by V. T. Do
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Mason said softly. I saw him look at me from the corner of my eyes, but I was still avoiding his gaze.
“I still think it’s a mistake,” Max said on a laugh.
“Man, just let it go.”
That caught my attention. “What’s a mistake?”
“Hmm? Oh, Mason is going out with one of the paralegals from his work. And when this blows up in his face, he’ll find himself scrambling to find new one. And he knows how hard it is to find someone competent enough for such a demanding role.”
So, Mason was going out with a woman he saw more of than he saw of me. She was obviously older and more mature. Probably had as much experience as he did, both sexually and in life. How could I compete? And what if this date went well? What if he fell in love with her? What could I do then? I wasn’t ready to lose Mason before we even began.
“Aren’t you going out with the marketing director from your company?”
Max looked at me then. They were obviously talking about Lauren. I knew it wasn’t anything serious, yet I had to stop the grimace from showing on my face. “Yeah, but she’s in a different department than me. It wouldn’t be so bad if things didn’t work out.” With the way he was talking, I didn’t think he much cared if things worked out between him and Lauren or not.
That was good news. Not only for Lizzie, but for me as well. I didn’t want Max to date someone who didn’t like me much.
Max turned to me then. “Hey, kiddo. What are you doing tonight?”
I wasn’t planning on doing anything. This was the first Saturday I had off in months, and only because Joe hired more people than he needed. I had planned on spending it with Mason and Max, but now Mason was going on a date, and staying at home no longer held its appeal.
“I think I’m going to hang out with Lizzie,” I said, getting up.
“Alright. Don’t stay out too late.”
I nodded and walked away. I didn’t look at Mason when I walked past him, and I didn’t turn around, even as I felt his eyes on me the whole way.
I hated how hurt I felt because of this. I hated the idea that he might kiss someone before the night was over even more. Or worse, take her to his bed.
I pulled my phone out and texted Lizzie, asking her what she was doing tonight.
She texted back pretty quickly, and I was surprised by what she told me what she wanted to do.
I only hesitated for a quick second before I texted back, saying I would pick her up.
Max was so not going to be happy with me.
“This might be the worst idea we’ve had yet,” I said when I pulled my car to the side of the road. Even from the distance, I could see the party was going strong.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to be fine. I’m not drinking tonight, so you can go all out if you want. I’ll take you home. And it won’t be like last time. Just make sure you don’t accept drinks from anyone. Oh, and that we’re always within sight of one another.”
“Right,” I replied, though even I could hear how unconvinced I sounded.
She smiled and pulled down the sun visor mirror so she could redo her red lipstick. Lizzie was dressed in a short black dress, black leather ankle boots, and a face full of makeup that looked like it must have taken her hours to do.
As for me, I still couldn’t do more than wear lipstick, so that was all I had on. But I did have my hair curled, which I counted as a huge step because I thought I looked decent enough for the party, and that didn’t freak me out as much as I thought it would.
I was wearing fitted blue jeans and a red blouse, and though it wasn’t like what Lizzie was wearing, it was still cute.
I felt cute.
Lizzie closed the mirror and turned to me, smiling. I smiled back. “You look happy tonight,” I said.
And that was true. She had been so down lately; I was glad to her smiling again.
“I think I just needed to figure something out. Accept things as they are and come up with a new plan for my life.”
“And have you? Figured things out, I mean.”
She nodded. “Yes, Olivia. I think I have.”
“Will you tell me?”
“Tomorrow,” she promised. “For tonight, I just need to be nothing more than a teenager without a care in the world. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s party. Yay!”
She snorted. “Really?”
“You’re right. If that sounded as weird as I felt saying it, then I shouldn’t say it anymore.”
“We obviously need to go out more.”
I crossed my arms, offended. “Hey, we get out plenty. We just don’t do things like this.”
She winked and opened the door. I followed after her.
The house party was a couple of houses away from where we parked. All the lights in the house were on, and I could hear the beat of the music from the car.
The closer we got, the louder the music got, and the more people there seemed to be. Most of the people there were football players. I think they had just won their homecoming game or something. Lizzie would probably know more about that than me, considering she was dating their star receiver.
I was instantly assaulted by the noise and the smell when we got inside. A whole bunch of college kids crammed into a single house was not a good idea, but everyone seemed to be having a good time, or at least was drunk enough to have the illusion of a good time.
And that was what I needed. Alcohol in my system to forget that Mason was out with another woman, going on an adult date, having adult conversation, and with an adult’s expectation at the end of the night.
I hated it.
I hated that I couldn’t get the image of Mason’s lips on another woman out of my head, even if she was nameless and faceless.
“Let’s go get something to drink,” I yelled to Lizzie over the noise.
She nodded and grabbed my hand, pushing herself through the crowd.
When we got to the makeshift bar in the kitchen, I was surprised to see Sam there.
He smiled. “Ladies. What are you having?”
I shrugged. “Anything.”
He handed me a beer, and I smiled in gratitude.
Lizzie refused hers, so he grabbed her a water instead.
