Rue Bennett: you going to mckay's later?

Rue Bennett: this is rue in case you decided to delete my number this summer

Harley showed her surprise with a slight arching of her eyebrows. The news that Rue had been released from her rehab facility would have gained momentum over the past few days, but in that town —Harley knew— it was impossible to believe anything until she saw it with her own eyes. Yet here was the proof: Rue Bennett was already roaming the streets of East Highland, and for her to talk her into going to a party couldn't indicate anything good.

Rue Bennett: hi by the way

You: always big on entrances rue

You: yeah i'm going. why, did you forget something the last time you were there?

Rue Bennett: yeah my will to live

Rue Bennett: i'm kidding, just in case you don't understand dark humor like my mom

Rue Bennett: anyways, i was asking to know if you'd give me a ride. mom doesn't know i'm going to the party and moms love you for some reason, so she'll be happier if she sees me leaving with you

Harley tossed the phone into the backpack cautiously enough that it didn't fall onto the lawn. In the Howard's garden, Cassie and Harley had gathered to practice some of the cheerleading routines before the course started, just to make sure they were still in good shape and that no one would take their place in the group. So far they seemed optimistic: Kat, who had left just ten minutes ago, had joked that Cassie's flexibility would definitely appeal to McKay.

The sun was beginning to set when they decided to cut back on routines. Cassie had noticed her little sister's presence at the window, watching the two girls on occasion, and each and every time she had yelled at her to stop gossiping. Lexi's response had been that the music was so loud she could barely read, and when Cassie would raise her finger at her, Lexi would respond with a sneer that Harley would watch with a mocking expression.

Still, Lexi's curious glances didn't affect Harley's concentration. It didn't bother her that someone was watching them from a distance, because during high school practices and football games the same thing happened —even sometimes with unfortunate comments that infuriated the young woman— on the contrary: it inflated her self-confidence because she knew Lexi Howard wasn't one of the typical people who watched cheerleaders of her own volition.

"Who's got you so hooked on the phone?" Cassie asked aloud with a wide grin. The feeling that Harley had finally found someone made her feel less bad about having a crush on her ex-boyfriend.

"Rue," Harley replied simply.

"Rue?" Cassie frowned.

"She's saying she wants to go to McKay's tonight and if that I'd be her ride. I'm not a snitch, but that girl is not using or drinking under my responsibility."

"Do you think she'd use again? She's just got out of rehab."

Harley shrugged, taking a sip from her water bottle and loosening her ponytail. "Who knows what goes through Rue's head?"

You: i'm not driving you to a party. i'm not making things easier for you to get wasted.

Rue responded almost instantly, and Harley could hear the young woman's snort in her head.

Rue Bennett: you used to rock smh

You: what a pity

"I told her I'm not going to drive her. At least not until she proves she's better."

"Girls!" Suze, Cassie's mother, called to them from the porch. "Dinner will be ready in ten. Harley, you're staying, right?"

"Uh, sure. Thanks, Mrs. Howard."

Suze smiled in her own way, and Harley simply returned the gesture, not knowing if she was entirely sober or had already finished with some wine. Harley didn't blame her, really, because her mother had had something similar happen to her. Since her father's departure, Rachel had sunk into work but also into drinking, so much so that Harley herself had had to take her to NA meetings for fear of losing her. Neither had spoken about it after Rachel had been sober for months and then years.

Rue Bennett: you do know i'll be there nonetheless don't you

You: it won't happen in my car Rue Bennett

"Is that Rue again?" Cassie mentioned at the beep of the phone.

"Rue?" Lexi's voice interrupted them from the stairs, her face taking on a worried gesture.

Harley shook her phone. "She's asking me to drive her to McKay's. Yeah, apparently she's out."

"Why don't you help mom out?" Cassie surged with a frown, implying that Lexi's presence was superfluous in that conversation.

"Why don't you?" Suze's voice caught her by surprise from the kitchen, and Harley held back a smile at the look of defeat on Cassie's face as she rolled her eyes before disappearing behind the kitchen door.

