Page 11

WAVERLY

S o the party began, and somehow, I missed seeing Keene throughout all the preparations.

Since Xander still needed to dress and do her own hair and makeup, I hung out in her room with her while she primped.

She made it look effortless, and yet the end result was stunning.

“You’re going to have to teach me how to do that sometime,” I said as she sprayed it all into place.

Brightening, she flashed me a smile. “Really? I’d love to. I know my parents want me to be all academic, but fashion is my true passion. Clothes, shoes, makeup, hair products, just all of it.”

I hugged myself, smiling lightly, as I watched her slip on some heels that made her even taller than she already was.

Heaving out a deep, bolstering breath, she sent me a brave smile. “Ready?”

I shook my head no.

She laughed and hooked her arm through mine. “Yeah, me neither. Let’s go anyway.”

It was obvious the party had already started. I’d heard muted voices as people had begun to show. Then someone turned on booming music. But it didn’t really hit me until Xander opened her door, and we came almost face-to-face with a couple making out just outside her room against the wall.

“Oh God, sorry,” Xander said, squeezing around them. Tightening her grip on me, she whispered back, “Lock the door. Lock the door.”

I did as she asked and frowned at the guy who’d paused in sticking his tongue down the girl-with-him’s throat so he could ogle my legs. He sent me a heated smile, and I whipped my gaze forward again, huddling closer to Xander as she led us to the top of the steps.

Where we both froze.

“So?” Biting her lip, she sent me a timid wince. “Where do you want to go?”

I sent her a dismayed glance. “Why would I know where to go?”

“Right. Sorry. Hey!” She lifted her brows. “What about we check out the garage? Keene and Alec were supposed to be in charge of setting up games out there.”

Keene.

I bobbed my head, even as my stomach dipped in anticipation. “Sounds good.”

So she started down the steps, dragging me along with her.

But as soon as we hit the landing to the front room, someone called her name. We turned together as Foster Union appeared through the people, his smile big and gorgeous as he pulled her into a hug.

“There you are. I was beginning to think you were going to hide in your room all night.”

“As if I wouldn’t celebrate my cousin becoming the first three-time national champ quarterback in school history,” she countered, returning his hug with a laugh.

When they pulled away, the two smiled at each other with such similar family features I almost would’ve taken them for twins instead of cousins.

“And Raina,” Xander cheered, hugging her next. “It’s always good to see Foster’s better half.”

“Good to see you too, hon,” Raina returned, smiling at me in greeting as they pulled away. “Hey. I’m—oh my God. Waverly ?”

I sent her a lame wave and mumbled, “Hi.” She came to the library quite a bit and was always friendly to me when she did.

“Wow, look at you. You look so different.” When she pulled me into a hug next, I stiffened in her arms but let her have her fill until she released me a moment later. “What…?”

She glanced at Xander in question, who shrugged. “She very graciously let me give her a makeover. But Oaklynn and I might’ve gone a little overboard with it.”

“Overboard in all the right ways,” Raina assured as she turned to her boyfriend. “Foster, can you believe—” But he was already being called away by a fan who wanted to take pictures with him.

Sighing, she shook her head. “Well, I’ve lost him for the rest of the night now.” Turning back to us, she brightened her smile. “Let’s get a drink in the kitchen. Have y’all tried Hudson’s Heaven in a Cup yet? I’m telling you, it’ll change your life.”

“Oh, I can’t.” Xander winced and set a hand over her stomach. “I have two more months before I’m cleared for a drink.”

“Right. Ugh. Sorry.” Raina rolled her eyes and bumped a hand against her forehead before she turned to me. “What about you, Waverly?”

I mutely shook my head. “No, thank you.”

With a defeated groan, Raina waved us forward. “Well, come with me anyway. You two can drink water.”

Xander and I exchanged a glance, and when we both shrugged, not having anything else to do, we followed the back of Raina’s wavy auburn hair toward the kitchen.

If anything, the place was even more crammed with people than the front room.

And while Raina had no problem turning sideways to navigate through the crowd, Xander and I stalled short in the doorway, both of us overwhelmed by the press of bodies.

Especially when some guy passing by must’ve copped a feel of Xander’s ass because she jumped and squeaked out a sound before scowling at him and growling, “Hands off, buddy.”

“What?” He grinned lasciviously and lifted both palms. “It slipped.”

She narrowed her eyes as he laughed and moved off with the flow of traffic.

I leaned toward her so she could hear me say, “Maybe there’s room to breathe in the garage.”

