One thing was clear: Zachariah and I made kick-ass beer pong partners.

"I almost feel bad about beating them."

"No you don't," he laughed.

"I said almost."

Emmie and Zachariah embraced like long-lost lovers that hadn't seen each other in months. They were cute together. Even without physical gestures, she understood the message I telepathically tried to send because she smiled and snuggled closer into his chest.

After losing spectacularly, Jem stalked to our side of the table looking as angry and threatening as a newborn puppy wearing a Christmas sweater. I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not enough to vomit on my shoes. You also have to rub salt in the wound by demolishing me in beer pong," Calum grumbled.

Zachariah shifted the two of them in our direction. "When did you vomit on his shoes?"

"In the Don Quijote parking lot last year." Calum turned to me with a look of determination. I couldn't completely fault him for that. It was the kind of pettiness I would resort to, and he deserved to lodge it at me after that accident.

"I thought we agreed to move on from this? We do not need to relive my humiliation."

"That was before you wrecked my shit in beer pong."

I flicked my hair over my shoulder. I might burn under any spotlight but I appreciated a flair for the dramatics. "You should've picked me as your partner. That's your loss."

Calum nearly had a conniption while he pointed accusingly at Zachariah. "I was going to but this douche snatched you up first."

He crossed his arms and planted his butt down against the table—an actual child.

Zachariah untangled himself from Emmie and pulled the two of them closer into the conversation. "It's not my fault you couldn't tell she was good at pong. It's always the least interested ones that kick ass."

"Yeah, whatever."

Jem finally spoke up and her voice came out soft as she stared down at her feet. "Sorry, Cal. I kind of sucked."

I quickly pulled her toward me and snuggled her into my chest. "No, you're an angel queen. I'm bestowing upon you the honor of beer pong MVP."

Calum rolled his eyes.

Emmie and Zachariah leaned in close to each other, whispering secrets back and forth. They'd endured a long enough time socializing with the rest of us when it was clear all they wanted was to be wrapped up in each other. It wasn't a surprise when they announced they were going to wander off alone, and the three of us bid them a temporary farewell.

Since our game had finished, another group hovered around the table and the three of us that remained took off so they could make use of it.

"How long have you two been friends?" I asked as we started toward the beach again, closer to the shoreline where it was quieter. Individual clusters of partygoers made their way around the beach, mimicking the stars twinkling above us.

"Since high school. I was a junior, he was a sophomore."

"Are you guys best friends?"

"We don't hang out all the time but we see each other every few weeks or so. He's one of those friends I don't really feel like I need to constantly keep up with, you know? We just kind of pick up where we left off," Calum answered.

"I feel like that's how I am with my friends." Looking out at the water, I briefly flickered through memories of friendships still ongoing and those that came to pass. Sometimes I regret how many fit into the latter, but they are often inevitable changes that come with the territory of growing up. No point crying over spilled milk. "I get so exhausted being around people all the time. Even people I love."

Calum chuckled as he dragged his fingers around, building mounds of sand and crashing them back down. "That's how Zach is. He'll drop off the face of the planet and pop back up again when he's ready to be around people."

Jem, who was lying down on her side with her head in my lap, nuzzled into me. Even with her eyes closed, the subtle movements and occasional lick of her lips told me she was following along with our conversation.

"Alex does that all the time. Even when I really want to see her."

I laughed under my breath and softly replied, "Sorry, babe. It's nothing personal."

"It's okay." She smiled with her eyes closed, her breath coming out in small puffs of air. "I know that's just you being you. You're always there when I need you."

Calum glanced back and forth between the two of us with a small smile on his face. "You three seem close."

"We've been through a lot," I explained.

"You should hold onto that." He nodded his head. "The older you get, the more you grow apart from people. Especially the ones you knew from high school. Life kind of comes in and sweeps you away from everything."

I scoffed, "No kidding. I feel like I grow apart from more and more people every year. And it sucks 'cause you ask yourself if it's because life got in the way or, more often than not, you feel like maybe there's something wrong with you."

Jem looked up at me with her angelic face; a beacon of light on even the darkest of nights. "Promise me we'll never grow apart, Alex. I don't want to lose you."

I was ready to confirm that no such thing could ever happen between us when something off in the distance caught my eyes. Call it a coincidence that I looked over at that moment or just a woman's intuition, but I spotted Heather surrounded by a group of guys, and even from a distance, it was clear none of them were in the right state of mind.

