But he knows it’s real, and that’s what really matters.
I rush to the dressing room and change into my street clothes, and then I call Nick while I scrub off the stage makeup. He agrees to come and pick me up, and I slip out into the back parking lot to wait for him, as the rest of the cast streams offstage.
As soon as we get to Nick’s house, I head straight for the kitchen and grab a red, plastic cup full of something green and fruity. I down it in one long gulp, ignoring the burn in my throat, and reach for another.
“Whoa,” Nick says, coming up behind me. “Pace yourself. That stuff’s kind of strong.”
I finish off the second cup and then reach for a beer. “I don’t need a babysitter. I can handle myself.” I’m tired of trying to show the world that I can be as good as Laina. I’m her sister, not her shadow.
Nick shakes his head and backs off. “Take it easy, okay? You don’t need to prove anything.”
“Whatever.” I walk away, already feeling lighter as the fruity punch works its magic. I’ve been so focused on trying to be like my sister that I haven’t been to a party in months. But this is who I am. I’m fun and bubbly and carefree, and I may not be some perfect, plastic doll, but I’m freaking awesome. And anyone who can’t accept me for who I am—
I trip on the rug in the hallway and fall against Josh, spilling the last of my beer on his t-shirt. “Whoops! Sorry, Joshie.” I pat his cheek and grin.
He grabs my shoulders to steady me. “Hey, Andi, what’s up? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been busy.” I step away from him, flip my hair over my shoulder and lean casually against the wall.
Except, someone moved the doorway.
I stumble backward into the living room and trip over a table. A lamp crashes to the floor, but luckily, the carpet is soft enough to keep it from shattering. The crack on the base was probably even there already.
I put the lamp back on the table and giggle. The best way to get over an embarrassing moment is to pretend it’s no big deal, so I don’t even try to make excuses for my klutziness. I wander over to the couch and wedge myself in between Rob and some random guy.
Someone hands me another beer and I pop the top and take a long drink. “Hey, Robbie, whatcha doin’?”
“Well, hello,” says random guy. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Nope.” I try to take another swig of my drink, but the can is empty. How did that happen?
“I’m Max,” random guy says. “And you are?”
“Exhausted.” I lean my head back against the couch cushions and close my eyes to wait for the room to stop spinning.
Maybe I should’ve eased back into the whole party thing. Even back when I used to come to these parties every weekend, I didn’t actually drink much. I used to carry around the same can of beer all night long.
It’s a great prop. If you’re holding a drink in your hand, you can usually say or do whatever you want, and if it comes out stupid, you have a built-in excuse. You can get away with anything as long as you say, “I was so drunk, I don’t even remember what happened!” Even if you haven’t had a single sip yet.
But tonight, I may actually be a teensy bit tipsy.
I giggle. “Tipsy is a funny word, isn’t it? Tipsy, tipsy, tipsy.”
“This is Andi,” Rob says to random guy. “She’s Alaina Andersen’s little sister.”
“Alaina?”
“Yeah. She sits behind me in chemistry. Killer body.”
“Oh, you mean that chick with the boobs and the long hair? The one that’s always writing in that notebook? She’s hot.”
I open my eyes and push myself off the couch without waiting to hear Rob’s reply. I’m tired of hearing about the amazing Alaina Andersen. I wander back down the hall, trying to remember where the bathroom is.
Because I think I need to pee.
And maybe throw up.
I leave the main crowd of people and climb over the bookshelf Nick has blocking the stairs. He never lets anyone up on the second floor, because his mom doesn’t care about his not-so-secret parties as long as he keeps everyone out of the bedrooms. But I happen to know there are three bathrooms upstairs with no lines, and my bladder doesn’t want to wait.
After I pee and wash my hands, I splash my face with cold water. The nauseous feeling leaves, and I go back downstairs to find Nick.
I’m ready to leave, because this party kind of sucks, but Nick isn’t in the living room or the kitchen. I’m totally dehydrated, so I grab another cup of punch on my way out to the back yard to look for him.
