You & Me

Chapter Four

Amory pushes the door open for me. "Hey," he says, looking past me as I get into the truck, "who's she?" I shake my head at his smirking face. Sure, Noa is a pretty girl. She's the kind of pretty that I hate. Sickly sweet and bubbly. Nauseating. But still pretty, if you're into that sort of thing.

"She's sixteen," I cock an eyebrow at Amory, but he's still staring at Noa.

"She's cute."

"She's practically my sister," I scowl, and Amory turns his gaze to me.

"What?" He says, devious smirk on his face. "You went there with my sister."

I sniff and shake my head. "Fine," I say, "but still, she's sixteen."

Amory starts the car and honks at Noa one last time. She's getting in a car with Katie's mom and waves at us. "Still cute," Amory muses and I roll my eyes.

"Do you have a thing for Asian chicks?"

Amory shrugs. "I don't know."

"Isn't Ann half Asian too?" I ask, and Amory nods.

"Yeah, how about that." Amory smirks. He turns on the radio and drives off in the direction of the lake at the city limits. I sit back and watch the sky turn darker and darker as the city passes by.

"Are you guys still together?" I ask him, but Amory shakes his head.

"I broke things off."

I nod and watch the city slowly disappear behind us. Max and Travis are spending the holidays with their families and Fay decided to go to Harley's, which left me and Amory with absolutely no plans on freaking New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, I'd promised the bastard 'to live a little,' and now we're en route to a party at golden boy Parker's house. He lives at the other side of the lake and from his backyard you can see the town's skyline.

The last time I went to one of Parker's New Year's parties was in my freshman year. Max and I were still on the football team and there simply was no party without us. Every year, Parker would set up the entire living room as a dancefloor, hire a DJ, and make sure the party went on until the sun came up again. I never bothered to ask where his parents went.

It's as if nothing has changed. Amory parks his car in a grassy spot near the road, since the driveway is already filled. The house is lit with fairy lights and the loud thumping of the bass echoes through the night. Amory smiles and slaps my shoulder.

"Sounds like quite the party!"

I shrug and nod in the direction of the mansion. Parker's parents were one of the few rich family's here in Ridgeview, along with Cammie's and Max' families. Most rich folks lived a town over, where there was private education for their precious little kids. But the Parkers lived here and the annual New Year's Eve party cemented the boy as the king of Ridgeview High.

It's nearly nine when Amory pushes the front door open and the smell of cheap beer and sweat hits my nostrils. I roll my neck and wrap my arm around Amory's shoulder. There's bodies everywhere – people sipping from red cups, kissing, groping, yelling, screaming, dancing and jumping. Those who are not yet drunk well on their way to get there as quickly as possible, those who are already drunk making sure the buzz doesn't wear off. I shake my head and smirk. "Whatever happens tonight, Diver," I slap Amory's shoulder and he smirks back at me, "know that I blame you."

"Let's go find some beer," he replies. I move past entangled bodies and dancing cheerleaders, juniors and seniors playing drinking games in the living room, the kitchen filled with people centered around the keg. Amory shoves his way through the heap of teenagers and gets us two beers each. He raises his red cup to me and I down the lukewarm beer as quick as I can. If there's one thing worse than having no plans on New Year's Eve, it's being sober at a High School New Year's Eve party.