by Amanda Abram
“Everything looks amazing,” Dylan said, taking in the spread.
I could tell by the look on his face that he’d never quite seen something like this before. I also saw the same expression on Elijah’s face the first time I had him over for dinner. Lauren too.
“Well, dig in,” Mom said. “Help yourself to as much as you want. There’s more food in the kitchen.”
“Mom,” I said, “you know you don’t have to make this much food for five people, right?”
“Oh, hush.” She grabbed Dylan’s plate and piled on a few slices of pot roast. “Dylan, I hope you’re not a vegetarian. I should have thought to ask.”
“No, ma’am,” he replied. “I’m as far from vegetarian as one can get.”
Mom beamed as she handed his plate back to him. “Good to hear. We’re a meat and potatoes household.”
“Except for me,” Caitlyn piped up.
“Oh, that’s right,” Mom said. “Caitlyn’s going through a vegetarian phase right now.”
“It’s not a phase, Mom. I’m never eating meat again. Do you know what kind of abuse animals go through before being slaughtered simply for our consumption? And did you know, a lot of the meat ends up going to waste because it doesn’t sell in the stores? Which means those animals died for nothing. Nothing!”
Dylan covered his mouth with his hand and coughed, but I knew better. He was trying not to openly laugh at Caitlyn’s anti-meat outburst.
For the duration of the dinner, we sat around making small talk as we ate. Mom and Dad asked Dylan basic get-to-know-you questions that made it feel like he was my new boyfriend, not my school project partner. But he seemed to be enjoying himself, despite my family being somewhat overbearing. When my parents weren’t asking him questions, Caitlyn was telling him all about herself—her hobbies, her favorite animals, her favorite subjects in school. By the time dinner was over, he looked exhausted and ready to leave.
“Sorry about all this,” I said as I walked him to the front door.
“Sorry for what?” he asked, pulling on his jacket. “Your family’s nice, and your Mom’s a great cook. Are they looking to adopt?”
I laughed and opened the door. “I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”
He was about to walk out of the house when my mom rushed over to us, a stack of plastic containers in her hand.
“Wait!” she said, thrusting them toward Dylan. “I packed you some leftovers. You can either keep the containers or give them back. Doesn’t matter.”
Dylan smiled as he took them from her. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Briggs. And thanks again for having me over.”
“Not a problem.” She returned his smile. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”
“For sure,” Dylan said with a nod.
I glanced back and forth between them in confusion. Why would we do this again sometime? Dylan wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t even technically my friend.
Caitlyn suddenly appeared next to Mom. “Bye, Dylan!” she exclaimed with an emphatic wave.
“Bye, Caitlyn with a C,” Dylan said, waving back.
After saying goodbye to both my parents and me, Dylan finally left. As soon as the door was closed behind him, I let out a sigh of relief.
“What a nice boy,” Mom commented to my dad as they made their way back to the kitchen.
“Why couldn’t he be younger?” Caitlyn lamented.
“Oh no,” I said. “You don’t have a crush on him, do you?”
“Of course, I do! He’s so cute and nice! How do you not have a crush on him?”
“I have a boyfriend, remember?”
But she wasn’t paying attention. She was too busy staring dreamily at the closed door, as if she could still see Dylan through it as he got in his car and left.
“Don’t get used to him coming over,” I warned her. “After this class project is over, you’ll never see him again.”
That snapped her out of her daze. “Oh. Well, at least I’ll still have Elijah,” she said, taking off up the stairs.
Yes, she’d still have Elijah. Hopefully, I would too.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I stared down at my phone at the twentieth Snapchat Lauren had sent me since she’d arrived at Tiana’s party a couple hours ago. In this one, using a filter that gave her cat ears, she was frowning at the camera and pretending to wipe tears away from her eyes. The caption read, it’s just not a party without u.
I smiled and put my phone back in my pocket.
There were only a couple of hours left in my shift at work, and I hated to admit I was kind of bummed that everyone else was at this party but me. But Lauren had been doing a great job keeping me in the loop all night, sending picture after picture of everything that was going on. It was almost as good as being there. Almost.
“Your phone’s been lighting up like crazy all night,” Jade said, joining me at the counter. “What’s going on?”
“Just a party. Lauren’s been Snapchatting me, so I don’t miss anything.”
“A party, huh?” Jade grabbed a towel and walked over to an empty table to wipe it down. “Why don’t you go?”
“Because I’m working.” I motioned to my apron.
“Not anymore you’re not.” She returned to the counter and took my hat off my head.
I stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “My shift doesn’t end for another two hours.”
“No, your shift ends now. Business has been slow tonight. I think Marie and I can handle it. Right, Marie?”
Marie was an older woman who worked there full-time. Besides Jade, she was my favorite co-worker. “Absolutely,” she agreed.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not even all that upset about not going.”
Jade placed her hands on her hips. “Is your boyfriend there?”
I nodded.
“Then get your butt to that party. That’s an order. Leave right now, or you’re fired.”