It’s not nearly as crowded out here as it is inside the house, and it’s easy to find Nick. He’s sitting on top of the picnic table, surrounded by a flock of admiring sophomore and freshman girls, who are hanging on his every word and acting like he’s some sort of god.
I’m pretty sure this is the reason Nick throws his parties. He loves having a flock of admirers. And he probably won’t want to leave them again so soon. I already made him ditch the party once, to come pick me up. I’ll have to find someone else who isn’t too sloshed to take me home.
Shane sits on a bench on the opposite side of the porch, talking to Adam. Kendra’s draped across Shane’s lap, kissing his neck and running her fingers through his hair, but he’s completely ignoring her, except when he pushes her hands away, like he’s trying to get rid of an annoying fly. I’m willing to bet she’s barely had anything to drink, but come Monday morning, she’ll be blaming her totally drunken state if anyone says anything about the way she’s acting.
It’s too bad Laina never comes to these parties. Maybe she’d finally believe me when I say her best friend is a total witch.
I walk back into the kitchen and bump into Rob and random guy next to the punch bowl. “Hey, little sister,” random guy says. He raises his plastic cup in greeting and I nod. “You know, you may not have a body like your sister, but you’re not half-bad.” He grabs my boob with his free hand and squeezes. “I’d get with this.”
I kick him, hard, and when he lets go of me and doubles over in pain, I grab his drink and dump it over his head. “You’re an idiot.”
I refill my cup and stomp away.
Rob follows me out of the kitchen. “That was awesome. Remind me never to get on your bad side, Alaina.”
I stop walking and spin around. “I’m not Laina, Rob. I’m nothing like her.”
He studies me for a minute. “I don’t know. You’re sisters, right? So you’re kind of alike.” He shrugs. “Max is a dick, but he’s not wrong. You’re kind of hot.”
“Kind of?” I set my cup on a nearby table and flash my sexiest smile at him. I run my fingers across his abs and then slide my hands up his body, pushing him backward until he’s pressed up against the wall. He’s breathing heavily by the time I tip my face up toward his and capture his bottom lip with my teeth. I slide my hands up to tangle in his hair, and lean into him, pressing my body against his as the kiss deepens.
Rob wraps his arms around my waist, and then his hands slowly drift downward. He pulls me into him, thrusting his hips forward and grinding against me. He moans softly as I plant tiny kisses along his jawline. When my lips reach his ear, I pause for a moment, letting him go crazy with wanting me.
He groans and turns his face, trying to recapture my lips.
“I’m more than kind of hot, loser,” I say. Then I spin out of his arms, grab my cup, and walk away without a backward glance. Other than the tiny bit where I stumble against the wall, it’s a perfect exit.
Screw this. I’m so ready to go home, it’s not even funny. I don’t care how busy Nick is. I march back outside to grab him, but the picnic table is empty. Nick and his harem must’ve migrated inside.
But Shane and the Witch are still sitting on the bench.
“Come on, lover boy,” I say. “I need a ride home, and you’re it.”
He stands up, pushing Kendra off his lap, and pulls his keys out of his pocket. “N
o problem. I wanted to talk to you anyway. Alaina’s kind of avoiding me.”
“Um, yeah, if you want to get with my sister, letting her slutty best friend paw you in public probably isn’t the best way to do it.” I grab his hand and start to walk around the house to the cars parked out on the street.
“Excuse me, but we’re kind of in the middle of something here,” Kendra says. She yanks our hands apart and steps between us, glaring at me with her arms folded. “If you’re too trashed to get yourself home, go find some other loser to drive you. Shane’s busy.”
“Nah, this loser is fine,” I say. “And it looks to me like he’s only busy trying to get rid of you. C’mon Shane, let’s go.”
I turn and start walking to the car, but Kendra shoves me from behind, and I fall flat on my face. “You’re pathetic,” she sneers. “Using your sister as an excuse to get a guy to talk to you. Even Alaina isn’t that desperate.”
