Ryan’s jaw clenched, and he jerked up a shoulder. “That’s fine.”
I glanced between the two, noticing how quiet everyone else got. “Uh, what’s going on?”
They all looked at Ryan, who shook his head briefly. “It’s nothing. Ben’s a big b-ball fan. He’ll want to shoot the shit with me for a bit.”
“Oh.” There was more. I could tell, but after a quick scan, I could tell no one would speak on it. Some unspoken situation had just materialized, and I wasn’t in on it.
Nick’s phone beeped a second later.
“Yeah.” He looked around the room. “He said we could go, but we gotta move now.”
The guys flew around, preparing to change from their trunks to their regular clothes. They forgot I was in the room until Ryan snapped at them. Tom and Nick’s hands were pushing their swim shorts down, and they froze.
I threw up a hand and looked at the floor. “I’m good. I’ll grab some clothes and get ready downstairs.”
“Hey.” Ryan followed me into the hallway, making sure his door was shut. “You sure about this?”
I jerked up a shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say I’m up for anything right about now.”
Robbie was going to his new school this week. I’d be going to mine.
Who the fuck cared? Right?
“Mackenzie . . .”
I clipped my head to the side. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
“If you’re sure.” His eyes were heavy with concern, and the look warmed me, but he was talking to me like I was normal.
Normal died in my twin sister’s puddle of blood.
I slipped away, grabbing some clothes from my suitcase in his truck. I’d planned on using a random downstairs bathroom, but the entire first floor was crowded. The guys were still in Ryan’s room, so I looked around, seeing Peach’s door open.
Sorry, Peach, but I’m about to use your shit.
I ducked in. After dressing, I went to her bathroom. She could sue me; I didn’t give a rat’s ass. I used some of her stuff, putting product in my hair, and I went through her makeup too.
We were going to a college party. I had to look the part.
When I finished, I’d aged five years. Heavy eyeliner and eye shadow helped the image.
I pulled on a pair of jean shorts, and I undid one button to shimmy them down an inch on my hips. There. That completed the look.
Ryan and his friends were at the front door, and when Ryan caught sight of me, his eyes rounded, darkening.
“Whoa.” Pete actually took a step toward me. “You’re fucking hot, Mackenzie.”
Nick snorted and hit him in the arm. “Real smooth, Peepee.”
“Shut up—and what?” Pete gestured to me. “She is.”
“You have to say it in a nice way, a way that doesn’t make us think you’re creeping on Ryan’s girl.”
Pete looked from Ryan to me, his brows furrowing. “Um . . .”
Ryan only raised an eyebrow; his lips remained shut.
Pete’s face reddened, and he coughed. “Mackenzie, you are—”
I snorted, waving at him. “Please stop. We all look good. Let’s leave it at that.”
A satisfied smile settled on his face.
I looked at Nick and narrowed my eyes. “You, on the other hand . . .” He called me Ryan’s girl. I should correct him, but after a quick glance at Ryan, I didn’t want to. He was staring steadily at me, his eyes heated.
Yep. He was totally affecting me, and I coughed. “Are we ready?”
The guys took off out the front door.
Ryan held back till they were gone. Without saying a word, he took my hand. He threaded our fingers together as we headed after them, and I tried to ignore the little flutter in my chest.
Chapter Eleven
Red Solo cup in hand, rap music blaring, slight buzz started—I was there. And we’d been embraced as if none of us were losers. Hell yeah. We’d turned down a high school party to be at a college one.
I was damn right succeeding in life.
Willow would’ve been fucking green with jealousy.
A mean streak raced through my insides, causing my stomach to twist around. I raised my cup, looking at the sky from where I stood in some college dumbass’ backyard.
You up there, Wills? Or are you right next to me?
I hated her. She wasn’t supposed to be either of those places. She was supposed to be there, not me. She was supposed to be yelling at our parents, telling them they couldn’t send Robbie away. She was supposed to be stressing about school, making sure I got my locker number, and only she knew what else. I had no fucking clue.
It was Saturday night. I had one more day, and then I was going to the new school—just me. It wasn’t supposed to be just me.
She was my partner in crime. No matter how much she pissed me off, made my blood boil, annoyed the crap out of me, she was my other half.
“You okay?”
I didn’t know the girl who spoke to me, and maybe that was why I was honest. “I’m going crazy.”
She’d been passing by, empty cup in hand, but did a double take.
I waved her on, a nice fake smile on my face. “I’m good. You?”
“Oh.” Her head tilted to the side. I could’ve been a green alien, and she would’ve looked at me the same way. “Okay. Good then.” She edged away.
Run, little girl. Run from the crazy, pissed-off psycho drunk.
No, scratch that. I was the crazy, pissed-off psycho buzzed chick. The little buzz I’d had before faded on the drive there. I was playing catch-up. Two more beers, and I’d be in the drunk stage. And that was something I needed to address.
I swung around, looking to follow that girl, but Ryan was there. He grabbed my arms as I walked into him, and he took away my cup.
“No.” He tossed it to the side, turned me around, and began walking me away from the beer.
I pointed behind us. “I have to go that way.”
He shook his head, still walking behind me. “We’re going this way, away from the keg.”
I pointed again. “But the keg is that way.”
“Exactly.”
“I want to go toward the keg.”
“I don’t.”
I dug in my feet and crossed my arms over my chest. We were about to have a difference of opinion, but Ryan didn’t care. He kept pushing me ahead, and when I locked my legs in place, his arm wrapped around my waist, and he lifted me.
“Oooh!” I squeaked. I hadn’t been expecting that.
Two points for him.
He carried me until we were far away from everyone with some trees to our right, lawn to the left, and a creek crossing both. I ignored the full moon above us. I’d already looked up as I talked to Willow. The sky and anything else up there were cut off from my attention. She didn’t deserve it anymore.
“Sit.”
Ryan’s hand went to my shoulders as if he were going to push me down, but I shrugged off his touch and moved farther away. Wrapping my arms around myself, I warded off a chill that wasn’t in the air.
“Mac.”
I waved a hand at him. “I’m good. I won’t drink anymore.”
“That isn’t why I stopped you.”