“That’s so … weird,” I said.
Jennica shrugged. “She seems happy. It’s no big deal. It’s cool.” She paused awkwardly, cleared her throat, and added, “Anyways, let’s go.”
Without another word, she strode over to her mom’s old Corolla, yanked open the door, and got inside. She slammed the door behind her and didn’t look at me. It took me a second to snap myself out of it and join her. As soon as my door was shut, she started the car, threw it into reverse, and backed out of the driveway. She switched quickly to drive, cut the wheel sharply, and peeled out from the curb, like she couldn’t get away from her house fast enough.
chapter 9
The party was in full swing by the time we got there. I followed Jennica and Brian toward the house, feeling more nervous than I usually did. Even though I’d been to parties before with Jennica, I knew I didn’t belong. I didn’t drink. I didn’t have a boyfriend. I didn’t make out with random guys. And I didn’t really care whether people thought I was cool or not.
As we walked through the front door, we were blasted immediately by a wave of thumping bass turned up as loud as it could go. An old Kanye West song was throbbing from the speakers, and more people than should ever be crammed into any space were jostling and gyrating all over the Newells’ perfect living room.
Most of the girls were dressed skimpily and were laughing too loudly and swaying a little bit on their stiletto heels. The boys were talking in unnaturally booming voices, slapping one another on the back and shamelessly ogling the girls. And everyone was carrying big red plastic cups filled with what I guessed was beer. In fact, I saw several people sloshing it onto the carpet as they talked.
Jennica turned to me with a big smile. “Isn’t this awesome?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
“Um …,” I responded.
“Let’s go get some beer!” she said loudly, close to my ear so that I could hear her over the music.
“I don’t really want any!” I said back.
“What?” she shouted. I repeated myself, but she shook her head again. The music was too loud. I shrugged and followed her and Brian through the living room, out the French doors in the back. There was a line of about a dozen people waiting for beer while Scott Moore, who was in my English class, cheerfully pumped the keg handle. There was a couple kissing on the hanging swing near the house, and a stressed-out-looking senior girl, whose name I thought was Trish, was furiously texting on her phone while she chewed on her lower lip.
Jennica, Brian, and I got in line.
“Wassup?” Scott said as we got close to the keg. He grinned and handed us empty red cups. “Who’s first?”
Jennica filled up her cup. “Your turn!” Scott told me as she stepped away from the keg and took a sip of her beer.
I hesitated. I’d always been so against drinking. But wouldn’t it be nerdy to say no with a keg right in front of me?
Just then, I saw Sam come out of the house, scanning the yard. My jaw dropped. What was he doing here? At the same time, he caught sight of me, smiled, and waved. I ducked my head, immediately feeling guilty, like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Lacey?” Scott prompted, glancing at the growing line behind me. I snapped to attention and looked from him to the beer keg and back.
“Um, no thanks,” I mumbled.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m sure.” Brian filled up and then slipped an arm around Jennica’s waist.
“It’s freezing out here,” she said. I couldn’t help noticing that she wrinkled her nose a little bit every time she sipped, like the beer tasted bad. Why would you drink something you didn’t even like? “Can we go inside?” she asked.
I followed her and Brian back into the hot, loud, crowded living room. It felt like a sauna. A tall guy I didn’t recognize splashed beer on me as he walked by.
“C’mon, Lacey!” Jennica shouted over the music. “Dance with us!” She took another big sip of her beer.
I shook my head and glanced around the room. I never should have come.
Just then, Logan and Sydney walked by, both of them clutching beer cups. From the looks of it, they’d been here for a while. One side of Logan’s shirt was untucked, and his hair was a little messed up. I wondered how much he’d been drinking.
“Hey,” he said when he saw me. “What’s up?”
I could smell the beer on his breath. I shrugged. “Nothing.” I glanced pointedly at the cup in his hand. Logan shifted it to his other hand.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m with Jennica and Brian,” I said.
Logan’s eyes landed on my cup. “You’re drinking?” he asked incredulously.
I realized it must look like I was holding a beer I’d finished, rather than one I’d never started. “So what if I am?” I asked.
“You don’t drink,” he said flatly.
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t think you drank either,” I said.
“Yeah, well.” He paused. “Maybe you don’t know everything about me.”