“I called student financing at State, and they said my scholarship would still be there if I deferred for a year. I know I won’t be able to concentrate on anything while I’m there. As for the laundry basket, I’m pretty sure it can be returned.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Walmart’s return policy is ironclad these days.”
He laughed again, and I bit my lip to hide my smile.
“So what do you think?” he asked. “Seriously?”
I thought about it for a minute. “I mean, it’s your decision. Yeah, Mel will have a Mel-tdown, but it’s your life, you know?”
Luke sighed. “That’s it? I know it’s my decision. I want to hear whatyouthink.”
Don’t go,I thought.
I shrugged, we drove in silence for another minute, and then I told the truth. Or half of it, anyway.
“If it was me, I’d stay.”
The “if it was me” part reminded me of Ro’simagine if it was your momcomment, and that felt gross, but I was being honest. If I had been Mel’s daughter, there was no way in hell I’d have been able to go to college and leave her.
Luke smiled over at me. “I knew you’d say that.”
“Why’d you ask, if you knew?” I said, exasperated.
“I wanted to hear it,” he said. Then, after a moment, “Thanks.”
Another couple of minutes passed before we pulled up in front of Celia’s sprawling circular driveway. Cars were littered all along it and all the way down the street. It would be a shitshow trying to get out of here when this party got busted. And that was a matter of when, not if, judging by the sheer volume of noise spilling out of the house.
Luckily, I spotted Macy, who Rowan and I were friends with, almost as soon as we walked in. “Have you seen Ro?” I asked, feeling a flicker of anxiety. If she hadn’t, there was no plan B.
“Mmmmm.” She frowned, like she was thinking hard about it.
Today would be nice,I thought.
“Actually, yes!” she said, as if she’d just had a revelation. It was clear she had been drinking. Her voice was all watery and high-pitched. “Yes! And he was getting his ass beat at beer pong.”
Relief shot through me.
“Thanks, Mace,” I said, and turned to follow Luke, who was already headed to the next room.
We found Rowan in the dining room, breakdancing. Like, he was literally on his head when we walked in.
I felt Luke stiffen beside me. So much for Ro having a good excuse for disappearing.
Still, I pulled out my phone and took a picture of him balancing on his head. I had to.
As disconcerting as it was seeing Ro drunk off his face, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Ro and I had a policy that if you were stupid enough to do something, pictures were more than fair game. He had a picture of me wailing after downing two packets of hot sauce on a dare. I had dozens of pictures of him with his hair dyed green for Spirit Day.
“Did you just take a picture?” Luke asked as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. He shook his head, still annoyed, when I grinned. If he wasn’t used to our antics by now, he never would be.
We walked over to Ro, and he stopped mid-spin and stared at us.
“You’re taking up my space,” he complained.
“You’re upside down!” I shot back, but as Luke and I helped him to his feet, he didn’t seem too embarrassed. He held his head, as if the room were spinning.
“What the hell is your problem?” Luke asked him in a low voice.
“What’s yours?” Ro spat back, glaring down at Luke. He had about an inch on his older brother, and he wouldn’t let anyone forget it.
