I should have known there was something up with her. A sane person wouldn’t have just stopped showing up for a relative, no matter how busy they were. She was a liar, a manipulative bitch, and I was going to get down to the bottom of who she was and burn her to the ground. Even if the flames were to catch onto me too, I would be prepared.
After all, what was the point of life without playing with a little fire?
Chapter Twenty
KANDY
If I thought the high school parties I attended were wild, they weren’t anything in comparison to college parties.
There were kegs in every corner of the two-story house, bottles of all kinds of liquor on the tables, and empty cups scattered on the floor. The music pulsed so hard I could feel it through my shoes.
We’d gotten to the party thirty minutes late because I couldn’t decide which outfit to wear. Gina insisted that I wear something hot and drool-worthy, mainly because she didn’t want to be the only one wearing a risqué outfit. I’d dressed in one of the shortest black dresses I could find, with fishnet tights and a pair of chunky-heeled maroon Doc Martens. I was slowly but surely regretting the decision of my attire with every tug and pull to cover my ass.
The room was dark, but I looked around anyway, searching for Brody. I didn’t see him anywhere. All of the partiers were practically wasted. Several of them flitted about with plastic cups in hand, others with beer bottles. There was a section in the living room for dancing, and it was packed with bodies. Strobe lights flickered and bounced off the walls, highlighting a few of the partygoers. The room was hot in comparison to the chill outside, so hot that my dress was starting to stick to me in certain places.
“Let’s have some shots, loosen you gals up a little!” Gina shouted over the music.
Morgan and I nodded and Gina led the way to the kitchen. One countertop was set up with bottles of liquor. There was a cooler by the patio door, where a tall guy dug through the ice to pull out a Corona.
Gina got right to work, whipping cups out and picking up bottles like she’d done this routine plenty of times. She had a bottle of Jose Cuervo in hand and poured what she considered a shot into the cups, then smiled as she turned, handing one to each of us.
“Here’s to a fun night!” she yelled over the music.
“Hell yes!” Morgan yelled, raising her cup in the air to bump Gina’s.
I smiled, raising my cup too. “And to many more!”
We chugged our shots back and I winced as the burn rushed down my throat. Doing shots was going to take some getting used to. I’d done them with Frankie and I literally hated them. I’d rather have a mixed drink than a pure shot any day.
Just as I’d placed my cup down on the marble counter, a hand touched my waist and I peered over my shoulder, meeting familiar whiskey eyes.
“Hey! You made it!” Brody exclaimed.
I twisted around in his arms, smiling up at him. “I told you I would come!”
“Yeah! I guess I’m just surprised,” he said. “I thought I was going to get a text with some kind of excuse about studying or needing sleep.” He laughed, pulling his hand from my waist. I could smell the liquor on his breath.
“Nah, I wouldn’t do that. But man, how much have you had to drink already?” I scrunched my face and waved my hand like a fan, fighting a laugh.
“He’s one shot away from being shit-faced,” Leo said from behind him. Leo was one of Brody’s roommates and his best friend. They were both on the football team and members of MPA. I’d met Leo during a meeting and had even meditated with him several times. He was a cool guy, but not the most attentive. Gina had the biggest crush on him for some reason. She’d even joined MPA just to get the chance to meditate with him. It hadn’t happened yet.
I glanced at Gina who was tucking her straightened hair behind her ears and avoiding his eyes as much as possible, trying to play it cool. Morgan had walked off to grab a beer out of the cooler.
“Yo, stop lying!” Brody exclaimed. “I am not that drunk. I can handle a few more. Besides,” Brody stuck his chest out, “it’s my birthday. I’ll get drunk if I want to.”
Gina and I broke out in a fit of laughter.
“Hey, aren’t you in MPA too?” Leo asked, fixing his eyes on Gina.
“Oh—uh, yeah. I am! Just joined last month!” She bit a smile, and her eyes sparkled like she was so happy he’d even realized.
“Cool! Yeah, MPA is awesome! Some good stuff.” Leo pointed a thumb back, taking a step toward her. “Can I get you something to drink?”