“A break, I can do. But going to a party? What about our test on Monday?”
“We won’t drink,” Lindsay countered. “And we’ll only go for an hour. Please, Mol? Be a good friend? This might be one of my last chances to see Brock before we all go home for the summer.”
I pressed my lips together. It would also be my chance to check up on Mason. We may not be close anymore, but I couldn’t help but worry about him. Why hadn’t he come to class the past two weeks? What if he was sick with only his three idiot roommates there to take care of him? Kaz’s idea of medicine was probably feeding him a shot of vodka every morning.
“Fine.” One hour was enough for Lindsay to do her thing and for me to ensure Mason wasn’t on his death bed.
She shot to her feet. “You’re the best. I’m going to shower and start getting ready. We might only be there for an hour, but we’re going to make an impression.”
I watched her gallop up the stairs before following suit.
* * *
Lindsay came down the stairs in a black mini dress that hugged her curves. I’d chosen something a bit more tame—skinny jeans, a bright-red tank top to match my heels, and a fluffy cardigan that would hopefully keep me somewhat warm.
It wasn’t that strange for me to want to check up on Mason, right? I couldn’t imagine missing two weeks of class. Exams were literally right around the corner. What was he thinking?
My sister had known him since he was fifteen and she was seventeen. They’d started a cover band together with two others in our tiny town in rural Pennsylvania.
It was weird to think that River Valley is no longer my home. We’d sold the house when Ade officially joined Bleeding Moonlight and they asked her to move with them to LA. It didn’t make sense to keep the house when I was going to college five hours away and she had no other reason to return. I think for Ade, even more so than for me, the home had been a painful reminder of the life we’d lost when our parents passed away.
Coming to Northeastern had been a new beginning, and at some point, Mason had become the one connection to my past. Maybe that’s why something about him reached into the very depths of my soul.
“Let’s do this,” Lindsay said, opening the door to our house. We linked our arms, pressing into each other for warmth, and hurried in the direction of Mason’s house. It was only a three-minute walk, but by the time we got to our destination, our hands were ice cold.
The party was already in full swing. All the usual trappings of a college party were there—a beer keg, red solo cups, half-finished bags of chips, and bottles upon bottles of liquor.
“Can’t believe I put on heels,” I muttered as I encountered something sticky on the floor with my first step.
“Whoa,” Lindsay breathed, taking it all in. “Is it just me, or are there a lot of people here?”
“What’s the occasion?” I asked. “Someone’s birthday?”
“Not sure. I didn’t ask.”
By the time we managed to push through the crowd gathered by the front door and say hello to a few people we knew, I was sweating. Nothing managed to warm up a house quite like the bodies of a hundred drunk and horny teenagers.
I peeled off my cardigan, leaving Lindsay talking to Noah, and ducked inside a nearby hallway to find somewhere I could stash it. I didn’t want it getting drenched in beer.
The first closet I found was filled with a few empty hangers. Seriously, this would never happen in a house full of girls. Empty hangers were as valuable as gold at our place. I grabbed one and hung the sweater up.
When I returned to find Lindsay, she was still chatting to Noah, but her face seemed a few shades paler. She shot me an alarmed look. “Hey, Mol! Guess what I just found out? This is a party for Mason and Kaz.”
My mind immediately jumped to their band. Had something good happened? Maybe they’d been picked as an opener for a show in town?
“Oh?” I looked to Noah. “What’s the occasion?”
“Haven’t you heard? They’re dropping out of Northeastern. This is their last night here.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ha ha. Funny.”
“For real. It’s their going-away party. We wanted to send off the boys with a bang.”
It was as if I’d been doused with icy-cold water. My stress response kicked in, making my heart pummel against my ribcage. “What the hell?” I hissed. Lindsay wrapped her palm around my wrist. “We’ll see you around, Noah,” she said quickly.
She dragged me in the direction of the kitchen. My mind raced. Why would Mason decide to drop out with that idiot? He was throwing his future away. And why was this the first I was hearing about it?
I wrenched my arm away from Lindsay. “I need to talk to him.”