“Hopefully,” she mumbled and kept her arm latched around mine as she tried to lead us that way.

As soon as she opened the door, we both gulped in a lungful of fresh January seaside air. Someone had lifted both garage bay doors and the party had spilled out in the night so people could spread out more freely.

“Oh my God, much better,” Xander said as she found an open place to plant us and glance around the area.

They had beer pong, cornhole, bocce ball, ladder golf, darts, and an oversized Jenga game set up, but all the stations had already been claimed.

“Well, damn,” Xander mumbled from beside me. “I rule at Jenga, too.”

Cheering at the beer pong table had me glancing over and forgetting to breathe.

With his back to us, Keene shot his arms in the air victoriously before turning to Alec, who seemed to be his partner in the game, and offering him a chest bump.

Then, he goaded the other teams as they were forced to chug a cup of beer.

“Gah, he is such a show-off,” Xander said, leaning close to grumble in my ear.

He was magnificent. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Across the table, his opponent stopped drinking and stumbled drunkenly to the side as he focused on me and Xander watching the game. “Whoa,” he slurred. “Who’re they ?”

Keene turned, and I panicked, not ready to be seen by him yet. Ducking behind Xander just as he glanced our way, I found the perfect place to hide because she was tall enough to conceal all of me.

Peeking over her shoulder, I watched him snort and turn back to the drunk.

“That’s Foster Union’s cousin, dumbass. He’ll rip your nuts off and feed them to you for breakfast for even looking at her.

” Clapping his hands, he ordered, “Now keep drinking. You’re not getting out of this that easily.

” But as soon as he said that, he noticed another girl strolling by, and he flashed her a flirty grin.

“Tish,” he greeted with a smooth head bob, backing up to walk with her for a few steps. “Looking good tonight. You dump that loser boyfriend of yours yet?”

“Nope. He’s right there.” When Tish pointed toward some guy playing one of the cornhole games, her boyfriend scowled at him and pointed in warning.

“What?” Keene called back, laughing and lifting both hands in a helpless gesture. “I was just checking.”

I rolled my eyes as Alec shifted in reverse from the table until he was standing next to Xander. “Beware,” he told her from the side of his mouth. “He’s in rare form tonight.”

Xander only scoffed. “When is he not?”

“Good point.”

“Hey!” Keene called to them, finally noticing Alec had left his side. “Will you stop flirting around already and take your damn turn?”

“Yeah,” Alec answered dryly as he returned to the table. “ I’m the one who was flirting.”

Ignoring him, Keene winked at Xander. “Yo, if he’s giving you a hard time, you just crawl into bed with me tonight, darlin’. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Oh, brother,” Xander groaned in front of me while Keene made eye contact with the one eye I had peeking over her shoulder at him.

His brow furrowed as he lifted his chin at me in question. “Who’s your friend you’re hiding back there?’

“What?” Xander turned to finally realize I’d been hovering behind her just as Alec slugged Keene in the shoulder.

“Bro, it’s still your turn, not mine.”

“Huh?” Keene frowned at him, only to remember the game. “Oh yeah. Shit.”

As he picked up a new ping pong ball and took aim, Xander lifted her eyebrows at me in question. “Are you freaking hiding behind me?”

“Yes,” I admitted baldly and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go back inside.”

Snickering, she let me drag her toward the door. “Are you afraid of letting Keene see you like this?” she asked, mortifying me to no end, even though she was at least discreet enough to keep her voice low. “I’m telling you, he’s harmless.”

“Don’t care,” I muttered, flinging the door open and shoving her up the steps. “Let’s go.”

She laughed but willingly complied. “Okay, okay. I’m going.”

I glanced back as I followed her in, just in time to see Keene turning back to look where Xander and I had been standing moments before. Spinning to search left when he found us gone, he then turned right and peered directly at me. Just as I shut the door between us.

Inside the safety of the kitchen, I exhaled harshly, only to jump out of my skin when someone said, “Holy shit, Hope wasn’t lying. You don’t look like Waverly at all.”

I lifted my face, only to find Faith Woods approaching. We were on a first-name basis from the library as well but had never talked outside of it before. I knew she was dating Hudson Ivey, though, one of Keene’s six best friends.

“Hi.” I waved and then had no idea what else to say.

The kitchen had cleared out a little since our last foray through it, but it was still uncomfortably warm, and I kind of wanted to go home.

I was too afraid to talk to people.

I was too afraid for Keene to see me like this.

I was too afraid to live.