Page 25 of Foul Territory

“For class?” Hart asks.

“Something for my dad. I’ll tell you about it later,” she says, giving Hart a look that only he could interpret.

I run out to the living room, throw the notebook in my bag and pray no one calls out the fact that I’m the one taking the notebook home and not Lauren.

“You two are terrible liars. It’s about my birthday, isn’t it?” Nash asks with a full grin on his face. My feet catch on the floor.His birthday?I glance at Lauren. She gives me a slight shrug and a nod.

“I’m not saying anything. I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” I reply.

“We aren’t having a party here,” Hart declares.

“It’s my twenty-first birthday. You can’t deny me a party if the girls want to put something together for me,” Nash replies.

Hart’s body goes rigid. Lauren stands and places her arms on his shoulders. “We can keep it small. And if it gets out of hand, we’ll leave.” She attempts to slide past him but he grabs her hip and pulls her back into his chest.

It only lasts a moment but it’s long enough for me to feel a twinge of jealousy. There have been plenty of times when the shoe was on the other foot and Lauren watched me with my boyfriends.

She was never jealous. Never once did she wish she had what I had. Maybe she knew I was putting on a show. That those guys were nothing but stand-ins and wouldn’t makeit past the starting line. I wouldn’t have been jealous of me either. They were never the real thing like her and Hart.

“Is everything okay?” Koa asks. His forearms rest on the table and he leans into my personal space. I attempt to put some distance between us but it doesn’t seem to matter. His large frame crowds me regardless.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” I plaster a smile on my face.

“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s not like you to want to plan a party for Nash. That has never been your thing,” he adds, leaning back in his chair.

Lauren brings dinner to the table while Hart passes out plates and silverware to everyone.

I hate that he’s right. I am not a planner or event organizer. It is actually something that stresses me out. I find all the details from the food to the invitations cumbersome and overwhelming.

“Yeah, well, that was the old me.” It’s a lie but it irritates me to no end that he thinks he knows me anymore. Basic civility is the extent of our relationship. Even that has a time limit. It usually ends the moment he starts dictating how I should live my life.

It took an entire summer before I could even stand to be in the same room as Koa. I only did that because Nash begged me to try. He didn’t want me going to Newhouse without knowing I would call Koa if I needed help. I agreed for his sake but it wasn’t without reservation.

Koa grunts then picks up my plate to serve me food, frustrating me further as he leaves off the peppers because he knows I don’t like them.

“Wren will help us,” Lauren says. “She’ll have the whole event mapped out in ten minutes. If you have any requests, you might as well tell us since the surprise is ruined now.”

“Why would Wren need to plan the event? Didn’t you two already have it started?” Koa asks. His eyes flicker with mischief and his lip twitches in amusement.

“We were throwing ideas around. We didn’t have anything concrete yet if you must know everything,” I explain.

“You should help Syd,” Nash suggests, nodding in Koa’s direction. “Who better to throw me a party than my best friend and my sister.”

“Your sister andherbest friend.” I wave a hand between me and Lauren. “We don’t need his help. We’ve got it handled.” The last thing I need is to be stuck with Koa planning a party that never existed until two minutes ago.

“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help plan his party?” Koa asks. I zone out, staring at my plate of food. I shove a bite in my mouth to keep myself from saying something I’ll regret.

I enjoy the burn of the potato on my tongue and the roof of my mouth as a steady drip of rage begins to flow through my veins. This is how it always is with them. Their friendship takes precedence over everything else. Overeveryoneelse.

“Your loyalty is commendable,” I snark. Then stuff more food in my mouth. My fury is almost blinding. Everyone is ablur as I continue to eat in silence as they discuss potential party plans.

My anger doesn’t stop me from feeling the occasional tap of Koa’s leg against mine or the sweep of his eyes over my face.

It is hard not to smile at my brother’s enthusiasm. I didn’t realize he wanted a party so badly. I figured he was going to go to The Armory with his friends and have a few shots. Maybe meet someone new. He’s been so focused on football he could use a night to let go.

“That settles it then. Do you think you can pull everything together in a few weeks?” Nash asks.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Koa replies.