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Chapter 1
Seven Years Ago
Mack
“Hey, Mack! Over here! Mack!”
I cringe at the sound of Makenna’s voice. I debate even looking her way, but I don’t want to cause any drama tonight. I don’t even want to be here.
“Mack!” she calls out again over the loud music as she twirls her fingers in her long, blonde hair. She’d normally be the type of girl I’d go for, but I know she’s only doing it because she wants to tell everyone she’s been with both twins, which would still be a lie since Declan never slept with her. Not that it stops her from telling everyone he did.
Her face lights up when I finally nod her way while I try to keep walking past her through the packed apartment. I don’t even make it two steps before more people block my path, forcing me to acknowledge her.
She gives me that fake flirty smile that most guys fall for, but I know better. “I need a pong partner for the next round! You down?”
“Yeah, I’ll find you later,” I say to appease her as I force my way to the kitchen to grab a beer from the keg. I wouldn’t normally even entertain the idea of hanging out with someonewho acts like her, but she’s friends with all my friends. I don’t want to make things weird by being a dick.
I take a sip from my Solo cup, but I can’t muster up a party attitude tonight. I think I’ll say a few hellos and then bail. That way my friends can’t nag me about not showing up, and I can avoid having to come up with an excuse for getting out of that pong game with Makenna. It’s a win-win.
Well, except the part where I end up drunk and alone in my apartment for yet another night this week, trying not to think about Liv. It won’t work though. She’s all I can think about.
How could I be so stupid? Why couldn’t I just make myself want to move to Seattle with her? She would’ve been worth it.
I couldn’t though. I couldn’t leave. And honestly, with how little she tried to make it work long distance, maybe it’s best I didn’t go with her. We probably wouldn’t have worked.
But fuck! It hurts, dammit.
She wouldn’t even consider staying after she was accepted into her master’s program in Washington, which I can’t blame her for. I would’ve done the same thing. But I couldn’t just uproot my whole life here. All my family and friends are here, and I have a job lined up after graduation. Oliva and I had only been dating six months when she found out she was leaving.
I don’t know what I was thinking by staying with her after I found out she was moving. I wanted to ignore it. I wanted to pretend she was never going to go. But I fucked myself over. I had to go and fall for her, and now she’s gone.
And I’m here. Alone. Drinking beer out of a plastic cup at a college party with a bunch of drunk freshmen.
Fuck, I really don’t want to be here.
I scan the room to see if I can find Derek. The sooner I throw back a couple beers with him, the sooner I can leave. Idon’t understand why he’s always so hellbent on hitting up these college parties instead of just going to a bar.
He claims it’s because it’s cheaper to buy your own alcohol, but I have a feeling it’s because he feels like a big shot with all the freshmen and sophomore girls. It’s honestly starting to get borderline creepy. I’m not sure I’ll stay friends with him after graduation. If he wasn’t dating April, who’s Trevor’s girlfriend’s best friend, then we’d probably have all dropped him by now.
I think I spot the back of his head walking past the living room hall. I shove through some people to get out of the kitchen, but there’s a couple making out and blocking off most of the hall. I scooch along the wall past the guy sucking off some poor freshman’s face.
I’m almost through when the girl pulls back and giggles before their tongues are tangled again. The sound of her laugh reverberates through me as my brain catches up to what I’m seeing. I stand frozen in place for a moment before rage fills my blood.
I don’t even think before I yank the man off of her, shoving his back against the wall. Thea jumps in between us, shoving me back by my chest. “What the hell!” she shouts.
“What are you doing here?” I spit out, trying to calm myself down as my chest heaves up and down.
“None of your business,” she snaps back, trying to pretend like she’s in control of this situation.
The prick next to her finally decides to man up and confront me. “Back off, fucker.”
“She’s a minor,” I say, scaring him off.
Thea tries to protest. “Oh, for Christ’s sake! I’m fucking nineteen, Mack!”
“Still not old enough for that alcohol I smell on your breath,” I say.
The dickwad is already stepping backward. “Hey, I don’t want to get mixed up in whatever this is,” he says with his hands raised before disappearing into the crowd.