She began pushing me away from the counter. Laughing, I took off my apron and handed it to her. “Fine, I’ll go. But only because you’re making me.”
Jade grinned. “I’m just trying to help you out, kid. I remember what it was like to be a teenager. Enjoy it while you can.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a quick hug and said goodbye to both her and Marie before rushing out the door.
On the way to my parents’ Camry they’d let me borrow for the evening, I texted my mom to let her know Jade was letting me out of work early and that I would be hanging out with Lauren for the rest of the night. She quickly texted me back with her approval and a reminder to be home before midnight.
I arrived at Tiana’s house about fifteen minutes later. After parking on the next street over with all the other late arrivers, I followed the sound of booming bass to her front door. I was severely underdressed in a simple sweater and jeans, but I didn’t care. The party had been going for a couple of hours already, meaning most people would be way too drunk to even notice my attire.
It took me a couple minutes to find Lauren, and when I did, she was busy grinding against the party hostess herself in the living room.
“Cassie!” she exclaimed when she saw me. She left Tiana and rushed over to me, throwing her arms around my neck. “You came!”
“I did,” I said, prying her off me. She was all sweaty and reeked of alcohol. “Have you been drinking?” That wasn’t like Lauren. She never drank at parties. Not because she was against it but because she just didn’t like the taste of it.
“No. A couple of jerks earlier were shaking up cans of beer and then spraying each other with them. I got caught in the crossfire.”
I snickered. “That sucks. Hey, have you seen Elijah?”
She took a quick glance around the room. “Not for a while, no. Last I saw him, he was playing pool with a few guys in the basement.”
“Okay. I’m going to go look for him.”
“I’ll go with you.” Lauren moved to follow me, but a hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling
her in the opposite direction.
“We have to finish our dance!” Tiana yelled to her over the music. Noticing me standing there, she smiled. “Hey, Cassie! You can have her back in a minute!”
“No problem. I’m going downstairs, anyway.” I waved to Lauren, who waved back before continuing right where she’d left off with her dance.
With a chuckle, I turned and began pushing my way through the crowd. The basement door was just entering my line of sight when somebody shoved into me from behind, sending me flying into the arms of someone tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered.
“Sorry!” I said before even looking up to see who I’d bumped into.
“Cass?”
I pulled back to see Dylan staring down at me in surprise.
“Oh, hey,” I said.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had to work tonight.”
“I did, but Jade let me go early when she found out there was a party going on.”
“Oh. Cool boss.”
He smiled, I smiled, and then I realized he still had his arms around me, the palms of his hands pressed flat against my back.
“Have you seen Elijah?” I asked him, quickly backing out of his embrace.
“No, not since our game of pool,” he replied. “Want me to help you find him?”
“Yeah, sure. If you don’t mind.”
Dylan smiled. “I don’t mind at all.” Grabbing my wrist, he began to pull me through the crowd in search of my boyfriend.
When we found no trace of him after combing the whole house, I began to worry. Not just because I hadn’t seen him yet, but because I hadn’t seen Hannah, either.
Calm down, I told myself as my heart rate began to pick up. You’re about to overreact. Don’t overreact. Dylan will make fun of you, and then you will feel like an idiot when you find out Elijah was just in the bathroom or something stupid like that.
Trying to take my own advice, I took a few deep breaths to slow my pulse.
“Yo, Nick!” Dylan called out to one of his and Elijah’s buddies. “Do you know where Elijah is?”
Nick pulled at his blond hair as if trying to physically extract the answer from his skull. “Um, I think I saw him a while ago. Yeah. He went outside. With Hannah, I think? I haven’t seen him since then, though.”
My whole body filled with dread.
“Cass.” Dylan’s firm voice interrupted my internal freak-out session. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned down to look me in the eyes. “I know what you’re thinking, but don’t, okay?”
I wasn’t listening to him. So, what? Elijah had gone outside. Maybe Hannah had too. Big deal. Maybe they didn’t even go out together. Maybe they hadn’t even gone out at all. Maybe Nick had had one too many drinks and had no idea what he was talking about.
But, if he had seen them go outside together, where would they have gone? And why?
Stepping away from Dylan, I hurried through the crowd, pushing and shoving anyone who got in my way. When I made it to the front door, I yanked it open and ran outside.
I searched the yard’s perimeter first, but they were nowhere in sight. There weren’t many kids hanging out there at all, since the temperature was below freezing. So that left only one logical place outside for them to be. Somewhere they could stay warm.
I started up the street, glancing at each car parked along the sidewalk, looking for Elijah’s car. Or Hannah’s car.
“Cass!”
I heard Dylan call out my name and within seconds, he was next to me. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for Elijah,” I replied, picking up my speed.
“Cass, you don’t actually think Elijah and Hannah are out here together, do you?”
I did, and he knew that.
“Even if they are, you don’t think they’re—”
I placed a hand over his mouth to silence him, as I spotted Elijah’s car up ahead.