My mind went into overdrive before I had time to process it. Calum didn't hesitate to grab Jem's languid body when I guided her over. After standing up and briefly dusting sand off my palms, I went straight for the group.

"Heather," I said once I was a few feet away.

She barely registered my words but my voice hit the right key because she looked up with blurry eyes. The vulnerable sight alone made me sick to my stomach, and I instantly regretted not checking on her earlier. I didn't leave any woman behind, no matter how much I disliked her.

"Hey, Alex," she slurred. "Guess you didn't sneak away from us after all."

I moved to grab her arm but one of the guys' shot out in front of me, blocking me from pulling her to safety. I aimed a hard stare in his direction.

"Don't be a buzzkill," he said. His eyes were possessive and it scared me—I certainly had the goosebumps to prove it—but I stood my ground. "We're just hanging out."

The fact that I hadn't said anything beyond her name and got that response was all I needed to know. They were up to no good and I wasn't leaving without her.

"Heather, let's go find Emmie, okay?"

"Go where?" Second by second, she sounded more out of it and it made me flinch.

"You're spending the night at her house, remember?"

She thrashed her head around. "What if I don't wanna go home? I wanna stay."

"You heard her," one of the other guys interjected from the background. As tempting as it was to vocalize my doubt over his relevance in this conversation, I didn't want to antagonize any of them further. I wasn't sure what kind of response I would receive in return. "She wants to stay. Leave her be."

Lacking any patience, I reached past and gripped her arm steadfastly. I looked up at who'd been holding most of her weight and he stared back with hard determination. It felt like minutes passed locked in a battle of glares, daring the other to make the next move.

It wasn't until the guy standing closest to me stepped away that I realized someone else had joined us. Zachariah didn't look at me after placing a hand on my shoulder to alert me of his presence. He kept his attention on the guy holding Heather, and leveled him with a stare that could cut through stone.

"She's coming with us."

The man immediately released and Heather tumbled into my arms like a ragdoll. I took a step back to keep my balance, but once I'd righted myself, I looked to Zachariah for guidance. Doing the right thing wasn't always easy and I had quickly run out of steam.

"Don't ever put your hands on her again." Zachariah knew how to issue a threat. His voice was deep and rough, and even I felt it deep in my bones.

I hated that it took another man to intervene for them to let her go, but I was thankful for Zachariah's help. When we walked back to the rest of our group, he kept his hand on the small of my back while holding Heather up. Emmie came flying in our direction as soon as we were in reach and checked for any visible signs of distress or harm on her friend.

"You should take her home," I told her. "She needs something besides alcohol in her system. And some rest."

Emmie didn't question it and patted her pants in search of her car keys. "Okay, let's head back to the car and we can drop you off first."

I lived the furthest away and dropping me off would double the travel time when they could go straight to Emmie's place since Jem was staying with them as well. "That'll take too long. I'll find another ride home."

"Are you sure?" she asked. Heather released a groan like she was either ready to drop on the floor and take the longest sleep of her life or throw up. Neither of those was optimal.

"I'll be fine."

As if reading our minds and understanding her hesitation, Zachariah stepped closer and said, "We'll wait with her until her ride comes. You should take your friend home."

The battle in Emmie's eyes faded immediately, and she gestured for Calum to help Jem up. While Emmie and Zachariah held onto Heather, the three of us walked a few steps behind. A few minutes later after making sure everyone was snug in their seats, the three of them drove off into the night.

Calum cleared his throat and Zachariah and I looked at him in the dim quietness of the parking lot. He gestured to a picnic table off to the side, his movements much more sober after the unexpected turn our night had taken.

We adjourned to our new location while I texted my brother. The only two real options were my brother and Katerina, the latter of which was out at a party. If my brother didn't pick up, I'd be shit out of luck.

Luckily, my brother spent most of his free time at home so he responded right away asking which beach I was at. He informed me it would take a few minutes to finish his game but he'd head out right after.

"My brother's on his way," I confirmed after a couple of minutes. "Thanks for waiting with me."

Zachariah tried his best to keep tonight from ending on a sour note. "How else am I supposed to get points if I leave her best friend alone?"

