Chapter 3

People say that the only sober person can't have fun.

But on the contrary.

Being sober meant you were perfectly alert; you had the clear vision you need to master beer pong, you didn't let any dark secrets spill during a drinking version of Never Have I Ever and you were not drunk enough to hookup with random strangers.

If anything, being drunk wasn't fun. Some kids were smoking in the far corner of the backyard, two girls were helping their friend who seemed black out drunk to the car and people were doing body shots on the lounge chairs bordering the pool.

The inside party scene wasn't different others. Strobe lights were flashing across the walls, kegs of alcohol were strewn around in the kitchen and Hey Mama was playing so loud on the speakers, the floor was vibrating under my shoes.

I was swaying my hips with my arms dropped at my side as Garrett Barns guided my hips from side to side. He was the hot nerd type.

A curl of his brown hair was hanging down his forehead, his glasses were framing his chocolate eyes and freckles were dotting his facial features - especially his high cheekbones. Not to mention his six-pack. God bless the gym.

Shallow? Possibly. But I couldn't help but think he was hot. Dancing all night with him made me forget about Kayden and his slaves who worshipped him at his feet.

As promised, Olive never left my side. She danced next to me with a boy whose honey-dipped eyes contrasted to his dark skin. Sean knew she would never cheat on him.

Dancing with other guys to have a good time was something she was known to do, but that was just it. Dancing. She never let it go any further than that. She hadn't drunk too much, but she still looked tipsy because she weighed about ninety pounds and got drunk on two cups of beer.

By the time I plopped onto the couch, my limbs were sore and beads of sweat were taking over my forehead. My purse was still hanging across my body. Even someone with half a brain wouldn't leave their purse unattended at a house filled to the brim with possible criminals.

Someone could slip out a one hundred dollar bill or my ID, for all I knew. I fished for my phone to check the time and noticed it was nearing midnight.

My eyes scanned the room until they landed on Kayden. He was talking to a girl that I couldn't recognize under the dim lighting and from where I was sitting. Envy gripped its hands around my chest in a deadly grip watching him laugh and smile with her. That should be me he was mingling with and playfully punching his shoulder.

Olive cleared her throat as she threw herself on the empty spot next to me. Her hair was a frizzy mess, beads of sweat were rolling down her face and she reeked of alcohol. She sprawled her body out with her legs hanging over the edge of the couch and her arms stretching behind her. She pivoted her head to face me and a hopeful smile decorated her face.

"The verdict?"

I furrowed my brows. "Hm?"

She chuckled in amusement. "How did you like your first high school party?"

If she knew how much fun I really had tonight, it would never end. That would simply feed her ammunition to invite me to more of these parties, but this was my first and last one. Until she forced me to go to another one with her. No one could deny how convincing her puppy dog eyes were. Once upon a time, I was able to. Before today.

Before I could answer, she chuckled again and shook her head. Her attention was on Garrett who was leaning against the kitchen counter talking with his friend.

"Of course you had a great time. Why did I even ask? I saw the way you were dancing with Garrett." She swung her head to face me and winked, raking her manicured fingers through her hair.

"It was just a dance."

"Just a dance with his hands on your hips?"

"Oh, and you dancing with that hottie is just 'flirting'?" I said with air quotations on the last word. "What would Sean say if he saw you do that?"

It seemed like I flipped a switch when she narrowed her eyes to slits. "Touché."

She was right. It was more than just a dance. There was heat between us, I'd admit. I still had a major crush on Kayden though. What Garrett made me feel was just chemistry, for ten minutes as he left trails of kisses down my jaw. However, I wished it was Kayden.

He had a smile that made everyone in his path worship him. He had eyes that could easily be lost in and a laugh that you needed as your ringtone.

I crashed back down to Earth when Olive snapped her fingers in my face. Crinkles were by her eyes and a soft giggle left her lips. "I was asking you if you were over Hercules, but judging by the hearts in your eyes as you stare at him, you're still ogling over him?"

The plan was to deny it again, but we heard the front door swing open so hard, it banged against the wall. A smirk crawled across my face knowing that Derek was going to get busted and yelled at by his mom.

Too bad we didn't have any salty, buttery popcorn to stuff in our faces while we watched the scene unfold. That smirk was wiped right off my face. Cops raided the house, shouting for us all to freeze, but why the hell would they expect us to not move if we were caught drinking?

We were about to get arrested.

Oh shit!

This was why I preferred to stay home and watch Disney movies. There was nothing illegal about that.

As Olive tugged at my wrist and dragged me across the room, I heard a familiar voice yelling my name over the music, telling me to meet him at his house.

I almost tripped about three times on the way to her car and once actually fell against the long, paved driveway.

Olive quickly pulled me up and led me the rest of the way. Her tipsy figure stumbled to the driver's door and she slurred her words as she yelled for me to get into the car.

"What are you doing, dumbass?! You're too drunk!" Without giving her time to argue, I quickly helped her into the passenger seat and ran to the driver's side, just in time when a couple of cops started to approach the car.

