by Elle Thorpe
A tear rolled down my cheek.
“Lacey?”
My aunt’s voice startled me, and I quickly brushed away my tears.
She descended the stairs, frowning at me. “What are you doing home? School hasn’t finished yet.”
“I wasn’t feeling well,” I said limply. “So I came home.”
She put her hand to my forehead, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was something she’d done to me regularly as a small child, whenever I’d complained of an upset stomach.
“You don’t have a fever.”
“I think I just need to lie down for a while.”
Selina nodded and tucked her arm around mine, leading me back up the stairs toward my bedroom. “Sure, sweetheart.”
We took the stairs more slowly than I actually needed, considering I wasn’t really sick, but I was committed to the act now. I couldn’t tell Selina the real reason I was home. It would have destroyed her if she’d known what the kids were saying about Lawson. It would probably be all over school by now. How long would it take before it spilled over from playground chat to online? How long before the kids at Edgely found out? Until they told their parents, and it eventually made its way back to Selina’s ears?
It wasn’t fair. She didn’t deserve this. I gripped her thin arm tighter. Colt had called me breakable, but it wasn’t me I was worried about. It was Selina. She’d been walking around in a fog since my uncle’s death. She’d barely left the house. Hadn’t seen her trainer, and for the first time ever, the dark roots of her natural hair were showing through the bleach blonde.
“Actually,” Selina said, “it’s good you’re home. I started making some plans for your birthday.”
“Oh no. You don’t need to do that. It’s not a big—”
“Pfft,” Selina interrupted. “It is a big deal. You only turn eighteen once. And we’re going all out. I’m thinking black-tie themed, super elegant. We’ll invite everyone we know, of course, so we’ll have to hold it in a ballroom somewhere. Maybe the one at the hotel on Darling Street? They did a nice job of hosting your junior prom last year. What do you think?”
I tried to imagine Jagger, Rafe, and Banjo milling around in black tie, in a room full of people with more money than sense. That ballroom cost hundreds per guest. A huge party there would cost almost as much as my college tuition.
It seemed like a big waste of money.
I shrugged, noncommittal, and sat on the edge of my bed. Selina sat beside me.
“I was thinking we could do something lower key. Maybe just a party on the beach? Or in the backyard even? I know it’s late in the season, but it shouldn’t be too cold outside then. Maybe we could even get the grill out and just do burgers and hot dogs?”
Selina’s jaw dropped open. “You did not just suggest a backyard grill for your eighteenth birthday party? After I offered the swankiest event of the year?”
I bit my lip. “Thing is, it’s my…um, my friend, Banjo’s birthday, too. Same day. And his family isn’t doing anything for it, so I was thinking we might have a joint birthday party.”
I hadn’t discussed any of this with Banjo yet, but it had been playing on my mind. I wanted to celebrate my eighteenth. Sure. But I wanted Banjo to be there. And it would be incredibly awkward to have all the attention on me when it was his special day, too. The more I thought about it, the more a joint party seemed the only way to do it.
“Banjo… What’s his surname? Did you meet him at an Edgely party?”
I shook my head. “He’s from Saint View. You met him briefly, though? He was one of the caterers at Lawson’s wake.”
Selina’s mood changed instantly. “You want to have a joint party with a boy from Saint View?” She said it like she’d taken a giant bite from a lemon.
I fought to remain calm. My aunt was a snob. This wasn’t news to me. And I’d known she’d react like this, which was why I’d been reluctant to introduce her to Banjo in the first place. But it irked me more than it usually did.
“I like him, Selina. He’s a nice guy.”
She raised one perfect eyebrow. “What do you mean, you like him?”
I blew out a long breath. “I like him. A lot. We’ve been spending time together and—”
Selina held up a hand. “No, Lacey. It’s not happening.”
“What?”
Selina’s face flushed. “We haven’t even spoken about the little stunt you and that other boy from Saint View pulled last week.”
