Page 71 of Life of the Party

“Yeah, right.” He scoffed. “You’re lit up, aren’t you?”

“Ha!” I laughed again, good and high now. “Of course not.”

“Don’t. Don’t lie to me. I can tell you are.” He shook his head, as if he were disappointed. “You’re into the blow now, huh? All the time? Nice. Good choice.”

“Thanks.” I didn’t care for his judgement, but I felt too good to let it get to me. I shook my head at him. “Are you and your Christian ready to head off into the sunset yet, or what?”

“Ugh…why do you call her that?” Riley demanded. “That’s not all she is. Maybe if you got to know her—”

I stopped him quickly. “That’s not going to happen.”

“You’d probably like her. Would that be so bad?”

“Yes.”

He shook his head. “Fine. Whatever. She’s better than your boyfriend, anyway.”

I glared at him. “You have some nerve, Riley. Why would you say that?”

“Yeah, what could it be? I’ll just pick one from hundreds of reasons. He’s totally irresponsible. Letting you ride on his bike like that? What if you’d fallen off?”

“He went slow.” I defended. “He wouldn’t have let me fall.”

“Right, I forgot. He can do no wrong, can he?” Riley stated wryly.

“It was my idea anyway.”

“Okay, then how about getting hooked on coke? Was that your idea, too?”

“No!” My voice rose in frustration. I dropped my hands hopelessly. “I’m not hooked on coke. Riley, I can’t…I can’t do this with you anymore.”

It was just too hard. It didn’t seem to matter how many times we swore off our friendship, because we were still inevitably drawn to each other, even now, even when we both knew it would cause us nothing but pain and frustration.

We couldn’t sever the ties of our relationship no matter how doomed it was, and we seemed destined to act out the same argument time and time again, to live in a state of constant conflict with no reconciliation in sight.

Because we were afraid.

Afraid to really end it, to end us, even though that was exactly what we needed.

I had to get away from him. I turned and started walking, heated to the very core, pushing my way through the crowded foyer and out the front doors. It was pleasantly calm and cool outside, dim with the dwindling light that remained from the sunset.

I breathed deep the sweet evening air.

“Mac, wait,” Riley called to me through the crowd. He caught up quickly. “I’m sorry. Please. I don’t want to leave it this way with you.”

“I don’t think we have a choice, Riley.” I realized grimly. “We can’t even talk to each other without one of us getting upset. You should just go.”

“I know, I am.” He grabbed my hand to stop me, “I’m going…we’re going, tonight. We’re driving to the airport from here.”

This news was shocking to me. I’d known he was leaving, but not this soon. I stared up at him, suddenly speechless. It was the answer to our problems, his leaving, but I wished it didn’t have to be so. I would’ve given anything in that moment to make him stay, despite everything else.

“Riley—”

“I know. I know.”

“But…will…” I bit my lip. “Will you be coming back?”

“I don’t know. Probably. We’ll come visit at holidays and stuff.”

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