I should’ve at least said hi back. Just be normal. Later tell Sylvia I just know her from—
No. I don’t want Sylvia even looking in her direction. Ever.
I sit on the bed, elbows on my knees, fisting my hair. It’s like someone reached inside me and twisted something vital on purpose.
Breathe in, breathe out.
I get up and head straight for Natalya’s room, knocking aggressively.
“Yeah,” she yells through the door and I get in.
“When is the party?” I grit out.
“It’s starting in two hours.” She peeks up at me through her fingers as she’s doing her makeup. “What’s wrong? You look off.”
“Is Kiara coming?” I ask as I pace around her room.
She is so damn messy. Her clothes and makeup are everywhere. My head is about to burst open just from looking at it.
“She promised she’d come,” she tells me while styling her hair, and I get out of that room before I get a heart attack and clean it myself.
She’ll be here. I’ll fix it.
I get back to my room when my phone dings.
K.: Can’t talk. It’s really okay.
Me: Can I pick you up?
K.: I already have a ride.
Okay, she talks to me, that’s good. But whatever she’s thinking, it’s bad.
I take a cold shower because I don’t know what to do for two fucking hours. Varners are gone, the house is almost empty, only Bryan’s guarding the place.
A couple of days ago I wouldn’t have believed I’d actually be attending my little sister’s stupid birthday party for any reason other than keeping an eye on her.
?
People start filling the pool house behind the mansion, where the party is happening. The sun sinks behind the woods, the garden washed in gold. The pool house is open, it’s mostly glass, so I can see everything inside.
Some girls came earlier to set everything up with Natalya. Now it’s filled with LED lights, one table covered in jello shots. The other table is stacked with liquor, and unease creeps in.
Where the hell is Adrien?
I don’t have time to watch my sister tonight. I need to grab Kiara the second she shows up.
Then I finally see him outside in the swimming pool that stretches out in front of the pool house, lit up by underwater LED lights. He’s resting his hands on the edge of the pool while the rest of his body is in the water.
He’s alone, looking pissed, but I don’t have time for his mood swings tonight either. He’s here, that’s good. I walk to the pool and squat beside him, while he’s entirely zoned out.
“Could you make sure my sister isn’t gonna die of alcohol poisoning tonight?”
“Yeah, fine,” he mumbles, but he keeps staring at the pool house.
“You drunk already? Or high?”
He huffs and gets out of the water, rubbing his wet hair.
