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Blue eyes burn mine. All of a sudden, it feels like the oxygen has been sucked out of my lungs.
I tear my gaze away from Caleb. “It was an accident,” I inform Madison.
My ex-best friend glances up from her dripping clothes with venom spewing from her eyes. “What the hell are you even doing here, Lennon?”
“I invited her.” I glance over at Will, who’s approaching with two other guys. Uneasily, I realize they aren’t the only ones looking this way. Most of the clearing’s attention is aimed over here.
“Of course you did,” Madison drawls. “You two makeperfectsense.”
Maybe I’d walk away, if it was just me she was insulting. That’s a storm I’ve successfully weathered many times before. But it bothers me she’s dragging Will into it, that she’s willing to slight him just to take a dig at me.
I toss my mostly-empty cup and cross my arms. “What does that mean?”
“It means you walk around with your nose in the air, like we don’t all know your dad was a deadbeat druggie and your mom was a slut who—”
“That’s enough.”
It takes me a moment, to work past the ball of pain and rage and realize who spoke.
Madison—everyone—is gaping at Caleb.
“I’m just stating facts.” Madison recovers first, pairing the statement with a fake laugh.
No one joins her. It’s eerily silent, everyone frozen in place like scared animals. But they’re not staring at Madison—or me. They’re all focused on Caleb, like they’re waiting for him to react.
“Whatever.” Madison flips her hair. “Help me get cleaned up?”
“Not a fucking chance.”
I thought I’d heard Caleb angry. But the ice in his voice is new. Its cold edge cuts through the night air like a sharp blade before he turns and walks away.
I flinch, and I’m not the only one. Madison glares at me before she spins and disappears into the crowd too.
“Whoa,” Cassie breathes. “I, uh, I can’t believe that happened.”
I’m still frozen, staring at the spot where Caleb was standing.
“Hey, Lennon.” Will approaches, hands in his pockets. “Hi, Cassie,” he adds.
“Hey, Will,” she responds, and I smile.
“Can I get you ladies anything to drink?” he offers.
I chew on the inside of my cheek and nod, appreciating his effort to act like that scene didn’t just happen.
“Drinks would be great,” I tell Will.
“You okay?” Cassie whispers, while Will’s over by the coolers.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Cassie excuses herself a couple minutes after Will returns with our drinks in an obvious attempt to leave the two of us alone. We chat easily, although Will does most of the talking. He’s in the midst of explaining the joke gift holiday tradition in his family when one of his basketball teammates stumbles over to us, clearly drunk.
I tell Will I’m going to grab another drink, and he nods, preoccupied with keeping his teammate upright. Rather than head for the beverages, I hike up the edge of the small hill that slopes into the clearing and take a seat on a random truck’s tailgate. I spot Cassie standing next to the bonfire and watch her chatting with a few of the girls we eat lunch with before turning my gaze upward at the stars. I’ve just started tracing the shape of the Little Dipper when I feel the tailgate dip from the added weight of another body.
“Heard you soaked Madison.” When I glance over, Colt Adams is also looking upward.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t on purpose,” I reply, glad my voice doesn’t reveal how shocked I am Caleb’s best friend is voluntarily speaking to me. That’s happened…never.
