I slid by him before he could change his mind. When I reached Sarah, she was fiddling with some dials on herturntables.
“Hey!” Iyelled.
Since my voice didn’t carry through her headphones, I gesticulated my hands. That caught her attention. She looked up from her laptop. A frown gusted over her face, but then she recognized me, and a sizeable smile curved her lips. She held up a finger, tapped on her laptop—probably cuing up the next song—and then she lowered herheadphones.
“Welcome to my den. Did you just gethere?”
I leaned over the tall booth. “I need Julian’s phonenumber.”
“Why?”
“I need to ask himsomething.”
“Ask meinstead.”
I supposed Icouldask her. “I’ve been invited to your brother’s wedding, and I need adress.”
She frowned, her thin eyebrows slanting over her wide brown eyes. “Not sure what you heard, but my uncle doesn’t weardresses.”
I balked at her answer. “I was just hoping he could help me getone.”
“Why would he help you getone?”
“Because he offered to help me the other day.” Before she could jump to any conclusions about her uncle’s reasons for aiding me, I added, “He pities me for being the only girl in mypack.”
Not my best lie ever, but it seemed to appease Sarah because her forehead uncrumpled. She raised a finger again, then set the headphones back on her ears and cued up the next song. The beats overlapped seamlessly, before the new song glided over the fadingone.
She pushed the headphones down again, then sized me up. “You’re what, afour?”
Inodded.
“You can borrow one of mine. Come over to my placetomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” She rolled her eyes. “Now, go dance. I need to concentrate on myset.”
I started to turn away when I remembered I had no clue whereher placewas. “I don’t know where youlive.”
“Give me yourphone.”
I entered my password and passed itover.
She typed in her contact information, then handed the phone back to me. “Don’t come before twelve! I’m dead to the world in themorning.”
“’Kay.Thanks.”
She fluttered her hand in adon’t-mention-itgesture, then stuck her headphones back on and bobbed herhead.
I clambered down the stairs, past the bouncer, who’d lost interest in me after ascertaining I wasn’t some crazed fan. I zeroed in on Skylar and Emmy’s location at the bar and threaded myself through the mass ofbodies.
The newest song Sarah was playing had people jumping and pumping their fists in the air. Twice, my feet got trampled. The first time, the person didn’t apologize—they probably hadn’t realized. The second time, though, thetramplercaught my arm and leaned over to apologize. The boy’s breath reeked of beer and bad dentalhygiene.
“It’s okay,” I said, shrugging himoff.
His gaze skimmed over my face, then dipped to the V-shaped neckline of my dress.Subtle.“Can I buy you adrink?”
I was about to turn him down when someone beat me toit.
