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“He’s never called me that.”
“Well, he was worried.” She presses her fingers to her chest. “I alleviated his fears that you’d been kidnapped and sold to a sex trafficking ring. You’re welcome.”
I shake my head, turning to watch the bonfire’s crackling flames. With Kat beside me, I don’t feel like prey anymore, but I also don’t feel like partying. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, my eyelids are suddenly heavy, and passing out right here by the fire is becoming a real possibility.
“So, we’ve got two options, noob,” Kat says.
My eyes fly open, my heart giving a kick.
People aren’t standing where they were when I closed my eyes. Did I nod off?
“Either you do some coke with me, or I find you a nice little nest to burrow into until morning.”
“Morning?” My tongue feels thick, words slurring in my mouth. That weed obviouslywasn’ta good idea.
Why the hell does Kat look so fucking alert? She had most of the joint… and it looks like she just lit a new one.
“No one leaves before dawn. That’s why it’s called the Burnout. But I know the guy who runs this gig, and he owes me a favor, so I’m sure I can persuade him to let you rest up in one of his guest rooms.”
I blink at that, giving her a weary smile. “You’d do that for me?”
“Jesus, my reputation as a cunt precedes me,” she mutters, the tip of the joint glowing a fierce orange as she pulls at it. “You look exhausted, Evie. And your dad said you should be taking it easy. You’ll tell me about all of it tomorrow, right?”
“All of what?”
She quirks up a carefully plucked eyebrow. “He was genuinely concerned about you. You were supposed to let him know you’d arrived.”
I was. Why didn’t I?
At the moment, the mere act of thinking is like using a spoon to grab a piece of spaghetti out of boiling water. After a few seconds, I give up. “Okay.”
“Yup, you just stopped being fun.”
Kat’s face glows as she stabs a number on her phone. She gives me a brief, warm smile when she sees me watching her, and then turns to watch the flames. “Yo, Bailey, what up?” She laughs. “You’re disgusting. Listen, I’m calling in that favor. Friend of mine needs a place to crash. Can I put her in that godawful blue room next to the stairs?” She laughs again. “Seriously, dude, I’ll pay youto have it redecorated.” Another laugh, this one huskier than the last. “Thanks. Yeah, yeah, awesome party. Can’t wait for the fireworks.”
She slips her phone back into her purse and watches me for a second. “Did you want to stay and watch?”
My eyes are starting to blink independent of each other. “Huh?”
“God, never mind. Come on. Up and at ‘em, noob. Let’s get you tucked in for the night.”
She hoists me up off the ground, snuggles me into her side, and leads me back to the house.
Mansion.
“We’re going to have to work on your party legs,” she says. “No roommate of Kat Oakes passes out before midnight. I’ll turn into a pumpkin.”
I laugh, and she does too, but within moments I’ve already forgotten the joke.
“Did you meet any cuties?” she asks, effortlessly maneuvering us between the people blocking our way to the mansion.
“Yeah,” I drawl, my hand tightening around my backpack. “Scary fucker. Tall. Gray eyes.” For some reason, I don’t think this is sufficient evidence. I elaborate with a bunch of choppy sentences. “He stole my necklace butI’mthe thief? What the fuck. Like I’m supposed to know him. He doesn’t knowme.”
Kat laughs. “God, noob, if I’d known you were such a lightweight, I’d never have given you drugs.”
“What’s his name?”
“Scary Fuck? How the hell would I know?”
