“You good?” I asked.
“Never better,” she quipped.
“You don’t sound like it. What’s up?”
“Same old BS, different day.”
“Jake?”
Her face said it all. “All he can do is fawn all over blondie.”
“I can see that.” He and Eva were all but screwing on the dance floor.
“And no one else is giving me the time of day.” She shrugged.
Reese and Jaime entered the kitchen, interrupting us. “Tequila!” Reese said. “Pour me a shot.”
“Shots all around!” Jaime said.
Mary lined up four more.
“May all your ups and downs be between the sheets,” toasted Reese, holding his glass toward the rest of us.
Jaime rolled her eyes. “That is so stupid, honey.”
Reese sneered when she turned away. We drank our shots and lined up the glasses again, following the ritual once more before I begged off to rejoin Pete.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
“Drinking tequila with Mary in the kitchen.” The telltale beginning to Parliament’s “Flashlight”—a perfect dance song—began. “Dance with me. Please?”
He made a tortured face. “No can do. I can’t support Parliament. This is a democracy after all.”
“I’ll dance with you,” Steve said. “If your old man doesn’t mind.”
“Just keep your hands to yourself, Connor, and everything will be jake.”
I beamed, gave my boyfriend a quick kiss, and Steve and I went off to join the sweaty crowd. In no time, I gyrated to the music in sheer bliss. Bodies were meant to do this, and Steve held his own, making the experience even better.
When the song ended, I grabbed his arm. “One more?”
“At least,” he said with a grin.
We waited while someone fumbled with the stereo.
“How’s it going with Jaime?”
He smiled knowingly. “She thinks she’s in love with Reese, but we all know that’s going to end badly.”
“And when it does, you’ll be there to pick up the pieces?”
“That’s the plan.”
“She might be pretty messed up from the whole thing.”
“C’mon Anna, don’t you think I’m studly enough to bring her around?”
I laughed. “Of course. I didn’t mean to imply your studliness isn’t enough to make all girls swoon. What was I thinking?”
“Obviously a lapse on your part.” He winked.
“How about dating someone else in the meantime? You’re awfully young to be carrying a torch, aren’t you?” Not to mention, good-looking.
“It might be time to make some moves.”
“How about Sabrina? I saw you dancing with her earlier.”
“She’s fine as hell, but she’s got nothing upstairs.”
“One hundred percent airhead. Plus, you’d never get her pants off.”
Steve laughed. “You have to admit, it would be fun to try.”
The music started up again, and we lost ourselves to the beat.
Pete had me on the countertop in Manny’s bathroom, where my legs encircled his waist. Not the most romantic venue, but our options were limited lately. He kissed my neck and gently sucked on it.
I jerked away. “Don’t even think of giving me a hickey!”
He grinned. “I love that neck.”
“Kiss it all you want, just keep your bloodsucking intentions to yourself. My dad’s already a crazy person—a hickey will put him over the edge.”
He continued his focus, tickling me when he neared my ear, but when his hand rubbed between my legs, I moaned.
“Take these off,” he said, yanking on my jeans. I quickly shed my pants and soaked underwear. He propped me back on the counter and slid into me.
Someone banged on the door, and Pete yelled an obscenity before thrusting into me again and sending shock waves of pleasure through my body. I clung to him as he came a few minutes later. We dressed in haste and exited the bathroom, passing a line of gawkers down the hall.
All too soon, Pete drove me home while I sulked the whole way. He planned to return to the party, which bummed me out. I hated being the only one with an early curfew and strict parents. Once home, my father met me at the door and sniffed the air around me for signs of wrongdoing. I had eaten four breath mints and avoided getting drunk to keep me in the clear. Once I passed his test, I trudged off to my room and flopped on my bed, irritated about missing out on the fun still raging. At least I had tomorrow night to look forward to. There were more parties, and I was spending the night at Mary’s, which meant a later curfew.
Saturday night, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy asked the typical parental questions over dinner. Was I happy to be out of school? Were Pete and I still dating? What was I doing with my summer vacation? I could see Mary rolling her eyes, but it didn’t bother me. I liked her parents.
Three parties waited for us, and Pete and I planned to rendezvous at the first one. Mary and I took our time getting ready, making sure our hair and outfits were on point.
In the car, she whipped out some pink capsules. “Take one.”
“What are they?” I’d never taken any pills before.
“My mom’s muscle relaxers. They’re like aspirin, but they make you feel mellow.”
“Are you sure? Isn’t mixing pills and booze is a bad idea?”
“Trust me. I’ve popped these suckers all year.”
I shrugged, took one and swallowed it down dry. “Here’s to nothing.”
Ten minutes later, we arrived at Nate Johnson’s house. We could tell the party sucked by the lack of cars. We went inside and confirmed our suspicions. Twenty unknown people, at most—stoners by my appraisal—stood around while rock music blared.
“This is dead,” said Mary. “Let’s book.”
I hesitated. “I’m supposed to meet Pete here.”
“As soon as he realizes it’s not happening, he’ll find us at the next one. I’m sure of it.”
I vacillated. “I don’t know, Mar.”
“Mellow out. I’m not staying at this
