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CHAPTER1
Mal
My vision blurred.The beers were going down too smoothly. The people dancing were no more than fuzzy silhouettes. Pushing down the turning in my stomach, I joined my friend on the dance floor.
Sammy Lane, my bestie of eighteen years. We had met in the hospital nursery, our mom’s shared a room, and we had grown up side-by-side ever since. When the music started to play, Sammy grabbed me and spun us around in an awkward circle, her body pressed tight against mine. Although we were notorious for our lack of dancing finesse, we were determined to enjoy the moment.
In high school, boys never asked me to a dance. If it weren't for Sammy, I would have had zero skills when it came to having rhythm. It wasn't like I had any coordination. There was a particular homecoming that I thought one of my brother's best friends would ask me to. They didn't.
"You alright, Mal?" Sammy's voice was slurred. She swayed back and forth, causing her crop top to rise, and her breasts threatened to fall out.
"They are here!" I shouted over the drum of the music.
Of course, they would show up. Why wouldn't they? It was my brother's party, and they were his best friends. All four of them had been inseparable since we were kids. As the little sister, I was ignored, but that didn't stop me from fantasizing about them.
"Girl, go talk to them." Sammy swayed her body.
"No, no. I'm good." I matched her beat. My body fell into the rhythm even though my mind thought of them.
A girl in nothing but a bikini and flip-flops walked by carrying a tray of shooters. "Shots, girls?"
"Absolutely." Sammy grabbed two pink tubes and flicked her curly blonde hair out of the way. I shot it down with her and concentrated on the music as I lost myself in it momentarily. The alcohol made me more daring than usual, but the idea of going over to my brother's friends was nerve-wracking. They were all older than me by two years, and I didn't want to come across as the little sister trying to hang out with them.
Sammy didn't seem to care, though. She pulled me towards them, and I stumbled a little, my head still fuzzy. My brother's friend, Jake, caught me before I fell and held me steady.
"Easy there, little sis," he said with a grin. Jake was the closest to my age in the group, but he still seemed much more relaxed than me. "You've had a little too much to drink, huh?"
"I'm fine," I said, but my voice was slurred, and I knew I didn't sound convincing.
"Let's get you some water," he suggested, and I let him lead me to the side of the room where a cooler was set up with drinks. He handed me a bottle of water, and I took a few sips, hoping I didn’t look like a camel gulping water.
"Thanks," I said, looking up at him. Jake was tall and lean, with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes that always seemed to twinkle with mischief. He wore a tight black t-shirt that showed off his defined biceps and tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves.
"No problem." Jake smiled at me with a crooked grin, making my heartbeat hasten. "You having fun at the party?"
"I guess," I said, slightly shy under his gaze. "It's not my scene, but Sammy wanted to come."
Jake nodded, his eyes scanning the room. "Yeah, it's a little wild for me, too. But it's all in good fun."
We stood there for a moment, taking in the scene. My brother, Frankie, set up these parties once a month. He would rent a warehouse or somewhere else obscure and charge people an entrance fee. Even at twenty, he was an entrepreneur. I never attended his parties. Too many people always made me anxious. Tonight, I was only here because Sammy begged me. I wouldn't have needed so much convincing if I had known I would have been in a corner alone with Jake.
Jake's eyes met mine, and we locked gazes. There was a moment of silence between us before he leaned in closer to me. "You know, I always thought you were too good for this scene."
My chest tightened as my heart began to flutter. Was he flirting with me?
"You're smart, beautiful, and talented," he continued. "You should be out there conquering the world, not partying with us losers."
A wave of disappointment washed over me. Was this his way of telling me he wasn't interested? I had always thought he was perfect and dreamed of him noticing me, not just as Frankie's little sister. But now that he was, it only made me question if he was into me.
"Thanks, Jake," I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "That's really nice of you to say."
He sensed my disappointment because he placed a hand on my arm. "Hey, don't take it the wrong way. I didn't mean anything by it. You're Frankie's sister and practically family."
I turned to rejoin Sammy on the dance floor. Rex and Matty were laughing it up with her. I tried to look unfazed. I had no right to be jealous. Seriously, what kind of person crushed on all three of their brother's best friends? Ugh, what was wrong with me?
"Hey Mal, I grabbed you another shot," Sammy said when I joined her. I took it without hesitation.
The shot burned down my throat, and I relished the feeling of the alcohol hitting my system. But even as I took the shot, I couldn't stop the pang of jealousy as I watched Sammy with Rex and Matty. They were laughing and joking around like they didn't have a care in the world. Why couldn't I be a part of that? I had known them just as long as Sammy, but they all called me 'little sis.' It was worse than being friend-zoned.
