also here to celebrate a friend of mine, Sawyer Hathaway, a guy who just happened to save my life a few nights ago," I said.
"Whoo! Go Sawyer!" Graham shouted.
Everyone laughed and applauded. Sawyer blushed, turning his profile to the crowd. He started to fiddle with the woven bracelets he always wore around his wrist, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"I'm goingto make this brief, since he doesn't like the spotlight, but I just wanted everyone to hear me say. . . thank you, Sawyer." I turned to look at him. "If you hadn't jumped in the water at the exact moment you did, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be able to be with my friends, to experience this incredible parry, to do any of the things I've got planned for my future." I looked at Upton as I said this and a new thrill of excite -ment shot through my core. "And I swear, I'll never do anything like this to you again, but I just thought you deserved a little toast."
I turned and lifted a champagne glass from a tray on the DJ's table. Kiran really had prepared for everything.
"To Sawyer, my hero!"
"To Sawyer!" the crowd shouted.
There was a lot of cheering and whooping and clapping. Sawyer managed to raise his hands to acknowledge it, even though he seemed to be melting in embarrassment on the inside. Soon the DJ turned up the music again and everyone got back to their dancing. I handed the microphone back to him and then gave my champagne glass to Sawyer.
"Here. Looks like you could use this," I said.
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Sawyer downed the whole thing in one gulp. "Thanks."
"You don't actually hate me, do you?" I asked.
He smiled. "No. But you really are done now, right? No more thank-yous, no more speeches?"
"I swear," I said, crossing my heart for good measure.
"Omigod! You guys are not going to believe this!" Kiran cried, bursting out of the crowd. "Come on!"
She cut a weaving line through the dance floor--one that we attempted to follow as best we could without getting elbowed in the face. When we arrived on the other side we found that the rest of our crew was all lined up on the rocky ledge, staring out at the water. I squinted into the darkness, trying to see whatever it was that had caught their attention. Finally I zoned in on a lone boat, bobbing out on the waves a good distance offshore.
"What's up?" I asked.
"That's Daniel's boat," Noelle said, lifting a hand. "Those losers are out there spying onus!"
I laughed. "You're kidding."
"They are so pathetic," Taylor said.
Noelle extricated her iPhone from her clutch and turned it on.
"What're you doing?" Dash asked.
"Just wait." Noelle held the phone to her ear and cleared her throat. "Voice mail. Figures." She waited a moment, then spoke. "Are you really that pathetic that you couldn't find anything better to do on New Year's Eve than spy onus? Oh, Paige, how the mighty have fallen. Have fun wallowing in your friendlessness."
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She dropped her phone back in her bag and turned to the rest of us. "Hot tub?"
The girls cheered and the guys tore off their shirts. Sawyer shrugged and followed Graham, who was running toward the hot tub in nothing but his boxers.
"Hope you've got a bra on under that dress," Tiffany said as she lifted her frock off over her head, revealing a matching--and very sexy--set of black lingerie.
Luckily, I did, but still. . . did I really want all the guys seeing me in my underwear? Especially Upton, who was supposed to see it all later? And Dash, who had already seen some of it on one of the most shameful nights of my life?
"It's sweet that you're so shy," Upton said in my ear, noting my hesitation. "Here."
He produced a blue T-shirt from behind his back and handed it to me. "I got it from one of the dancers just in case."