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“Well, she’s been polite to me, and I’ll keep believing she’s a good person until she proves me wrong. Like Xi. Oh my God,” I beam. “This is mySparks Flymoment, girls. Taylor would be so proud.” I flatter my lashes at them before singing some of the lyrics. “You’re the kind of reckless…”
“And that’s exactly your problem,” Peach cuts me off. “You’re a dreamer and only see the good in people. It’s exactly why everyone always walks all over you. This is not a fucking Taylor Swift song, Alex.”
“Sparks fly whenever you smiiiile,” I sing drunkenly.
“Peach,” Ella scolds her as she comes to the rescue. “Leave her alone.”
“Come on,” she groans. “We’re telling her right here and now that Xi is a shit guy and Harper is a bitch. But watch her not listen to us in the slightest and get heartbroken when she realizes she was being too nice again.”
“There’s nothing wrong with seeing the good in people, Alex,” Ella tells me as she pats my thigh. “Just be careful. And Xi really is shit.”
“He’s a fucking drug dealer,” Peach snaps. “That’s how I met him. Is that bad enough to keep you away?”
My throat tightens. “God, I get it. Stop being so annoying.”
“One tear because of that guy.One, and I will lose my shit,” she warns me.
“Stop it,” I bark back at her. “You just don’t know when to stop being a bitch, do you?”
I stand up, my head spinning from the alcohol, and remember why we’re all being extreme. Peach gets meaner when she’s drunk and, apparently, I get…messier. I should have known I’d be the ugly cry kind of girl. I’m emotional and always think I’ve done something wrong, and it gets so much worse with alcohol.
I know we’re all a little too drunk, but I’m hurt now and want to be on my own. “I’ll see you guys at home.”
“No, Alex, don’t leave,” Ella pleads. “Peach, say sorry.”
“I’m not saying sorry. She needs to toughen up.”
“You’re so goddamn stubborn,” Ella hisses at her. She stands up and grabs my hand. “I’ll walk you home and come back. I don’t want you to walk home alone at night.”
“This is dumb, I’m going back inside,” Peach says casually as if she hadn’t just worked all of us up.
“Peach, wait,” Ella calls out. She turns back to me. “I hate when you girls do this.”
I shake my head and slip my hand out of hers. “Go with her. Don’t ruin your night for us. I’ll be fine walking home on my own, I promise.”
“I don’t like leaving you alone. I know how you feel about it, especially since—”
“It’s okay,” I cut her off, not wanting to get into it. “I’m tired anyway, and I need the walk to sober up. You go after Peach since she loves being a drama queen.”
A soft laugh escapes Ella and she nods. “We won’t stay out late.”
“It’s okay if you do. Enjoy yourselves.” She gives me a big kiss on the cheek and jogs back inside to find Peach.
I let out a long huff, letting my head fall backward to look at the sky. Time to be a big girl and walk home on my own, I guess. Maybe I don’t actually fit in at these parties. It’s the first time I tried, and while the beginning was fun, I’m starting to feel like Taylor inAntihero.
I let my feet guide my drunk body back to the patio so I can walk back inside, but the moment I walk past the group of people sitting there, a dark voice calls for me.
“Alexandra.”
My stomach twists. My name sounds so delicious on his lips. My head snaps to the side without my being able to control it, and I’m surprised I don’t melt on the spot. His disheveled deep brown hair moves with the night breeze, and his eyes narrow as he takes a drag of his cigarette. There are tattoos on his fingers I noticed when he was holding the steering wheel. The skeleton of a hand covering his flesh and around his wrist, writings in Arabic.
I freeze the moment our eyes lock. His are the color of tiger’s eye crystals—different shades of brown mixing and glistening from the light over his head.
“H-hi,” I manage to squeak. My entire body feels on alert. My knees are shaking a little from his strong presence and the fact that three other people are observing our interaction.
His eyes light with amusement, clearly aware of the effect he has on me, yet there’s no smile on his face. Almost like he won’t allow it to spread.
“You guys know each other?” I startle when Harper’s voice cuts through our intense staring.
