At school, I catch Lizzie and Farah eyeing Alexis with envy, as though she has something they covet above everything else. I’m not sure if it’s her looks, or her status, or the attention of someone older, cooler, and hotter than all the guys at Miller Hill, but our four-way friendship feels suddenly fragile.
It scares me. I don’t want things to change.
“There’s a party in Northland tonight,” Alexis tells us. It’s the last Friday in May, and we’re a few weeks out from the end of junior year. The Miller Hill parties don’t start until next weekend. “We have to go.”
“That’s kind of last minute,” I say, biting my thumbnail between my teeth.
“Yeah, I agree,” says Farah.
Alexis rolls her eyes. “Oh, so you’re just gonna pretend you don’t want to go? Really? Everyone’s going. Mason’s home from college, and he’s going.”
“Just because Mason is going, doesn’t meaneveryone’sgoing,” Lizzie points out.
Alexis sighs like we’re getting on her nerves. “Fine. Text Greg and them. Spread the word.”
“Greg’s not going to want to go to a Northland party,” I argue.
Alexis smiles at me. “Trust me, Ivy. If you ask him, he will. I heard he won’t stop talking about you.”
I blush. I can’t help it. Greg and I hooked up a month ago at one of his “get-togethers,” and when I say “hook up,” I mean second base. It’s the furthest I’ve gone with a guy, but I lied to Alexis and told her we went all the way. When she asked if I came, I told her yes. Apparently, she has multiple orgasms with Mason, and they’ve done everything under the sun. Well, everything except for anal, which he brings up to her constantly. I don’t think she should do it if she doesn’t feel comfortable, but it’s not like she’ll listen to anythingIsay.
But as per usual, Alexis gets her way, and we end up at the Northland party on Friday night. It’s loud and hot, and I don’t recognize most of the people. Some random guy ropes my friends into a game of beer pong on the deck, but I have zero hand-eye coordination, so I stay in the kitchen.
“Hey,” comes a deep voice. I glance up, and my eyes widen. Mason Bryce is standing in front of me, looking at me like I’m something worth looking at. Andgod.He’s even more attractive in person than in the pictures Alexis showed us. Square jaw. Sandy blonde hair. Tall, broad, and fit. He’s just so muchmorethan all the high school guys we’re constantly surrounded by, and I swallow against my suddenly dry mouth.
“H-hi.” I wince at the stutter, which makes an appearance sometimes when I’m nervous, but he just keeps staring at me.Heat crawls up my neck, and I bite the inside of my cheek for a moment. “Um, Alexis is outside, if you’re looking for her.”
He nods but makes no move toward the door. Just watches me in a way I can’t decide if I like or hate. “Remind me of your name.”
I clear my throat, so the words don’t get stuck again. “Ivy Combs.”
Mason smirks. I blush, embarrassed I said my full name. “Are you having a good time, Ivy Combs?”
“Yeah,” I lie. “It’s a…fun party.”
His eyes flit to the red cup in my hand. “You’ve barely touched your drink.”
I raise the cocktail mixture Alexis made me to my lips and take a long sip. It takes everything in me not to make a face because shereallywent heavy on the liquor.
“Oh, come on,” he teases. “You can do better than that.”
I finish off the cup, and my limbs feel looser.
“What are you drinking, anyway?”
“Tequila and orange juice, I think,” I tell him. “Alexis made it for me.”
He makes a face and shakes his head. “Ugh, gross. Here. Let me make you a decent drink, Ivy Combs.”
I shrug because why not. “Okay.”
But instead of a mixed drink, Mason hands me a shot. “Do a shot with me first.”
I glance over my shoulder, wondering where my friends went. But I can’t deny that being the center of attention of a boy like Mason Bryce feels good. Better than good. I think I understand why Alexis is so obsessed with it. “Should we find Alexis?”
“Why do we need to find her?”
I shrug because I guess I don’t know.