Dylan’s gaze followed mine and when it landed on Elijah’s car, he reached up and removed my hand.
From where we were standing, it looked like there were two people inside. Not in the front seat, but the backseat. But maybe it was just a trick the streetlight was playing on me.
“Cass,” Dylan said again, his voice low. A warning.
I began to move. It took me only a few short seconds to reach the car. When I was only a few feet away, it was obvious the streetlight had nothing to do with what I thought I saw.
There were two people in the backseat.
Kissing.
I couldn’t move. Part of me was trying to convince myself that the two people in Elijah’s car were just random partygoers who had simply found an unlocked vehicle to fool around in because all the bedrooms at the party were occupied. But that part of me also knew better.
Tears sprang to my eyes as Dylan was suddenly beside me. Just like I had, he froze, staring at the scene in front of us.
But that lasted only a brief second before he took a step forward and slammed his palms against the hood of Elijah’s car.
Inside, Elijah and Hannah broke apart, startled by the sound. At first, they seemed stunned that somebody had interrupted them, but then they both peered out the window to see who was outside, and both of their faces fell.
I saw Elijah’s jaw drop before mouthing, “Cassie.”
He exited the car. “Cassie.” His voice sounded strained. Like he was upset.
He was upset?
“What the hell, Elijah?” Dylan bellowed.
But Elijah ignored him. In an instant, he was in front of me, grabbing onto me. “Cassie, it’s not what it looks like.”
I blinked at him, causing the welled-up tears to spill over.
“I’ve had too much to drink. We’ve had too much to drink.” He motioned between himself and Hannah. She had just exited the car and was now standing next to Elijah, arms crossing tightly over her chest, staring down at the ground with a look of pure guilt on her face.
“We were just talking,” he continued. “I swear, it’s not…” He ran a hand down his face. “Cassie, I—”
“Stop.” I shook my head back and forth. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Please, Cassie.” His voice was pleading. “Please hear me out. Can we go somewhere to talk?”
To talk? Evidently, in Elijah’s world, talking led to making out. And I really didn’t feel like making out with him right now.
Or ever again.
He stepped forward and reached for me, but I swatted his hands away.
“Don’t touch me.” I backed away from him and Hannah. “I have to go.”
Turning on my heel, I broke into a run and ran as fast as I could in the direction of my car. I couldn’t leave this party fast enough.
I wished I had never come in the first place.
I was vaguely aware of someone following me as I pushed forward, tears streaming down my face. I could hear the footsteps jogging behind me, but something told me they didn’t belong to either Elijah or Hannah.
And I was right. As soon as I got to my car and began fumbling with the keys, a hand clamped down over mine.
“Cass.”
Dylan had followed me. Not Elijah—my boyfriend—but his best friend. The best friend who somehow seemed just as angry about the whole thing as I did.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his voice etched with concern.
I should have appreciated the fact he followed me to make sure I was okay. But I wasn’t in my right state of mind, so instead, I pushed him away, causing him to stumble backward slightly.
“You said you didn’t know anything!”
He stared at me in confusion. “What?”
“The other day. At my house. When you were trying to talk me out of sleeping with Elijah. You knew, didn’t you? You knew he was cheating on me!”
Dylan held his hands up in defense. “Whoa. Cass, I swear I didn’t know anything. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to believe anything,” I sobbed as I finally m
anaged to unlock the door. I quickly got inside the car and started it.
Dylan banged on the window next to me. “Are you going to be okay to drive?” he asked through the glass.
“I’ll be fine,” I lied. Putting the car in drive, I hoped for Dylan’s sake that he’d back away from the vehicle before I decided to step on the gas.
But I kept my foot on the brake as I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel and let out another sob.
My fear this whole time had been that Elijah would dump me for Hannah, but instead, he cheated on me. What if I hadn’t shown up at the party? How far would they have gone in his car? And would he have told me about it, or would they have just started sneaking around behind my back? Had they already been sneaking around behind my back? And if so, for how long?
Gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, I forced myself to stop crying. Now was not the time to be sad.
I sat back in my seat and took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out.
It’s okay, Cassie, you’re going to be okay. You don’t need Elijah. Just go home and go to bed and forget all about this. Forget about him.
By the time I pulled away from the curb, Dylan was nowhere in sight and I was thankful for that. I didn’t want to be around anyone right now. I also didn’t want anyone’s pity, either. I just wanted to go home and scream into my pillow.
I drove home in silence, a little faster than I should have. I tried focusing on what was in front of me instead of what was now behind me. Like my relationship with Elijah, which was now officially over.
When I arrived home less than ten minutes later, I felt sick to my stomach. All I could think about was Elijah kissing Hannah. Hannah kissing Elijah. And the fact that it was far from chaste kissing. They were working toward something. Something I hadn’t yet done with Elijah. Something they had already done together many times before.
Climbing out of the car, I slammed the door shut and jumped when another car pulled into my driveway behind me.