Page 58 of We Thought We Were Invincible
“Perfect. We'll just tell Kat you're staying at my house. The party started earlier since it's kinda an all-day thing so we can say we're heading out when the rain lets up. Amelia's parents are out of town and her house is the perfect place for a party.”
I swallowed hard. We were going to Amelia's party. If I had known that, I may not have agreed so quickly. Reminding myself that she didn't know about me and Jamie, I tried to push the nerves away.
High school parties were foreign to me. Before this year, I was never the kind of person who was invited. Colby always was, but rarely went. He was too focused on school and soccer, something that only made him more popular. He was mysterious. People didn't know me either, and they thought I was just weird.
Not this year. This year I was one of them.
Jay and his girlfriend left as soon as there was a break in the rain, saying they had to meet up with his father.
Jamie didn't react. Not until Morgan and I announced we were leaving. He protested, but I gave him a sharp look. The truth was, I needed a break. A break from secrets and all these little arguments we seemed to keep having. A break from not feeling good enough.
Wearing an outfit Morgan picked for me - skinny jeans with a loose black shirt and long silver necklace - and my hair swept off my neck in a high ponytail, I followed her out to her car.
Nothing looked out of place outside, only wet. So much for the hurricane.
Amelia's house was tucked away in a gated community on the other side of Gulf city. Morgan had the gate code, so we got through easily and parked on the street amongst the other cars. It looked like everyone from school was here. Trudging up her long driveway, I was glad I'd insisted on boots when Morgan tried to force me into heels.
The house before us had a blue concrete face and intricately carved pillars. It looked like a typical Florida house on steroids. Music poured from the front door that stood wide open.
We stepped inside the large entryway. A crowd was spilling out of the living room down the hall and before we knew it, we were being swept into the room.
People called Morgan's name, and I tried not to lose her. I recognized most of the faces, but didn't actually know many of them. When I turned around for a split second, I was separated from my only lifeline.
Needing to breathe, I pushed myself back into the hall where I ran into a tall, skinny kid.
“Sorry,” he blurted, reaching out to steady me.
“Totally my fault.” I looked up at him. There was something about him that seemed familiar.
“Well, a pretty girl like you can run into me any time you'd like.” He grinned.
My cheeks heated, but a laugh broke free.
“Troy,” Morgan yelled, sidling up to me. “Stop hitting on my friends.”
“Hey Morg.” He swayed and for the first time I realized he was drunk.
“Hi, little brother.” She laughed. “You okay?”
“Never better.”
“Uh huh. Well, Callie and I are going to get a drink.” She dragged me away, whispering in my ear. “Shots?”
I didn't want to tell her I'd never had a shot in my life, so I nodded. First time for everything, right?
In the kitchen, Amelia was lining up shot glasses on the counter while a few of her friends milled around nearby.
“Morgan, perfect!” She glanced up, stopping what she was doing. Her eyes were glazed as if she'd been at this all day. She probably had. “Oh.” She stumbled against the counter before righting herself. “You brought Callie.”
“That a problem?” Morgan challenged.
“No.” A grin spread across her face, but it was worse than fake. “Even if she was sleeping with Jamie while I was dating him.”
Now it was my turn to stumble. “I… I wasn't…”
People stared from me to Amelia and back again in shock.
“I know you're sleeping together,” she said. “I saw you kissing at school.”
