“Hey, Seth. I didn’t know if you were here or not. I’ve missed you!” Betsy Patterson threw her arms around my neck. “If you’re up to it, I’ve got some toys back at my place. You can do that thing you love to do to me.”
“No, I’m sorry, Betsy, I’m looking for someone.” I pushed her away.
Betsy crossed her arms. “I thought you and that girl broke up. She’s been hitting on Ben all night, so she apparently moved on.” She gestured across the room, and before I could get a good look, a little blonde head appeared in front of me.
“Hi, stranger! I brought you a shot.” I tried hard to remember her name as she handed me a drink, but everything was a blur.
I shook my head and gave it back to her. “You take it. I’m taking it easy tonight.”
She huffed as I walked away from her, but I kept going, pushing through the room and trying to listen over the noise for Avery.
I found her friend in the crowd, and that was a good sign. If Abi was still around, maybe she was too.
I spotted Britany, and she immediately turned her head and looked back at me with a big grin. I glanced over to see what she found so amusing and found Avery leaning against the wall, and Ben was right up on her. He had that stupid look on his face like he thought he was getting lucky, and while Avery looked less enthused, she wasn’t telling him to back off.
Was this some kind of game to her? She had told me how Ben upset her and that I should have taken up for her when he said those stupid things. But now she was willing to forgive and forget. I guessed I wasn’t the only one who she was willing to give a second chance to. But I wasn’t going to just sit back and watch her make a big mistake.
The crowd seemed to clear as if my anger was making me glow or something. It sure felt like it.
Avery’s eyes narrowed as I approached. She had a beer in her hand, and I immediately thought of her condition as I snatched it away.
“Hey!” she said. I braced for her to slap me again, knowing how bad it hurt before. But she dropped her hand instead. “You have no right.”
Ben backed up. “Hey, Seth. What’s going on, man?” He reached to shake my hand, but I looked down at it as if it were a pile of shit. I couldn’t stop thinking how that was the hand that he’d had on Avery.
“What’s going on here?” I looked at the keg and knew he had minded it earlier, which meant it was probably his night for keg duty. “You served her beer? She just got out of the hospital, dick!”
His eyes widened. “Oh, shit. I wasn’t thinking, man. I’m sorry. She’s been nursing it all night actually.” He held his hands up. “You know I’d never try anything with your girl, right? I was just looking out for her.” He turned and gave Avery a pleading look. “Right, Avery?”
“I don’t know. I thought you were kind of cute.” She put her arm around him. “I’m just having a little fun with my new friend.” She placed her other hand on his chest and stared me right in the eyes. She was teaching me a lesson I’d never forget. This was what I’d done to Layla, and now I knew how it felt.
“No, no, we’re just talking,” said Ben. “You know she’s not even my type. I mean, not that she’s not sexy. A lovely girl. What am I saying? You know she is, but all I’m saying is, I would never try to poach anyone from you, man.” He was so nervous if the music was lower, we might hear his knees knocking together.
I looked down my nose at him and puffed out my chest. “That’s not what I heard.” I just wanted to intimidate him.
“Well, you know how untrue rumors can be, right?”
“Yeah, I do.” I looked at Avery.
I noticed the crowd had quieted their chatter, and everyone was staring at me to see what would happen next.
Normally, I’d put someone’s fucking head through a window, but I had to behave, and I couldn’t let my temper get the best of me.
I put the beer down on the windowsill beside me and grabbed her hand. “Come on,” I said. “We need to go somewhere and talk.”
Avery pulled away. “I’m fine thanks. I’d rather not.”
“Dammit, Avery. Don’t do this.”
“Don’t do what? What you do?”
“We need to go somewhere and talk before we both make things worse.”
“Are you kidding me? As if it could get worse than this? You have no idea how mad I am at you.” She took off toward the kitchen.
I looked around the room at everyone who was getting an eyeful and saw Britany going in after her.
“Fuck,” I said. She was only going to make it worse.
I glared a Lizzy, who was on her friend’s heels and giving me a big shit-eating grin.
I hurried, catching up to her, stopping her before she could get in their way. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Me? I thought I’d go into the kitchen and get some popcorn for the show. Your little girlfriend has been all over that dork for the past hour, and I can’t tell you how amusing it is to watch Ben try so hard. Not to mention, it’s highly entertaining to see her fall, making a fool of herself just to piss you off, and, of course, the grand finale—when you fall for it.”
“Right. I’m glad my grief amuses you. You used to be a nice girl too. I guess I know where Britany gets her bitchiness.”
“Come on. Me and you used to have a lot of fun. We’re old friends. You know all about my
