Between Us

chapter sixteen

16

  I sigh as Liam finally pulls up to the house where the party is taking place. I unbuckle and turn to him.

  "I don't wanna go," I complain.

  Liam laughs easily. "Suck it up, buttercup. You need clothes and shit. Besides, you also need to relax," he says. Suddenly he makes a serious face. "And that was not me encouraging you to drink underage. Just so we're clear."

I can't help but smile a little. "Gotcha, Evans."

  He smiles as me. "Good. I get off at midnight because I don't have to close, so if you need a ride call me. Or if anything happens, okay?"

  I nod. "Thanks again, Liam. You've been so great, for taking me in. I'll pay you back, somehow. I promise."

  "No you won't," Liam says, shaking his head. "You don't need to."

  I roll my eyes and smile, putting my hand on the door handle. "This conversation isn't over, so we'll resume sometime in the future. My brother is probably having a coronary, so I should go."

  "See you later, Tare," he says as I open the door and climb out of his Jeep. "Remember, get your own drinks and don't go anywhere alone with a guy no matter how nice he seems!"

  "This isn't my first rodeo," I say with a wink as I shut the door. I blow him a playful kiss before spinning on my heel and walking up to the front of the huge house.

  I look back over my shoulder momentarily, just in time to see Liam shake his head and shift gears. He waves as he drives off down the road.

  I open the door, and suddenly the already loud music is deafening. People are jumping up an down and grinding on each other in the living room to the beat of the song, shouting the words along with it. I huff and cross my arms, standing on my tip toes to look for Reed.

  "Looking for someone, babe?"

  I stop looking for Reed and look at the guy in front of me. It's a guy named Caleb, who was in a couple of my classes last year. I smile politely. "Oh, hey Caleb. Yeah, I'm looking for my brother. Have you seen him?"

  He shakes his head and takes a long sip from his drink. "Nah, but he's probably playing beer pong with the rest of the football players," Caleb tells me. "Well, I need another drink. You want one?"

  I shake my head and cross my arms. "Um, no thanks. I just need to find Reed."

  He raises an eyebrow. "You sure? You look like you need one. There's beer, whiskey, tequila, you name it."

  I scrunch up my face. Why does everyone keep saying that? "You know what? I'll take you up on that. Lead the way," I say, uncrossing my arms. Maybe I should loosen up.

  I follow Caleb to the giant kitchen, where the countertops are covered in different types of liquor and half empty Solo cups of drinks. There's three kegs of beer on the floor next to the counters.

  "Are you here with anyone tonight?" I ask, browsing the different bottles.

  "Nope. Wanna hang?"