“Thanks, dude. Yeah, I don’t know. The scholarship’s pretty small, so I’m hoping for an academic scholarship and maybe some grant money.”
“You gotta take it,” he says. “Too good of an opportunity.”
“We’ll see.” She shrugs and peers past him at Grace and me.
“Oh!” Freddie smacks his head. “I’m sorry. This is my really good friend Ramona, and her girlfriend, Grace.”
Well, not officially my girlfriend. Yet. I reach for Grace’s hand, but she’s taken a step back with her arms crossed over her chest. She smiles tightly and offers a short wave.
Don’t overthink this, I tell myself.Don’t overthink this.
Lydia nods. “Awesome. I like the hair,” she says to me.
“Thanks.”
“So you’ve been staying in shape?” Lydia asks Freddie.
“Um, well, yeah, I’ve been doing some—”
“Freddie?” calls a voice from above. “What are you doing here?”
A tall dark-skinned black girl in a short aqua dress rushes down the stairs wearing three-inch heels. She somehow manages to not tripandlook graceful.
“Viv,” says Freddie, turning his back to the rest of us. “Happy birthday.”
I watch Vivienne’s expression as she tries to piece something together. “I thought you weren’t coming. I told you not to come.”
Oh God. My stomach plummets.
Grace reaches for my hand and squeezes tight.
The moment feels so uncomfortable I can hardly look at Freddie. But at the same time I’m annoyed that he didn’t prepare me for this.
He grins, but I can see his expression faltering. “I wanted to surprise you,” says Freddie. “I couldn’t miss your eighteenth birthday. Come on, babe.” A nervous laugh comes out.
His back is still to us, so I can’t read his expression, but I don’t think this is how he expected the night to go. Why is it so much more painful to watch other people embarrass themselves?
“Hey, Freddie,” I say, gently touching his shoulder. “I think we’re going to grab a drink.”
Something on Vivienne’s face snaps, like she’s realized there are other people here. “Hi,” she says with a forced smile.
Freddie sputters for a moment before awkwardly introducing Grace and me.
“Happy birthday,” Grace offers.
“I guess we’ll let y’all catch up,” I say.
“I think that might be good,” says Vivienne, her gazetrained on Freddie.
I squeeze Freddie’s shoulder before leaving him there with her. If there were a birthday cake at this party, I’d steal all of Vivienne’s wishes and give them to Freddie. I think he’s going to need them.
THIRTEEN
We weave in and out of rooms, searching for a corner to claim. Everyone in the living room is grinding their baby-makers together, while the dining room is reserved for drinking games, and all the people on the patio are either passing around blunts or gathering around tall bongs.
I reach for Grace’s hand as we head into the kitchen, but her fingers slip straight through mine. Ever since we moved past the foyer, I’ve felt her pulling away from me. I know she’s shy and isn’t one for crowds. But no one knows us here. We’re strangers. So I can only assume this has nothing to do with her being shy.
The counters are lined with coolers of beer and bottles of liquor. I grab us each a beer and we head out past the patio to the pool, where couples are gathering on lawn chairs. It seems to be the most chill place to hang out, with some people making out and others just talking.
