Chapter 9
MOST LIKELY TO PARTY
“I still can’t believe you convinced me to come to this stupid party,” I say as Lily pulls up the street leading to Hardy’s house. We’re only thirty minutes late, and cars are already lining the street. We’re going to have to walk at least a block to get there.
“What else were you going to do, study?”
“Uh, that’s exactly what I was going to do.”
Lily shakes her head like I’ve just confessed to murder.
In my defense, the words sounded much better in my mind.
But as people walk up to Hardy’s, I realize just how stupid that was.
By the looks of things, every senior from Citrus Prep is in attendance.
While Hardy might not notice my absence, he is one of the only people who stuck by me after what my dad did.
I should be here instead of locked inside my room working on equations.
Lily turns the car off and rummages through her center console looking for her lip gloss.
When she finds it, she flips her visor down and puts it on with the help of the mirror.
I pull mine down, too and look at the makeup Lily did.
My eyes are rimmed with more eyeliner than an emo band from the early 2000s.
She’s adamant that I look good, but I feel like I’m playing dress up.
When she’s done putting on her lip gloss, Lily looks back at me. “Hardy is only going to turn eighteen once. His parents went all out for his birthday. Let’s have a little fun.”
I sigh and look up at Hardy’s house. It’s a huge two-story building with a giant yard, an amazing pool, and even a small pickleball court they poured last year when Mr. Porter really got into the sport.
Tonight, there’s a live DJ playing music, and I can already hear the bass from where we’re parked.
“You’re right,” I say.
“I know.” She puts her lip gloss back. “You can take a break.”
She makes an excellent point. I haven’t thought about anything but Citrus Scholar for years. Maybe a break is what I need.
“Plus, you look too good to stay home.” She waggles her brows at me.
I run my hands over the dress she convinced me to wear.
It’s from her closet and way shorter than what I’m used to wearing, but Lily said my legs looked great from all that running, and I needed to show them off.
Now that we’re here, I’m feeling less confident, but I’m not going to make her turn around now just so I can get dressed into something more modest.
“And you look beautiful,” I respond. I’m not just saying that because I feel like I need to repay her compliment.
She curled her hair, put on falsies, and even bought a new dress just for tonight.
It’s green and brings out the color of her eyes.
Lily is naturally gorgeous, but even so, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look this good.
I know it’s because it’s Hardy’s eighteenth. Lily may not want to admit that she likes Hardy back, but the effort she put into her appearance tonight says otherwise.
She smiles at me. “Okay, let’s go.”
When we get inside, the party is in full-swing.
Lily leads the way as we push through the house looking for Hardy.
She wants to wish him a happy birthday as soon as possible.
The bass from the speakers vibrates in my chest as we walk through the different rooms. Each one is filled with tables that are covered with food and mocktails.
As we make our way toward the back of the house, I can see the backyard.
A makeshift dance floor is where the pickleball court usually is.
String lights draped over poles mark off the space, and several people are out there moving to the music coming from the speakers.
Others are at tall round tables scattered about the yard.
This party is insane, like something you’d see in a movie.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” Hardy appears from nowhere and pulls Lily into a bear hug lifting her off the ground. When he sets her down, he steps back and stares dumbly at her. “You look…wow.”
Hardy is dressed up more than usual, too. His hair is freshly cut and styled, and he’s wearing a button-down rolled up to the elbows with dress pants.
Lily blushes as she stares back. “You look good, too.”
“Hey, Ella,” he eventually says to me, his eyes never leaving Lily.
“Nice party,” I say.
He rubs the back of his neck. “Thanks. Only child benefits. My parents want to make sure I have a party to remember.”
“You definitely won’t forget this.” Lily stretches her arms out. “Feels a little over the top.”
“Yeah, well, I think they’re trying to show me how great it is here. They’re still freaking out about me looking at out-of-state schools, and I think this might be a last ditch effort to get me to stay close.”
Lily laughs and takes a step toward him. “Is it working?”
“Not really.” He leans in close to Lily. “But there are other reasons I’d stay.”
Her mouth falls open.
And that’s my cue to leave.
Lily keeps insisting that she’s not willing to explore something romantic with Hardy, but as the weeks go by, I’ve noticed a strong gravitation toward him. Stolen glances, accidental arm brushes. And Hardy saying what he did? That’s a huge declaration and a conversation I should not be a part of.
If I did have any say in how it went, they would start dating and end up together at college. I don’t want Lily to be lonely, and Hardy would be so good for her. I would feel less guilty about leaving and could go to my dream school knowing that Lily is going to be fine.
