took another swig of beer. “But that’s all I know, really. Guess I caught his eye when he came into class last week to bring her a bunch of papers. He came in again today and waited for me after class to invite me to the party.” She blushed.
“Huh.” Avery shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “He invited me after we bumped into each other on the stairs.”
Tam’s nose scrunched. “Just like we bumped into each other. You really haven’t changed, have you, Avery?”
Her question was more of a statement. It felt like a slap across the face, especially since it was obvious how much Tam had changed. It was more than just the drinking. Everything about her felt shifted, even further from what she’d been in high school after the fallout. Avery wasn’t sure how to react.
“I’m going to get a drink,” Avery muttered, and slipped past Tam into the crowd. She thought she could hear Tam calling after her, but the loud music made it easy to ignore her. Avery didn’t know what to do around Tam, or what to say to her. All that time together. All that friendship. She had no idea if Tam wanted it back, and if she did, Avery wasn’t sure she wanted to give it. Actually, she was pretty sure she didn’t.
The kitchen was packed, just like the rest of the house. There was a table filled with drinks and she found a Coke in an ice chest filled with juice and soft drinks for mixers. She opened the can and sipped at it as she headed into the main part of the house again, looking for the DJ. Men bumped up against her, and when one wrapped his hands around her hips to pull her into his arms, she told him to get his hands off her.
“Chill out, bitch,” he answered, letting her go. He looked about twenty-five. “Who you lookin’ for?”
Was it that obvious she was on the hunt for someone? She gave the guy a faint smile. “Jordan, the guy who lives here.”
“Oh, Jordan … well, yeah, good luck. Everybody’s lookin’ for him, aren’t they?”
He turned away from Avery and she pushed onward, finally making her way to the DJ. He was a heavily tattooed man who looked like he didn’t want to be interrupted as he held one hand to his headphones and studied something on his computer at the table in front of him. Avery didn’t see Jordan anywhere near him, so she backtracked, catching a glimpse of Tam hanging on some guy’s arm, and then spun around to head in the other direction. She spun a little too fast and ran right into someone. Her Coke sloshed up the can and spilled across her hand and onto the gray button-up shirt of the guy in front of her.
“I am so sorry,” she gasped, looking up into his face. Light blue eyes. Sharp features. She looked down at his shoes. Oxfords.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said, laughing. He brushed ineffectually at the Coke splattered across his shirt. “Guess we’re meant to slam into each other, right?”
Her mouth dropped open at the blatant sexual suggestion. Slam in that context only meant one thing at Shadle High. “Um …”
He laughed, cutting her off at the same time as a particularly loud song tore through the room. Nodding to the beat, he looked down at the Coke in her hands and bent down to her ear. “You’re a junior, right?”
“Freshman,” she answered as something stirred in the back of her mind. She tried to push it forward, but no luck. She felt like he should already know she was a freshman. “My mom held me back a grade when I was little. I’m nineteen.”
He stayed close to her ear. “Then thanks for not drinking. At least, I’m guessing there’s nothing but Coke in that can?”
She looked down at the brown liquid fizzing on the lip of the can. She suddenly felt like a five-year-old being scolded. “Yeah, it’s just Coke. Why?”
He stood straight. “This party is over twenty-one only. I didn’t think about that when I invited you … I guess I was a little fazed at the moment. You know, knocking you down the stairs and
“Huh.” Avery shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “He invited me after we bumped into each other on the stairs.”
Tam’s nose scrunched. “Just like we bumped into each other. You really haven’t changed, have you, Avery?”
Her question was more of a statement. It felt like a slap across the face, especially since it was obvious how much Tam had changed. It was more than just the drinking. Everything about her felt shifted, even further from what she’d been in high school after the fallout. Avery wasn’t sure how to react.
“I’m going to get a drink,” Avery muttered, and slipped past Tam into the crowd. She thought she could hear Tam calling after her, but the loud music made it easy to ignore her. Avery didn’t know what to do around Tam, or what to say to her. All that time together. All that friendship. She had no idea if Tam wanted it back, and if she did, Avery wasn’t sure she wanted to give it. Actually, she was pretty sure she didn’t.
The kitchen was packed, just like the rest of the house. There was a table filled with drinks and she found a Coke in an ice chest filled with juice and soft drinks for mixers. She opened the can and sipped at it as she headed into the main part of the house again, looking for the DJ. Men bumped up against her, and when one wrapped his hands around her hips to pull her into his arms, she told him to get his hands off her.
“Chill out, bitch,” he answered, letting her go. He looked about twenty-five. “Who you lookin’ for?”
Was it that obvious she was on the hunt for someone? She gave the guy a faint smile. “Jordan, the guy who lives here.”
“Oh, Jordan … well, yeah, good luck. Everybody’s lookin’ for him, aren’t they?”
He turned away from Avery and she pushed onward, finally making her way to the DJ. He was a heavily tattooed man who looked like he didn’t want to be interrupted as he held one hand to his headphones and studied something on his computer at the table in front of him. Avery didn’t see Jordan anywhere near him, so she backtracked, catching a glimpse of Tam hanging on some guy’s arm, and then spun around to head in the other direction. She spun a little too fast and ran right into someone. Her Coke sloshed up the can and spilled across her hand and onto the gray button-up shirt of the guy in front of her.
“I am so sorry,” she gasped, looking up into his face. Light blue eyes. Sharp features. She looked down at his shoes. Oxfords.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said, laughing. He brushed ineffectually at the Coke splattered across his shirt. “Guess we’re meant to slam into each other, right?”
Her mouth dropped open at the blatant sexual suggestion. Slam in that context only meant one thing at Shadle High. “Um …”
He laughed, cutting her off at the same time as a particularly loud song tore through the room. Nodding to the beat, he looked down at the Coke in her hands and bent down to her ear. “You’re a junior, right?”
“Freshman,” she answered as something stirred in the back of her mind. She tried to push it forward, but no luck. She felt like he should already know she was a freshman. “My mom held me back a grade when I was little. I’m nineteen.”
He stayed close to her ear. “Then thanks for not drinking. At least, I’m guessing there’s nothing but Coke in that can?”
She looked down at the brown liquid fizzing on the lip of the can. She suddenly felt like a five-year-old being scolded. “Yeah, it’s just Coke. Why?”
He stood straight. “This party is over twenty-one only. I didn’t think about that when I invited you … I guess I was a little fazed at the moment. You know, knocking you down the stairs and
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