“Don’t accept drinks from anyone else here, okay? And don’t leave your drink unattended. And if you run into any trouble, come find me. I’ll be close by.”
I smiled sweetly at him. “Thanks.”
“Of course. Now, I’m going to find some buddies of mine, but I’ll check up on you girls shortly.” He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Lizzie’s lips.
Lizzie stared at him as he walked away.
I playfully bumped my shoulder with hers. “I see things are going well.”
She nodded and smiled, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
I frowned. “What’s wrong? Did he do something to you?”
If he did, I would kill him. Or, I would get Max to. But I would definitely help him bury the body.
Lizzie relaxed. “No, he didn’t do anything. I promise. Everything is going fine. Now come on. Let’s go dance.”
I looked out the living room. “Where?”
“Anywhere,” she said, pulling me out of the kitchen. We found a little corner in the massive room, and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves surrounded by some of the theater kids. We danced in a circle around each other and, I had to admit, it was fun.
I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I was definitely better than Lizzie. But Lizzie didn’t care. She closed her eyes and swayed her hips to a Rhianna song, as if we were the only ones in the world. And even though she said things were fine, I had a gut feeling that something was really wrong with her.
Sam joined our group ten minutes later, grabbing Lizzie by her hips and pulling her into him. She opened her eyes briefly to look at him, and then she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He seemed to like that.
Lizzie d
idn’t show affection very often. So, I guess this had to mean things were okay with them.
I looked away and danced with the other girls around us. And I took a sip of my beer. It tasted bitter and I hated it, but I didn’t let that stop me from finishing the bottle because I could feel a nice little buzz, and the thought of Mason getting out of my reach didn’t seem so bad anymore. Things were going to be okay. They had to be.
I couldn’t remember if it was the sixth or seventh beer that finally did me in, but I was more than a little buzzed.
I was drunk.
I swayed on my feet and felt strong arms wrap around me from behind. “Whoa there, Olivia. How much have you had to drink?”
I shrugged, or at least, I tried to. Turning back, I found Sam’s frowning face. I ran my fingers between his eyebrows, trying to smooth out the wrinkle I found there. “You’re too young to have wrinkles,” I said.
His lips twitched in a small smile. “Uh, thanks?”
I didn’t think I was complimenting him, but okay.
“Oh, no. How did this happen?” Lizzie said in front of me.
I turned to her and smiled. She grimaced. “Max isn’t going to be happy. Like at all. Why did you drink so much, Olive? I know I said you can go all out, but you know I was mostly kidding.”
“Mason is on a date right now,” I slurred. “Probably having sex with her, too. I thought there was something between us. I was wrong.”
“Who’s Mason?” Sam asked.
Lizzie didn’t answer him. Instead she said, “We need to get her home.”
“You think that’s a good idea? Didn’t she said she live with her mom’s friend? Max? Would he be mad to find her like this?”
Lizzie looked at him sharply. “He wouldn’t hurt her if that’s what you’re thinking. He would never hurt her.”
I frowned at Sam, too. “Max is a good man,” I defended. Though I was probably doing a crappy job at it, considering my tongue felt so heavy inside my mouth, my words were coming out all gibberish.
“Can’t you take her home to your dorm?” Sam asked
“I can’t. I told Lindsey she could have the room tonight with her boyfriend. I was spending the night with you, remember?”
I looked up at Lizzie. But it was taking too much effort to hold my head up, so I looked back down again and said, “Is Lindsey nice to you? I’m sorry we couldn’t be roommates this year. I just didn’t want to leave Max, you know?”
And I suddenly wanted to cry.
Lizzie shook her head. “Yes, she’s nice to me, Olivia.” She must have caught the tears in my eyes, because she was talking to me like one would a child.
“She can spend the night with us, then.”
I shook my head. “I want to go home. Besides, Max is already in bed. It’ll be fine.” I was sure of it.
“Olivia,” Lizzie began, but I cut her off.
“It’s fine. I don’t want to spend the night in some stranger’s bed. I’m not that drunk.” It didn’t really help that I swayed on my feet a little.
Sam looked to Lizzie, as if to say it was her decision. She sighed. “Okay. We’ll sneak you back in. I think I’m going to stay with Olivia for the night. Is that okay?”
“Of course, baby. I’ll pick you up in the morning and we can go out for breakfast or something.”
She nodded and smiled at him.
“Time it is?” I asked. I shook my head. That didn’t come out right.
But Lizzie understood, because she pulled out her phone and cringed. “Not even midnight yet. You really went to town with the alcohol, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. Then Sam carried me up in his arms and I felt like I was going to hurl. I groaned.
“Uh, Olivia, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t get sick on me. Okay? Thanks.”
Lizzie laughed and I laid my head on his shoulder. He had nice shoulders. And he smelled nice, too. He was attractive and obviously smart. I could see why Lizzie liked him. Why couldn’t I like someone like him? Someone my age. Someone attainable. I curled in deeper to him, dreaming of haunting blue eyes.
