Page 104 of The Young & the Sinner

The closer we got, the louder the music got, and the more people there seemed to be. Most of the people there were football players. I think they had just won their homecoming game or something. Lizzie would probably know more about that than me, considering she was dating their star receiver.

I was instantly assaulted by the noise and the smell when we got inside. A whole bunch of college kids crammed into a single house was not a good idea, but everyone seemed to be having a good time, or at least was drunk enough to have the illusion of a good time.

And that was what I needed. Alcohol in my system to forget that Mason was out with another woman, going on an adult date, having adult conversation, and with an adult’s expectation at the end of the night.

I hated it.

I hated that I couldn’t get the image of Mason’s lips on another woman out of my head, even if she was nameless and faceless.

“Let’s go get something to drink,” I yelled to Lizzie over the noise.

She nodded and grabbed my hand, pushing herself through the crowd.

When we got to the makeshift bar in the kitchen, I was surprised to see Sam there.

He smiled. “Ladies. What are you having?”

I shrugged. “Anything.”

He handed me a beer, and I smiled in gratitude.

Lizzie refused hers, so he grabbed her a water instead.

“Don’t accept drinks from anyone else here, okay? And don’t leave your drink unattended. And if you run into any trouble, come find me. I’ll be close by.”

I smiled sweetly at him. “Thanks.”

“Of course. Now, I’m going to find some buddies of mine, but I’ll check up on you girls shortly.” He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Lizzie’s lips.

Lizzie stared at him as he walked away.

I playfully bumped my shoulder with hers. “I see things are going well.”

She nodded and smiled, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

I frowned. “What’s wrong? Did he do something to you?”

If he did, I would kill him. Or, I would get Max to. But I would definitely help him bury the body.

Lizzie relaxed. “No, he didn’t do anything. I promise. Everything is going fine. Now come on. Let’s go dance.”

I looked out the living room. “Where?”

“Anywhere,” she said, pulling me out of the kitchen. We found a little corner in the massive room, and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves surrounded by some of the theater kids. We danced in a circle around each other and, I had to admit, it was fun.

I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I was definitely better than Lizzie. But Lizzie didn’t care. She closed her eyes and swayed her hips to a Rhianna song, as if we were the only ones in the world. And even though she said things were fine, I had a gut feeling that something was really wrong with her.

Sam joined our group ten minutes later, grabbing Lizzie by her hips and pulling her into him. She opened her eyes briefly to look at him, and then she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He seemed to like that.

Lizzie didn’t show affection very often. So, I guess this had to mean things were okay with them.

I looked away and danced with the other girls around us. And I took a sip of my beer. It tasted bitter and I hated it, but I didn’t let that stop me from finishing the bottle because I could feel a nice little buzz, and the thought of Mason getting out of my reach didn’t seem so bad anymore. Things were going to be okay. They had to be.

* * *

I couldn’t rememberif it was the sixth or seventh beer that finally did me in, but I was more than a little buzzed.

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