'Harry!' I yell, standing up and almost tripping over Ainsley's foot in my haste to follow Harrison as he walks away from our couch and across the party. He's headed towards some fellow Cernette boys, Gabriel and Chester, but I run after him and grab his arm.
'Harry,' I say, and he spins around and looks at me. I can tell how drunk he is, and I know the alcohol must be playing up his emotions, because Harrison is usually so cheerful.
'Don't worry about it, Em,' he says, giving a false laugh. 'I just want to talk to Gabe.'
'No, Haz, please,' I say, tugging at his arm. I look up imploringly into his eyes. 'Julian is in a really bad place right now and he didn't want to tell you about this because he was worried how you would react.'
Harrison rolls his eyes. 'It doesn't matter, Em, seriously. I don't care. Julian doesn't have to tell me everything.'
'Then why are you storming off?' I ask, letting go of Harrison's hand and crossing my arms over my chest.
'Am I not allowed to go talk to Gabe and Chester?'
'Harry,' I say sternly. 'You stormed off because Jules didn't tell you he slept with Lexington. He just said he was worried you would laugh about it. Jules is really caught up about it and he's seriously worried about everything right now, and he just didn't want you laughing it off.'
'Well look at me, Em,' Harrison snaps. 'I'm not laughing it off.'
'He should have told you,' I say. 'You're his best friend. He only told me because I got with Toby so he thought I might have some wise words about it or something. It's not as if you could give him advice about sleeping with someone's partner, since you wouldn't have any experience.'
'Oh, so just because I'm a virgin, Jules doesn't want to talk to me? There's nothing wrong with being a virgin at seventeen. I'm sorry not all of us get drunk and throw ourselves on the opposite sex,' Harrison says cruelly, and he throws one arm in the air to support his point.
I glare at him. 'That's not what I meant at all,' I say. 'Stop taking this the wrong way.'
'How should I take this, Em?' Harrison asks me, and he takes a huge swig from his drink and then throws the plastic cup forcefully. Its trajectory is halted by the wind and it flops at his feet. 'Julian doesn't feel like he can tell me his secrets. Julian is supposed to be my best friend but he treats me as if I just tag along and say a joke every so often. It's like he thinks I'm just there for comic relief.'
'Is that what you really think?' I ask.
Harrison sighs. 'Yes, sometimes. Look, I don't want to talk about it. I'd rather just go and have a few drinks with Gabe and Chester while Julian figures out his own fucked up life.'
He turns again towards the boys but I grab his arm again. 'You just threw away your cup,' I remind him. 'Let's go get you a new drink and then you can hang with the boys.'
Harrison groans but follows me over to a table set up next to the house. There's a punch on the table and Harrison and I both scoop a cup of it. It tastes very strongly of rum and I wrinkle my nose. Harrison downs half a cup.
'Slow down,' I tell him, but he just shakes his head.
'If Julian can get drunk and make bad decisions, so can I.'
'Harry, let's talk,' I say. I lead him over to the back stairs of the house. It's quiet enough here that we can talk without anyone overhearing us. Most people are still down in the yard on the couches.
'Look, Jules didn't mean anything by not telling you about Lexington,' I say. 'He made a big mistake and he doesn't know what to do about it and he only told me because he thought I might have some advice. I asked him why he hadn't told you and he just said he was worried you were going to laugh about it. That's just who you are, Haz. I am so jealous of your ability to just laugh everything off. When you found out I was getting with Toby you just laughed at me. I appreciated it. It made me realise how much of a silly thing it was. Honestly, that's what Julian needs, but he doesn't know it.'
Harrison swallows the final sip of his drink. He stares into the empty plastic cup for a long time before finally saying, 'I know I'm stupid for being angry. It's just because I'm drunk. You didn't have to run after me like that.'
'It's alright,' I say. 'I was just a bit surprised. This is the first time I've ever seen you emotional about something.'
Harrison lets out a short laugh. 'Yeah, that'd be right. Harrison the clown. Fuck, I need another drink.'
He grabs onto the railing and swings himself into a standing position then jumps down three steps onto the ground. I follow him down the stairs and back to the punch bowl, where we get another cup of the very strong punch and make our way back to the group.
