Zack’s older brother, Jason, is home this weekend from Yale. Hence the party.
I get along better with Jason, probably because his vocabulary consists of more than “damn” and “dude.”
Music bounces off the walls so loud it pulses in my chest. We must not be that early because the place is surprisingly full of classmates. Most of them are carrying red plastic cups.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” Zack gives me a bro hug and takes our bourbon. “Dude, since Tess isn’t coming, we could…” I must look threatening because he holds his hands up.
“Damn, Reed, calm down.” He shakes his head. “Jax mentioned it. I thought as the host, I’d give you a heads-up. Tiffany has been asking all kinds of questions.” Thankfully the music is loud. Otherwise it would be uncomfortable.
Zack frowns. “You okay, man?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I answer, forcing myself to chill. “Tess is sick—that’s why she’s not here.”
Why the fuck did I say that? Looking over at the Pollock painting, I wish I could smoke some weed and spend the rest of the night staring at it.
Jax walks up and hands me a plastic cup filled with beer.
“Oh… dudes.” Zack pats Jax on the chest. “Look at what my brother is bringing in.”
Jason and his buddies are carrying another keg into the kitchen. A bunch of girls trail after them.
“Holy shit! Look at the tits on that redhead!” Zack is nearly drooling like a kid in a candy shop as he gawks at the college girls.
“Pull it together, man. They’re just girls,” I say with a snort before I drink half my beer.
Zack looks at me like I have two heads. “Dude, if I could get my hands anywhere near one of them, I would die a happy dude. Excuse me, ‘host duty’ calls.” He air quotes and backs away to look for his brother’s entourage.
I circle back to Jax, whose gaze is fixed on the redhead with large boobs. “Did you tell Zack that Tess and I had a fight?”
He looks at me, then back at the redhead, taking a sip of his beer.
“Did you?” I hiss.
“Reed… why did you come tonight?” Like I’m an annoyance. “You of all people know I don’t discuss your shit with anyone. I’m starting to get pissed. This is not my fault that you lied to Tess.” He drinks his beer.
I almost slap it out of his hand but control myself. “He said you mentioned it. What the fuck does that mean?”
“What is wrong with you? He asked me if Tess was coming. I said no. End of story.” That sounds like something Jax would say.
“Hi, Reed. Hey, Jax.” Tiffany slithers up to us. Her brown haircut is exactly like Tess’s. Pathetic. I don’t have the patience for her on a good day and certainly not tonight.
Groaning into my cup, I say, “What’s up, Tiffany?”
“Where’s Tess?” Her eyes are gleaming like she knows a secret.
“She’s sick.” Fuck, I never should have come without her.
“Oh… too bad. Well, at least you guys can have fun, huh?” The look in her eyes says she’s trying to be seductive.
“Yeah, I’m going to get something stronger.” I leave Jax to deal with her.
I almost want to play the twin game, where we fuck with everyone, telling them that we are each other. It works great at parties. Tess is the only one who can always tell us apart. We can even trick my parents sometimes.
Sauntering into the kitchen, I pour myself a cup of my dad’s bourbon. I want to get shit-faced. The first bottle is already gone, and we just arrived.
“Can you make me one of those?” Looking over, I see a small pretty blonde smiling up at me. The way she holds herself indicates that she’s with Zack’s brother’s group.
“Sure,” I say, pouring some into a cup and handing it to her.
“What’s your name?” She licks her lips before she takes a sip.
As I stare down at my drink, I smirk. She wants me. I should be flattered. Instead, my mind flashes to Tess and how if this situation were reversed, I would freak.
Quickly I down my shot, letting the burn subside before I answer her.
“Reed.” My eyes sweep her body. In my defense, most of it is on display. Short skirt, short top, with boots.
“I’m Zoe.”
The bourbon goes straight to work. I already feel that magical numbness. “Well, Zoe, have fun.”
“Wait.” She grabs my arm. “Do a shot with me,” she says, licking her lips again. Her hand casually stays on my bicep. I need to get the fuck away from this one. Looking down at her, I make a bad decision and pour two more.
“I have a girlfriend.” We clink our plastic cups.
Her eyes narrow as she slams the shot with barely a shudder. “That’s too bad. Is she here?”
Ignoring her, I grab the bottle and make my way to the game room to play pool.