Harley stood in position, waiting for Lexi to say something to start a conversation, but she had learned over the past few days that Lexi was a much more reserved person than she thought she was, because she could barely look her in the eye, let alone engage her in conversation. So she was the one who did, because the silence was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Have you given it a thought?" Harley asked, and Lexi arched her eyebrows, quizzical. "Going to McKay's. Maddy bought some light booze for you to try if you decided to come in the end. Winners take it all," the blonde smirked a bit.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll go. Loud teenagers and crazy scenarios are not my thing. But thanks for asking," Lexi excused herself, smiling nervously.

"Of course. Your mother must be delighted with you. You're a quiet kid, and then there's Cassie, whom I had to put to bed barely a week ago."

"Not really," Lexi laughed a little. "My mom would like something in between. For Cassie to be more like me, for me to be more like Cassie. I don't think she's happy with what she has."

"Really? I would," Harley pulled out her phone disinterestedly, noticing it vibrating, but this time it was just a message from her mother, sending her a few thumbs up as any response to her sentence saying she'd stay for dinner at Cassie's house. "I don't think moms are ever happy with what they've got," Harley's tone was so dreamy that Lexi felt sorry for her. "Anyway, give Cassie a call in case you decide to tag along."

Lexi, not knowing how to react, nodded nervously.

Lexi Howard wasn't an unpredictable girl. She liked to have a routine, to be in control of the things she had to do and to follow a schedule so that things didn't get out of hand. That in a way Suze Howard did like, and she admired the resilience and patience her youngest daughter had compared to other teenagers her age who were called 'nerds' or 'geeks'. Lexi had always gotten over those comments, turning a deaf ear and focusing on her business, because it was what really mattered to her.

But, far from what Suze thought, Lexi was still a teenager and so anything affected her, whether she wanted it to or not. She had an incredibly gorgeous and very popular older sister, a cheerleader with a group of friends just as elite as she was, with a college boyfriend and huge privileges just because of her angelic face and bodily gifts. Then there was Lexi, who received less cheerful comments and had to settle for being just another one. And while she sometimes liked it that way, at other times she also liked the attention, especially from people she was interested in.

And she was interested in Harley.

So, to Suze's surprise —and Lexi's own, really— and because of Harley's apparent insistence that she go to the party, Lexi got ready in her best clothes and implored —as casually as she could— Suze to give her a lift to McKay's house. "Drop me off a few feet away," she told her mother, with the excuse that she didn't drive too much at night, though Suze knew that for Lexi, she didn't need to be seen with her mother.

"You know the rules," Suze reminded her, sticking her head out the window. "No heavy drinking, no later than your two and take care, above all," her eyebrows rose, as if to imply things Lexi wasn't thinking about.

"Yes, mom," she said, stretching out the 'o'. "Thanks for bringing me here. I promise no funny business."

"I know, honey. Let me know when you get home later, okay?"

The brunette held up her thumb, tapping the hood to signal that she was good to go. She was barely two minutes away from McKay's house, because from there she could hear the music and screams of dozens of teenagers. The neighborhood was pretty empty at that hour, so Lexi simply hugged herself to cover herself from the summer breeze, not because she was afraid of getting there safely. She turned to watch the car's red lights round the corner of the nearest street, and then began walking faster toward the house, inexplicably impatient to get there.

Just as she had predicted, to Harley and herself, the party was not her scene. Seeing people drinking uncontrollably, making out with each other heavily, or drunk people about to fight, she decided her best option was to lay low, which wasn't too difficult. Lexi wore her hair down, slightly wavy, and always accessorized with her passion red lipstick. It contrasted with her pale skin and her lips were one of the few parts of her she really liked, so she felt comfortable with it. She was wearing a blouse with matching shorts and sandals —it really wasn't a revealing or party outfit, but Lexi wasn't planning on going that night either.

She had to push her way through the crowd once she entered the house. Some of Cassie's friends recognized her, and in their inebriated state greeted her as if she were one of their own, high-fiving her or offering her a drink. Lexi politely declined, and thanks to the others' eagerness to drink, no one said anything to her or forced her, which she assumed by swallowing. She didn't really know anyone around her, didn't even know where her sister, Maddy, Kat or Harley were, whom she was looking for with particular insistence although she didn't quite understand why —when she had her in front of her, her characteristic intelligence vanished.