Julian has disappeared somewhere, but Ainsley and Watson are still sitting on the couch.
'Everything okay?' Watson asks quietly when I sit down next to him. He grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze.
'Where did Julian go?'
'He went looking for you guys,' Watson says.
Harrison has already finished his cup of punch and he grabs his bag and pulls out his bottle of alcohol to pour himself another drink. I think about telling him to go easy again, but I know he just wants to get drunk, so I keep my mouth shut.
Ainsley is staring into the fire as if it has hypnotised her. The reflection of flames flicker in her eyes. She has her feet up on the couch and she has her hands tucked in under her armpits, so I assume she must be cold. I reach over and wrap one arm around her, but she doesn't look away from the fire.
I'm sipping on my drink, but it's so strong and every sip gives me a shiver. Someone has finally changed the music from pop Christmas songs to regular party music. A bunch of boys are throwing plastic cups into the bonfire and watching them melt. A group of girls are dancing on the lawn. On the trampoline a few girls are lying on their backs and staring up at the stars. I watch as a really drunk Landor guy jumps onto the trampoline and disturbs the girls.
So far I haven't seen Taylor or Duncan, and I'm just wondering whether they're coming tonight when another cab pulls up on the road. It attracts my attention because Prisley boys spill out of it, and I wonder if Lucas is amongst them. A third Prisley guy gets out of the cab, and at first I'm too busy looking at his ridiculous costume to recognise him. But the cheekbones are undeniably Lucas's, even if he's wearing a long brown wig. He's also wearing huge white robes with a red sash across his shoulder, and dark brown sandals. He's Jesus. I put my hand to my mouth to stifle a laugh.
'Who is that?' Watson says, catching sight of Lucas. 'Is that Lucas?'
I keep laughing and Watson gives me a look. 'That's a stupid costume,' he says.
'It's funny,' I say, smiling over at Lucas.
I glance back at Watson to see him pulling his elf hat off his head. He glowers in Lucas's general direction.
When I look back at the cab the Prisley boys have walked off to greet a few Prisley girls, but I see two more people step out of the cab. Duncan is wearing a Santa suit, without the beard or hat. Taylor steps out behind him. She's in a sexy Mrs Clause outfit, but I see she's already smashed. She stumbles out of the cab, but instead of allowing Duncan to hold her hand she just storms off into the party without saying anything to him. Duncan doesn't seem to mind, and goes to join the rest of his friends.
'So their relationship is off to a stormy start,' I comment. Ainsley kicks me, and I glance back at Watson. He's watching Taylor, and he takes a large swig of his drink.
I take another sip of my drink and look over to where Lucas and Duncan are talking to a few of the other Prisley boys. Lucas is barely recognisable but instantly noticeable in his hilarious costume. I love that he's able to laugh at himself and doesn't feel the need to look hot, but instead is happy to look like an idiot. But I don't want to have a crush on Lucas. It makes everything so much more complicated. And although I've been going over and over my conversation with Lucas in my mind, I haven't decided whether he could be right. It's too scary to admit that there might be some truth in his words. A cold breeze flows past me and despite the heat of the bonfire I shiver.
Harrison must notice because he says, 'Want to do some shots?'
'Yeah, that will warm me up,' I say, and I grab his bottle of alcohol when he offers it to me.
'Cheers to Christmas in July,' Harrison says as we each hold a shot up in the air and say cheers.
I throw my shot back and clench my eyes tight as the hot alcohol burns my throat. I swallow a mouthful of my mixed drink to wash the taste down. When I open my eyes I catch a glimpse of Lucas looking at me, but when he sees me looking he turns away. I'm very aware of the ugly face I must have pulled when I did the shot. I can feel my cheeks warm up, but I'm not sure if it's the alcohol or because I'm suddenly embarrassed. Harrison pours another round of shots, just as one of my favourite songs comes on the speakers.
Julian is approaching us and I smile and wave at him as he comes to sit down. He sits on the edge of the couch and Harrison hands him a shot without saying anything. I hope through just that small gesture Harrison is able to communicate that he has forgiven Julian for not telling him about Lexington. I grin, and we do another round.