“Seems like you and Nev are the only ones to remember it’s our birthday,” I told her, feeling a little pouty myself. I didn’t care about everyone else forgetting our birthday, but Violet not remembering stung like hell. She was my life, and I thought I was hers. But maybe something had changed with us, and I just hadn’t realized it.
Now that I thought about it, she had been a little distant since she saw that Megan chick kiss me. We hadn’t seen each other as much in the past two weeks, and that was my fault. I’d been busier than usual with football, but I’d also found it harder and harder to keep my hands—and lips—to myself since kissing her that night.
Maybe she was punishing me for not being around as much.
But that wasn’t like Violet. She wasn’t vindictive like that. And she sure as hell wasn’t the type of girl to stew in silence if something was bothering her. If I made her mad, she told me point-blank.
“What?” Mia said incredulously. “Even Violet?”
“Apparently,” I gritted out.
“Huh.” She sounded thoughtful and was quiet for a moment. “I’m sure everyone is just busy today.”
“Mom didn’t even make us pancakes this morning,” Lyric continued to pout to Nevaeh. “And Dad was already gone when we came down for breakfast. He never forgets.”
“I’m sure they didn’t forget.” I heard Nevaeh’s voice echoing through my phone. “They’re just probably busy. I bet they have something special planned for tonight.”
“Fuck that,” my twin said beside me. “I wanted my pancakes and birthday cake and Mom and Dad singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ This is the last damn year we will be home for this, and they ruined it.”
Realizing why my brother was being such a whiny bitch, I swallowed a groan. If I hadn’t been so caught up in the excitement of getting the Alabama offer and worrying about Violet and me, I would have realized what was going on with Lyric before now. Guilt tried to swallow me whole, but I knew I could fix this.
“Mia, I have to go,” I told her. “Thanks for calling to tell me happy birthday. Love you.”
Before she could respond, I’d already disconnected. Turning around, I grabbed Lyric’s phone and lifted it to my ear. “Gotta go, Nev. Love you.”
I ended the call and tossed my brother his phone back. “Let’s go,” I told him.
“Where?” he asked with a grunt.
“Anywhere the fuck we want. It’s our birthday, and we’re legal. We can do whatever the hell we feel like.” I tossed my arm over his shoulders. “Just me and you. It’s our day.”
Lyric’s eyes brightened, the sulk completely leaving his face. “Fuck it. Let’s go.”
When we got to the parking lot, it was raining, but that didn’t deter us. We’d brought my SUV that morning, so we got in and I started it up. “Where to first?” I asked him as I shifted into gear and backed out of my usual spot.
“It’s our birthday, man. Let’s throw ourselves a party.” He rubbed his hands together. “With lots and lots of girls.”
I glanced down at my phone that I’d tossed into the cupholder when I got in the vehicle. It still didn’t show a text message from Violet, and I was the one who suddenly felt vindictive. She wanted to put distance between us, fine. I’d help her do it. “Yeah,” I gritted out. “Lots of girls.”
While I drove us toward LA, Lyric called and reserved us the penthouse suite for the night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and then started texting everyone we knew. We stopped for party foods, and Lyric told a few people to bring the booze.
By the time we checked in at the hotel a few hours later, other people had already started showing up. Not ten minutes after we got there, kegs began to arrive, and I wasn’t surprised when girls started stripping to their bras and panties and running around the 5,000-square-foot suite giggling.
I sat back, watching my little brother enjoy himself for a few hours. We hadn’t done anything like this together in forever, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed hanging out with him until right then. I was going to miss him. He wasn’t going to the same college as me, and it was going to be hard being away from him for months at a time.
Him and Violet both.
Thinking of my girl, I pulled out my phone and angrily hit connect on her name. It was just after six, and she still hadn’t so much as tried to call or text me.
It rang three times before she picked up. “Hello?” she answered, sounding distracted and a little out of breath.
“What are you doing?”
“Um, running. My dad talked me into going on a run with him.”
“Why are you lying to me?” I demanded, my anger at her only growing.
“I’m not,” she said defensively. “I really am running. Or I was until you called. I can’t talk long. Dad is giving me the evil eye. He wants me to do a 5K with him next week for one of Aunt Emmie’s charities, so he’s trying to get me in shape.”
The door to the suite opened, and another group of kids from school walked in. I clenched my jaw as they called a greeting, and I saw a few of the cheerleaders make a beeline toward me. One of them was that annoying girl who had caused all this shit between Violet and me to begin with, and she dropped down beside me.
“Hey, Luca baby,” she purred, and my skin actually crawled as she rubbed her hand over my chest.
“What the fuck?” Violet exploded. “Who is that? Wait. Where are you?”
“I have to go,” I told her, a part of me happy she was pissed now. But I didn’t want her to be hurt, and I knew how she felt about Megan.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Violet yelled. “Luca—”
But I cut her off by hitting disconnect and turned off my phone before pushing Megan away from me. “Not interested,” I told her as I stood.
Walking into the kitchen area, I grabbed a beer and twisted off the top. I chugged half of it before realizing Megan had followed me.
For fuck’s sake. The girl was like a damn infestation of bedbugs. I couldn’t get rid of her, no matter what I did.
Chapter 7
Violet
I glared down at my phone, stunned Luca had actually hung up on me.
“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked as she finished hanging streamers over the French doors that opened up onto the back deck of the Thorntons’ home.
The two of us had been helping get everything ready for Luca and Lyric’s surprise birthday party since noon. Mom had convinced Dad to let me skip my afternoon classes so I could help prepare for the party, knowing how hard it had been for me to go without wishing Luca happy birthday all day.
When Aunt Layla told me the big plan for the surprise party, I’d been so excited, but I hadn’t realized what I would have to do to keep it a secret. Not talk to Luca all day, not be the first one to wish him a happy birthday like always, make him think I’d forgotten his special day like everyone else had.
I knew he would be upset, but I thought everything would be fine once he realized how much thought and love we’d all put into his and Lyric’s party.
Not once had I thought he would do something like this. Whatever the hell “this” was.