Page 33 of Tell No Lies

Tucker put his arm around my shoulders as we walked. I wanted to push him off based on principle, but I was kind of cold. I hadn’t expected to be walking a distance when I put this dress on.

Luckily, we only had to walk two blocks before I could hear the music coming from the house on the corner. It was similar to the others with its long, narrow design, but it was obvious only guys lived there. Several wetsuits were draped on the fence, and the windows were open, exposing the inside walls of surfing posters.

When we got to the door, Tucker dropped his arm and let us in. I stepped behind Andy, using him as a shield. I wanted to check out the party before I was seen. The smell of alcohol and weed was overwhelming, and there were people everywhere. With people standing on the stairs and sitting on the couch and along the walls, it was way mellower than I had anticipated.

I focused on one group and realized why they had caught my attention. They were passing around a joint. Before I had time to process it, Tucker put a drink in my hand.

“Loosen up, Aubrey. That’s why you came, isn’t it?”

On one hand, he was right, but this was not what I’d had in mind. I took a sniff of the drink and quickly set it down. It was one thing to sneak out, but Brandon would never forgive me if I drank too.

Andy noticed and nodded in the direction of the kitchen. I followed him in, and he opened the door of the fridge then offered me a bottle of water. I accepted with a smile, and he turned to grab one for himself.

“I don’t drink either.”

“Thanks.” I turned slightly away from him, looking around. “Do you know a lot of people here?”

“Nah, just Blake from basketball. I’ve been over a few times, but I don’t recognize anyone.” He smiled. “Hang close.”

That was enough for me, but it only worked for about an hour. Then a cute girl caught Andy’s eye, and he disappeared. Not that I could blame him. Who would want to babysit me all night? I ended up in the same situation that had gotten me here. I was alone and growing bored.

A few guys approached me but gave up when I refused whatever they were offering.

After midnight, things changed. The mellow crowd was replaced by the crazy, drunken groups normally seen at a party like this. People were slamming into me as the size of the party doubled. I hadn’t seen Tucker since we’d gotten here, and I started to panic. Did they leave without me? What if they forgot I was with them?

I took out my phone and debated who to call for a ride. It was only a few miles from my house, but I didn’t want to walk around in heels and a short dress this late at night.

Mike was out of the question. He would be beyond furious with every decision I made tonight—being alone in my house, leaving the house, leaving with Tucker and Andy, going to a party, going to a party with drugs and alcohol, and getting stranded. Perfect.

I didn’t want to call any of the girls this late, either. Mckayla’s parents would find out, and that would be worse than Mike’s reaction.

One option left. Hopefully, he would take it better than how I pictured Mike.

There was no way I could make a call with the noise, so I sent a text and prayed he was awake.

Seconds later, my phone vibrated.

Carter Blackwell: On my way.

Relief flooded through my body before I realized the wrath I was soon to face. I moved through the crowd and stood next to the window by the front door.

It only took a few minutes for Carter to get there, so he must have been in the area. He’d sent me a text to let me know he was outside, and when I walked through the door, he took one look at me and turned away, already walking down the sidewalk. I rushed to catch up to him, but he wouldn’t look at me.

He continued to walk silently next to me. His disappointment was obvious, but I didn’t know what to say to explain.

“I’m sorry, Carter.”

“I know you are.” Well, at least he was talking to me now. Those words were better than what I’d expected the first thing he would say to me.

“Thanks for coming to get me. I didn’t know the party was going to be like this. I swear.”

Silence.

“I wasn’t trying to get into trouble. It just seems to follow me.” I looked up at him, but his gaze was fixed forward.

“Why do you put yourself into those positions, Aubrey?”

I shrugged but realized he wasn’t watching me. “Some guys invited me. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do things on my own. Everything I do either involves Mckayla and the girls or Mike.”