I’d been waiting for this. I’d been out most of the weekend and had actively avoided Selina when I had been home. But I guessed there was no avoiding it any longer. “I’m sorry about that. But he was going through a tough time, and I was just trying to be there for a friend.” Not that we’d really been friends when Rafe and I had taken off, but we had been by the end of it. Selina didn’t need to know any of that.
“Well, his father didn’t see it like that. And neither did I. It just looked like some irresponsible decision-making to me, which seems to be happening more and more since you started at that school. Your clothes for one thing.”
I glanced down at my tiny skirt and top that showed a sliver of my belly. I’d paired it with my red Converse sneakers, and when I’d studied my reflection in the mirror this morning, I’d thought the outfit was cute. Totally Instagram worthy. But I knew how Selina was seeing me. I could see it written all over her face. It rankled.
“What about my clothes?” I asked, irritated.
“Do I really need to say it?”
I blinked. “Yeah, I guess you do.” I never challenged Selina like this, but what I wore was my prerogative. And she didn’t get to judge me on it.
She lifted one shoulder. “You look slutty, Lacey. Trashy. And that’s not the way we raised you.”
I ground my molars together. “Anything else?” I grit out.
Selina ran her hands over her thighs. “Your friend will have to have his own party another time. I’m sure he and your other Saint View friends would be more comfortable at something more low-key.”
She wasn’t wrong. Hell, I’d had the same thought. But the difference between Selina and I was I wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. She just wanted to make sure they weren’t there. At all.
I pushed to my feet. “Are you saying that my friends can’t come to my party?”
Selina turned away.
That only got my back up further. “You can’t do that.”
Her head snapped up. “I don’t know who you are right now. You’ve never been so rude before.”
“I’m not being rude! You’re sitting there, judging my clothes. My friends. Selina, you’re judging me!” Hot tears pricked the backs of my eyes. This was the woman who I thought loved me unconditionally. Right now, her love felt very conditional. That hurt, right down to the depths of my soul.
“I just want things to go back to the way they were,” Selina said quietly, but there was a force in her tone that I hadn’t heard before. “I don’t want you seeing those boys. And I want you to enroll at Edgely for the remainder of the school year.”
“No.”
Selina shot to her feet. “You won’t speak to me like that.”
I stood a little taller. I might not have known them long, but Banjo, Rafe, and Jagger had my back today. Jagger was quickly cementing herself in best friend status, right alongside Meredith. While Rafe and Banjo…hell, I didn’t know what I was doing with either of them. I liked Rafe. There was something magnetic between us that I wasn’t done exploring. And Banjo…the thought of not seeing him again squeezed my heart painfully. They might be kids from the wrong side of the tracks, but that didn’t mean they weren’t worth standing up for.
“I don’t want to fight, or disrespect you,” I said softly to my aunt. “But I’m not a little girl anymore. And I have the right to make my own decisions. I hope you can understand that.” I was done with this argument. There was no point discussing it further if she couldn’t see my point of view and I couldn’
t see hers. I moved toward the bedroom door. “I’m going out. I need some air.”
She let me go, and I was at the front door before she yelled out, “I mean it, Lacey. I won’t allow it.”
I dug my fingers into the doorknob, yanking the door open before twisting back to stare up at the woman I didn’t even recognize right now. “Are you seriously forbidding me to see my friends?”
Her voice was cool, icy even. “If that’s what it takes to get you back on track, then yes.”
I just shook my head. And then walked out the door. There was nothing else to say.
25
Lacey
I drove aimlessly for hours until it started getting dark. Often, my vision got blurry with tears, and I pulled over on the side of the road, just sitting there until I was calm enough to drive again. I’d never had a fight with Selina. We’d never had a reason to argue before. I’d always been polite and respectful. Gotten good grades and kept myself out of trouble. In return, she’d always let me do pretty much anything I wanted. But apparently, having friends who didn’t have a net worth in the millions was all it took for our house of cards to come tumbling down.
