“Austin, we need to get these people out of here now!” I yell over the music.
Austin pushes the random girl off him and stands. “Jesus, Jessi. You’re always pissing me off. Can’t you just leave me alone? What’s so hard to understand? Try to have a good time for once, or better yet, get laid. Maybe then you won’t be such a whiney bitch.”
“You know what, Austin? Forget I said anything. Fuck around and find out.” I spin on my heels and stomp to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
The French doors open and in walks Shannon, taking in the scene around her. Her face contorts and turns a deep shade of red when she sees me. “Jessi, I knew some friends were coming over for your birthday, but what’s this? Can you imagine if one of our guests walks in here—what will they think? I’m getting your father to deal with you, while I try to guard any guests from entering.”
“Shannon, these are not my guests. They’re?—”
“Your party, your friends.” Shannon storms back outside. “We will see what Jeremy has to say.”
Two minutes later, my dad comes in. His jaw ticks, but otherwise he keeps his face neutral. He rarely gives his hand away, so I wonder what’s flitting through his head.
“Jessi, what’s going on? What happened?”
“She let her friends trash the place,” Shannon, right on Dad’s heels, says.
“I did not,” I protest. Tears prickle the backs of my eyes.
“Don’t lie to your parents,” Shannon sneers.
I send my dad a desperate look. “Dad, I didn’t invite any of these people except Rachel. I was getting a glass of water and going to bed. I told Austin to kick everyone out. I swear.”
My dad swivels his head toward the living room and marches over to Austin. I can’t tell what is being said over the music, but Ausin doesn’t have near the poker face of my dad, and he is livid. I jump between them, and try to pry my dad back, but Shannon comes flying up and shoves me aside.
“Why are you screaming at my son like that?” she squawks. “It’s your daughter’s party. She’s to blame.”
My dad stares at her cooly. “Shannon, look around you. Austin’s eyes are blown. Jessi is stone-cold sober. Take your blinders off. Austin is self-destructing. Thank God this is at our house, or he would be risking his scholarship. I don’t think Jessiis completely innocent, but I don’t believe she had anything to do with whatever Austin and a lot of other kids here are on.”
Of course. I’ve never given anyone a reason not to believe me, but they never do.
Shannon channels all of her anger toward me in one unforgiving glower. “Sure, it’s all Austin’s fault. Your perfect Jessi can do no wrong. But let me remind you thatmy sonworked his ass off to get that scholarship. What has your precious Jessi accomplished?”
My dad closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before reopening them and looking directly at Shannon. “I refuse to have this conversation again. Help Austin get these people out of our house and homesafely. I’m going to come up with an excuse to get everyone on the patio out of here before they witness this.”
I’m left standing between Shannon and Austin.
Shannon sneers again. “You don’t deserve half of what’s given to you, girl. You threw Austin under the bus. Some sister you are.”
Austin’s face purples with rage, and his eyes go completely black. “I can’t believe you. You wanted everyone gone because David pissed you off, so you went running to your daddy. Well, congratulations. You win. I hate you, your dad, and this place. Do not speak to me again. Get it through your skull that you are a worthless loser with no future. You have no idea what it’s like to work hard at something. Well, I do, and I refuse to have it jeopardized by a spoiled brat.”
“If you were so worried about your future, you wouldn’t throw parties with drugs and alcohol, so shove it.”
Austin gets nose to nose with me. His hot breath rolls into my face, making me want to gag. “You fucked up, Jessi. And if you do anything like this again, I’ll make sure you pay.”
CHAPTER 7
JESSI
“Dad, are you guys leaving again? You just got back.” I head down the hall toward him, throwing my arms up as my father rolls his suitcase in my direction.
“Do we need to go through this every time? You know I hate leaving you, Jess, but you bringing it up constantly makes me feel worse.” My dad wheels his suitcase past me and into his bedroom. He tosses random items into his suitcase and refuses to meet my eyes.
“I don’t want to make you feel bad,” I tell him. “But I hate being alone. I like it better when you’re here.”
I don’t want Dad to know the real reason I don’t want him and Shannon going anywhere. Whenever they leave, Austin throws a party. They’ve become more frequent lately and make me increasingly uneasy. I try to stay out of the house when I get a heads-up that he’s having one, but I can’t move out completely, which means I have to stick around now and then.
I think my dad forgets that I just graduated high school. It would be helpful to have guidance. If I ever want to move out of this house for good—and I do, desperately—I need to focus.