I reversed out of the driveway and drove to Zach's house. Once I reached a stoplight, I sat back in my seat and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath until my breathing evened and my heartbeat slowed to normal.

"You have to admit. You're glad you let me drag you to that party." Olive was sprawled out in her seat, the moonlight offering a clear view of the sweat on her face. Watching her shoulders shake when she started to laugh, I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Before tonight, I never thought I would be brave enough to step out of my comfort zone. I always stayed home with takeout boxes scattered across the coffee table while Olive and the boys partied. They sent me pictures of them drinking and videos of drunks making an announcement on a table.

Dancing with a hot guy and feeling his lips on my shoulders was not on the agenda for tonight, but Olive helped me step out of my comfort zone. Forgetting about about my hopeless crush for a few hours was just what I needed and the cops raiding the party elicited adrenaline to surge through my veins. Olive was right. The feeling of adrenaline was thrilling. Addicting

"Okay, fine. You're right. That was the best night of my life." There went the rest of my senior year. Get ready for nine months of this.

A loud, victorious scream filtered into the small space of the car. She pumped her fists up and down in excitement and kicked the air in front of her. "That's why I'm your best friend. You can thank me later."

I sent a quick text to my parents - who were for sure home by now - telling them I was spending the night at Zach's before they sent the cops. There was no way I was gonna have another run-in with the police. If they recognized me, I was a dead girl walking.

-

We pulled into Zach's driveway and noticed that his car was nowhere in sight.

His parents gave me a key for emergencies. In case there was an earthquake and my parents weren't home, or someone was trying to break into my house and I needed to run out of there. None of us foresaw that the key would be used after a party where the cops showed up.

Their house was the same size as mine; there was a staircase against the wall on the right, an entry hall that opened right up when you walked in and their kitchen wasn't too big, but it was big enough to complete with cherry wood cabinets and a massive fridge.

After all the running, my limbs were more sore so I threw myself on their sectional couch and warmed up with a fuzzy blanket. Throwing my shoes off and on the floor, I massaged my poor heels which felt like a relief after dancing for hours.

"Finishing our conversation..." Olive claimed a seat next to me and tugged the rest of the blanket onto her lap. "All jokes aside, apart from his obvious good looks, what's gotten you attracted to Kayden?"

That was a broad question and I didn't feel like getting into it. My eyes were heavy and I needed the comfort of pajamas and my own bed. A refreshing sleep was required before having this conversation again.

"That's kind of a broad question, don't you think?"

She dipped her head to the side in agreement and responded by nodding her head. Her eyes burning into mine told me I was not getting out of this easily.

"He sees me as more of a sister. Greeting me with a pat on my back, ruffling my hair and teasing me about the same stuff you and Zach tease me about. I lost all hope. It's not gonna happen between us."

"Don't you think that's a mask he wears around you? Has it ever occured to you that he actually likes you, but doesn't think you feel the same way so he's considering your feelings?"

A part of me wished that was the case. In my fantasies, we were at his house, under the palm tree next to his driveway. He professed his love for me, which he'd had since the moment he set his eyes on me.

With that image fresh in my head, it didn't look realistic. Especially with fireworks in the background and random romantic music playing.

"Olly, I wish that were the case. It doesn't seem realistic. He doesn't like me back and I just have to accept it."

She pressed her lips together and bit her nails. She glanced back and forth between the door and me like she wanted to tell me a secret. However, she didn't want the boys to walk in on whatever it was.

Between her nervous biting and the glances at the door, I started to connect the dots. She started acting like this after I doubted Kayden's feelings for me.

Could that mean she knew something I didn't? Was this my fantasy come true? Had he been thinking about me as more than a sister this whole time? No, that was impossible. Your crush liking you back only happened in your imagination.

Or in your dreams.

Literally, I had a dream that he confessed his love to me.

Wait...

She gave me a weird look earlier and when I asked her about it, she waved it off and changed the subject. My eyes scanned her position up and down; from her now fiddling fingers to the way her leg was bouncing up and down. "When you were looking at me weirdly at the party, are you sure it was nothing?"

She started to wave me off, but I caught her wrist and stared into her eyes. Nerves were written in her eyes and she was wiping her other hand on her pants. She knew something about Kayden.

"Olive Rose Jennings."

She looked at me, her nails back under her teeth. That look alone, when her lips curled into a mischievous smirk, confirm everything. I wanted to bounce off the wall and squeeze Olive in my arms, but I heard Zach and Kayden come in through the door.

My heart dropped into a bottomless pit.

Under Kayden's arms was another girl. A supermodel. I'd seen her around school before. She was in my History class. Her name was Angela Morgan and she was one of the prettiest girls in school.

Her brunette hair reached her breasts, her round, blue eyes were scanning the house and her red acrylic nails were digging into Kayden's arm. Angela's black dress clung to her slim curves and showed off her tanned and long legs.

I felt like a loser compared to her. There was no question why Kayden picked her over me. A cheerleader. A future in modeling. I could never stand a chance.