Secrets, Lies, and Summer Skies

Chapter Six

Stupidly, she leaned against the husk of a car and giggled, "Hey, babe? Welcome home."

"I should've stayed in college," I muttered. Dread filled my stomach as I reached my free hand into my purse and withdrew my cellphone. I knew who I needed to call, and I knew that he'd never let me live this down. I tapped his name on my contacts list and held the handset to my ear. "Grayson? I... I need a ride..."

We waited in an all-night diner down the street for Grayson to arrive. I wasn't stupid enough to stand out in the open where someone from the club might see us. I'd taken a few pictures on my phone to capture the state of my car. Come morning, I'd have to report the vandalism to the police and my insurance company. Great. Sure, it could've been worse. At least we hadn't been in the parking lot when the parties responsible had attacked my vehicle. I dreaded to think what the outcome of that might've been.

I certainly wouldn't have been left nursing a coffee in a warm, well-lit café.

I'd probably have wound up in the back of an ambulance.

Or worse.

Jenny slumped forwards over the table and dozed quietly. I apologized to the server each time she passed. That I was on the cusp of bursting into tears must have been clear because she allowed us to stay. I was ready to drop a generous tip for her compassion. Most businesses didn't look kindly on people napping in their booths, but it wasn't safe for us to wait for Grayson outside, even if we were well lit and visible.

Only when I saw him pull up outside did I reach over to smack Jenny on the shoulder. She woke with a start, clamped a hand over her mouth, and raced outside to throw up in the gutter. I sighed and dropped a few notes on the table before I followed, bringing both our purses and what little remained of our shared dignity.

Grayson had left the car. Keys in hand, he fixed me with an unamused glare and asked, "This is taking care of yourself?"

"Don't." I sounded defeated rather than defiant. I did my best to hide my limp as I approached Jenny, a stack of napkins in my hand from the café. She took them gratefully and wiped clumsily around her mouth. I turned back to Grayson but found I couldn't meet his eyes. Instead, I fixed my gaze on his chest and mumbled, "Thanks for coming to get us."

"I promised your dad..." he trailed off. Rather than finish whatever he was going to say, he told Jenny sternly, "You'd better not puke in my car."

Not one to let a little vomiting impede her flirtatious nature, Jenny righted herself and fixed Grayson with what was meant to be a sultry grin. "If you're so worried about your car, how about you carry me home?"

Grayson's eyes pinched in annoyance. "You can hang your head out of the window."

Putting a drunk girl into the back seat of a car was never an easy feat, especially not when Jenny kept pawing at Grayson and whining about wanting hugs and kisses. If I hadn't been so mad at her, I'd have recorded the whole thing to post all over her socials once she was sober. As it was, I wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to crawl into bed and pretend the entire night hadn't happened. Grayson seemed to be of the same mind because he lost his temper and snapped at Jenny to behave more than once.

Thanks to our combined effort, we secured her safety belt and lowered the window so she could throw up into the street if she needed. I couldn't imagine there was much left in her stomach to expel but Jenny was a constant surprise. If there was a way to defy biology, then she'd find it.

I was ready to get in the back with her, but Grayson grasped my upper arm and steered me to the front passenger side. I winced, but not from his strength. Rather, from the speed at which he made me move. He might have thought that my mild limp was from the uncomfortable shoes and not an ankle injury. It wasn't like I'd done anything to bring his attention to it, so there was no way he could've known I was hurt. I dropped into the seat and jumped when he slammed the door behind me, then again when he got into the driver's side.

"I want a damn good explanation for all of this before you go to bed tonight." Grayson turned over the engine. "You owe me at least that for making me come all the way out here in the middle of the night."

"Ooh, before bed?" Jenny slurred from the backseat. "Yours or mine, Mr. Reed?"

I fixed Grayson with an apologetic glance. Sensing that I was as done with Jenny's behavior as he was, he added, "After we dump her on her parents."

It was painfully quiet between us on the ride back to Jenny's house. Every time my friend made an inappropriate comment in the backseat, Grayson's mouth pressed into a thin, angry line. I mentally willed her to keep quiet. It was bad enough that he was going to ream me out for going to the club in the first place; I didn't need her to provoke him further. God, when she was sober, I'd kill her for all this. I loved her, but she was a pain in the ass.

The car rolled to a halt outside of Jenny's house. Grayson said nothing when he left the car and marched up to the front door. I watched through the window as he shook her father's hand and summarized what had happened. From their gestures, I gathered they were apologizing for the trouble she'd caused. Her father followed Grayson to the car and, together, they wrestled Jenny out of the back seat.

"Apologize immediately," her father ordered outside of the car.

"Sorry, Mr. Reed." It seemed sincere until a grin spread across her lips. "Sorry that you're missing out on all this, am I right?"

Humiliated, her father barked reprimands and threats of cutting off her credit cards while he dragged Jenny back to the house. Grayson watched for a moment with his arms folded across his chest and muttered something under his breath about being glad he'd never had kids. My cheeks burned. Not because I was ashamed of my behavior—overall, I thought I'd behaved a damn sight better than Jenny—but his comment was a reminder that Grayson really saw me as a child. That night in the kitchen had been nothing more than a tease. A prank. It was the same old Grayson just trying to get a rise out of me. Well, he'd certainly done that, so it made sense that I'd come crashing back down when I was reminded of just how insurmountable our age gap was.