Worse Than Enemies

“I know. They suck.”

“I would date you if I liked girls.”

“Same here. That would make everything so much easier.” Not that I believe that, but it feels like the right thing to say to a drunk friend. We reach a cooler by the pool, and I bend down to grab a bottle of water, but Salem slaps my hand away and grabs the half-empty bottle of vodka sitting in the ice.

“Are you sure you should do that?” I ask when she unscrews the cap and tosses it on the patio.

“So what? I want some of this.”

“You can already barely stand.” I reach for the bottle, but she yanks it away, then stumbles backward. I catch her before she falls into the pool.

“Lay off, would you? God. Find a man of your own and hang out with him.”

“What? What does that have to do with anything?”

Her eyes narrow. “Maybe you should find Franky.”

“You’re the one who said I should talk to him. I’m not even interested in him.”

Her head snaps up like she’s ready to accuse me of something—instead, her eyes go wide. “No, don’t do it!” she squeals, and I start to turn around to see what she’s talking about, but don’t get the chance before a pair of hands slam into my back.

Suddenly, I’m in midair, flailing, before hitting the water.

I surface quickly, sputtering with wet hair plastered over my face. I know who did it before I brush the hair away. Only one person would be this mean.

Hayes stands at the edge of the patio, hands on his hips, while he laughs along with almost everybody else who saw it happen. “What about now?” he asks. “Is your shirt see-through now?”

Oh, my God. He’s right. When I get out, it will look like I’m not wearing anything. I’m going to have to stay here all night.

Salem shoves him. “You asshole. What’s wrong with you?”

“Why don’t you go drink some more?” he asks before turning back to me. “You gonna stay in there all night? Or are you going to come out?”

All around me, people are pulling out their phones like they want to take a video or snap a picture. Even the water isn’t enough to cool my flushed body.

I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of staying here, even if it means being humiliated. All I can do is control how I handle it.

“Get out of my way,” I grunt before placing my hands on the lip of the pool and pushing up to lift myself out of the water.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Theo is standing in front of me, giving Hayes a dirty look before pulling off his shirt. “Here. Put this on.” More than a few disappointed groans sound around us, and everyone wanders off to go back to whatever they were doing before.

Hayes groans and gives Theo a little shove. “Come on. It was just a joke.” He rolls his eyes and waves his friend off. “Lighten up.”

“You lighten up.”

Hayes stares at me over Theo’s shoulder, mouthing, I warned you.

When Hayes walks off, Theo offers me a weak smile. “He gets this way sometimes, but he’s not a bad guy. Really.”

“I’m going to go. Salem’s... busy.” She’s already back to sitting on Logan’s lap with her arms around his neck.

“Do you need a ride?”

“No, thanks. I’ll get one.” I already have the app open. Thank God I have the latest iPhone since it’s waterproof and my phone was in my pocket. Hopefully, it won’t take long before a car gets here because this is the last place in the world I want to be.

Hayes got his way. I’m leaving not even halfway through the party with my dripping tail between my legs.

13

Could you at least let me know you got home safe? I don’t even know how much you remember about last night, but I couldn’t stay when I was soaking wet and embarrassed.

I stare at the phone, willing Salem to text me back, but it goes unanswered, just like the seven texts I already sent. She might not even be up yet. It’s only ten o’clock, and who knows what time she left the party.

I hate to think something got ruined between us last night. It’s not only that I need her to help me navigate. I really thought we were friends.

I can’t stay in my room all day, no matter how much I don’t want to see Hayes. What kind of mood will he be in today? Maybe he’ll hate me for breathing the same air as him. He said something about having a meet, so hopefully, he’ll be out for a while. Now that I’m showered and dressed and have hung out up here as long as I can without starving, I venture out into the hall and downstairs.

There’s a loaf of sourdough on the counter and avocados in a bowl, so I make toast while mashing up half of the ripe fruit. I wonder where Lucy is. Maybe we could hang out today. Mom and Mr. Ambrose are going on their trip in a couple of days, so I know she’ll be busy packing for wherever they’re going. I heard her say something about needing to go shopping. That’s probably what she’s doing now.