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“Nah, I’m just gonna turn in. Go. Have fun. Don’t worry about me.”
I tucked my lip between my teeth and shook my head. “Call me if you need me, yeah?”
“Sure thing. I’ll see you tomorrow for the big birthday shindig.”
I suppressed a groan. “Still set on that, huh?”
“You bet your ass I am. Everything’s ready, and your eighteenth is a huge milestone, Liss. I don’t care what else is going on. You’re not ignoring it.”
She’d coerced me into letting her throw me a birthday party. I was going along with it to help take her mind off things. “Whatever you say.”
“Try to contain your excitement, would you?”
“Yay. Can’t wait,” I muttered, the words dripping with sarcasm.
A tinkle of laughter trickled down the line, pulling a light smile from me before she said her goodbyes and ended the call.
Slipping my phone into the pocket of my jean shorts, I moved to stand in front of the mirror and ran my fingers through my wavy pale-blonde hair, ruffling it a little. With a smack of my lips and a quick swipe underneath my smudged liner, I stalked through the door.
“I’m going out. Don’t wait up!” I called as I grabbed my keys from the table by the front door and pulled it open.
“Nobody cares,” Bella yelled in a bored voice that verified her claim.
I shook my head and appealed for calm. It was probably a phase. It had fucking better be. Patience wasn’t my strong suit. The kid used to be adorable, but now she’d give Chucky a run for his money. I wrestled daily with the desire to choke her. Even if the little asshole did make me laugh.
Closing the door behind me with a bang, I strolled to the car. Less than ten minutes later, the beam from my headlights illuminated a black VW, and the girl sitting inside it. I pulled the car into the gravel covered parking lot before climbing out and making my way over to Sara. She gave a little wave when she saw me coming and lowered the glass.
“Hey.”
Resting my folded arms over the window frame, I leaned in and trailed my eyes around the compact interior of the car. “This where the party’s at?”
She dropped a hand to the passenger seat and swept her palm over the fabric, a wan smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah. Party of one.”
I straightened and patted the roof. “Come on. Out you get. I need a wing-woman.” When she hesitated, I added, “Don’t make me come in there and get you. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve dragged a girl kicking and screaming across this field. Ask Riley.”
She laughed as she shook her head. Then she bit her lip and nodded. “Okay.”
I rounded the car as she vacated it, and we meandered toward the tree line. A dirt pathway led to the old cornfields Claremont’s teenage population had claimed as their playground. Every weekend, the place teemed with unruly students looking to let loose. An old field full of weeds, a bunch of gnarly trees, and a bonfire was apparently the perfect recipe for underage drinking, recreational drug use, and sexual exploration. And they said kids these days lacked drive and imagination.
“Decided against staying home, huh?”
Sara angled her head to glance at me as we neared the bonfire, and I noticed she was wearing a lot more makeup than usual. The low-cut top and short skirt were a far cry from her oversized shirts and leggings, too. The girl came to play tonight. I could take a wild stab in the dark and guess who with.
Sara squared her shoulders and steered her determined gaze toward the nearing orange flames. “High school’s almost over. I’m only going to be eighteen once, right? I’ve always been the good girl. Maybe it’s time to make some bad decisions.”
My lips twitched. “Jase out tonight?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she trained them ahead with a look of focused determination. “I don’t know what, or who, Jason is doing tonight. And I don’t care. He’s my stepbrother. Nothing more. This isn’t about him. But there are plenty of other guys here.”
My brows skimmed my hairline. Well, okay then. I whole-heartedly approved of this new, feisty Sara, but whatever Jase had done to piss her off, something told me his night was about to get a whole lot more complicated. And thirty seconds later, he didn’t let me down. His eyes bugged out of his head and he damn near choked on his drink as Sara sashayed by, all swinging hips and sass. Once we’d rounded the bonfire and loaded up on non-alcoholic beverages, Sara spun to me, her brown eyes wide and frantic.
“Was he looking?” she whispered.
“Looking?” I snorted. “His eyes are still attached to your ass. You sit down, the guy’s blind.”
“Right,” she murmured, throwing back a mouthful of soda. “Not that I care.”
“Yeah, course not.” I chuckled.
