19. Harper
Chapter 19
Harper
Were we robbed? I stare at the empty shelves behind the pool house bar, my heart in my fucking throat. Ha. Who am I kidding? I know exactly what happened. While I was locked in my room, waiting for my mom to come home, Jude was in here cleaning out the place.
Guess he wasn’t betting on me sticking to my promise. Maybe he doesn’t believe I can . I should probably be relieved. This way, I can’t mess up, which means there will never be another session like the one behind the bleachers today.
But I’m not relieved.
I’m fucking furious .
Who the fuck died and made him king?
I think about the beer I saw in the cinema room...but I’d have to be really desperate to crack open one of those.
Hmmm...Does Talia deliver? I have a bunch of money burning a hole through my new bank account. Might as well put it to use. I consider texting Eliza, but I have no idea what to say. I’m sitting on my bed with my phone in my hand, typing and re-typing messages but never sending them, when my phone rings.
Speak of the devil.
“Eliza?”
“Hey, Harper. It’s almost half-time, so I thought I’d give you a call. Your brother is on fire tonight!”
“Stepbrother.”
“Yeah, yeah. So, uh, are you free on Sunday?”
“Sunday? Yeah, why?” I twine a lock of hair around my finger, frowning at nothing as Eliza speaks.
Eliza giggles into my ear. “There’s a party at Sean’s house. It’s going to be epic. You wanna come?”
A party ? My stomach twists into a pretzel at the thought of being surrounded by a bunch of kids from school, the pressure to be social, to be cool. But this is exactly what I want. Exactly what I need . There’s a massive chunk missing from my life. Friends, parties, dancing, beer pong. If I really want to make a go of this, then this party would be the perfect opportunity to get my feet wet.
“Yeah, I mean, can I?”
Eliza laughs. “I just invited you, silly.”
I laugh too, but inwardly I’m groaning. “Then yeah. Only...I don’t have a car, so?—”
“Oh, Jude can come—”The laugh I bark out makes Eliza cut off. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, sorry. It’s just...Jude’s studying really hard right now, so I doubt he’ll make it.”
“Well, if you need a lift I can get Maxwell to pick you up. He lives in the same street as you guys.”
I don’t even know who Maxwell is, but if Eliza vouches for him, then I’m in.She wouldn’t send a serial killer to pick me up for a party, right?
“Cool.”
“Awesome! I’ll see you then!”
My grin dissolves. Shit. I can’t get Maxwell to pick me up. My mom will want to know where I’m going, and where could an eighteen-year-old possibly be headed on a Sunday night that isn ’t a party? But before I can open my mouth, Eliza says, “So...should Max use the front door or the back?”
I barely hold back a relieved sigh. “The back, please.”
Eliza giggles. “I have to go. See you Sunday!”
I almost blurt out what Mom told me about the Feast of Ashes, but manage to hold back. If I tell Eliza now, I’ll have fuck all else to talk about on Sunday.
Groaning, I fall back on my bed and stare up at the ceiling with my hands pressed to the top of my head.
I’m such a fucking loser. How the hell am I going to make it through this party without embarrassing myself?