Page 43 of The Very First Night

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Jenna squeals in irritation, then laughs. “She’s just going to want to listen to 1989.”

“That’s actually not true, so—” I stick my tongue out at her.

“Fine, what do you want to listen to, then?” she asks, raising her brow.

“Reputation, please!”

Jenna groans before slumping back into her seat, but Tanner doesn’t question it and queues up Taylor Swift’s Reputation album on Spotify. “Ready For It” begins to play, instilling me with an extra dose of excitement for the week ahead of us. Tanner sets down his phone on the center console before pressing the button to roll down the windows.

A burst of warm air whips through my hair and caresses my face. The scent of fresh grass and blooming flowers fills the car, instantly calming me. I take a deep breath and feel the tension in my body melt away. It’s like all the anxiety and stress from the past few days were just a result of being cooped up in cold, dreary Ohio weather. But now, with the sun shining down on us, I can feel myself relax.

As we turn into the parking lot of the liquor store, my eyes widen at the sight of bumper-to-bumper cars and people swarming around. It’s no surprise—Myrtle Beach is always a hot spot this time of year. I can see groups of people loading up their carts with bottles and cans of various alcoholic beverages.

Tanner finally finds an open parking spot and quickly pulls in, carefully navigating through the chaos. We grab a cart and set out on our mission to find libations for the night.

After briefly scanning the aisles, we beeline for the vodka. Tanner grabs two bottles of Tito’s vodka before we venture forward. Jenna puts two large boxes of cheap wine into the cart, one white and one red—the one thing we’ve never agreed on.

When we reach the coolers on the far wall, Tanner grabs two twenty-four-packs of Coors Light.

“Is all of this necessary?” I ask.

“You’ve never seen the amount of alcohol these guys put back on a regular basis, have you?”

Jenna approaches, struggling to balance three overstuffed bags of salt and vinegar chips in one arm while cradling a massive tub of French onion dip in the other. She stops next to our shopping cart and drops everything in, causing a loud clatter and earning puzzled looks from both Tanner and me.

“What? I’ve been on a kick,” Jenna says. She shrugs before walking ahead.

We quickly check out at the counter. Tanner tosses two packs of Reese’s cups onto the counter along with the various alcoholic beverages we’ve collected. Outside, we’re loading up the trunk when Tanner reaches into the unbranded white plastic bag and grabs the two packages of Reese’s cups.

“Here.” He grins as he hands me one of the two.

“What is this?” I stare at the orange package but make no effort to grab it from him.

“Chocolate…?”

“Yeah, but why?—”

“Don’t you like Reese’s cups?” His brows pinch together as he stares down at me.

“They’re my favorite…” I continue staring at them, and he seems to register that I’m not going to grab them as he presses the package into my palm.

I don’t remember ever telling him what my favorite candy was. What a convenient guess on his part.

“Thank you,” I say timidly.

Jenna looks at the package in my hand and frowns. “What the hell, Adler?! You didn’t get me one.”

“Eat your fucking chips, Jenna.” He rolls his eyes with a chuckle before climbing into the vehicle.

Jenna hops in the back seat without saying anything and I climb into the front seat. On the drive back, our words are swallowed by the rushing wind and Taylor Swift’s voice blaring from the speakers. My dark brown hair whips around my face as I drape my hand out the window, relishing the cool breeze on my fingertips. The familiar song brings a sense of calm and ease.

So why am I filled with dread the moment we pull back into the driveway?

TWENTY

KAT

With each step down the creaky wooden staircase, the faint sounds of music and chatter grow in volume until they nearly drown out my own thoughts. I have been looking forward to a calm night of drinking by the pool with my friends, but as soon as I reach the bottom step, I am hit with a wave of energy from the crowded beach house. The guys have never been known for keeping things low-key, so it’s not really a surprise that it isn’t just our group of friends. Laughter echoes off the walls as people weave in and out of rooms, thankfully still sober enough that nothing has gone awry.

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