Once the game is over, we start to clean up. I’m almost finished when Eli makes his approach, a cocky smile on his face when he stops directly in front of me. “You going to Tuttle’s? Or are you afraid, since you two used to be together or whatever?”
“Afraid? I’m not afraid.” Nothing like getting right to the point. “And yeah, I’m going to his party.”
Eli’s brows shoot up. “Seriously?” His voice squeaks a little and he clears his throat. It’s sort of cute.
“Seriously,” I deadpan. “I’m guessing you’ll be there?”
“Oh yeah.” He nods eagerly, his face lighting up. “I’ll see you there.”
“See ya,” I say to his retreating back. Smiling, I turn to find Kyla watching me with her arms crossed. My smile immediately fades. “What’s wrong?”
“Bouncing from one football player to the next isn’t the best idea,” she says, her voice dry.
Yikes. Who crowned her Queen Judgey McJudgey Pants? “There is absolutely nothing going on with me and Eli.”
“Right. That’s why he just high fived all of his friends after talking to you.”
I glance over to where Eli is standing with his circle of friends, and they are still giving him high fives. That’s sort of embarrassing. “I have no idea what that’s about.”
“I’m sure I can tell you all about it. I’m guessing some of the guys made a bet with Eli that he couldn’t get in your panties tonight. And I’m pretty positive Eli said he could. To make the bet even more interesting, they put a little money on it. Just to liven it up, you know?” The hostility in Kyla’s voice is cluing me in that something like this might’ve happened to her. And that’s just…awful. “Don’t fall for their shit, Amanda. You’ll only end up getting hurt.”
Before I can utter a word or ask her a question, she turns and walks away.
By the time we’re entering Tuttle’s house, the party has been going on for a while. The place is packed. In some weird almost twist of fate, at one point I was supposed to ride in the same car as Eli and go to the party with him, and I was freaking out over it with Liv.
But that didn’t happen. Liv took too long getting ready and one of Eli’s teammates stopped by the Bennett house and got him. Ryan eventually came by Liv’s place and picked us up. I’m starting to feel like a total third wheel in their relationship, but most of the time they act like they forget I’m even with them. Meaning, they say things to each other in front of me that are kind of embarrassing—and intimate.
Ugh.
I’m still trying my best to forget the over the top things Liv and Ryan said to each other as I make my way to the kitchen, where I know the booze is. I grab a beer can and crack it open, guzzling it down as fast as possible. I’m tired and stressed over everything I’ve been trying to do the last few weeks. Now I just want to get a good buzz on and forget my troubles for a little while.
“Don’t get drunk,” Livvy says as she wags a finger at me. She grabs a beer too. “This is for Ryan. I’m the sober driver tonight.”
“How responsible of you.”
“I’m trying to turn a new leaf. After the—” She lowers her voice to a loud whisper. “—pregnancy scare, I realized I’m the only one responsible for my own actions. So no babies, no DUIs and no getting into drunken car wrecks!” She clinks the unopened beer can against mine. “Gotta go find Ryan. I’ll catch up with you in a few, okay?”
She ditches me before I can say anything, which feels like a common theme tonight. And now I’m thinking about Kyla and what she told me earlier, how angry yet sad she seemed. Did some of the football players try to trick her? I can’t imagine it happening now. She seems so in charge and sure of herself. Maybe when she was younger, did one of them—or a bunch of them—take advantage of her?
God, I hope not.
“Hey, you.”
I turn to find Em standing there, with Brianne Brown on one side of her and Lauren Mancini on the other.
I hate my life sometimes.
“Hi Em.” I aim my smile at her, barely looking at the other girls. They’ve always been mean to me, so why would they change now? “How are you?”
“I’m okay.” She cocks out a hip and I take her in. She’s wearing a cropped baby blue T-shirt that shows off the flat expanse of her belly, and a low slung pleated black miniskirt. Her hair is sleek and tucked behind her ears, and her lips are this deep, glossy pink. She looks like the typical schoolgirl gone bad.
If Livvy were here right now, she’d be mocking her hardcore.
“What’s going on with you?” Em asks.
“Not with Jordan anymore, huh?” Lauren asks sweetly, her expression pure innocence.
I’m not falling for it. She’s a total snake, just waiting to sink her fangs into me. I ignore her question and focus on Em.
“Not much. Been super busy lately.”
“Right, have to keep those boys hydrated,” Lauren says. The matching smirks on Brianne’s and Lauren’s faces make me want to smack them both.
“I’m sorry we haven’t talked much,” Em says, and she actually sounds sincere. “I, uh, figured you didn’t want to, considering you took Liv’s side.”