethink what I’m going to do tonight. He is pure evil in the prettiest form, and I bet Deke could match him on any given day.
