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“She’s not my girlfriend,” I growled.
“But you want her to be. I bet she is coming tonight. Bonfire parties are the one and only time Sunshine Prep kids slum it with us.”
I leaned against my truck, trying to ignore Parker as I waited for Grayson to arrive. He’d left just after us, so I knew he couldn’t be too far behind. But apparently, he’d decided to drive like a grandma tonight because his headlights were nowhere in sight.
“Can’t you bother your own friends with this crap?” I asked.
“Probably,” Parker replied. “Getting under your skin is much more fun though.”
“Fun for you maybe.”
I turned to look across the large snowy field to where the party was already in full swing. My gaze was drawn to the large bonfire in the distance and the dancing flames that illuminated the woods beyond in an amber glow. In the summer, we usually parked much closer to the fire, often drinking on the back of our trucks. But the snow was starting to pile up, so everyone had to park by the road and trudge across the white, icy field.
There were already a lot of cars here. It was lucky this place was in the middle of nowhere or some nosy parent probably would have put an end to these parties a long time ago. There wasn’t a whole lot to do around Ransom or Sunshine Hills, especially in the middle of winter, which was probably why kids at both schools were so keen to keep the peace here. We were onto a good thing, and no one wanted to ruin it.
I released a sigh as Grayson finally pulled up in front of my truck. He usually hated parties, so I was impressed he’d agreed to come tonight. It was lucky Paige was at our place this afternoon. The way her face lit up as soon as the bonfire was mentioned pretty much left Grayson with no choice. He always did whatever he could to make Paige happy.
She was smiling brightly as she emerged from his car, her short, dark hair hidden under a massive pair of fluffy earmuffs. She was wearing leather boots with a smart woolen coat and a scarf draped around her neck. Paige was always trying new things, and her most recent mini-obsession was knitting. The scarf was clearly one of her latest creations. It was a wild mishmash of multiple different colors and was so long she was almost tripping over it. I might have told her it looked ridiculous, but Grayson probably would have taken the damn thing off her neck and strangled me with it.
He was struggling to keep his eyes off her, and it was a miracle he’d been able to drive here without getting in an accident. She was completely oblivious to his attention as she linked her arm through his and the two of them walked over to meet us. I would have told Grayson to make a move on her a long time ago except I’d never been able to figure out what Paige felt for him in return. She didn’t really seem interested in guys or dating and had always appeared content with their friendship.
“You guys didn’t kill each other!” Paige clapped her hands together to congratulate Parker and me. Her cheeks were already pink from the cold, but she seemed even more bubbly than normal. Probably because she’d managed to convince Grayson to come out for once.
“I do have some self-restraint,” I replied.
“Oh, I know.” Paige’s eyes twinkled as she laughed. “That didn’t stop me from betting Gray five bucks you’d thump Parker on the drive out here though.” She looked hopefully between the two of us as if waiting for confirmation.
Parker let out a sad sigh. “Alas, I was not thumped. Sorry to disappoint you, Paige. I did try my best to piss him off.”
“I’m sure you did.” She giggled. “But the night’s not over yet.” She turned to Grayson. “Double or nothing; Reed thumps Parker before the night is through.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you realize how annoying Parker will be if he knows there’s money on the line?”
Paige continued to smile at Grayson. “What do you think, Gray? Does Reed have enough restraint?”
“I think the real question is whether Parker is that annoying,” Grayson replied. “And he most definitely is. So, odds are, I’m going to lose this bet.”
“Yep,” Paige chirped. She kept staring at him as she waited for him to agree.
“Fine,” Grayson grumbled. “But you better take me for ice cream with your winnings.”
“Done.” She held out her hand to shake on their bet, and Grayson begrudgingly took it. “I swear, Gray. Only you could be thinking about ice cream when we’re standing in the middle of a blizzard.”
“This is hardly a blizzard. There’s not a cloud in the sky, and it’s barely cold,” he grunted. “Besides, I like ice cream.”
“I know.” She laughed and nudged Grayson’s shoulder, but as she did, she slipped on a patch of ice and nearly lost her footing. Grayson instantly reached out and grabbed her around the waist, stopping her from falling, and supported her until she righted herself.
“Whoops.” Paige giggled before turning to us. “Now, are we heading over to the bonfire, or are we going to stay in the parking lot and freeze?”
She didn’t need to say any more than that to get us moving. Grayson may have worshipped the ground Paige walked on, but I would have done almost anything for her too. She’d spent a lot of time at our place over the years, and I sometimes had to remind myself she wasn’t actually a part of our family. Even Parker was sweet to her and spared her the crap he constantly dished out to everyone else.
I was tense as we approached the bonfire. I wasn’t sure if Violet was coming, but I’d spent the whole day hoping she would. So far, I couldn’t see any sign of her, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t here.
Parker didn’t stay with us for long, and as soon as we reached the fire, he made a beeline for a group of girls sitting on one of the benches surrounding the blaze. When Paige spotted a couple of her friends, she waved and hurried toward them, turning back to us as she did.
“You coming, Gray?” she called out.
Grayson let out a pained sigh as he watched her join her friends. “Remind me why we came again?”
