Chapter 8
Lisa
By the time I finish curling my hair for the second time, I’m already regretting saying yes to this party.
Not because I don’t want to go. Because I do. That’s the problem.
Saying yes to things feels dangerous now.
It feels like stepping onto thin ice and pretending I don’t hear the cracks underneath me.
But Zane had looked so hopeful when he mentioned the Grizzlies party.
Especially when he mentioned that Gwen is going.
A small part of me wants to prove I can still do normal things.
That I can put on mascara and a purple dress and heels and show up somewhere crowded without feeling like I’m about to come apart.
I smooth my hands down the sides of my dress and stare at myself in the mirror.
Purple was a bold choice.
Which is exactly why I picked it.
The dress is simple but flattering. It hugs my body just enough without making me feel exposed. I paired it with silver hoops, a little gloss, and heels. In the bedroom mirror, the heels look cute, but I have a feeling they are probably going to ruin my life in about an hour.
I step back and tilt my head.
“You look good,” I tell my reflection softly.
The words feel unfamiliar in my mouth, but not impossible. My phone lights up on the bed.
ZANE: Meet me downstairs. I’m talking to Josh.
My stomach flips. Which is ridiculous. I’m not going on a date. I’m going to a party with my brother, his almost-girlfriend, and their friends. Totally normal. Totally harmless.
I grab my clutch, do one last check to make sure I have my phone, lip gloss, and keys, and head out.
The elevator ride down is quiet enough for me to hear my own heartbeat.
When the doors open, I spot Zane, Josh, and the car at the curb.
“Hey, Lisa,” Josh says excitedly. Zane looks a little confused, but lets it go.
“Let’s go meet Gwen,” Zane sighs nervously.
He gets in the driver’s seat, and we arrive at Gwen’s place in only a couple of minutes.
Gwen is standing outside beside the passenger door. She looks incredible in a purple top and dark jeans. Her hair falls smoothly over one shoulder.
And suddenly I’m less nervous because Gwen has that kind of face. The kind that makes you feel like she’d laugh with you, not at you. The kind that softens a room.
“Where’s your sister?” I can hear her ask in the distance as I take the seatbelt off.
“Here!” I shout as I open the door and get out. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
I walk up to Gwen and immediately pull her in for a hug. I can tell she wasn’t expecting it, and she giggles.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Are you excited to go to the party?” Zane asks, and I let out a loud sigh.
“I don’t think anyone is looking forward to a bunch of jocks getting drunk. Do we really have to go? We can also go to a bar,” I suggest one final time.
“It’s going to be nice meeting new people. You need new friends in the city,” Zane responds.
“I already have friends. I have you, and now I have Gwen,” I tell him as I hook my arm through Gwen’s.
“Another friend of mine will be at the party if you want to have more than one female friend,” Gwen shrugs. Somehow, this makes me feel less tense.
“You seem nice. Is your friend as nice as you are?” I ask, and Gwen giggles again.
“Tess is nicer than I’ll ever be,” Gwen replies.
“Those are some big words. Zane has told me a lot about you, and you sure are something,” I tell Gwen, and she blushes.
“Right, well, let’s go to the party,” Zane says while scratching the back of his neck. It’s weirdly fun to see him this nervous and uncomfortable.
Gwen and I get into the back of the car.
“Was I supposed to bring something?” Gwen asks, and I shake my head.
“Not your sanity. You’ll lose it with this crowd,” I tell her, making her laugh.
“You’re fine, Gwen. No need to bring anything,” Zane says while he reaches his hand back from the front seat and touches her knee. I can’t help but smile.
“Is my face shiny?” I ask Gwen as we turn the corner.
“No?” she chuckles.
“Pictures will be taken tonight, Gwen. We have to be prepared.”
I can tell this worries Gwen, and I feel bad about it.
“Am I shiny?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“You shine, but you are not shiny,” I try to compliment her.
The second we merge into traffic, I decide that if I’m trapped in a car on the way to a hockey party, I might as well entertain myself.
“So,” I say, leaning forward between the seats, “Gwen. Since you and I are becoming best friends, I feel like you deserve to know a few things about my brother.”
Zane groans immediately.
“Lisa.”
“No, no. This is important. She needs context.”
Gwen laughs. “I’m listening.”
“First of all,” I say, lowering my voice dramatically, “Zane used to be deeply obsessed with the Power Rangers.”
“I was six,” he argues.
“You had matching pajamas.”
“They were cool pajamas.”
“You also wanted everyone to call you Red Ranger for, like, an entire summer.”
