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“Knock, knock,” Cove says, appearing in the doorway.
“Hey.” I give him a smile that’s only slightly strained at the edges. It’s not his fault, it’s the guilt making me feel like this.
“I just wondered if you’d changed your mind about that offer for help?”
“Which offer?” I ask with a laugh. “The first or the hundredth?”
“Any of them. All of them.”
“Well, actually, I do have something you can help me with.”
His face brightens and the eager expression reminds me of something Summer once said to me:some guys are like golden retrievers. They’re full of energy and are eager to please. But they can be a bit clingy, and need too much attention and praise.
At the time I couldn’t understand how she could compare boyfriends to dogs. I thought it was cruel, but now I can kind of understand what she was saying. She didn’t mean it in an unkind way, but Cove is a bit like the golden retriever she described.
Thinking about Summer again, I wonder if she’s still with those five guys she was seeing. I don’t remember much about meeting them, but I do remember that none of them really gave off a golden retriever energy. If I had to compare Summer’s guys to dogs, I’d say they were like those really scary, rabid zombie dogs in the first Resident Evil film.
“Malia?”
“Huh?” I stare at him. “Did you say something?”
“I asked what you need me to do.”
“Sorry. I was thinking about dogs.”
“Dogs?” He shoots me an amused but puzzled look.
“Yeah. It doesn’t matter. Can you head onto campus and hand out these flyers I’ve made for the party? I didn’t mention that it was Bhodi’s birthday, just a beach party. I didn’t want it to stop Summer from coming.”
Cove stares at me a beat too long and I start to feel foolish.
Isn’t that how parties are advertised? In all of the movies I’ve watched, that’s how they do it. That, and word of mouth. At home in England, you could only go to a party if you got an invite. But the last time I got one of those I was six and my parents didn’t let me go anyway because I wastoo unstable. I’ve never been to a real party, especially not one for adults. I don’t know proper invite etiquette.
Though I’m guessing party games like pass the parcel are out.
As soon as I think that, I remember being sandwiched between Reef and Bhodi after our sparring session and can’t help but blush at the idea of being the parcel they pass between them.
“You went to all the trouble of making flyers?”
I blink to clear my dirty thoughts, praying my cheeks aren’t on fire to give me away, and nod, passing him a stack to look at.
“That’s really something, Mai-Tai.”
Relieved, I give him a friendly, more genuine smile. “So you’ll hand them out for me?”
“Of course.”
“I could come with you if you like?” I offer, hopefully. Cove hesitates. He knows how badly I want to get out of the house, but he’s torn between following orders and wanting to make me happy.
“If we took Bhodi and Reef with us it would be safe. There’s no way the professor can complain if I have three chaperones,” I quickly add, hoping to sway him.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Cove says, regret and sympathy lining his face. “You stay here and work on a list of what booze you want us to pick up, and I’ll go and pass these out.”
“Okay,” I reply flatly, failing to hide my disappointment. At least they’re letting me go to the party, that’s something. I guess.
Cove gives me a quick hug and drops a kiss on the top of my head before heading out. I pause for a second, torn, and then decide to just go for it.
Racing out of the bedroom and along the landing to the top of the stairs, I decide that I’m going to put my foot down and demand that they let me out to go with Cove. I’m not a damn prisoner here, so it’s time they stopped treating me like one, no matter their reasons.