The entire argument had left me completely disillusioned. All I could think now was, did I even know the real Selina? My parents hadn’t had money. I knew that. So did I disgust her as much as my new friends seemed to?
With my gas tank dangerously close to empty, I found myself driving around Saint View. I could have gone to Meredith’s place and unloaded on her. She would have welcomed me with open arms. But it was Banjo’s house I finally stopped at. Augie’s car was missing from its spot on the driveway, and I hoped that meant he wasn’t home. I wasn’t ready to deal with him either. I still hadn’t told Banjo about what he’d said. That had all disappeared into insignificance with everything that had happened since.
I glanced up at Colt’s bedroom window in the attic of the house next door and jumped when his dark gaze met mine. My heart thumped behind my rib cage. He was so damn beautiful. I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t want to walk straight up the stairs and let his black gaze devour me. Because that was the way all our interactions left me—feeling completely consumed. Even seething mad, there was always some sort of sexual undercurrent with him that was impossible to ignore.
But instead of giving in to it, I raised one fist into the air, pointing it in his direction, and ever so slowly, raised my middle finger, flipping him off.
I didn’t believe Rafe or Banjo for a second when they said this morning’s antics hadn’t been Colt’s style. Hadn’t he threatened to break me, just twenty-four hours earlier? He might not have worked alone, but he knew what his bitch of a girlfriend was up to. I had no doubt in my mind that she’d gloated to him, and that they’d sat up there in that bedroom, laughing about how easy it had been to get rid of me.
But he had another think coming. They all did. Him. Gillian. Selina.
Without even waiting to see if Colt responded, I stormed up the path to Banjo’s door and bashed my fist into it, praying he’d be home from football practice. Under the rafters of Banjo’s roof, I couldn’t see Colt anymore, but I’d swear I could feel his anger. I knew he didn’t want me anywhere near his friends, and that only made me want Banjo more. Colt could go fuck himself. Everyone who thought they had the right to dictate my life, when I was mere days away from legally being an adult, could go fuck themselves.
Banjo opened the door. “Lacey! Hey…” His gaze darted to my car parked outside his house.
“Colt knows I’m here. I’d apologize, but frankly, I just don’t care anymore. So tell me now if you do, and I’ll go.”
Banjo’s gaze didn’t falter for a second. Instead, he reached out, grabbed my arm, and dragged me inside, shutting the door behind me. And then I was in his arms, kissing him, melting against him, my anger ebbing away with every slide of his tongue, every touch of his fingers.
“Banjo! What are you doing down there?” Rafe hollered down the stairs.
I pulled out of Banjo’s embrace. “Rafe is here?”
He nodded. “We’re playing video games. I can get rid of him.”
I cocked my head to one side. “It’s fine. I’m down for video games, but can we play them while we drink? Because I seriously need to get drunk tonight. It’s been a day.”
Banjo wiped a tear from my cheek. I hadn’t even realized it was there. “Sure we can. Go on up. I’ll find something in Augie’s stash.”
I nodded gratefully and trudged upstairs, pushing open the door to Banjo’s little bedroom.
Rafe did a double take at my appearance, but then his eyes narrowed, his gaze raking over my face. He abandoned his controller to the mattress and crossed the small gap between us. “What the fuck happened? Have you been crying all day? Is this about Colt and Gillian?”
I shook my head, but then another sob escaped my chest. I was so over crying but I couldn’t seem to stop. The minute Rafe looked at me with kindness and care in his gaze, I dissolved once more.
“It’s not them,” I moaned miserably. “Well, it is, partially. But I had a huge fight with my aunt, and we never fight. She’s the only family I have, and it just feels shitty right now. All of it.” I choked out another sob, and Rafe pulled me into his arms, smoothing my hair back with one hand. “Hey, sssh. I’ve got you, okay?” He kissed my forehead, then glanced over my head. “And Banjo’s got enough tequila for several rounds of alcohol poisoning. So that sounds fun, right?”
