Page 113 of Life of the Party

“I love you, Grey,” I whispered in his ear. He paused a moment then, his mouth open but frozen, as if he were struggling for words that just wouldn’t come.

“Have a good flight.” He smiled finally. He kissed me, and I held onto him, but as my final boarding call was announced, ringing through the noisy din surrounding us, I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had to go.

“Goodbye, Grey.” I forced myself to turn away from him, to tear myself away from his gorgeous blue eyes, walking towards the gate, leaving him behind.

“Wait, Mackenzie,” Grey called suddenly. He came up behind me, grabbed my hand and spun me around to meet him.

“Yes?”

He stared at me, his face soft as he looked me over, warm with obvious affection. “I love you,” Grey stated lowly. “I love you, and I’m sorry I never tell you that. I feel bad, because you say it to me all the time. But it’s hard for me…I don’t know why… just know I love you, okay? Even if I can’t say it.”

I blinked at him a moment, and a smile spread across my face as I savoured his words. It was so good to hear him say it. I knew he loved me—I did—because that was the thing about Grey, the thing I’d come to understand. He spoke with his actions more than his words, and his love was evident in all the little things. Like the way he wrote me a song and how he carried my bag for me, or the way he turned and grasped my hand whenever we were walking. Even in the lengths he’d gone to, to try and cheer my up after our weekend was ruined.

“I do know.” I nodded softly. “Grey, you tell me you love me all the time.”

CHAPTER 46

There was nothing on TV. I sighed and flipped absently through the channels, bored and lonely. I leaned quickly over the coffee table and did another line, then sat back on the couch and let the cocaine race through my veins.

A shaky smile bent my lips as I lit a cigarette.

It was Thursday. Somehow, I’d managed to get through the week without doing more heroin—not because Grey said it was addictive, not because we were supposed to save it for special occasions, but because I had no means of getting any.

All my usual hookups were MIA.

Grey and the guys were still in the studio, flying home the next day, and I had no idea where Charlie was. She didn’t come home and she didn’t show up to work and she didn’t answer her cell. It worried me. I even debated calling the police, but in the end decided against it. If Charlie was just off binging somewhere it wouldn’t do any good for the police to find her. She’d never speak to me again if I got her in any trouble.

I just wanted to know she was okay. Safe and alive.

My worries were put to rest when, after an old rerun ofThe Simpsons, I heard sudden footsteps hurrying up our stairs. My heart leapt with relief as the door swung open and Charlie swept in, makeup on and dressed for the club, her hair a riot of curls.

“Oh, hey.” She smiled at me—but it was more like a sneer—and threw something in my direction. I knew what it was without having to look. “You left this in my car.”

I blinked a moment in amazement and then sat up to retrieve my license from the floor. I looked down at it—at the little photo of the young girl I’d been then, smiling widely as the picture snapped, given the key to new freedom. I remembered that day, how exciting it was to be able to drive, how Riley and I had celebrated by gettingstoned and then cruising around town. I’d hit a parked car pulling out of my parking spot, and Riley had screamed, “Go, go, go!” and I’d peeled out, terrified, laughing uproariously with my friend as we stole away from the scene of the crime.

No, no, no. I shook the thought of Riley firmly out of my head, knowing if I didn’t, I’d never be able to keep the sadness at bay. Forgetting him proved harder than I expected this time. I’d tried all week—with copious amounts of cocaine—to shelve him back to the farthest corners of my mind, but he was impossible to ignore. My thoughts skittered to him constantly; memories of him long forgotten would suddenly pop into my head. His face even invaded my dreams at night. I was holding onto my sanity by a tenuous thread and counting down the days to Grey’s arrival, knowing full well that only his gloriously handsome face would help distract me entirely.

“I’m not staying; Courtney’s in the car. I just had to grab some things.” Charlie was saying. I looked up at her, puzzled. Who the hell was Courtney? I frowned to myself. A new best friend? How easily everyone replaced me.

“How was your weekend, anyway?” Charlie snickered. “It must have sucked not being able to go out.”

I stared at her evenly. “Zack is cheating on you.” I blurted. It wasn’t the most tactful way to tell her, I could admit, but I figured she was still getting off easy.

That was enough to wipe the smirk from her face. She froze in her steps, her head whipping up to glare at me. “What did you say?”

“Zack’s cheating on you.”

Charlie swayed. She grasped the edge of the counter for support, teetering a moment as the full weight of my words crashed down on her. She let out a little gasp then, almost like a sob, and sat weakly down in a little faded armchair.

“Really?” She gazed up at me, her blue eyes wide, sad. “Are you sure, Mac?”

I sighed. “Yeah.” Already I could feel the air clearing between us. I forgave her easily for everything, feeling nothing but compassion for her now. “I’m so sorry, Charlie.”

“I mean, I always feared the worst, but I never actually thought…” She shook her head and dropped her face into her hands. “I never thought he’d do it.”

Wordlessly, I crossed the living room and joined her on the chair, wrapping my arm around my friend and drawing her near. She wasn’t actually crying, but her petite frame was shaking with pent-up emotion.

“Hey, you can do better.” I encouraged. “You can do so much better than that asshole, Charlie. He doesn’t deserve you.”

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