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She laughed louder. “Down, girl. I’m kidding. But what are you going to do about Jaymes? You know he probably already gave Greyson the whole ‘don’t even think about touching my girl’ speech, right?”

I threw myself back into the seat cushion, groaning. Yes, I didn’t doubt that he did. I swung my feet into her lap, pulling at the strands of her hair with my fingertips and started braiding them. Her hair was bleached so blond it was almost white, the complete opposite of mine.

But we were opposites in a lot of ways. Our hair, our eyes, our height, our body types, the way we dressed, our general outlook on life. As soon as I turned eighteen, I was getting the hell away from this place, and this life, and never looking back, but she had more of the“if you can’t beat them, join them”attitude.

“I know we don’t do the whole ‘girl gossip, sharing feelings’ thing,” she said, “so I’ve never asked, but aren’t you and Jaymes…?”

I scoffed. “What do you think? You’re here every night too,” I stated the obvious. If Jaymes and I were actually hooking up she would know it. Wouldn’t she? But I guess I’d never really denied it before either, and the look on her face said thatno, she didn’t know. “We’re just friends—”

“Who sleep together,” she interrupted.

“Key word beingsleep, nothing more. Open your eyes. You see Jaymes, he screws around with everyone.”

“Yeah, key word beingscrews.”

I laughed halfheartedly. “Exactly. If I actually meant anything to him, he wouldn’t be sleeping with a different girl every other night, so he’s full of shit. We’re just friends.”

“Just friends,” she repeated skeptically.

“Just. Friends.” I reiterated.

“Fine. You know I believe you, but will Greyson?”

“Ugh. I don’t know, but I need a drink.”

“Yes! Brilliant idea.” She hopped up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me off the couch and into her arms. “Operation Jessie and Greyson commences,” she whispered in my ear, giggling. I guess she’d already started drinking without me, because Sara only giggled when she was drunk. She left the room and returned with an empty tequila bottle. “Who wants to play spin-the-bottle?!” she yelled, and people slowly began forming a circle in the middle of the living room.

But me? No thanks. She might’ve loved the attention—or lived for it, really—but I was much happier in my corner of:if you don’t smile or make eye contact with people, maybe they won’t realize you exist.And besides, if Greyson was ever going to kiss me, it was going to be because he wanted to. That much I was sure of. And I didn’t want to stick around and watch everybody kissing each other,especiallyif it involved Greyson, so I went outside for some fresh air instead, grabbing a half-empty bottle of Jack on my way out.

I hit my favorite patch of grass in Jaymes’ front yard, laid back against the uphill slope, and looked up at the sky. At all of the stars, and the full, bright moon.

There was something about the moon. The way it reminded me of the hope I sometimes clung to. A sliver of light in all that darkness.

Real deep, Jess.

I pressed the bottle of whiskey to my lips, swallowing back the burning amber liquid.

“Hey, Jess,” Greyson’s voice seeped into my skin, mixing itself with the whiskey. “Mind if I join you? Spin-the-bottle isn’t really my thing.”

“Is it anybody’s thing?” I laughed.

He chuckled. “I honestly didn’t think people still played it.”

“Sara just likes to…make things interesting.” I patted the grass, and he sat down beside me. His face came into view, anddamn,but he looked even better in the moonlight. I held the bottle out to him.

“Nah, thanks. I don’t drink.”

“Like, ever?” I took another sip.

He shrugged. “Not really.”

I wondered if he cared that I was drinking, if it was something that turned him off or not.

“So, I’m just gonna go ahead and ask…why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?” he asked.

I looked back up at the sky, sucking in a deep breath. “Because I don’t.”

“Jaymes says differently.”