I whirl around, dropping my phone, my beer sloshing over the edge of my cup and spilling onto the dirt.
“Evan, right?” Sebastian asks, his voice dripping with disdain. “I thought that was you.”
“Nope. You got the wrong girl,” I say with forced indifference. I bend over to pick up my phone before I start to make my way back toward the bonfire.
“Funny,” he says, right as I’m parallel to his body, “your skirt says otherwise.” Just like the night we met, he flips the hem of my skirt…where my name is stitched into my pom uniform. My traitorous heart skips a beat at his touch, not caring that he’s the enemy.
“Shouldn’t you be in jail or something?”
“Why? Did you call Mommy and Daddy to have me arrested again?”
“Excuse you?” I seethe. He robbed us. Stole thousands of dollars in jewelry from my mom and caused the accident that resulted in my dad’s addiction to pills.
“You heard me. That’s two days and three hundred dollars I’ll never get back.”
“Don’t worry,” I spit. “I think I’ve learned my lesson.” Sebastian looks at me with curious eyes, probably working out the fact that I know it was him that night, before his face morphs back into a sneer. I shove past him, but his hand shoots out, gripping my arm above my elbow.
“You owe me something.” His voice is low and menacing. No trace of the boy who stuck his neck out for me at the carnival in sight.
I laugh. I actually laugh in his face at the prospect of owing him anything after what he did.
“If you think you’re getting any money out of me, you’re high.” Higher than my father, I add, mentally, but I keep that to myself. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he’s affected my family.
“Fuck the money. I want my jacket.”
I arch a brow. I didn’t see that one coming. “Well, good luck with that. I threw it out with the trash a while ago.” I jerk my arm out of his grasp just in time to see Drew walking up with a concerned expression. Before he has a chance to say anything in front of Sebastian, I hook my arm through his—he hates when I do that—leading us back to the beach.
“The hell was that about?” Drew asks.
“Carny freak,” I mutter by way of explanation.
“No shit?”
“Shit,” I confirm.
“What’s he doing here?”
“Apparently, they’re from Eastlake.”
Drew lets out a low whistle. “That’s a crazy coincidence.”
“A very unfortunate one,” I grumble.
“Want to get out of here? Go see a movie or something instead?” Drew asks. I consider his offer. Drew really is the sweetest guy I know. He’s loved by everyone, from the jocks and cheerleaders to the freaks and geeks, and everyone in between. Drama doesn’t ever seem to touch him. Almost like he’s above it and everyone knows better than to try to bring him down to their level. If only I was so lucky. I don’t know what he sees in me. I’m a bitter bitch, if I’m being honest. But Drew has proven himself to be my one real friend as my life has done a complete one-eighty over the past year.
“Screw that. This is my territory,” I say decisively. “Why should I leave?”
“Wow.” Drew chuckles.
“What?”
“Nothing. That was just very Sons of Anarchy of you.”
“Shut up.” I laugh, knocking his arm with my shoulder.
“How should we retaliate? Should we jump him? Send his loved one’s head in a box?”
“I hate you,” I say, but I can’t help but smile.