She thought she recognized Fez, the village dealer, in the garden. She had never spoken more than two words with him except when she went to the gas station from time to time, because Fez had left high school years ago. She knew perfectly well what his role was in that town, as well as his little brother's, but it seemed that East Highland teenagers had an implicit rule not to reveal their business. Not that Lexi wanted to deal with the two of them either.

She poured herself a glass of cola, hoping there wasn't any alcohol inside mixed in, and sighed, sitting down on a couch, and took a swig. She huffed and said to herself ridiculous things, what did she expect, that Harley would have any interest in seeing her there other than being polite? Harley would be with her friends, having a good night, and she wouldn't want to bother with her or integrate her into her group —Cassie had already made it clear how little she was going to try. Still, her heart had harbored a sliver of hope that Harley's words were true and not just cordial.

The music was so loud in the room that it was pounding in her ears heavily and almost uncomfortably, but it wasn't enough to keep her from hearing people approaching.

"Hey! You're Cassie Howard's sister, right?" For a moment, Lexi thought she had indeed gotten drunk and was seeing double, but it was McKay's younger twin brothers.

"Yeah," Lexi trailed off, smiling nervously. "Lexi," she later clarified to the boys' obvious hesitation.

"Lexi, right. So, what are you doing here? We didn't know you were the type of girl who parties hard."

"I'm not, I just—," Lexi stopped herself in her tracks, because it would be stupid to explain what she was doing there. I won a bowling match with Harley Jordan and she thought she wanted me here? No, even for her it was too stupid. "I thought it could be fun coming, you know? Just before school starts again."

"Yeah, definitely."

"We get what you mean," one of the two smiled, looking at his twin, and Lexi started to feel more uncomfortable. "So, tell us, Lexi. Do you like the party? Our parties are well known here in East Highland, you know?"

"It's okay, yeah, I guess. It's not really my scene but it's alright."

"Feel free to have anything to drink. We could prepare something for you. There's a new mix around that it's fire. Here, let me have—"

The boy stopped talking instantly as he turned around, his back to his brother, sitting awkwardly next to Lexi, and bumped into the figure of Harley, who was watching the scene intently, but not too amicably. She was noticeably taller than McKay's younger brother, so his eyes widened when he saw her with a cigarette between her lips, a cigarette that Harley subsequently removed from her mouth, exhaled the smoke, and pointed at the two brothers.

"If you two don't leave right now I won't hesitate to burn you."

"Come on, Harley," one of them began, rising from Lexi's side. "We're just trying to have fun."

"Have fun somewhere else. I mean it," The two siblings shared a knowing look, giving each other a defeated look. They rounded on Harley to exit the room, and the blonde stubbed out her cigarette in the nearest ashtray. "What are you doing here?" Harley wanted to know, turning to Lexi for the first time.

"At the party? I thought I could—"

"No, I meant here with those two."

Lexi's heart seemed to flutter a little inside her chest —Harley was welcoming her to the party. Lexi felt stupid to feel so good with such low standards.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone around so I sat down for a minute. They approached me, I didn't even know who they were at first."

Harley, who seemed tense, visibly relaxed. "Okay. But don't trust guys like these, or these guys in particular. I know them very well and they're always up to no good."

"Well, they seemed to be pretty scared."

"Being McKay's ex has its perks," Harley sentenced. Then she stood in place, her back to Lexi, and when she turned around, her countenance had changed to her usual friendly one. "Did you have anything to drink? Cassie would hate it if I mistreated her sister."

Lexi snorted, rolling her eyes slightly. "Cassie wouldn't mind."

"That's not true."

"What is she doing, anyway? Probably fucking McKay upstairs," Lexi said, and instantly regretted the venom her tongue had spilled. She wondered if the expression on Harley's face was annoyance that Cassie was with her ex-boyfriend, or if it was something else. "I didn't mean that."

