I manage to slip out of playing beer pong by switching out with some random girl, and go sit out on the beach to watch the calming waves. A body sits down next to me, but I instinctively know it’s not Aiden, even though I wish it was.
“This party would’ve been a lot more fun if we all weren’t bummed out,” Annalisa says, resting her palms on the sand behind her and leaning back.
I laugh humorlessly. “I guess this whole thing was a dumb idea, huh? All coming here accomplished was starting fights and causing tension between people who were the best of friends.”
“It’s not your fault. Clearly we just can’t handle being together for long stretches of time without drama finding us,” Annalisa says matter-of-factly. “Honestly, all of this would’ve happened whether or not we were together anyway. It was only a matter of time.”
“I guess,” I sigh. “Maybe not the drama and threats from Aiden’s dad, but I guess everything else.”
“I know. Andrew Kessler needs to calm his balls,” Annalisa scoffs. “He called Aiden again an hour or two ago.”
I snap to attention when she says that. “What did he want?”
Annalisa sits up and rubs the sand off of her hands. “Julian told me that Andrew told Aiden he has one more chance to reconsider talking to the reporters or else he’ll have to take ‘drastic measures’ to stop him.”
My eyebrows draw together. “What does ‘drastic measures’ mean?”
Anna shrugs. “Beats me. He was already a shitty person to begin with, and no fancy suits can cover that up, so I wouldn’t underestimate him.”
“What did Aiden say?”
“He told him to go fuck himself and that his meeting with Vivienne Henfrey tomorrow night is happening whether he likes it or not,” she answers, smiling at Aiden’s confidence.
Good. I hope Aiden takes down his disgusting deadbeat dad, even if I won’t be there to help him. I’m glad he decided to do it after all, but it makes me more resolved than ever to leave.
Erin’s Pre-NYE party is apparently so big that the cops come to break it up pretty early, much to everyone’s dismay. By the time we stumble back to the beach house, it’s only one in the morning.
The babysitter tells us that the twins are upstairs sleeping before Aiden pays her and drives her home (since he didn’t have anything to drink). The rest of us (mostly the half who are happily intoxicated) decide one o’clock is the perfect time to cook up a feast and continue drinking.
Annalisa, Charlotte, and I barely drank, but since we don’t trust the guys to operate heavy kitchen appliances while drunk, we stay up and cook for them.
“Isn’t this ironic?” Noah plops himself down on the stool at the kitchen counter. “The men sitting around drinking beer and the women in the—”
Annalisa cuts him off by pulling a knife from the wooden block and pointing it at him from across the kitchen, her eyes narrowed.
“Finish that sentence with a joke about how women belong barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I dare you.”
Noah gulps, his eyes wide. “I was gonna say something about the women looking so pretty and being so nice and generous and taking care of us …”
Annalisa rolls her eyes but smirks anyway and puts the knife down on the counter. “That’s exactly what I thought.”
Mason takes a seat on the stool beside Noah, beer in hand. “What are you making for our feast? I want a full, four-course meal!”
“You’re getting grilled cheese,” I deadpan, already buttering the bread.
He frowns. “But we want—”
Annalisa picks up the knife again, and like she did with Noah, points it at him from across the kitchen.
“Grilled cheese. That’s what you were going to say, right?”
Mason eyes Annalisa and compliantly nods. “I love grilled cheese.”
Annalisa smiles triumphantly and holds up the knife to inspect it. “Wow, this knife is great at getting the Boys to do whatever we want.”
Julian puts his arm around her as he opens the fridge to grab another beer.
“It’s not the knife, it’s the crazy, murderous, I’m not afraid to cut you alive and wear your skin as pajamas look you have in your eyes,” he jokes, and she laughs as she play hits him and wiggles out of his embrace.