Ella gives me a playful side-eye. “Wanna talk about it?”
I sigh and use the back of my arm to wipe my mouth. “They annoy me.”
“Hadley and Cullen?” she asks, exhaling another cloud of smoke.
“Yeah.” I nod, the motion making the world spinny. I blink, trying to bring it back into focus. “They just… suck.”
Ella chuckles. “They do tend to bring out the worst in each other.”
Understatement of the century.
“Can you keep a secret?” I slur.Damn. That joint took me from zero to a hundred quick.
She nudges my shoulder, her brown eyes twinkling in the moonlight. “Depends. Are we covering up a murder?”
I laugh and shake my head. “No. No murders.”
“Good. Because I’d help hide the body, but if the cops come asking, I’m throwing you under the bus.”
I nudge her back. “Noted.”
“So, what’s the secret?” She snags the tequila from my hand and takes a swig.
I lean back on my hands and stare up at the moon, its brightness kind of insulting. “I wish they’d break up.”
Ella tilts her head, smile twitching after a strange pause. “That’s the big secret?”
I frown, unsure why she hesitated.
She scoffs and turns to face me fully. “Come on, Hud. That’s your twin and your best friend. Of course you want what’s best for them. And anyway, everyone’s rooting for them to split. Their fights are exhausting.” She lights another joint and offers it to me.
I take it without hesitation, way past the point of caring how wrecked I already am. “I didn’t know I was so transparent.” I take a long drag and manage to hold it, barely, and exhale slowly.
“You’d be surprised what I can see.”
I’m too drunk to care what that means, so I don’t reply.
We fall into a comfortable silence, passing the tequila and the joint back and forth. The numbness starts to settle into my limbs, heavy and warm, like I’m wrapped in a weighted blanket. I feel like I can breathe again.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Ella chirps. “Feel like playing a little joke?”
I side-eye her, my mind hazy. I’m drunk enough to agree to just about anything right now. “I’m game. What do you have in mind?”
Her eyes sparkle with something a little too bright. “Do you think Cull left his truck unlocked?”
That feels like a red flag. But I’m high, drunk, and everything’s starting to feel kind of nice, so… whatever.
“Only one way to find out.”
Five
Cullen
I’m sitting out back, taking a much-needed breather from the stifling party. A hundred drunk and horny teens packed into a living room loses its appeal fast. Especially when you’re the sober one. I don’t mind being the DD, but with the way my head’s been lately, a drink or two couldn’t hurt.
I slipped out the back door about half an hour ago while Hadley was busy talking to Maggie. I just needed space from her and the bass shaking the walls. I did a quick search around the house, hoping Hud would come hang with me. On my second pass, Archer stopped me and told me that he saw Ella and Hud walk out front together. That made my chest tighten, which only added to my need for air.
Everything’s been off lately—Hadley and I are fighting more, and Hudson was throwing back tequila like it was water. The vibe tonight just isn’t right, and it started when he got into my truck earlier. I couldn’t stop my eyes from roaming over him from head to toe. It stirred something in me, and it’s on the cusp of breaking free.
