I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything.
“He kissed her back.”
My stomach sinks for her, but I nod gently. “Yeah. He did.”
“Why is she so evil?” Sara asks faintly. “She acted like we were friends. She’s the one that... she’s the one that encouraged me to talk to him. She said he liked me.”
“I know,” I murmur, grabbing her and pulling her into a protective hug.
“I slept with him, Riley,” she whispers numbly.
Oh, God.
I close my eyes, my heart sinking even deeper. “I’m so sorry.”
I know how upset she must be, so I just hold her for a while. I only pull back when Hunter finally walks over to check on us.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
I nod, but I’m surprised to see Sherlock trailing behind him.
Looking back at Hunter, I tell him, “Sara wants to go home. Can we give her a ride?”
“Right now?”
My eyes widen. “Yes, right now. You think she wants to stay after that?”
Sherlock steps forward. “I’ll take her.”
My gaze jumps to his, surprised.
“No point in you guys leaving early,” he says. “I was about to bail, anyway.”
Pulling back, I look down at Sara. “Is that okay?”
She nods, swiping at her cheek. “I don’t care who takes me, I just need to get out of here.”
I nod, but there’s still a tentative frown on my face. Turning back to Hunter, I lean in and tell him, “I’m not so sure about this.”
Sherlock is standing close enough to hear us, so he takes a step forward and invites himself into the conversation. “Do you really think I’m going to pounce on some sad girl, Riley?”
I roll my eyes. “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just… she’s heartbroken. She shouldn’t be alone. I should really go to her house with her. She’ll need someone to talk to.”
Hunter and Sherlock exchange looks.
I frown, not much liking the conspiratorial vibe I’m picking up between them.
They don’t say anything, but as if they’ve spoken and decided without me, Sherlock looks back at me. “No. I’m taking her home, you’re staying here and enjoying the rest of the dance.”
“You’re not my boss,” I inform him.
Hunter’s hand settles around my waist. My gaze darts to him, and I’m startled by the almost gentle look on his face as he firmly reminds me, “No, but I am. And we’re going to let Sherlock take Sara home.”
My mouth drops open. I can only stare at him. “Are you seriously pulling rank on me right now? This isn’t a game, Hunter. My friend is in pain.”
“Is she your friend?” Hunter asks, frowning. “Because, see, I’m remembering it a little differently. I’m remembering her ditching you and abandoning you every chance she got this year.”
I frown, wanting to argue with him, but… he’s not saying anything that isn’t true.
“I don’t think she’s your friend, Riley. I think you have a good heart and you want to protect the people you care about even when they don’t necessarily deserve it. I can’t complain about that trait, I certainly wouldn’t have you if you didn’t have it, but…” He pulls me closer, looking into my eyes. “We look out for each other, right? It’s my job to protect you. You recognize when my so-called friends only want to use me, but you don’t always see it when it’s happening to you.”
“Can confirm,” Sherlock says with a nod.
I glare at him.
He holds his hands up in playful surrender, but his steely eyes glint with amusement. His gaze flickers to Hunter. “We’re gonna head out.”
Hunter nods, but he doesn’t look at him. He keeps his gaze locked on me.
I frown up at him, still not altogether sure about this, but I don’t argue as Sherlock collects Sara and starts to lead her through the crowd toward the exit doors.
I feel a little like I’m abandoning her, but… well, as Hunter just reminded me, she didn’t seem to mind abandoning me.
Pouting a little, I tell him, “I don’t like this.”
“I know,” he says reassuringly, locking his arms around my waist and pulling me close.
Since I guess I don’t have to worry about Sara right now, my curiosity surfaces. I glance back at the dance floor where the fight broke out, but of course they’re not still standing there.
“Do we know what the hell happened there?” I ask Hunter. “Why was Anderson involved?”
He shrugs. “No idea. If you want to find out, we can go find Melina. She generally knows what’s going on.”
I hate to engage in idle gossip, but I can’t deny I’m really curious to know why Anderson punched Wally. I haven’t paid much attention to what he was up to since we broke up, but getting into a fight with Wally for kissing Valerie? I have questions.
When we catch up to Melina, I don’t even have to ask her to share the gossip. She’s positively bursting with it.