Page 48 of Honest With You

“Let’s have fun, okay? It’ll be okay.”

I smile against his hand that’s hanging on my shoulder, his thumb stroking my cheek.

I heave a sigh of relief when I see Vanessa rounding the corner, then frown when I see that she’s wearing a bluish gray sweater and jeans. She looks cute, but it’s a far cry from the Xtina costume she told me she was wearing a few hours ago. She’s tucked under Dean’s arm but her gaze is stuck on her white sneakers and she looks uncomfortable, like she’s holding back tears.

I tap Jesse’s wrist and hand him my unopened soda. “I’ll be right back. Hang out with Matty. He seems to be getting jealous.”

I wink at Matt, who tips his beer at me before giving my boyfriend a swift kiss on the cheek.

Jesse nods, but his brow is furrowed as he looks over my shoulder at Dean and some guys from the team who are currently crowding around the makeshift beer pong table.

I maneuver around some couples making out in the sitting area, moving past the pool table until I finally make it to the beer pong area.

“Hey!”

Vanessa looks up at the sound of my voice and I see her eyes brighten as her mouth tips up in a smile. “Hey, bestie.”

Dean tips his head as he knocks back a beer, giving me a once over. I try to hold back my grimace at the blatant way he’s checking me out, his eyes idling at my chest and legs. He sucks his lips between his teeth, and I notice his eyes are glazed over, telling me he definitely smoked some pot before coming here. He finally manages a “Sup.”

I roll my eyes and ignore him while pulling Vanessa’s hand, successfully extracting her from Dean’s disgusting arm.

He’s wearing his basketball uniform as a costume. How original.

“Van, you changed your costume?”

“Ah…” She feigns a laugh, rubbing her arm. “I-ah decided to beSadnessinstead. I saw the movie last night and I couldn’t stop thinking of being her tonight.”

I raised an eyebrow. I was on the phone with her last night while we were going over our costumes, and she definitely was not watching Inside Out.

“Let’s get some food and chill! It’s too loud in here.” I muster up a smile, despite how grossed out I feel. There’s something about the way Dean is so shamelessly leering at me, even as I stand next to his girlfriend, that has my body screaming in discomfort.

I look over my shoulder but Jesse is now engrossed in conversation with Matt and a few of the guys from the football team.

Vanessa simply smiles, acting nothing like her usually chipper self, which has alarm bells ringing in my head. She whispers something to Dean, who nods, his eyes trailing from her to me before he pulls his attention back to the beer pong game they’re setting up.

She’s quiet as I lead her to Jesse and Matt, who both greet her with wide smiles. Matt takes one look at her red-rimmed eyes and shuttles us out into the backyard. Then, he lines up some shots before offering her one.. and a second one, and a third… until she’s had four back to back.

I nervously chew on my bottom lip as I fill our plates with all the greasy foods. Jesse grabs a few bottles of water and takes the plates from me as we head back out to the backyard where it’s a bit more chill.

Vanessa is laying on the patio loveseat across from Matt, who apparently lined up another shot for them to kick back.

Jesse smacks Matt’s arm. “I told you to give her a break!”

Then, he helps me sit Vanessa upright while I force her to take sips of the water bottle and practically shove a slice of pizza in her hand.

“Eat, Van. The grease should soak up the alcohol, okay?”

She manages a nod but it's weak. Her eyes are fluttering and I can tell she’s about a shot away from being completely wasted and falling asleep.

“Let me help, okay?” I whisper, taking the pizza from her hand and feeding her a bite. I tuck her hair behind her shoulder and that’s when I see it. There’s a reddish bruise on her shoulder.

My fingers curl inwardly on my palms until they form fists. A heavy sense of foreboding sweeps through me.

I flick a glance at the boys, who have wandered off to the other side of the backyard to talk to some guys from school.

“Vanessa.” Using my pointer finger, I turn her head so she’s looking at me, but she’s completely out of it. Her eyes are cloudy and hazy, like she’s physically here but her mind is off somewhere else, retreating somewhere safe and far away.

“Van.” I try again, this time patting her arm to shake her out of her funk, and then she moans and winces like she’s in pain. She sways a bit before laying her cheek on the couch cushion. Her eyes close and her arms wrap around her middle.

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