“So?”
“So I want them to meet you.” She folds her arms over her chest.
Don’t look. Don’t look at her chest. “You’d better not be trying to hook me up with—”
“What the hell, Huff? I told them about you because you’re my best friend, and they actually give a crap about me. And I thought you’d adjust better if you knew a few people.”
“So, like, it’s like a pity thing.”
“Dammit, Huff. Why do you have to turn this into some fucked-up drama? I’m trying to get you settled in quickly so you don’t freak out.”
“But a party is too much—”
“A party is the perfect place to celebrate! And I wouldn’t invite you to come if I wasn’t sure you’d enjoy it. Come on. You have to trust me.”
I suddenly feel like a dick. If anyone has my back, it’s River. “Sorry. I’m just a little messed up after that flight. First time away from home alone.”
Her hard eyes soften, and she takes my hand. “I know, moron. And I’m here for you. Always have been. Always will be. But what’s the point of you coming all this way if you’re just going to hide in this depressing dorm room? You have to embrace this new experience. It’s time, Huff.”
Her earnest gaze makes me take note. “I know,” I say quietly.
“Do you have any idea how happy that makes me? Do you know how much I’ve missed you since I moved away?”
Yes. I do. At first, we talked on the phone almost every day after her parents decided to move because they didn’t want River growing up under “the toxic cloud.” But every day turned into every other day. Eventually, it became once a week or whenever River had time. Seemed her parents kept her constantly busy. Probably a good choice.
My parents exhausted themselves with the one family member who was no longer alive. Not that I blame them. I don’t. But since that horrible day, Joy became more central to our family than ever. I only wish they would’ve taken the time to help the living. Yeah, they lost a daughter, but I lost a sister, and they never seemed to get that. River always did.
“I missed you, too,” I say with a grumble.
She smiles with glossy eyes. “Good. Because we make our own choices now, Huff. We’re finally free to make the lives we want, and I can’t imagine mine without my best friend. No one gets me like you do.” She pauses for a long moment. “I love you. More than blood.”
I look down at the tips of our touching Converse. Black and pink. So fitting. I’m so fucking dark, and she is…the happy pink lining in my gray cloud.
“I love you, too,” I reply. Strange how saying it to River never feels awkward.
“Does that mean you’ll come to our cozy little party tonight?” She offers a bright smile, one I can’t say no to.
“Yes. I’ll go,” I mumble grimly.
“Squee! You’re going to love my sisters. They’re so nice.” She jumps up and down again.
This time, I can’t help glancing at her two new accessories. Stop it.
“Come on. Let’s go find food,” she says. “Then I’ll show you around a little. What are you wearing tonight?”
Fuck. Not this. River’ll want to dress me. “I’m wearing whatever you tell me to wear?”
“Oh, my little Huffy-poo. You still get me.” She pokes my chin.
“Always.”
But that’s a lie. River has clearly escaped the mental hell of our late childhood. Meanwhile, I’m still trapped in the past. Will I ever move on?
CHAPTER SIX
I’m going to kill her. This is no cozy gathering. This is an event, complete with a two-story-tall pink rose made entirely from pink roses on display out front.
River lied to me. Even after we renewed our friendship vows over lunch—a stuffed crust with extra sausage. What’s our vow? It’s a joke from way back, but I take the first part seriously: Thou shalt always tell the truth. Thou shalt always share crunchy snacks.
I walk up to the front porch. Every visible surface is covered with flowers. Some of River’s pink-clad sisters are lined up to take donations and give away flowers to all who enter.
Yeah. The flowers are set inside shot glasses that include unlimited tequila refills.
“Hey, I’m a friend of River’s,” I say to the first girl, a blonde holding a clipboard.
“Name?” She clicks her pen.
“Huff.”
Her eyes light up. “Huff? The Huff?”
“Errr…yeah?”
“Ohmygod, you guys! This is River’s friend!” The other girls in the reception line stop what they’re doing. Their eyes wash up and down my scrawny frame, and while they say nothing, I can tell from their frowns I’m not what they expected.
What did River tell them? That I’m ripped? Handsome? Whatever the case, she lied. Again.
“Huff!” River’s head of straight black hair pops from the front doorway.
“Hey, Riv,” I say, gritting my teeth.
River steps onto the porch. “Ohmygod! Everyone, this is Huff. Huff, these are some of my sisters. Bren, Jenn, and Megan.”
The three women offer polite nods.
“We just met,” I say as the line to enter the party backs up behind me. Everyone’s staring. I have no words. I feel beyond awkward.
“Great. Come inside so you can meet the rest.” River drags me by the hand to introduce me to all forty-something of her sisters and their boyfriends. Not one of them smiles, shakes my hand, or says a word. It’s like River’s been indoctrinated into a cult of haters but is oblivious to their toxic vibe.
We enter the kitchen, and she offers me a beer from the ice bath in a metal tub.
I don’t take it. “River, we need to talk.”
“Oh no. I see the look on your face. You’re about to blow a gasket.”
I lean closer to her so only she can hear. “I’m not blowing anything, Riv. I just want to talk.” A lie. What is she doing hanging around all these unfriendly people?
“Sure. Okay. Let’s go to the backyard.”
She sets my beer back in the tub and pulls me along. All the while I’m wondering if she’s the same person I once held up on a pedestal. I still do.
“Okay. Here we are. What do you want to say?” River smiles tightly.
“Who are these people?”
“You mean my friends?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking,” she says.
“If you haven’t noticed, they’re all dicks.”
“Huff, they just need time to get to know you. That’s all. And once they do, you’ll see how nice they are.”
“Nice? Every guy here looks like he wants to kick my ass.”
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” she says with a sharp bite to her tone.
“No.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t.”
“So that’s it, then. You’re not going to give my friends a chance?”
Chance for what? To spit on me? “They don’t want me here, Riv.”
“Well, I do, and you’re my guest. Plus, I haven’t seen you face-to-face in, like, forever.”