We left my car at the party and took Sam’s car home. He drove us, and Lizzie sat in the back with me.
I must’ve drifted off a little, because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by someone.
“Do you want me to help carry her in?” Sam asked, his voice sounding too far away.
“No, it’s alright. I think I can manage from here. Thanks for making sure we got home safely.”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay, baby?”
She nodded and leaned toward his open window and kissed him. I made gagging noises and Lizzie pulled away, laughing.
“Yes, that is if Max doesn’t end up locking her away,” Lizzie said, loudly.
I shushed her. Max might hear her if she kept this up.
Lizzie helped me out the car, and I liked the cool breeze of the night hitting my face.
“Come on,” Lizzie said, half carrying, half dragging me to the front door. She used my keys to open the door and we walked into the darkened living room. Thank God Max wasn’t around.
“Shh,” I said. “We don’t want to wake Max up.” And then I giggled, and Lizzie placed a hand over my mouth.
“Dude, shut up,” she whispered, which only made me laugh harder.
We stumbled to the wall, and I took most of the impact. I groaned.
“Sorry,” she said.
“You don’t sound sorry.”
Even in the dark, I could tell she rolled her eyes at me, and we continued to walk inside the house. We passed the kitchen on our way to the stairwell, and in my drunken state, I didn’t give much thought to the shadow of a huge man sitting in the kitchen, but Lizzie did. She let out a squeal, pushed me back and turned on the light. I squinted against the sudden intrusion of the lights, my eyeballs feeling like they were bleeding internally.
I groaned, closed my eyes and shushed Lizzie again. “Do you want to wake Max up?”
“Uh, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem anymore.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because he’s already awake,” another voice answered and it wasn’t Lizzie’s. It wasn’t Max’s, either, but I could see that he was the shadow that startled Lizzie. He didn’t look happy. I looked out to the family room and found Mason sitting there.
“Oh, no, I’m in trouble,” I stage whispered to Lizzie.
Our eyes met, and it was as if all the tension evaporated, because Lizzie and I burst out laughing at the same time.
Mason and Max were not amused.
“I’m not going to ask. Not when you’re like this,” Max said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow morning. Both of you, go to bed.”
I pouted. “But I’m not sleepy.”
Max frowned harshly. I didn’t like the look on his face then, and I told him so. His left eyelid twitched.
Then he let out a sigh. “How drunk are you, Olivia?”
I was offended for drunk people everywhere. I didn’t know why I was offended, only that I was. Holding out a finger in front of my face, I ignored the fact that it shook slightly and said in my most posh voice. “Not drunk at all.”
Lizzie laughed beside me, and Max turned his attention to her. His eyes darkened a little when he took her in. “And you?”
“I didn’t have a drop of alcohol.”
He let out a tired sigh, and I walked over to him, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. He looked like he needed comfort then.
“At least one of you was thinking.”
Max’s eyes met mine and I gave him a toothy smile. His expression softened. I knew he couldn’t stay mad at me for long. “Go to bed,” he said, this time softer. “Well discuss this in the morning.”
“Okay. Night, Max”
“Night, kiddo.” He kissed my forehead. I turned and found Mason staring at me, with some unnamed emotions warring in his blue eyes. I looked down so I wouldn’
t lose it and cry. And even as drunk as I was, I knew I couldn’t let Max know the real reason I went to that party. Hell, I couldn’t even let Mason know, if I wanted my pride and dignity to stay intact.
But by the look in his eyes, he probably already knew. I grabbed Lizzie’s hand, and we slowly made our way to my bedroom. I brushed past Mason on the way, and he grabbed a hold of my hand, giving it a quick squeeze.
I ignored him and pulled away, stumbling slightly. Lizzie caught me and shot Mason a suspicious look. I guess we both weren’t Mason’s biggest fans right now.
I woke up in the middle of the night to an empty room and a pounding headache.
I knew Lizzie slept over, but she was no longer lying next to me. Usually, we would take out an air mattress for her, because Lizzie was a kicker in her sleep, and I got three too many bruised ribs from our sleepovers before we decided it would be best for her to sleep in a different bed.
She swore she didn’t kick in her sleep anymore, but I couldn’t take her word for it, because how would she know? It wasn’t like she was even aware that she had kicked me before. Not until I woke her up in the middle of the night, pissed off.
But since we didn’t plan on her staying over, we didn’t have time to prepare the air mattress. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was Lizzie climbing into bed with me. The space where she had been was warm.
And I could hear hushed whispers outside my door. I got up and moved closer to the crack. Lizzie and Max were standing there. His arms were crossed, and he looked serious. I moved back behind the door so they wouldn’t see me.
“Tell me the truth, Lizzie. How is she coping?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. She seems fine most of the time. But she’s so close-lipped about everything, I’m not really sure. I think she doesn’t want us to worry, so she’s not saying anything.”
“How can we not be worry about her? And tonight? Getting drunk for the first time?”
“How would you know this is the first time she got drunk?” There was a long silence, then Lizzie gave in and said, “Fine, it was her first time getting drunk.”