Sherlock hasn’t done anything to make me so paranoid either, though, so I try to shake it off as we head toward Hunter’s front door.
It’s a lot easier once we’re no longer alone in the confines of his car.
What isn’t as easy is walking into this party in this skirt and not feeling self-conscious about it. I never wear clothes like these because I’m not comfortable in them.
I can’t believe I just listened to Sherlock when he told me how to dress—what the hell was I thinking?
It’s too late now. I’m here, my legs are here—we all just have to get through this.
We don’t have to stay for long, anyway, just long enough for Hunter to see us and get the wrong idea. Maybe then he’ll actually talk to me.
Though, it occurs to me as we pass a couple making out and groping each other in Hunter’s living room… I could end up seeing something I don’t want to see.
I wasn’t happy when Hunter was with Valerie, but now he’s completely single.
Sara’s words about some girl coming onto Hunter in the limo on the way to homecoming resurface.
If Hunter is single, girls are probably throwing themselves at him left and right.
If he’s sad because of me… maybe he’s taking them up on those offers.
Suddenly overwhelmed with an even stronger wave of foreboding than the ones I’ve already felt tonight, I look over at Sherlock. “I think this was a terrible idea. I’m not sure why I agreed to it in the first place. Honestly, I… I have no explanation. I think you short-circuited my brain or something, but I don’t feel right being here. Can we go?”
He shakes his head, lightly grabbing me around the waist and pulling me forward. “Not yet.”
I frown. “I don’t really need your permission.”
Rather than respond, he nods up ahead. “Your friend Sara’s here. Don’t you want to say hi to her?”
I guess I should say hi to Sara while I’m here. Things have been weird between us lately, but they would likely get much weirder if we avoided each other at a party.
“All right.”
Sherlock nods, offering me a smile I think he intends to be reassuring. “Go on. I’ll get you a drink.”
I open my mouth to object, but then I stop.
I’m only going to tell him not to get me a drink because Mom told me to, not because I don’t want one. I’m not a drinker, but I am thirsty. “Grab me something non-alcoholic, please. A bottled water or something like that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says with an irreverent salute, but even as he says it, I get the impression I’ll get whatever he decides to bring me.
Chapter Thirty Eight
Riley
When I approach Sara, she’s sitting alone on Hunter’s couch, gazing after Wally. A few feet away, he’s chatting up a long-haired blonde, smiling as she laughs at something he’s said.
When I look back at Sara, I see lines of tension on her face. She’s practically vibrating with nervous energy, sitting forward and watching with her hands folded on her lap.
“Hey.”
Her gaze jumps to me in surprise. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
“Sherlock brought me.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Wow, really?”
“It’s not a date or anything,” I say quickly.
Her eyebrows don’t drop at all. She looks over my outfit. “You sure? You’re definitely dressed for a date.”
I shake my head. “Definitely not a date.”
“Well, if you deny it twice in the span of four seconds, it must be true,” she says lightly.
My face flushes. I glance over at Wally, seeking a distraction. “So, how’s everything with you?” I look back at Sara. “Are you and Wally talking more, or…?”
“Yeah,” she says, her tone almost too pitchy to be believed. “We actually came together tonight. He gave me a ride.”
“Oh, wow. That’s cool.”
She offers a tempered smile. “Yeah.”
“So… have you guys been hanging out?”
“Yeah.”
I nod, waiting for her to go on. I know my friend has it in her to be boy crazy, especially where this particular boy is concerned, so I wait for her to expand.
When she doesn’t, my concern deepens. “You don’t seem as excited about that as I thought you would be.”
“It’s exciting,” she says defensively. “It’s just… it’s complicated, you know?”
“Not really.” I attempt a smile. “You haven’t been talking to me about it. Or anything else, really.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I get that.” I frown, hearing a hint of defensiveness in my own tone. “I’ve been busy, too.”
“Great,” she says, a tad shortly. “We’ve both been busy, so that’s why we haven’t talked about it.”
My frown deepens, and my concern with it. “Is everything okay, Sara?”
“Everything is fine,” she snaps. “God, stop asking.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I shoot her a look. “Clearly. Why would I have thought everything wasn’t fine when you’re acting so chill? Is it Wally? You’re watching him talk to that girl pretty hard.”
Her gaze snaps to me. “I am not keeping an eye on him.”
“I… didn’t say you were.”
“He’s not mine to keep an eye on. Yeah, we’ve spent some time together, but we’re keeping things casual right now. We haven’t labeled it, you know?”
She’s wound so tightly, I’m not sure where is safe to step. “And… you’re okay with that arrangement?”
“I have to be okay with that arrangement,” she says, a hint of misery coming through as she looks back over at him. “That’s what he wants. Right now,” she adds, more for herself than me.
“Sara,” I say, as gently as possible. “If you want different things, maybe—”
“Don’t,” she says, shaking her head and not looking at me. “Don’t ruin this for me.”
My heart sinks. “I’m not trying to ruin anything for you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Finally, her gaze returns to mine, but there’s something mean there I don’t like at all. “Look, we can’t all have Instagram models obsessed with us even when we push them away, okay? Some of us have to wait it out and see where things go. We have to wait to see if a guy actually even likes us. I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about that.”
I inhale sharply, her words slicing through me like serrated blades.
Guilt flashes across her face almost immediately, but it doesn’t make her words sting any less.
“Whoa. Am I interrupting something?”
I look back at Sherlock, standing there with two red Solo cups.
“No. We’re done here,” I tell him, eager to flee. I walk away without another word.
Sherlock is right on my heels. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Isn’t she your friend?” he asks, glancing back at Sara.