Page 163 of Study Buddies

I chimed in. “Yeah, I’d really like to meet your sister.”

And just like that, Mia’s face crumbled, and she slumped to the ground.

Jayden knelt, catching her, and I lowered myself down next to them, keeping my knees locked together due to how short my dress was. “What’s wrong?”

Tears poured down Mia’s face as she leaned against the trunk of the tree. “She’s gone.”

“We can wait with you until she gets back,” Jayden said, but I knew that’s not what Mia meant.

“What happened?” I asked gently.

“She got kicked out.”

“Of the Stepping Stones program?” I asked, patting her arm.

“Out of Langley.”

“Oh shit,” Jayden murmured. “What happened?”

Mia hiccupped and then thought a moment before answering. “I guess at the last foster house she was at, she started doing drugs. I caught her once, last week, but she said it was a onetime thing. I didn’t know.”

“I’m sorry, Mia.” Jayden’s voice was steady and kind, and I didn’t feel any jealousy at all when he put his arm around her shoulders.

More tears poured down her face. “I thought we’d live together again, finally. At that house for former foster kids. But now she’s not even in Haverford anymore.”

“I’m so sorry.” I squeezed her hand. “Why don’t we go get somewhere and get you some coffee? Then we can talk.” That made me think of the diner Jayden and Lucas had taken me to when that night they’d first brought me back to their house.

“Okay,” Mia said, and together, Jayden and I pulled her to her feet. Then, when I was smoothing down the front of my dress, she dashed away. “I’m just going to get one more beer.”

She ran up the steps and back into the house, and Jayden I exchanged an unhappy look.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Let’s go get her.”

I agreed. She was in no condition to be here on her own. “Let’s get Kyle to help us look.”

Jayden put his arm around my waist as we climbed the stairs back to the house. “He can try, but one out of every four women here are dressed as black cats, and he doesn’t know what she looks like.”

“Good point.” I shook my head. “Too bad, though.” If you’d told me a month or two ago that I’d be fine with sending a frat bro to go look after a drunken girl at a party, I wouldn’t have believed it. But I trusted Kyle.

We searched the house as best we could, interrupting many amorous couples, but we didn’t find Mia. I texted her, but she didn’t answer. “That really sucks about her sister,” I said.

Jayden nodded unhappily. “Especially since she was really looking forward to living together at that place for the rest of the year.”

“Yeah.”

We danced a bit more, but my heart wasn’t in it.

Jayden got a text fifteen minutes later. “Is it from Mia?” I asked as he checked the screen.

“No, not her.” He had an odd expression on his face. “I think I’ll take another look around for her. Can you go to the kitchen to get me another beer?”

“Sure,” I said, frowning a little. But I guess it was okay that he wanted another beer since Kyle drove, not him. “Good luck.”

It wasn’t until I was dodging between drunken dancers that his request struck me as strange. He didn’t seem like the type to leave me alone at a party like this. Several guys were already eyeing me, and I had to smack one dude’s hand away as he grabbed at my ass. But maybe Jayden was just worried about Mia.

I reached the kitchen and tottered on my heels. The floor was slippery, no doubt from spilled drinks. Aiming for the counter with all the red cups on it, I passed by a narrow door that was slightly open. Then a hand grasped my wrist, and someone pulled me inside.

I shrieked before I realized it was Kyle. By that point, he already had his mouth on mine and his hands all over me. Tension left my body, and I enjoyed the sensations until I finallypulled away. It was only then that I noticed that we were in the pantry.

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