Page 110 of Catch the Sun

Party noise blasts my eardrums as Brynn! guides me through a sea of people in her Barbie-pink cocktail dress. She did an impeccable job of covering up her swollen eyes after crying on my shoulder for an hour while we got ready in her bedroom.

I don’t exactly want to be here without Max, but my friend needs me, too.

She’s grieving.

Flamingo-tipped fingers curl around my wrist as Brynn! pulls me between a cluster of fellow seniors. “This house is amazing!” she declares, chugging down a tumbler of punch.

I don’t like alcohol, so I’m sipping a watered-down Coke, wishing it was Dr Pepper. “I guess.”

Pursing my lips, I follow her into the dining area, where four football players are tossing ping-pong balls into cups of warm beer. I cringe. One of the guys happens to be Andy’s minion, and it would be a disservice to his character if he didn’t take the opportunity to torment me.

“Sunbury!” He sends a catcall my way. “I called dibs on one of the bedrooms for us. Nice king bed and silky-ass sheets. There’s one of those vanilla-scented candle thingies in there. Heard it’s an aphrodisiac.”

If my eyes rolled any harder, they would land in last week. “You couldn’t arouse me if you came with a user manual and a troubleshooting hotline.”

“We’ll see.”

His eyes track down my body, from my cleavage to my bare legs that Brynn! insisted on spritzing with shimmer-dusted body mist. They are still as pale as the Michigan snow, but now they glitter. My black party dress is the same one I wore to dinner the night Max and I had our first kiss and is one of three that I currently own.

Three dresses, glitter, and an end-of-the-year kegger.

I don’t even recognize myself.

The party presses on amid flip cup tournaments, loud music, and drunken laughter as I lean back against a wall and wave hello to Kai when he appears, looking dressed to impress.

“Kai!” Brynn! singsongs, leaping into his arms for a bone-crushing hug. “You made it!”

Kai grunts softly at the impact, then blushes, his cheeks tingeing pink as he wraps one careful arm around her waist. “I had to sneak out. Dad says parties are for troublemakers and social butterflies. We’ll see which way I’m leaning by the end of the night.”

“You’d make a lovely butterfly,” Brynn! says, inching back to fix his collar. “You already have the grace for it. All you’re missing are the colorful wings and a penchant for flowers.” She bops him on the nose, her laughter infectious, all remnants of McKay tucked away for the time being.

A sad smile hints when I think about Max. I imagine him here in his dressy clothes, hair gelled up, dimples gleaming. Sighing, the vision only amplifies when I watch Kai and Brynn! start slow dancing to a moody ballad, drifting toward the kitchen, lost in the moment. Something is clearly brewing between them, and I can’t help but wonder if it triggered the breakup.

As I lean against the wall, spinning my empty cup between my hands, something catches my attention on the other side of the patio doors.

My heart stutters.

Max?

I blink, frowning.

No…the hair is too long, the sweep of his shoulders notably different. My eyes narrow, making sure I’m seeing things correctly. With no alcohol in my system, I can only determine that I’m indeed staring at McKay stumbling through the backyard.

That’s weird.

I have no idea why he’d show up tonight, knowing Brynn! would be here.

Swallowing, I pull up from the wall and weave through the crowded room. McKay looks awful. His shirt is wrinkled, his hair a disheveled mess as it teaseshis crooked collar. My pulse trips with empathy. He’s my boyfriend’s twin brother and he’s grieving, too.

Brynn! said he took the breakup hard.

I watch as he slumps down in the grass near the edge of the lake and dangles a beer bottle between his knees. Nibbling my lip, I look over my shoulder at Brynn!, finding her deep in conversation with Kai in the corner of the room, both of them in their own little world as they sway to the music, a small-sized gap between them.

I shouldn’t tell her he’s here—it’ll only put a damper on her night.

Though my loyalties feel divided, I decide to see if McKay is okay and slip out through the patio door, quietly closing it behind me.

It’s barely forty degrees outside and the late-December air nips at my skin. I pull the sleeves of my black cardigan down over my palms and cross my arms across my chest for warmth. McKay doesn’t notice me as he faces the opposite direction, slinging back a few clumsy swallows of beer. I clear my throat as I approach. “McKay?”

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