Gwen is laughing openly now, shoulders shaking, and I feel absurdly proud of myself.
“It was leadership energy,” Zane mutters.
“Oh, it gets worse,” I promise her. “There was also an Avril Lavigne phase.”
“There was not.”
“There absolutely was,” I say. “He wore a wristband and everything. And he got weirdly emotional over ‘I’m With You.’”
“Lisa.”
“And,” I continue, because I am unstoppable now, “for two full years, his favorite color was teal. Not blue. Not green. Specifically teal.”
Gwen presses a hand to her mouth.
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“I was a child,” Zane says through gritted teeth.
“You said teal was sophisticated,” I remind him.
“I hate both of you.”
“That’s fair,” Gwen says cheerfully. “But this is very valuable information.”
The party is being held in one of those old industrial spaces that got renovated just enough to be expensive. There are big windows, black-framed doors, warm string lights outside, and a line of cars already crowding the curb.
I can hear music from here.
Too loud.
Very promising.
“Here goes nothing,” I sigh as we all get out of the car.
“You’re here!” a blonde woman yells from a distance.
“You look so good in purple,” she tells Gwen, and I definitely agree.
“Tess, this is Lisa. Lisa, this is Tess,” Gwen introduces us, and I pull Tess in for a hug. She seems as surprised as Gwen was when I do.
“Prepare for me to cling to you two for the rest of the night,” I half-joke.
“It would be my honor,” Gwen smiles.
“Are you girls ready to go in?” a guy next to Tess asks.
“Nope,” I say before I introduce myself.
“Not at all,” Tess replies.
“Maybe?” Gwen adds, and we all laugh.
The guy next to Tess is Leo. I immediately recognize him from Zane’s breakfast stories. He has the face of a man who is always one second away from causing mischief.
“Hi,” I say, offering my hand, though he looks like a hugger too. “Lisa.”
“Leo,” he says, smiling. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“That feels threatening.”
“It should,” Tess says dryly, and I like her even more.
She’s gorgeous in an effortless kind of way, all confidence and calm, and yet there’s something warm about her too. She looks like the sort of woman who could comfort you and also ruin a man’s life in the same afternoon. I love her instantly.
There are people everywhere. The entire room is glowing with this faded red light. There are ice buckets filled with champagne. On the left, I see literal bathtubs filled with ice and beer.
“Is this a Grizzlies party or a frat party?” Gwen asks while she takes in the room.
“You thought there would be a difference?” I laugh.
“I don’t go to these parties much anymore,” Zane says, and I can tell he is really trying to impress Gwen.
“Well, it looks like it will be a fun night,” Gwen tells him, equally trying to impress him as well.
“Drinks?” Leo asks.
There’s a bucket with ice and a bottle of champagne on a table close to me.
I grab myself a glass and fill it with champagne.
Across the room, someone has climbed onto a leather couch.
He’s trying to take a group selfie. Meanwhile, the two guys next to him argue over the music like they’re negotiating world peace.
Near the bar, a brunette in silver heels is laughing so hard she nearly drops her drink.
For a weird, soft second, I realize I’m not panicking. I’m just… here in the middle of it.
“Finally! Who’s down to party?” Blake yells as he appears out of nowhere. This seems to be his normal.
“You?” Tess asks, breaking the silence.
“Damn right!” Blake responds before he hugs everyone. He hugs me last, and I notice him sniffing my hair. I roll my eyes and laugh.
“Do you even know him?” Tess asks as Blake walks away again.
“It’s a long story,” I start explaining. “He has the key to my brother’s apartment. I’m staying there; he didn’t know I was going to be there, and that’s how we met. We did meet when we were younger, but we both forgot. Actually, that wasn’t that long,” I determine.
Tess gives me a look that says she understands immediately that there is more to the story than I’m telling.
“So,” she says, glancing after Blake, “how long was he there?”
I take a careful sip of champagne.
“Long enough to make himself comfortable.”
Leo snorts.
“That sounds like Blake.”
“He canceled a date in my living room,” I add before I can stop myself.
Gwen’s eyes widen. “What?”
“Casually,” I say. “Like it was a normal thing to do while someone is still recovering from almost calling the police on him.”
Tess laughs. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
“He does have a talent for acting like every room already belongs to him,” Tess says.
“That is exactly it,” I point at her. “Thank you.”
“And?” Gwen asks, smiling now. “Was he charming?”
“Annoyingly.”
“Dangerous answer,” Leo murmurs.
“I’m not saying he’s not charming,” I clarify. “I’m saying it should probably be illegal.”
“That feels accurate,” Tess says.