“Oh, hey.” I wave awkwardly.
All eyes are on me.
“Were you leaving?” my best friend worries.
“What? No, I was just… going to get myself a drink. Inside. Because I’m hot.” I fan myself.
Real smooth, dumbass.
“Can’t argue with that.” Axel Fletcher lowers his sunglasses as if to inspect the merchandise.
Classy.
I’ve got to give it to him, the guy sure lives up to his reputation. To think he’d be a solid eight if he didn’t sexualize everything with a heartbeat.
Dia hurries out of the pool, making a beeline for the red cooler by the barbecue. Her drenched shorts and tank top fit her like a second skin, her thick black hair a tangled, curly mess. Finn got her good.
“What do you want? Beer? Iced tea? We got everything.”
“Iced tea’s good.”
“Here you go.” She hands me a can of Arizona Iced Tea. “Shoot, you didn’t bring your bathing suit, did you?”
I shake my head.
“Did you?” I gesture to her attire, and she laughs.
“Yeah, I was about to put it on before my dumbass of a boyf—” She clears her throat, “Before Finn tossed me in the pool.”
There it is. I’ve been waiting for her to slip up for a while now, to validate my suspicions.
Their nonexclusive relationship isn’t Dia’s idea. It never was. It’s Finn. He’s the one pushing this “friends with benefits” nonsense. Dia would’ve locked it down ages ago. She already sees him as her boyfriend.
This is so not going to end well.
“I’m going to go change into my swimsuit real quick. Go mingle.” She motions to her shiny, newer-model friends.
I nod, but internally, I’m begging her not to leave me alone with them. Dia takes off in the direction of the house, then stops, shoulder-checking me. “Oh, and Vee?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really glad you came.”
I crack a small smile.
“Me too,” I lie.
I make my way over to the pool as Dia retreats inside Theo’s house. I consider mixing with the girls for a second, then realize I’d rather gouge my eyes out with a pitchfork than make small talk with Brielle Randall.
We went to middle school together, and I swear Brie and her minions got off on making my life miserable. She actually took a few jabs at me the first time we hung out with the jocks at school.
Lucky for me, Finn shut her down faster than a speeding bullet. Told her anyone important to Dia was important to him and she could either shut the fuck up or leave. Finn might be a scared-of-commitment little bitch, but even I’ve got to admit the guy is fiercely loyal.
“Hey, Aveena!” Lacey waves as I close in on the pool.
“Hey.” I smile, and surprisingly, it’s genuine.
Sometimes I wonder why Lacey hangs out with Brielle. Sure, they’re both cheerleaders, gorgeous, popular, but personality-wise, they’re worlds apart.