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I shrugged. If it meant I got to see Violet again, I didn’t really care.
4
VIOLET
The party was far more crowded than I expected. Music was pumping loudly as I entered the house, and I could feel the deep base rattling my bones. It felt as though every kid from our grade was here, which made my stomach twist with apprehension. I was still the new kid and wasn’t all that comfortable around these people yet.
I cursed my mom for canceling on me again. I wished she had just called this time. Or that my car had broken down miles away from the house. Anything so I could have avoided the party a while longer. I wondered if I should have purposely taken a wrong turn while walking here with Reed, but that would have meant spending more time alone with him. My cheeks were still warm from the way he’d whispered his parting comment in my ear, so it was probably a good thing I’d come straight to the party.
I sent Jeremy yet another text as I walked through the house. He still hadn’t responded to any of my calls or messages, and I was beginning to wonder if maybe he’d lost his phone. Even if he was pissed at me, I didn’t think he’d give me the silent treatment for this long.
As I searched the house for my friends, I flashed tight smiles at the people I passed. Even though I had only just joined the school, everyone at Sunshine Prep recognized me because I was dating their hometown hockey hero. It had been quite the surprise on my first day to discover just how idolized Jeremy was. He’d barely mentioned hockey during our summer together, but it was all anyone talked about once school started. Jeremy Hoffman finally getting tied down seemed to be the gossip on everyone’s lips.
It made me very self-conscious because I wasn’t exactly in the popular crowd at my last school. But I’d somehow ended up popular by proxy at Sunshine Prep, thanks to Jeremy. At least, it appeared like I was popular. Most of the people politely returning my awkward smiles probably had zero interest in me beyond the fact I’d somehow managed to weasel my way into their local superstar’s life.
At least they were civil though. Not everyone was quite so happy to play nice with me. The girls in Jeremy’s friendship group frequently made me feel like I was encroaching on their territory. Heather was particularly cruel to me. She definitely had her sights set on my boyfriend, and seeing us together brought out a nasty streak in her I thought was reserved for mean girls in movies.
She was sweet as pie when Jeremy was around, but the moment his back was turned, her claws would appear. She was always commenting on how my uncle worked at the school, reminding everyone I wasn’t paying my way like the rest of the students. One of her favorite tricks was to point out I didn’t look like I came from California before talking at length about how beautiful people from California supposedly were. She said all these things while keeping her perfectly crafted fake smile firmly in place. I wasn’t sure why she bothered. If you were going to be a bitch, I figured you might as well embrace it.
Jeremy’s friends weren’t much better. Each of them had more money than sense and a huge helping of self-entitlement to go with it. They were all on the hockey team with him and acted as though they were better than gods. It didn’t help when the kids at our school all bowed down and worshipped them like they were.
Given the kind of people Jeremy was surrounded by, I still had no idea how I’d managed to catch his attention or why he was with me when there were so many girls at school who would kill to be his girlfriend. I often wondered if it was simply because I was someone new in a town filled with girls he’d known his whole life. I kept waiting for some of my shiny appeal to tarnish and for Jeremy to realize I wasn’t all that special.
I eventually found Mia in the kitchen with Nicole. The two girls were sitting on the counter, knocking back shots of tequila. Nicole worked with us at Hug in a Mug and was Mia’s closest friend. They’d both adopted me with open arms when I’d arrived at the start of summer and were the two people at school who truly made me feel like I had somewhere to belong.
Mia had changed since the game this afternoon and was dressed in a short plaid button-down dress paired with long boots. I never knew what to expect from her. She changed her style as frequently as her hair. One day she’d be dressed like she was headed to a ballet recital, and the next, she’d be sporting heavy boots and head-to-toe leather. Somehow, she always managed to make it all work.
Nicole, on the other hand, dressed far more predictably. She preferred clothes that were darker and more understated, and her long, black hair was always slicked back in a perfect ponytail. She never usually wore much makeup, but tonight she had a smoky look to her brown eyes, which were highlighted with a winged eyeliner.
I was still trying to figure out how to configure my wardrobe for the cold. And while I liked to think my outfits were cute, they were often buried beneath so many jackets I looked more like the Michelin Man than a high school senior.
As she was a fashion designer, my mom was always sending me her latest pieces. Tonight, I was wearing a beautiful white silk top she’d designed. It was perfectly tailored, and I loved the way it looked when I paired it with the distressed wide jeans I had on. But no one would know because, like always, it was hidden away beneath my burly winter coat. I was inside now though, and Mia had promised me dancing, so I could probably lose the jacket.
Mia squealed with delight when she saw me. “You came!”
“I told you I was coming.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually turn up.” Her excitement didn’t last long, and she suddenly thumped me on the shoulder. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”
“We’re just glad you made it.” Nicole cut in before Mia could get going. She then handed me one of their tequila shots. “You’ve got some catching up to do.”
I glanced down at the drink. “Aren’t we supposed to drink this with lemon and salt?”
Mia was already downing hers, and she scrunched up her nose as she swallowed.
“Pretty sure this isn’t a lemon and salt kind of party,” Nicole replied. “It’s more of an every-man-for-himself affair.” She winked before knocking back her tequila. I followed suit, finishing the drink before I could second-guess myself. It had been a hell of a day, and I’d just survived an encounter with a Devil. One drink couldn’t hurt.
“So, what took you so long?” Mia asked as she placed her shot glass down on the countertop.
“My car broke down.”
“Shit,” Nicole said. “Is Betty okay?”
“No idea. I won’t find out till Monday.”
“That sucks.”
“You should have called,” Mia added.
