Their chatter disappears down the front walk as I rein in my anger, closing the door quietly behind them.
“You should’ve kicked her legs out from under her,” Piper says as she comes down the stairs.
Her lips are swollen and pink, almost raw looking, and it’s apparent they’ve just spent the last couple of minutes attacking each other’s mouths.
“That wouldn’t solve anything.”
“But it would let Zeke know you’re willing to fight for him,” Dalton adds.
I roll my eyes. What does this boy know about anything?
“I don’t want to fight for him. Hopefully, his mom will find a place soon, and he’ll be out of my hair.”
“Okay.” Piper claps. “Let’s go.”
“I’m not going.”
“You are,” she says as she draws closer. “You can go like that or I’ll give you a couple of minutes to grab a jacket. It’s cool out tonight.”
I don’t move. I have no intention of leaving this house tonight. My entire world has been turned on its side since Zeke arrived, and I’m honestly looking forward to a quiet evening alone where I know rather than have to guess if he’s gone or not.
“We’ll stick close to you,” Piper promises. “And we’ll leave the second you’re ready to go.”
I know she’s not going to give up.
“Fine,” I grunt as I walk toward the coat closet. “Be prepared to not even get out of the car.”
“Nope,” Piper counters. “Like I said. It’s senior year, and we’ve got to get out of the shadows. It’s our time to shine!”
“When do you get your cheer uniform?” I ask as we leave the house. I lock the front door, uncaring if Zeke has a key or not.
“Very funny,” she says as Dalton holds the passenger side door of his dad’s truck open for her.
Surprisingly, once she’s inside, he takes another step and opens mine for me as well. “Keep earning those brownie points.”
He winks at me before rounding the front and climbing inside.
The drive is as quiet as it can be with Piper humming happily along to the song playing on the radio, and by the time we get to the field, I’m glad to get out. I’ll puke if I have to look at the sparkle in Dalton’s eyes each time he raises their joined hands and presses his lips to the back of Piper’s.
“You guys are giving me a toothache,” I murmur as I climb out.
Dalton opens Piper’s door for her, lifting her by the waist and letting her slide slowly down his body in a move that’s clearly sexual.
“If you guys wander off to get naked and leave me here alone, I’ll never speak to either one of you ever again.”
“I’d never do that,” Piper assures me, but then she squeals when Dalton pinches her on the butt. She swats him away, but he’s grinning like the Cheshire cat as they once again clasp hands and begin walking closer to the fire.
It’s not a huge bonfire, and since this isn’t a school-sanctioned event, the teens laughing and drinking with music blaring all around them don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.
It doesn’t take long for my eyes to seek and find Zeke, and of course he’s right where I expect him to be, in the middle of the football guys with Bronwyn on his arm.
The red, orange, and yellow glow from the fire lights him up in a way that’s almost magical. His bright, hazel eyes absorb the colors making his pupils glow nearly iridescent, and from far away I can imagine him being the perfect all-American boy. He’s grinning at something Linc says with a beer in his hand, but his smile falters when he notices me, and I swear horns protrude from the top of his head despite the hood of his sweatshirt being in the way.
“Do you want a soda?” Piper asks. “They have coolers full of stuff.”
I glance back at my friend, but my eyes immediately search Dalton’s hands.
“Just Coke for me,” he says, tilting the soda in his grasp. “I don’t drink anymore.”
Dalton was wasted at the end-of-year party a few months ago, and rumors were around school he was always the first to arrive at the party, the one who partied the hardest, and always the last to leave, but as I watch his face as he glances at Piper, I can tell he’s content to just be around her with no alcohol involved at all.
I don’t know why I keep looking and waiting for him to turn on her. I truly want her to be happy. Maybe it’s my own situation and the crappy hand I’ve been dealt in Zeke Benson that has me waiting for the other shoe to drop on Piper’s situation.
“Do they have Dr. Pepper?” I ask with a smile, determined to have a good time if for no other reason than to not ruin Piper’s very first bonfire.