With her shoes dangling from her fingers, she straightened. “Ick. Now I smell like beer. My mom is going to freak.”
“We’ll go by my house first and you can change into one of my tops,” Hayden offered.
“Thanks.” She hobbled outside, sucking in a sharp breath as her body hit the cold air. “Yeah. Wet sweater. Cold air. Not a fan.”
“Well, hurry up, then.” Sanjana grabbed her hand. Together they rushed to the car. Emmaline hopped into passenger seat, cursing the cold and vowing never to wear uncomfortable shoes again for any reason, no matter how good they looked.
Hayden stuck her key in the ignition. The car sputtered and choked, but nothing happened. She slapped the steering wheel. “It’s not starting.” She blew out a hard breath and glared straight ahead into the night. “Sorry. It happens sometimes.”
“So what do we do now?” Emmaline asked. “Call someone?”
“Who?”
“I guess we could call my brother,” Emmaline suggested. Nolan knew she was out with Hayden. She’d told him where she was going tonight. True to his word, he had not said one negative thing against it.
“Let’s not bother him,” Hayden quickly said.
“Okay. Who then?”
“Call Beau,” Sanjana chimed. “He’s kinda like your brother.”
Emmaline winced. Beau wasn’t like her brother at all, at least, she had never seen him that way, but she wasn’t going to argue that point. “Okay,” she agreed, fishing out her phone.
She pressed Beau’s contact and told herself she was calling him because he was a good friend, reliable and convenient. For no other reason than that. It took less than ten seconds for him to answer her call and agree to come.
They moved back inside the house to wait where it was warmer. Sanjana helped herself to another beer, drinking deeply out of the red Solo cup.
“Hey there! It’s my favorite Martin.” A hard hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around.
“DeVecchio!” Emmaline greeted her brother’s teammate.
He swept her into a hug. “Didn’t expect to see you at a party out of your zip code.” He pulled back and swept a glance over her. “Looking good, Martin.”
“Thanks,” she replied, resisting tugging at the collar of her sweater, for some reason feeling the need to cover up the cleavage she exposed.
His gaze drifted from her to Hayden. “Branching out, I see, Emmaline. Hanging out at new places . . . with new friends.”
“Yeah, Hayden is great.”
“Mmm.” He swept his hand over Emmaline’s hair in a long stroke. “This color is hot on you.”
Hayden lifted both eyebrows. Sanjana’s eyes rounded over the rim of her cup.
He was flirting with Emmaline. No doubt about that.
Emmaline fought the urge to pull away. She was here to get her flirt on. She shouldn’t shy away when an opportunity presented itself, and DeVecchio was cute.
“So, you’re like genius smart, right?” he asked.
“Well—”
“Yes, she is. We both are,” Sanjana inserted.
“I need a tutor. You tutor Algebra II?”
Emmaline nodded.
“Awesome. I really need to pass or Coach is going to have my ass. Want to meet up next week?”
“Sure.” They took out their phones and were in the process of swapping numbers when Beau found them.
“Hey.” Beau watched as they finished exchanging numbers, a slight frown turning down the corner of his mouth.
“Hey!” Emmaline’s chest swelled at the sight of him.
Even Hayden looked glad to see him. “That was quick.”
DeVecchio held out his fist to Beau in greeting. “Hey, Sanders. Didn’t know you were coming, man.”
“Yeah, hadn’t planned on it.” His gaze fixed on Emmaline.
The tightness in her chest only increased, which was silly. She wasn’t special. She called and he came because they were friends. He saw her as a sister. Of course he would come. His nose twitched and he leaned in, inhaling her. “Emmaline? Have you been drinking?”
“Not exactly.” She peeled her damp sweater away from her chest. “Just bumped into someone who was.”
“Ah.”
“Don’t worry.” Hayden smirked. “I’ve been taking care of her.”
Beau looked less than convinced. “I’m sure.”
“Come on. Let’s go.” Hayden turned and disappeared back through the crowded living room. They all followed her, weaving through the bodies until they emerged outside.
The air gusted out from Emmaline’s teeth in a visible cloud as she greeted the chilly night again. Beau glanced back at her, eyeing her up and down. “Cold?”
She nodded.
He motioned to the house. “Why don’t you wait inside?” His gaze flicked to Sanjana. “I’ll come and get both of you once we have the car running.”
“Okay, thanks.” She hastily stepped back inside the warm house. They stayed in the foyer, Sanjana finishing her beer and Emmaline people-watching.
“How long do you think it will take?” she asked Sanjana.
Her friend shrugged. “I know nothing of cars.” She set her cup down on a narrow table lined with framed photos. “I gotta go find a bathroom. Be right back.”
She watched as Sanjana slipped away into the crowd. A few moments ticked by and she found herself staring at Sanjana’s empty Solo cup on the table. Sanjana didn’t normally drink, but she’d had a few beers tonight. Hayden’s voice played in her mind. Always look out for yourself and your friends.
Yeah. Emmaline should have gone with her to the bathroom. She started in the direction Sanjana took, searching the bottom floor without any sign of her. The second floor yielded no results either. Emmaline knocked on bathroom doors and peered into bedrooms, annoying more than a few people, but she was starting to feel a little desperate as she searched for her friend.
Where did she go? Maybe Emmaline had somehow missed her and she’d returned to the car and was waiting there now?
Hoping that was the case, she ventured back downstairs, finally spotting Sanjana cornered by a guy.
“Sanjana,” she called out as she approached.
Sanjana peered over the guy’s colossal shoulder, her eyes wide. Not frightened exactly, but she was definitely in a state of astonishment. She was not one to be singled out.
“Hey, we’re ready to go.” It didn’t matter if the car was fixed or not. Emmaline was convinced she needed rescuing.
The guy turned halfway, not enough to let Sanjana pass, but just enough to settle his bleary half-lidded gaze on Emmaline. “She’s busy.”
His words were slightly slurred, pretty much confirming that he was wasted.
“Um, yeah. Well, I’m her ride, and we’re leaving.”
“I’ll bring her home when we’re done.”
When we’re done? Okay, that sounded ominous. And gross. He was gross.
“Um. That’s okay.” She reached around him and seized Sanjana’s hand. He definitely wasn’t driving her friend anywhere.
He still didn’t move. His big body was rooted like a tree.
She glanced around as though help might materialize. The party raged with no one paying them any particular attention. Emmaline looked back at him, staring him down with false confidence. “We’re going now.” She pulled on Sanjana’s hand, trying to tug her forward.