“Uh… who’s that?”
“I have no idea,” Letty confesses. “Violet gets a little crazy when she drinks.”
“You don’t say,” I mutter as we watch her crawl through the window so she can sit plastered to the guy’s side.
“You’re a whore,” Ella shouts happily, making Violet flip her off before turning her attention back to the guy.
“Come on then, our carriage awaits.”
The three of us slide into the back, the booming bass of the music rattles through my body as the guy flies from the parking lot.
Violet screams as he floors the gas, throwing her arms up in the air as if she’s on a roller coaster.
“Is she always this…”
“Wild?” Ella finishes. “Yeah. And they think I’m the crazy one.”
“Oh because you’re totally sane,” Letty mutters.
“You love me.”
“Yeah, but you’re totally crazy.”
“Alright, ladies. I take payment in the form of kisses and blowjobs,” the guy driving announces as the car jolts to a stop outside a massive house.
My eyes meet his in the rearview mirror and he winks, making my eyes widen in shock and my stomach to drop to my feet.
“He’s kidding,” Ella says. “And if he’s not. Vi can make payment in full. Come on.”
I slide out behind Letty, more than happy to leave Violet to do whatever she needs to do.
Without looking back for fear of what I’ll see, I allow both Letty and Ella to lace their arms through mine and lead me toward the house.
There are drunk students filling the front yard. Some call out as we pass but I keep my eyes on where we’re going. My legs are already unsteady, I don’t need anything else distracting me.
“Ignore them. We’re just here to enjoy ourselves,” Letty whispers in my ear as we step into the house.
“Oh my God,” I breathe. There are people everywhere but the whole place has an entirely different vibe to the Harris party that Leon took me to.
Where that was intense, this is… I don’t know, chill.
Everyone is laughing, having a good time. And as we pass, no one really pays us any attention.
“Drinks, ladies, then we dance,” Ella says, grabbing a couple of Solo cups and filling them with some vodka. “To girls’ night,” she says loudly, holding her cup up so that we can tap ours against it.
Together we down our drinks. I’ve had so much to drink now that I barely even feel the burn as it hits my throat.
“Right, let’s do this.”
As if she knows exactly where to go, Ella leads us to a room, which is full of bodies moving in time with the music that booms from the speakers someone has set up in the corners.
Anyone would think Ella owns the place as she pushes through the crowd and finds us a space in the middle.
Forgetting about where I am and the eyes that I’m sure are on me with the dress I’m wearing, I pretend that I’m back in my dorm room just with the girls and without a care in the world.
Closing my eyes, I focus on the beat, of how my body moves and the tingles running through my veins from the copious amounts of drinks I’ve had tonight.
It feels good. Freeing. I push every single thing about my life from my head and just enjoy it.
I have no idea how many songs pass when I sense someone step up behind me.
“Who are you and what have you done with Macie?” A familiar voice shouts in my ear.
Spinning on the spot, I find Nate smiling as he runs his eyes over me.
My initial reaction is to cover up, but the alcohol coursing through me soon reminds me that I’m not that Macie tonight. Tonight, I’m just like Letty, Ella, and Violet. I’m enjoying myself and not caring what anyone else thinks of me, what I’m wearing, how I dance or what I do.
“Hey,” I say, a confident smile curling at my lips.
“Dance with me?”
I hesitate for a second and hurt covers his face.
“It’s not like that, Mace. I just wanna hang out with my friend.”
“O-okay,” I stutter, concerned about leading him on.
He grabs my hand before I have a chance to change my mind and pulls me toward him, although not up against him and I sigh in relief.
“Relax, Mace. What I did earlier was a mistake. I’m sorry. I’m glad they managed to get you here though, you deserve this.” He spins me away from his body and I squeal in excitement.
We dance like idiots together for the longest time. A wide smile plays on my lips as I just enjoy this time with my friend that I never would have had if I kept myself locked up in my bedroom.
Maybe this kind of life isn’t so bad.
“Oh no. No, no, no,” someone squeals behind us. “If you think you get to just turn up here and expect—”
I spin around just in time to see Ella’s tiny palm connect with a guy's face.
Anger flickers through his expression as the red handprint on his cheek blooms but it's soon pushed aside for something else. Something I wouldn’t have recognized if it weren’t for my time with Leon.
Heat.
It surges through him like a tsunami as he steps toward Ella. His eyes wide and dark, his nostrils flared.
If I were her, I’d probably be terrified because the guy is huge, but thankfully Ella isn’t me because she squares right up to him.
“Uh… who’s that?” I mutter to Nate who’s standing behind me, watching the show.
“That’s Colt. He’s the Panther’s running back.”
“R-running b—” I don’t get to question him about it because my answer appears in front of me as Kane sweeps Letty into his arms, while Luca Dunn does the same to Peyton.
“I-I need to get out of here,” I breathe, keeping my eyes on the floor, too terrified to find him and have to look into those eyes again.
“Y-yeah, okay. Let’s go.”
Nate laces his fingers with mine and begins pulling me through the crowd.
My skin tingles more with every step we take. And I know exactly why.
He’s here.
And he’s watching.
7
Leon
I was planning on going home after my visit to Harrow Creek, but when I got to the intersection on the border of Maddison, I found myself heading in the opposite direction toward Rosewood.
I parked at the very end of the beach and walked to Luca and Peyton’s spot.
I figured that if it helped give him some clarity over the years, I thought it might be worth a shot for me because I really needed to clear my head.
I stare at their initials carved in the tree with my hands buried deep in my pockets, my heart like a lead weight in my chest.
What Peyton and Luca share, even with their time apart, is something most people can only dream of.
Even as kids, it was clear to see that they were destined to be together.
It was always me and Luca. He might be my twin and we might have kinda been stuck with each other but he’s always been my best friend, and equally, I’ve always been jealous of his relationship with Peyton.
The three of us were pretty tight until… until Richard happened. Then I backed away.
I know the cracks in mine and Luca’s relationship are my fault. I know I pushed him closer to Peyton because of my inability to deal with what happened, but still, I sat on the sidelines and watched them fall in love knowing that unless I found a way to deal with my shit, then I was never going to have that for myself.