Page 50 of Pulled Away

“Ryan and Hadley’s sharing a room,” Maya whispers, but despite the loud music, I can still hear her. I know I just said those same words a minute ago, but hearing someone else say it has me chugging again. Tonight I’m making this Tequila my bitch.

Both of them are staring at me in sympathy when I lower the bottle. They stepped away to give me privacy when I decided to answer Ryan’s call. I should have known better than to answer. But like I said, you can’t just turn your feelings off with a snap of your fingers, and I missed his voice. I wanted to hear it. If only for a few seconds.

“Hadley was naked when he called. Can you believe the disrespect?” Can you believe the callousness? “He could at least have waited till after the phone call to fuck her brains out.”

“That doesn’t sound like Ryan,” Rose says, her frown deepening.

I shrug because a month ago, I would have agreed with her. “Just saying what I heard.”

“Wait,” I say, frowning at Maya. “Aren’t you supposed to be working tonight?” I appreciate her being here for me, but I don’t want her to be out of pocket because of it. Sunday nights are always pumping, and she’s been there so long, it’s almost a given that she’ll be working.

“Cassie ‘forgot’ to put me on the roster,” she sighs.

Wordlessly, I hold the bottle out to her. That girl is becoming a huge pain in the ass.

I stumble out of my room, my head thudding in time to my heartbeat. That’s the last time, I promise myself. Drowning your sorrows with alcohol might sound good at the time, but the morning after? You feel like death warmed up and you still have that huge, gaping hole in your heart. It’s not worth it.

At some point, the night became a blur. I went from being heartbroken, to happily tipsy, and then ugly drunk.

What I do remember is our little impromptu party growing to include people I’d never met before, but at that stage, I didn’t care. I was in my happy, tipsy stage, and I welcomed them all with open arms, like long-lost friends.

But everything after? Pretty much a blur. I have a few vague recollections, one of them where I’m hugging the toilet bowl with tears and snot running down my face, and someone—Rose perhaps?—holding my hair back. Piper shoving a toothbrush into my mouth.

Crap, what did I do?

I stop short when I see a woman leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping coffee. I vaguely remember seeing her there last night, but her name is just one of the few things I can’t recall.

“Morning,” I mumble, my voice hoarse. Shit, I even sound as bad as I feel.

“Morning, Britney,” she says, her eyes twinkling. Obviously she didn’t get blackout drunk.

“Uh, it’s Aspen,” I say, eying her coffee with jealousy.

“Oh, I know, but you insisted I call you Britney.”

Her lips press together, and my eyes narrow at her obvious attempt to hold back a laugh, and then it hits me, and I drop my head with a groan.

Piper pulling me off Carter’s coffee table, interrupting my Britney Spears impersonation. Fuck, I wish the ground would just open up and swallow me down.

“Sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

“Alice.” she chuckles. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t blame you. Men can be such dicks.”

I stare at her in horror, recalling that I blabbed my sad tale to her. In fact, I blabbed it to anyone who would stand still long enough to listen. I even cried on her shoulder while she awkwardly patted my back. For fuck sake. I hang my head in shame. I’m never drinking again. It’s a vow I make to myself there and then.

I grab a mug and fill it with coffee, gulping it down while avoiding her stare. It’s hot, but I don’t care, burning my tongue with the first few swallows.

“So, you and Carter?”

Her laugh is low and rich. “Are friends. I crashed on the couch.”

I nod, taking another sip. This is so damn awkward, and in my misery, I’m blaming Ryan. If he didn’t turn out to be such a gigantic piece of shit, I wouldn’t be here right now, head pounding, pondering my shitty life choices.

“Sorry.”

“No need. Carter helped me out of a tight spot once and we’ve been friends ever since.”

I look at her in surprise, although I don’t know why. Isn’t that what he’s just done for me? Help me out of a tight spot?

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