"I know," Harley promised. "Do you want something to drink, then? Maddy's kept your drinks in the fridge," Lexi hesitated at the proposal, but something told her she could trust Harley. After all, she had been the one who had stood up for her in front of the McKay brothers when she could have perfectly well chosen to just be a bystander. "I promise I won't let you get shitfaced."

Lexi had never gotten drunk. She had tried the odd sip of the wines her mother would open, but beyond the beers and wines at home, Lexi hadn't tasted a drop of alcohol. She was sensible, and she knew that being underage had its responsibilities, but she was also a pushover, and the idea of spending the night with Harley somewhat drunk appealed to her in ways she never would have thought of. Lexi had heard a hundred times that alcohol lets you be more honest and brave, so she finally smiled a little.

"Okay. But share with me. I don't want to drink it all by myself."

Harley laughed, and Lexi thought it was the first time she'd ever seen her do it so sincerely. "Deal. I can't drink too much, anyway. I'll be your ride home," Harley's gaze was so crushing and searing that Lexi had to turn away, somewhat embarrassed at her sudden bout of bravado.

The night passed without much of a hitch. There was some commotion near the pool and in the garden, and perhaps in the upstairs bedrooms as well, but down there, in the little space she had created with Harley, Lexi felt good. She felt Harley's gaze on her every time she took a drink, or every time a song came on that Lexi liked —Harley had tried to tell her at least three times that the DJ wouldn't play Taylor Swift in a hundred lifetimes— and Harley nodded to herself that Lexi was having a good time.

As promised, when they emptied the second bottle of beer with tequila, Harley said that was enough. Lexi frowned slightly, but gave in to the blonde's green eyes: she knew she had to stop before things got worse. There was a sense of lightness in her stomach and in her head, as if she could let things flow more now, as if she had the courage to do anything, though Lexi knew well that she wasn't drunk: this wasn't the state Cassie came home in at night when she partied.

"Babysitting, Harley?" A boy walked past them and gave Harley a teasing look.

"Having more fun than with you actually," Harley smiled and gave him the finger.

The boy, who Lexi knew as Rory, one of the guys on the high school cheerleading squad, shook his head and melted back into the crowd. Lexi's euphoric state suddenly passed. It dawned on her that Harley was older than her, friends with her older sister and the rest of the people her age, and that if she was at the party with her it was probably because she had taken it upon herself to take care of her as Cassie's friend that she was.

"I'm gonna go get some water," Lexi announced shortly after.

"I'll come with you."

Lexi was taken aback by her act, but it only reaffirmed her theory. "You know, you don't have to follow me everywhere. I can handle myself."

Harley smirked. "I know that. I'll keep my distance, then."

Suddenly, chaos erupted in the kitchen. Nate, shirtless and in a state of rage, knocked over everything on the table, clearly angry. A blonde girl whom Harley didn't know stood in front of him, visibly embarrassed and ashamed of the situation. All around them there was only silence, except for Nate, who was shouting if anyone knew this girl. Someone named Jules.

However, the worst was yet to come. Jules picked up a knife from the countertop and pointed it at Nate with the clear intention of frightening him, and besides scaring the boy deeply, she also succeeded in scaring the rest of the spectators. Harley grabbed Lexi's arm, who was meters away from the scene, and pulled her towards herself so she wouldn't get mixed up with the spectacle of Nate and Jules.

Soon they were surrounded by dozens of people wanting to find out what was going on in the kitchen, and Lexi's hands were so close to Harley's body that she struggled not to brush against her bare skin. "Guess I couldn't keep my distance, right?" Harley chuckled.

Lexi flinched but said nothing.

"What the fuck happened there?" she protested once they got outside.

"You know Nate and his crazy ass. Nice to see someone standing up to him, even though it was with a knife."

"Why do you hate him so much?" Lexi asked. "I know he's a piece of shit as a boyfriend, but people seem to love him."

Harley looked at her long and hard, as if studying her. "Wouldn't you like to know? You'll soon understand how things work in East Highland. People like Nate get away with it even if they're the ones pulling the trigger. Come on," Harley determined, hopping down from the wall. "Party's over."