Assuming I get into my dream school.
Assuming I can actually go.
I shake my head. But that’s not what tonight is about. Tonight, I’m supposed to forget all about Citrus Scholar and all my school-related responsibilities. I’m supposed to have fun.
I go back inside and make a beeline to one of the food tables we passed on our way in.
They’re covered in charcuterie boards on steroids.
There are carved out watermelons filled with fruit salads, tiered trays with mini sandwiches, dessert shooters, and all the meat, cheese, and crackers needed to feed an entire school.
And that’s exactly what Hardy’s parents are doing.
The crowd in the living room is so dense I can’t tell who’s here.
I load a small plate with sandwiches, a large scoop of fruit, and a mini key lime pie.
Then I find an empty spot alongside the wall and start eating.
I hope to find someone I feel comfortable talking to, but Lily and Hardy are my only friends.
Sure, the girls on the cross country team are nice enough to me, but I wouldn’t feel like I could squeeze into a conversation.
I think about the dance floor outside, and when the DJ starts playing something I recognize, I decide I’m going to dance even though I’m alone. What’s the worst that can happen? It won’t make these people like me less. Most of them already don’t like me.
I roll my shoulders back and lift my chin as I step onto the cement.
My shoes are slightly too big, but being off the grass makes it easier to move.
I push myself toward the center of the dance floor so that I’m more hidden from the people just standing around, and I start moving my hips to the beat.
I close my eyes and let myself get into the music.
When I recognize the next song, I keep dancing.
Then someone bumps into me. It’s not just a shoulder that hits me.
It’s a full-body jostle. Before I can register what happened, a cool sensation touches my stomach and starts to spread.
Whoever knocked into me spilled their drink all over my clothes.
I don’t know whether or not it was an accident or a planned attack.
My hands shake as my fingers touch the huge wet spot.
Lily got this dress from the boutique downtown, the one where all the dresses cost a couple hundred dollars. I know because the tags were still attached when she pulled it out for me to try on. It costs more than my clothing budget for an entire year, and she hasn’t even worn it.
I grab a couple of cocktail napkins from one of the tables and blot at it, but it’s no use.
All the food I shoveled down my throat threatens to come up as I think about the hit my bank account will take.
I have enough saved that I can pay Lily for the dress, but I’ve worked hard for every dollar, and I'd like to keep that money for when I go to college.
My heart pounds as I hurry inside and to the guest bathrooms downstairs. They’re all occupied. One even has a line.
I glance at the stairs. Hardy’s room is on the second story, and he has a private bathroom off his bedroom. He’s let me use it other times I’ve been at his house, so I doubt he’d care now. Better to just do it than to interrupt his conversation with Lily.
I jog up the stairs, still pressing the napkins against the fabric.
I sneak inside his room and, without turning on the bedroom lights, race to his bathroom.
I close the door behind me and pull the dress over my head.
Under the faucet, the water runs pink as I frantically rinse the fabric out.
I turn my head back toward the door to make sure it’s locked.
The rumors would be insane if anyone accidentally caught me half naked in Hardy’s bathroom.
This is already embarrassing enough as it is.
I turn my attention back to the dress. The mark is much lighter after gently rubbing hand soap into the fabric. After years of babying my clothes, I know enough to feel confident that I can get the rest out at home. I sigh in relief knowing my savings are safe for now.
After wringing it out, I slide the dress back over my head. The damp fabric makes it difficult to get on, like a wet bathing suit. I tug at the waist and twist and turn it until it looks okay. Then I walk out.
The lights in Hardy’s bedroom are still off. I’m relying on the light spilling in from the hallway to guide me through his room. I’m almost out when a figure races in and shuts the door, plunging the room into darkness.
My body stills. I wasn’t able to get a good look at who walked in before the door shut, but it was a guy, and now I’m standing here alone with him in the dark.
I listen for footsteps that never come, just heavy panting as he stands next to the door. I breathe as slowly as possible hoping it doesn’t make noise. My heart pounds in my ears, violently enough that I’m sure it’s audible, but the intruder doesn't seem to notice.
It occurs to me then that I should probably make my presence known. It’s not like this is a robbery or a kidnapping, just an inconvenient run-in. It’s weird that I didn’t say anything, but the longer I stand there, the more difficult it becomes.
With any luck, the mystery guy will leave any minute, none the wiser that I was ever here. He’ll leave, I’ll wait a few minutes and head back downstairs. It’s fine. Everything is fine.
Until it isn’t. My phone buzzes with a missed text. The sound breaks through the silence, and my screen illuminates the room revealing Connor.