Oh god, my mouth.
I tried to sit up, hoping by some small miracle there was water. To my relief, I found a glass and some Advil.
What the hell had happened last night?
Usually, I didn’t get drunk, preferring to be in total control of myself at all times.
I remembered Josie turning up here and walking to Joel’s house—
Basketball.
Joel played for the basketball team, so did all of his friends. So did... Zach.
My body tensed. No. Zach didn’t go here. I frowned, rubbing my eyes. I must have dreamed it.
So why did you get ass over elbow drunk?
Panic raced down my spine as I tried to piece together the hazy memories of last night.
We saw a guy... Brad, I think. He and Josie had some serious sexual tension. Then Joel showed up and got all big-brotherly. The house was crammed. We were in one of the less busy rooms…
It happened like waking from a dream. The memories shimmered and shifted on the edge of my consciousness, slamming into me one after another as reality yanked me out, planting me in the harsh light of day.
Zach was there.
He goes to SU.
That’s why I’d told Josie to get me a drink—a real drink. One full of liquid courage and magical numbing powers.
Fuck. My. Life.
It wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.
My worst nightmare.
He couldn’t be here.
Declan, his brother, went here. But not Zach.
I never in a million years would have committed to SU if I’d have known.
But Callum knew. He knew and never said a word.
Damn you, brother.
Not that it was a surprise. We hadn’t exactly talked. Even at Mom’s funeral we barely managed to utter a few words to one another. We might have been siblings, bound by blood and DNA, but those things didn’t make you family. They didn’t excuse poor decisions and selfish mistakes.
Callum and I were nothing more than strangers these days. Strangers with the same name, the same pouty lips and whiskey-colored eyes. The family resemblance might have been there, but that’s where our similarities ended. I was nothing like my brother.
Nothing.
I flopped back against the pillows, letting out a pained sigh. I hadn’t even managed a whole twenty-four hours here and my world had already been flipped upside down.
It would be okay though.
Now I knew Zach was here, and that Joel was a basketball player, I could avoid them.
No more parties.
No more hangovers.
But most of all, no more nasty surprises.
“Calli, are you alive?” Someone hammered on my door, the noise rattling through my skull. “Calli, come on before I call the RA.”
“Ugh.” I threw back the sheets and dragged myself across the room to open the door. “Do you mind? My head is already pounding.”
Josie smirked. “That’s what you get for drinking your body weight in tequila.
“Tequila?” My stomach roiled. “I hate tequila.”
“You didn’t hate it last night.” She forced her way into my room, and I mumbled, “Sure, come in.”
“I brought you a green smoothie and a donut from Muds.”
“A what and what now?” I ran a hand down my face. It was midday, but I was still suffering.
“Kale, apples, blueberries, and some other crap they recommend. It’s supposed to replenish all the nutrients and make you feel energized.” She shoved the funky looking smoothie at me.
“Later.” I pushed it away, clutching my stomach. “I’m not sure it’ll stay down yet.”
Josie shrugged. “Suit yourself. That was quite the show you put on last night. I didn’t know you had it in you.” She dropped into the desk chair, twirling it.
“Please, stop.” The room began spinning.
“Sorry. You’re really suffering, huh?”
“I... I haven’t ever been drunk like that before,” I admitted, shame seeping into me. For more reasons than one.
“Want to talk about it?” Josie offered me a warm smile that settled something inside me.
Less than twenty-four hours and she had already proved herself as a good friend. She could have abandoned me last night, written me off as some crazy girl unable to hold her liquor. Instead, she’d stuck with me, and then gotten me home. She’d even left me water and pain meds.
“Hey,” I said, realizing something. “How did you manage to get me home?”
“You don’t remember?” Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Nope. I barely remember the party. Then the next thing I know, I’m waking up to a brass band party in my skull.”
“One of the guys helped me carry you.”
“Oh god.” I buried my face in my shoulder, flushing head to toe.
“It could be worse, you could have puked all over him.”
My head whipped up. “I didn’t... please tell me I—”
“Relax, you saved that for when I finally got you into your room.”
A fresh wave of shame pinked my cheeks. “Was it Brad?”
“Uh, yeah, but you can’t say anything. Joel would flip his shit if he thought—”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” I mimicked zipping my lips. “What’s going on there anyway?”
“Nothing.” She shrugged.
“Liar.”
“What’s going on with you and Zach?” Her brow quirked up.
“Nothing,” I said, schooling my expression.
“Liar.” Josie smirked. “You keep your secrets, Calliope James, and I’ll keep mine.”
“Touché.”
We shared another smile, but then I asked, “What’s his deal anyway? Zach, I mean. Why does he go here?”
Sadness washed over her face. “He transferred at the end of the season last year, after his brother...”
“After his brother what?” Chills ran up and down my spine making my hairs stand on end. It wasn’t so much what she said as much as what she wasn’t saying.
“There was an accident and he... you really don’t know any of this?”
I didn’t.
I’d been checked out for most of the spring, dealing with my own stuff, and Callum, my so-called brother, had never breathed a word of it to me.
Oh my god.
Declan.
He and Callum were friends.
“I can’t believe he’s gone...” The words got stuck over the lump in my throat.
“He’s not dead, Calli.” Her lips twisted in a grim line. “But he might as well be. He suffered a severe brain injury. He’s been in a medically induced coma for the last five months.”
Her words rattled around my skull. I remembered Declan. Remembered his energy and zest for life. I remembered how much he loved basketball. I’d hated him for that very reason.
He was like Callum; focused on nothing except going all the way to the NBA. The two of them had always dreamed of going off to college together and chasing their goal of going pro. Even after Callum left Bay View, I knew they had stayed in touch and eventually started SU together, taking the NCAA by storm.
“I can’t believe it.” A shudder rolled through me.
“Yeah, it’s been tough for everyone.”
A sudden burst of emotion hit me, and tears burned my throat. “I need to go clean up,” I rushed out. “You can hang out or whatever, but I need to shower.”