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“Yeah. Sorry for going all batshit crazy on you.”
I cock my head in mock confusion. “You thought that was batshit crazy? I didn’t even notice you were acting any different than usual.”
She smacks my chest. “You’re hilarious, Murdoch.”
“Call me if you need to talk later,” I tell her as she turns to walk up the front steps.
“I won’t need to,” she calls, already halfway to the porch.
I roll my eyes. It’s such a classic Scarlett response that it’s the perfect confirmation she’s feeling better and back to her normal self again. Hell knows what Hooks puts in their chocolate mint milkshakes.
I drop the two other girls off after that, then Taylor last, because she lives all the way out on the way to Allerston Lake. As soon as it’s just the two of us in the Jeep, she goes back to the arm rubbing thing, only with two hands now. And when I pull into her driveway, she climbs across the console onto my lap, straddling my thighs.
Clearly, she’s one of those girls who gets more than just a little handsy when she’s been drinking.
I try to peel her off my lap as she leans over and presses the button to push my seat back. “This isn’t a good idea, Taylor,” I tell her, ducking as she tosses my ball cap into the back seat. Which apparently just makes it even easier for her to remove my hoodie, because she manages to pull it right off, along with my T-shirt, in one quick tug.
“That’s what you said at the party last week,” she purrs, “before going all Edward Cullen on Jenna’s neck thirty minutes later.”
Ohhh… so she’sthatTaylor.
And I hate that even after the reminder, I still only remember the texts she sent me about that party. I don’t rememberherfrom the party. Or Jenna. I have a hard time distinguishing details about events that are similar. And most parties are kind of the same. They all tend to blend together in my mind lately.
“That was a mistake,” I tell her, managing to get her halfway back to the passenger side just as my phone suddenly chimes. I lean away from Taylor to peer at my cell on the console. When I see Caroline’s name glowing on the screen, I reach over and pick it up to read the message.
I grin, ducking Taylor’s advances again as I type on my phone.
Taylor pulls my face toward her with her fingers against my jaw. “I literally have my hand down your pants and you’retextingright now?”
God. She’s right: she’s got my belt unbuckled and my pants undone, and I hadn’t even noticed.
I drop my phone back into the cup holder and lean across the passenger seat, pushing the door open.
“You need to get out, Taylor. I have to go.” I hand her the leather purse she must have dropped on the floor. “I’ll see you at school, alright?”
She sighs, rolling her eyes. “Fine, whatever… Your loss.”
And finally…finallyshe gets out and heads up her front walkway. I wait to make sure she gets in okay, then fall back against the seat, raking a hand through my hair.
Instead of heading straight home after that, I drive around for a while. Nowhere in particular; just around the area. I don’t even go to anyone’s house, which is weird for me. I don’t usually like being alone; the bigger the crowd, the better. And that makes me think about Caroline. A-freakin’-gain.
Why is this chick on my brain so much tonight? And why do I feel like driving up to her house right now and sneaking up onto her roof again?
Which, yeah, makes me sound like some kind of creeper. And would definitely weird her out, I’m sure. So, I loop up around the west side of town instead, past the nature park and then eventually back onto Ocean Drive.
When I pull into my own driveway a while later, my parents are there seeing off some friends they had over tonight to play some trivia game they go nuts over. They’re standing around what must be their friend’s cars, and they all go quiet when I get out of the Jeep. And give me these weird looks.
“Seb… where’s your shirt?” Dale eventually breaks the awkward silence.
I glance down at my chest, and he’s right. I don’t have a shirt on. And my pants are unzipped… my belt unbuckled, hanging there advertising the fact that I clearly just got laid in the backseat of my Jeep.
Crap, I can’t remember if I did just hook up. And if so, with who.
“Shit.”
I glance around. Like what? There might be a spare shirt just lying there conveniently in one of the flower beds or something?
“Real nice, Seb,” Graham bites through gritted teeth. Holding back because it’s already awkward enough in front of these four friends of theirs I’ve never even met before.
