“And instead of moving out as well,” Jake chimes in, “you’re going to live with Landon Blair even though he’s the bane of your existence, your sister’s ex, and a complete and total asshole?”
“Sounds about right.”
“And on top of it all, your sister has no idea you’re staying there?” asks Ollie.
“Nope.”
“And she won’t respond to any of your messages?” asks Jake.
“Correct.”
Ollie glances around the room. “Are we missing anything?”
“You forgot the reason they broke up,” I say. “Mel was cheating on him.”
Sienna’s head snaps up. “Wait, what? How can you cheat on a man who looks likethat?”
“Simple,” says Brit, before taking a swig straight out of the tequila bottle. How she doesn’t gag, I’ll never know. “Men who look likethatare usually pretentious douchebags.”
“She’s got a point,” I say, even though Landon’s not as much of a douchebag as I thought he was. “You guys are all caught up.”
“It’s a lot of moving parts,” says Jake.
“Takes family drama to a whole new level," says Ollie.
“What I don’t understand is how you can put up with that jerk,” says Brit, as we line up our shot glasses for another round. “A month ago, you were brainstorming a hundred ways you could kill him with a spatula alone, and now you’re playing house?”
“It would be tricky but ultimately doable,” I say, having given this a lot of thought. “And he’s not as bad as I thought.”
“Sounds like dangerous territory to me,” says Brit. “I’d navigate those waters very carefully if I were you.”
“Everything will be fine,” I assure. What I won’t admit is that I’m trying to convincemyselfof that just as much as them. “It sounds worse when you say it out loud than it really is.”
“Sure,” says Ollie.
“Right,” says Jake.
I shake my head, ignoring the pit forming in my stomach. “It will all work out.”
Brit sighs. “No offense, but your positivity makes me want to gag sometimes.”
Sienna reaches over and pinches my cheeks. “But that’s why we love her.”
We do one more shot and then pile into the Uber. The club is packed when we arrive, and we wait outside for twenty minutes before they allow us to enter. Jake and Ollie steer us immediately toward the bar, where they order another round of shots, and then Sienna drags me onto the dance floor.
The lights flare. The music pulses. We dance for hours. We dance until our hair’s flat and our feet throb. We dance until our cheeks ache from smiling and our throats hurt from screaming along to the music. At some point, Sienna and Ollie end up wrapped around each other on the dance floor, and Brit and I fend off a few creepy guys with Jake’s help. They do another round of shots, and then Brit drags me through the crowd toward the bathroom.
I do my business and wait against the wall outside, pulling out my phone more clumsily than I should. There’s still no response from Mel, so I screw my moral code entirely and text her ex-boyfriend instead.
Me:How was moving day?
I tell myself it’s not the alcohol talking. That I’m genuinely curious. I don’t expect him to reply, he’s probably in a shit mood, but before I can put my phone away, it lights up.
Landon:Painful.
My fingers hover over the keypad as I debate whether to ask about Mel. I want to know how she seems. Is she upset? Angry? Sad? Most of all, why isn’t she texting me back?
Me:Hard liquor can help with that.