The best part about being on this side of the island was the slightly less obstructed view of the night sky. If I squinted hard enough, I could almost see the stars. The view helped distract me from the fact that I was sitting at a dingy picnic table with two people whom I barely knew.

"What's your brother like?" he asked me, mission distraction in full swing.

How did one explain something as simple and constant as a brother? He wasn't someone I had to think about because he was always there, always had been, and always would be.

"He's my brother," I answered.

Zachariah didn't miss a beat. "What's your relationship with him like?"

"We're not the type to hug each other every day or ask how the other's day was, but we'll buy each other dinner sometimes and send funny memes."

That was our sibling love language. It worked for us.

"So, what's the first stop on our food battle royale?" he asked, leaning back on his elbows as I pulled my knees up. The green flecks in his eyes danced around my face.

"There's this great dim sum place near my house," I explained. "It's my and Em's favorite spot when we're hungover."

"We should go when we're not hungover. If we're deciding who has the best food, we need to think clearly."

"I think maybe you're taking this a little too seriously."

"I don't think you're taking it seriously enough."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious, Alex," he said very not-seriously. "This might affect our friendship. And our friendship will affect my relationship with Emmie, so this is more than just us or food."

"Of course." I nodded slowly. "The fate of the world rests on this decision of who has the best cuisine."

"I'm glad you're seeing the severity of our predicament."

"You two have issues," Calum chimed in.

Time went by faster than I expected it to once the three got talking, and before I knew it, we were blinded by a set of headlights shining directly at us. My brother had all of the subtlety of a bulldozer.

After exchanging numbers, I thanked them again for waiting and slid into Anthony's car, the blast of cold air freezing me over. I swiped the air vent closed while Anthony turned to me.

"Who are those guys?" he asked before reversing out.

"Emmie's new boy and his friend," I explained. "Some sleazeballs tried to take advantage of Heather so I told Emmie to take her and Jem back without me."

"I thought she just ended things with that other guy?"

"When has Emmie ever let one relationship stop her from jumping into another one?"

Anthony laughed. "You said it, not me."

...

When Anthony and I made it home, the lights in the living room were on, meaning our dad was still awake. Being up this late usually meant he was drinking and rewatching some old movie he'd already seen a hundred times. Sometimes I'd join him, but the hiss of a bottle opening and the stench of beer that snaked its way out the front door left little to be desired.

"A little late, isn't it?" Anthony asked as soon as he hung his car keys on the hook.

My father barely glanced at us, his eyes briefly making an appearance in our direction before he focused on the television again.

After kicking off my shoes, I glanced at the picture on the table next to the door. The happy family framed was an illusion; this picture was a reminder that things had come to pass; the mother and the smile on my father's face are the most obvious.

"An hour or two," my father responded.

"Turn the lights off before you knock out on the couch," I told him while I opened the fridge. "And can you not leave your empty bottles on the table? It's the first thing anyone smells when they come in."

"Alex—" my brother warned.

My father looked at my current state, which was less than immaculate after spending the evening drinking on the beach. Maybe it was hypocritical to get this mad at him, but it was a game we played more and more.

"You smell like barbecue....and whiskey," he grunted.

"It was tequila," I corrected.

I downed the entire glass of water and dropped it in the sink. Then I dodged Anthony's stare as I walked to the bathroom.

Before I shut the door, my brother stepped inside and closed it behind him. I didn't bother to look at him, focusing instead on washing any remaining smidge of makeup off my face and brushing my teeth.

"Thanks for picking me up," I said as I leaned under the water to splash some on my face.

"Why do you always do that?" Anthony asked. "You could've just walked past him."

"Could have." With my eyes closed, I rubbed cleanser against my skin. "Let's not do this right now. I'm really tired."

"You're always tired," he argued. "And you're the one that started it."

If he weren't standing right there, I would've given up and done the most half-ass job at my nightly routine because I wanted nothing more than to just curl up in my bed and fall asleep. "And I ended it by walking away."

"Maybe next time you can find your way home."

Deciding I would survive one night without brushing my teeth, I splashed only as much water as necessary before towel-drying at an impressive speed. Pushing past my brother, I exited the bathroom and didn't care if my voice carried into the living room.

"I guess I'll deal with it next time. And turning a blind eye does no one any favors, least of all him."

Anthony didn't wait for me to close the door a little more loudly than necessary.