Page 22 of Cream

“B-r-b,” Kate replies, making herself scarce.

My pulse thuds in my ears. I lean against the cool tile wall, which sort of helps relieve some of the nausea in my stomach.

“Jesus, Luna. I knew you were still upset over Mr. Hotstuff, but you can’t go so hard on your first party in forever. You’re not a drinker!”

I shake my head. “Some asshole must have spiked my last drink. It just came out of nowhere…”

“No one spiked your drink, girl,” Emily laughs. “You just haven’t eaten all day, and you’ve been pounding vodka like a sorority girl. It comes out of nowhere. Trust me.”

A slimy feeling washes over either side of my tongue. And then I feel it: the feeling every girl who’s overestimated how much she can drink knows. That terrible feeling at the back of your throat warning you that there’s no coming back now.

“Oh God,” I choke. “Look out!”

I nearly shove Emily off her feet as I push past her to the toilet and squat down, vomiting up my shrimp Pad Thai from dinner. Like the wonderful friend she is, she grabs my hair and holds it back for me.

Right at that moment, for some reason, the most insane thought enters my mind.

Just imagine if Brent saw you like this. What would he think?

I hear the sound of heels clipping behind me and look back to see Kate standing in the doorway, a can of Liquid Death in her hand. Doing her best not to look grossed out, she waves it and smiles.

“I found some water.”

“Thank you,” I reply, taking it from her and taking a swig to wash my mouth out. Then I gulp down half the can like I’m one of the guys out there chugging a beer to show off.

“Feeling better?” Emily asks.

“Slightly,” I groan.

“Um, Luna?” Katie asks, her voice soft and hesitant. “That guy you were…kinda-sorta dating. He had brown hair, right?”

Every muscle in my body goes tense immediately. Adrenaline can apparently have a sobering effect because I feel a rush as it surges through me and can suddenly see much straighter. I stand and look right at her.

“Yes. Why?”

Emily frowns at Katie, then looks over at me and then back at Katie, who pulls her phone from her purse. Slowly, she unlocks it and looks at the screen, then over at me.

“There’s a guy out there who is definitely not a UVM student. He’s–well he’s good-looking, and I heard him talking to this girl about the amazing cream his farm produces.”

My heart skips at least two beats, and I have to steady myself against the wall.

It can’t be. Why would Brent be at a UVM dorm party? How would he even get in? The only girl he knows here is me, and I didn’t invite him.

“I took a picture of him with my phone,” Kate says. “Is this him?”

She turns the screen to me, and for a second, I can’t even look. I feel like if it is him, I’m going to explode like a bomb and kill every single person at this party. Or if that doesn’t happen, I’m at least going to take Kate’s phone and smash it into pieces and then break down here in this disgusting bathroom.

But finally, I manage to glance down at the screen. And what do I see?

Brent, standing there grinning amidst the college crowd, talking with some girl who has her back to the camera.

All of a sudden, I feel like throwing up again.

“Son of a…”

“That piece of shit,” Emily growls. “Don’t worry, Luna. I’ll handle this–”

She starts to race off, but I stop her. “No. Don’t. This is something I need to do myself.”

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