I roll over and pull myself up. “Oh, please. Save the drama. I’m not the one throwing myself at a guy who’s obviously not interested. You may have my sister fooled, but everyone else can see that you’re totally using her.”
“I don’t need to take this from you.” She slaps my face and takes a deep breath, preparing to let loose with one of her famous I’m-so-much-better-than-you speeches. But I’ve had enough crap tonight. I punch her in the nose, and she crumples to the ground to a chorus of cheers from the crowd of kids who had gathered in the yard to watch the show.
“So are you gonna give me a ride or not?” I ask. Shane nods and jingles his keys, stepping around Kendra and leading the way to his car.
But we’ve only taken a few steps before Dave steps out of the crowd. “You’ve been drinking,” he says, holding out his hand for the keys. “No way I’m letting you behind the wheel with Andi in the car. I’ll drive you both home.”
***
My head is pounding and it tastes like something died in my mouth. I don’t remember getting home last night, and I wonder how Dave got me past Mom and Dad.
He must have managed somehow, because I’m not dead.
Someone left a glass of water and a couple of ibuprofen on my nightstand, and I swallow them gratefully before sinking back into bed and pulling my pillow over my head to block the sunlight streaming in through the window.
“Rise and shine, sweetie!” Mom barges into my room and pulls my pillow away. “It’s almost time for church.” Her voice is honey-sweet and dripping sunshine, but I can tell by the look in her eyes that Dave didn’t sneak me past her last night after all.
“I’m sick.” I cough weakly, but the effect is ruined when I moan and grab my head to stop the throbbing.
She holds her hand to my forehead in mock concern, and then she shakes her head. “Nope. No fever. You’ll feel better when you’re up and moving.” She reaches over me and turns on my radio, full volume. “There. Some nice, cheery music is all you need to get you going this morning.” She grins and grabs my arms to pull me into a sitting position. Then, she glares at me, daring me to challenge her. I turn off the radio and swing my legs off the edge of the bed.
“I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
She nods and walks to the door. “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she says. “Mother’s Day services wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t have both of my girls at church with me.”
Crap!
I was supposed to help Laina make a surprise breakfast as our Mother’s Day present.
Mom shuts the door, harder than she’d ever allow me to, and I cringe. I wait for the room to stop spinning and then I drag myself to the closet. I pull out the pink, gauzy dress that Mom gave me for Christmas.
I hate this dress. It makes me feel like a little girl, playing princess dress-up. But Mom thought the little blue flowers embroidered on the collar and along the hem would bring out my eyes. And I know it hurt her feelings when I refused to wear it.
I snip off the tags and pull the dress over my head. Hopefully, when Mom sees me, she’ll know I’m sorry about ruining her Mother’s Day.
I grab my hairbrush and run it through my hair as I turn to the mirror hanging above my desk. And I freeze, mid-stroke. Sitting in the center of my desk, right between my biology textbook and my math notebook, is the biggest bouquet of daisies I’ve ever seen. Dave must have put them here when he brought me home last night.
I drop the brush and reach for the card.
“Andi, we’re so proud of you. Congratulations on a great run as the best stepsister in the history of Cinderella. Love, Mom and Dad”
The whole family is waiting for me in the kitchen by the time I drag myself out of my bedroom.
“There she is!” Dad booms. “Our little princess looks sleepy this morning. Maybe she’ll think twice about staying out past curfew in the future.” He laughs loudly and slams a cabinet door. “You missed breakfast, pumpkin, but I made you a plate. You can bring it with us.” The smell of waffles and strawberries nearly knocks me over, and I swallow hard, fighting the urge to vomit.
“That’s okay. I’m not really hungry.” I kiss Mom on the cheek and hand her the card I bought. “Happy Mother’s Day. And thank you for the flowers.”
I follow my family out to the car, ignoring the daggers Laina’s staring into me, and close my eyes against the bright sunshine. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the crash of music Dad decides to blast through the stereo, even though he always says loud music makes it impossible to prepare for Sabbath worship.