I snorted. Banjo didn’t seem bothered by the fact I was in Rafe’s arms. He just looked worried about me.
He held up a full bottle and three little shot glasses. “No lemon, but judging from the expression on your face, you aren’t going to care.”
He passed me the shot glasses, and I handed Rafe his. We held them while Banjo cracked open the bottle, then poured, the clear liquid sloshing over onto our fingers and dripping onto the carpet.
“Whoa,” Rafe said, licking his fingers. “Don’t be wasting good alcohol.”
Banjo shook his head. “Plenty more where that came from. If Lacey wants to get drunk, we’re getting drunk. Yeah?” He looked to Rafe who nodded, and they both turned to me.
I held my shot glass up. “Cheers to shitty days and the hot boys who rescue you from them.”
Both guys grinned at that, and the three of us clinked out glasses together before downing them. I grimaced as the liquid burned my chest.
“No good?” Banjo asked.
“Too good.” I held up my glass. “Let’s go again.”
We all took another shot. Pleasant warmth spread out through my limbs, and I wandered around Banjo’s bedroom, studying all his possessions. I could feel the guys watching me, their video games apparently abandoned.
I spotted a little Bluetooth speaker on a chest of drawers. “Want to listen to some music?”
Banjo got up and found his phone. “What do you like?”
I shrugged, sitting beside Rafe on the bed. Our legs brushed. “Whatever you want. I’m not fussy.”
I smiled as a familiar opening riff played through the speaker. I glanced up at Banjo and bit my lip. “‘Sex on Fire’? Really, Banjo? You trying to tell me something?”
A slow, sly smile spread across his face. “Read into my song choice however you want.”
Rafe chuckled, and I glanced over at him.
He lifted one shoulder. “Hey, I like this song, too. I’m not saying anything.”
I shook my head in amusement. “Fine. Let’s play video games then.”
The two of them looked at each other.
“What?” I asked.
“Have you ever played before?”
I studied the console. “Uh, no. But you can teach me?”
Banjo sat back down next to me on the bed. “Or you could just tell us what happened with your aunt.”
I sighed and stood. “Nope. I’m over it. I just want to get drunk with my friends and forget about Colt and Gillian and Selina and everything else t
hat happened today.”
Banjo leaned back on his hands, his gaze warming me all over. Or maybe that was the tequila. I didn’t know, but either way, it was a pleasant sensation. It was nice to feel warm and safe, after a day of feeling cold and miserable. Banjo always had that effect on me. He truly was like a ray of sunshine, bottled up in a body made for sin.
“Is that what we are?” Banjo asked quietly. “Friends?”
I nodded. “Of course we are.”
“What about us?” Rafe asked. “You and me? Friends, too?”
I glanced between the two of them. They were so different. Banjo with his shaggy blond hair and freckles from the sun. Rafe darker, more serious, but no less hot with his gorgeous eyes that sparkled with intelligence and wit.
“Sure,” I said softly.
Rafe shot a look at Banjo. It made me remember the way Banjo had confessed to there being something extra between him and Rafe. Something neither of them had ever explored or even talked about. The way Rafe looked at Banjo in that second had me wondering if Banjo’s feelings weren’t completely one-sided.
“I’ve got an idea!” I said, a little too loudly. “Truth or dare.”
Rafe groaned, but Banjo bounced on the bed like a puppy dog. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I haven’t done this since that time we played with Colt, and he dared me to jump off the roof.”
Rafe shook his head, but his lips turned up at the corners adorably. “Don’t you remember how bad that was? You fucked up your ankle, and Willa had to drive you to the hospital because she thought it was broken. Nothing good comes from this game.”
I shrugged. “You’ve never played with me before.”
Rafe’s gaze clashed with mine, and something hot and heady passed between us.
“I’m in,” he said, voice tight.
I scooted until I was sitting against the wall, legs tucked up beneath me. Banjo made himself comfy at the head of his bed, back leaning against the pillows, while Rafe edged so close to me our arms brushed.
