“You are everything to me,” I practically growl at Jill in my sheer determination. “And because of that, we will find a way to be together. My sister will be okay with this in the end. Just you wait and see.” I lean down and press my lips to Jill’s. It kills me to feel even a scrap of hesitation in her response. I can’t have that. “Trust me.”
I rise to my feet and hold out my hand to Jill. She collapsed on the floor in her sobs when Sadie ran out, and now she isn’t sure that she has the strength to get back up again, but I will be her strength.
“Come on, let’s go find her,” I say as Jill finally rises. “If she is with Warren then it might be easier. He may have a way to calm her down, let us explain. He has that effect on her sometimes.”
“You think?” Jill cocks an eyebrow at me. “I hope so. I don’t want to go through that again. Especially not in front of everyone at the party. No one else needs to have their night ruined by us.”
Now, isn’t that the truth? I don’t want that any more than Jill does which is why it’s time to find Sadie before her rampage continues. She could drag anyone into this and no one else needs that drunken drama. Except maybe Warren, just to help us out. Poor Warren, this isn’t what he came to his graduation party for either but…
Chapter 5 – Jill
My heart hammers hard against my chest as we exit the barn. We staggered in here earlier, giggling and carefree, determined to turn me in to a woman. I thought that when we eventually decided to leave, I would be flushed and happy, hiding my delicious little secret from the world a little longer… I had no idea that I would be tear stained with my life in ruins. As me and Garrett finally reach the rest of the people here, I regret everything.
Damn Marissa. I should have known that sneaking away within view of the biggest gossip in our class was going to turn into trouble for me. I like the girl, but she loves to stir shit up. I was just so caught up in Garrett that I didn’t think about it. But as much as I am annoyed at Marissa, this ultimately isn’t her fault. It’s mine.
I shouldn’t have got caught up with Garrett, even if we are in love. Not without speaking to Sadie first. All the arguments that I ever gave myself for keeping this a secret sound weak to my ears now. I feel stupid and small. I hate myself far more than Sadie could ever hate me. I’m a liar, and I betrayed my best friend. What sort of person does that?
Not the sort of person that I ever wanted to be… yet here I am, doing just that.
“It’s busy,” I say quietly to Garrett. I’m close to him, but not touching him as if we might poison one another if we do. “I knew that there were a lot of people here, but it is way more packed now. Have more people turned up?”
“There are definitely people who weren’t here before.” Garrett is trying to sound brave but I don’t miss the tremor in his voice. Are the people making him anxious? Or is he worried about Sadie? “We just need to find Warren. Wherever Warren is, Sadie will be. Then it might be a good idea for us to get out of here. Hashing this out at home will be better for all of us, don’t you think?” I nod, but I don’t even know if he notices. “Yes, for sure.”
Fuck, everything about this feels wrong. I can’t put my finger on it but there’s a sense of danger in the air now. I don’t know if it’s because I’m worried about what will happen with my relationship Sadie or something else, but I find myself sidling closer to Garrett by the moment. There is some tension rising …
“Is that Marissa?” Garrett points, but to be honest I’m not sure. I feel more drunk now than before, even though I have not had that many drinks. I can’t really see. “I don’t know, but they might be over there…”
I follow Garrett in silence, not sure what to say. This feels like a lot right now, on a night that was supposed to be the best of our lives, but now is so scary. I can’t explain it, but there is a block of ice in the pit of my stomach. Maybe it will go away when I see Sadie.
“Warren… is that Warren?” If it is, it doesn’t fill me with any sense of relief. He’s drunk, clearly drunk, and staggering around laughing with a group of guys from the soccer team. He doesn’t look like a guy who has a very upset girlfriend right now. “Fuck, if that’s Warren, then where the hell is Sadie, Garrett?”