Jarod’s waiting in the foyer when we walk into church. “Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. Andersen,” he says and hands Mom a pink carnation. Then, he shakes hands with Dad.
My parents beam at Jarod. “Good morning.”
Dad winks at Laina, who blushes like crazy. Then he takes Mom’s hand and they walk into the chapel.
Jarod hugs me. “I’m sorry. I’ve been a jerk. And you deserve more.” He looks over my shoulder, at Laina. “You know you’re one of my best friends, right? I never wanted to hurt you.” He blushes when Laina smiles at him.
“Yeah, I understand,” I say. Because that’s the appropriate response at a time like this. It’s in the script. And my head hurts too much to come up with anything better.
Jarod grins. “You’re the best.”
I nod, and he walks across the room to join Laina.
I wait for the familiar twinge to wrench my stomach, but it doesn’t come. Between the throbbing headache and the nausea, I don’t have the energy to care.
Laina laughs at something Jarod says, and he kisses her cheek before walking into the chapel to join his parents.
“So,” I say, grinning as I loop my arm through Laina’s, “you and Jarod are official now?”
Laina snorts. “We’re not dating. That would ruin everything. We’re buds.” She frowns and pulls her arm away. “And I’m still not speaking to you. Do you know how hard it was to make Mom’s entire breakfast all by myself?”
I bat my eyelashes innocently and lean my head on her shoulder in the perfect puppy dog pout. “I’m sorry, Laina. I was stupid. But it’s not like I would’ve been much help anyway. You’re the chef of the family, and we all know it.” I stick out my bottom lip. “I would’ve burned the waffles and messed it all up.”
Laina rolls her eyes and pulls me into the chapel. “Come on, drama queen. At least have the courtesy not to make us late for church.” She frowns and shakes her head, but I see a tiny twinkle in her eye, and I know she’s already forgiven me.
Miss Perfect doesn’t hold grudges.
“Hey, sexy lady!” Some vaguely familiar guy yells across the commons area as I walk into school. “You disappeared before we got a chance to get to know each other at Nick’s party.” He jogs over. “Wanna pick up where we left off?”
I take a step back and smile hesitantly as I attempt to remember Saturday night.
“Give it up, Max,” Dave says. He slips an arm around my waist possessively. “And leave my girlfriend alone.”
&nb
sp; Max shrugs. “It’s your loss, Andi. If you want to stick with a loser like this when you could have a real man, that’s your choice.”
He walks away, shaking his head in disbelief, and I turn to look at Dave. “I’m your girlfriend?”
Dave smiles and releases me. “I figured I’d help you out with Max. He’s not really a bad guy, but he doesn’t always know when to give up. And he’s not your type. Trust me.”
“Right. So, thanks, I guess.” I hug my books to my chest and fight the urge to run my fingers through Dave’s hair to straighten his messy curls. “Oh, and thanks for being my knight in shining armor again.”
“Well, rescuing damsels in distress is kind of a hobby of mine.”
I take his hand and we walk to first period together. “You could totally be a professional damsel rescuer. As long as I get to be first in line for help.”
“It’s a deal. But next time you flip out and go insane, would you please call me first? I wouldn’t have even known where you were if Nick hadn’t texted me to come get you.”
I pull away. “I told him I could take care of myself.”
“I found you in the middle of a drunken cat fight with Kendra Smith, and you were so wasted that you didn’t even get to my car before passing out. And I didn’t get to witness your grope-fest with Rob, but I heard all about it from Max and Josh. Yeah. You can totally take care of yourself.” He shakes his head. “Nick was worried, and you wouldn’t listen to him, so he called me.”
“Whatever. I had everything under control. And Kendra deserved it.”
Dave stops outside the classroom door, blocking my path. “That wasn’t you. You’re better than that.”
“I’m not Laina, you know. Some of us aren’t perfect.”
“I know. But that girl at the party? That wasn’t you either.”
Twleve Steps Page 20
