Ember clings onto my arm, dragging me through the party until we find a table set out with every drink under the sun, but unlike the parties that I usually attend, there’s a bartender here who happily makes us whatever bullshit concoction Ember throws at him.
It takes him only a minute, and before I know it, I’m sipping on something fruity with a bright pink straw as my toes sink into the sand beneath the pier.
Lights twinkle and music is blasting, but what really pulls me in is the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. I’ve never really been to the beach, and honestly, I didn’t do enough research about where I was going to know there was even a beach this close to us.
I’ve only ever been to the beach once before and it was a disaster of a day. I was only thirteen and staying with Karleigh, and while the day itself was incredible, it was also the day I found out that I was being taken from Karleigh and the trip to the beach was just some stupid way to soften the blow.
I put it to the back of my head. I’m here to have a good time, not to dwell on the past. I throw back what’s left of my drink when Ember’s grip on my arm tightens and she pulls me back with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?” I ask, looking back at her and desperately trying to figure out what’s caught her eye.
“That’s Jacob Scardoni,” she hisses, using her chin to indicate across the party to a guy who's standing around a bonfire with a bunch of friends.
I look at him for a moment, not able to recognize his name or face from school, “Umm … who?” I ask. “Am I supposed to remember him from somewhere?”
“No,” she says. “I know I talk about Carver, King, Grayson, and Cruz like they’re my soulmates, but this guy … he’s the one I really like.”
My brows rise as I look over the guy again, taking in the dark shaggy hair, the cocky grin, and the body that any girl would be happy to get under. He’s not bad at all, but nothing compared to the four assholes of Ravenwood Heights, though considering the dreamy look in Ember’s eyes, I’d dare say that for once, she might not agree with me. “How do you know this guy?” I ask, feeling an odd protectiveness for my new friend come over me. “Does he go to our school and I’ve just been missing him?”
She shakes her head. “No, he goes to school with my cousin across town. I met him last year and instantly fell in love with the guy despite hardly knowing him. I got drunk and he looked after me like a gentleman and I’ve sort of been obsessed ever since. He was a total sweetheart and now I’ve sort of gone to every party since just so I can see him.”
I stare at her blankly. “Are you kidding me? Go and talk to him if you’re crazy about him. What are you waiting for?”
“Don’t be stupid,” she tells me, shaking off my comments. “He’s like the most popular guy at school. He’s like the Carver of Castlereagh Academy. That’s the all-boys private school. They are douches over there, but it doesn’t matter because there’s no way he’d be interested in me, I’m a complete dork. Besides, I doubt he’d even remember me. That party was ages ago and I looked completely different.”
I shake my head. “Don’t put yourself down like that. You’re fucking gorgeous. Any guy would be lucky to have you, now throw back the rest of that liquid courage and go and get yourself a date. Who knows, maybe you two were meant to be together and fate is just waiting for you to pull on your big girl panties.”
Ember narrows her eyes at me. “Ha. ha. You’re so damn funny. How did I not realize this before?”
“Get lost,” I tell her, giving her a shove toward Jacob. “You’ll be fine, and if it starts going downhill, you could always flash him your titties and tell him about your lasered pussy.”
“Okay,” she says, trying to pump herself up. “I can do this. I’m a bad bitch. I can talk to him.”
“You’re damn straight.”
With that, she walks directly toward him, holding her chin high as pride pulses through me, making me feel like a proud momma bear. I watch her for a moment and laugh as she does the accidental knock into him, instantly gaining his attention, and just like that, he has stars in his eyes as she shamelessly flirts with him.
I realize that there’s a good possibility that I just got ditched for the rest of the night, but I don’t really care. There aren’t many people from my school here and it gives me a chance to actually enjoy my night.