“I know,” Parker interrupted, thinking back to that night.
For hours leading up to it, she’d considered not going at all, but the temptation of getting Nolan back—really getting him back—was too great. She’d slipped into the party unseen, her hoodie up over her head. She’d found Julie instantly. “Ready for this?” she’d asked her, her smile wide.
Julie’s smile had been much more nervous. “I think so.”
They’d gone upstairs one by one. On the landing, Parker had looked down into the crowd, but no one was watching them—they were either texting, or chugging beers, or hooking up with someone. She remembered seeing Asher in the corner, flirting with a girl from Brillwood Prep, and Ursula, talking to a JV player. Julie’s friend Nyssa was making out with a basketball player while Julie’s wannabe clone, Ashley, was talking to the hot new guy from Australia. Parker had continued up the dark stairwell, downing a beer and dropping the cup on one of the risers.
The others joined her in the third-floor bathroom. A vase of fresh yellow asters sat on the vanity counter.
Mackenzie had looked at Caitlin. “You have it, right?”
Caitlin pulled out an orange prescription bottle with her name across the top. “Yep.”
“How much should we give him?” Ava asked.
“Just one,” Parker said knowingly, thinking back to what Nolan had done to her. “It’s strong, especially with booze.”
Caitlin shook one pill onto the counter and used the cap of the bottle to grind it into a powder. Julie handed her a cup of beer, and she brushed the powder in and stirred with her finger.
And then they turned off the lights. The cup passed from girl to girl: They each spat in it for good measure. Their voices mingled together. He deserves everything that’s coming to him. Everyone’s going to thank us for this.
They watched in silence from the balustrade as Ava took the cup and drifted downstairs. It took them a few minutes to pick Nolan out of the crowd—he was filling his beer at the keg.
Nolan seemed surprised to see Ava, but took the drink unquestioningly from her hand. “Hey there,” said Mackenzie in a whispery voice faux-narrating as Ava leaned forward to murmur in Nolan’s ear. “Having fun tonight?”
Then Mac switched to Nolan’s part, pitching her voice deep. “Now that you’re here I am. What’s this delicious drink you’ve brought me? So good! Glug glug glug.”
The other girls, Parker included, giggled. She held her breath as Nolan took his first sip.
“Tonight’s been awesome,” Mackenzie continued the joke. “I’ve already pantsed a freshman, poured beer all over a girl so I could see through her shirt, and pushed four of my so-called friends into the pool. Luckily I’m super rich and all these pathetic douche bags spend all their time pandering to my every need, so there are no repercussions to my totally asinine behavior.”
Below them, Ava touched his bicep, a coy smile playing across her lips. She knew how to keep a boy’s attention, that was for sure. It was a skill Parker used to have, too.
Suddenly, they were coming upstairs. The girls dodged back into the bathroom, closing the door except for a fraction of an inch. A moment later, Ava half escorted, half dragged Nolan past. He looked wasted already.
“I’ve missed you so much, baby,” she purred. They could hear him mumble something in response.
They all ran out into the hall. From there, through an open bedroom door, they could see Nolan lying on his bed, Ava standing over him.
At first he was pawing at her, but then his eyelids started to droop sleepily and his words began to slur. Parker recalled glancing over her shoulder nervously, hoping no one would come up the stairs and see this. All of them gathered to watch, and for a second, it seemed wrong, like they’d turned into bullies.
Then he noticed the others in the doorway. He picked them out one by one, saying something about each of them. Parker’s heart had hardened again. She was almost glad when his eyelids fluttered and he drifted off.
He’s fine, she’d heard one of their voices say. He passes out every weekend. Let’s get to work.
That had been when Mackenzie pulled the bright-colored Sharpies out of her bag. They each had taken a pen and crept closer. Caitlin had swept in first, drawing Not to be trusted across his forehead. Mackenzie had started to write LIAR, and Julie had written Monster.
“The police are going to question everyone at that party,” Ava broke in now. “What if someone saw us go up there with him? And, I mean, it’s not like we were careful. Our fingerprints were probably all over that bathroom and the beer he’d drunk. They could go back and collect everything for crime investigation.”