She nods and gives me the same sad smile as Jane.
I take an Uber to the banquet room. The bus driver is waiting. Inside, a small line of people has gathered, waiting for the doors to open. Moving to the front, I let everyone know about the location change and that the bus is waiting to take us.
As more people arrive looking happy and excited, it hits me just how many people are looking forward to tonight. It might have started as Violet抯 need to create something that rivaled the big parties on campus, but she instilled a hope in our classmates and friends that had been waiting for a chance just like this to dress up and dance with their friends.
Vi did this. She created something just for us梩he wallflowers, the non-Greek, the unpopular, the whatever you want to call us. And now she isn抰 even going to see it.
29
JORDAN
I take the steps up to the second floor, two at a time. A daisy in one hand, I open the door to the court with the other.
She stands in the middle of the room with her back to me in her light-yellow dress, blonde hair falling in waves past her shoulders. My chest tightens, and my limbs feel heavy and somehow weak at the same time. I am so fucked.
I抳e heard guys talk about falling for a girl like being checked hard into the boards, but I always assumed they were exaggerating.
I roll the stem of the flower in between my thumb and middle finger.
Dahlia and Jane see me first. Daisy turns to face me, dress twirling with the movement. She steps away from her friends.
I go to her and hold out the daisy.
揟hank you.?Her voice is quiet and unsteady, transporting me back to those first days in physics where she couldn抰 talk to Liam or me without blushing. She stares down at it. Her red lips curve up in the smallest of smiles.
揟his is pretty killer.?My gaze scans the court that抯 been transformed. The flower archway is at one end near the DJ booth. People stand all around dressed up in formal attire. Some dance, others chat with friends in small circles.
揧eah,?she says, and her voice breaks. Her lashes are coated in a dark black that makes her eyes look twice as big, and they water with emotion that makes me want to murder someone.
揥hat抯 wrong??
She starts to speak, and the tears well until one dares to fall down her face. I wipe it away.
揑 messed up,?she finally croaks. Her body shakes as she cries.
I run a hand along the back of her hair and cradle her to my chest. 揑 doubt that.?
揑 did.?She tilts her head up to look at me with black smudges under her eyes. Her gaze falls to my shirt and tie. 揧ou look so nice, and I just cried all over you. You even shaved.?She brings a hand to my cheek and lets her nails lightly scrape across my jaw.
揟ell me what happened, baby??
揑 should have talked to Violet before moving everything here. She wouldn抰 come.?
揥hy??
揃ecause of Gavin. I should have asked her before I did anything.?
揧ou were trying to save the ball.?
She nods. 揝till. He hurt her. I knew that, and I blew it off and assumed it wouldn抰 matter. I let her down, and now she won抰 even see all her hard work.?
揑f you抎 done nothing, she wouldn抰 have either.?
揈xcept in that case, my best friend wouldn抰 hate me.?
揑 doubt she hates you.?
揝he said some awful things. She yelled them, actually.?
揝he yelled at you??The thought of anyone yelling at Daisy makes adrenaline boil under my skin. 揧ou didn抰 deserve that.?
She takes a deep breath and steps back, scanning the room. Sadness tinged with disappointment lingers in her expression.
I hold out a hand toward her. 揇ance with me??
She tilts her head to the side, considering it. She steps into me and rests her head on my shoulder as we move to the beat.
揟hank you. For today. For this. Just?thank you,?she says.
揂nything. Always.?
I don抰 know how long we hold on to one another before the song changes and the heavy bass of the music outside starts up.
揋avin抯 party,?she says. 揧ou better go make sure the birthday boy has a good time.?
揅ome with me.?
揑抦 not sure I抣l be very much fun tonight. Plus, I抦 wearing this.?She lifts up the skirt of her dress with two hands.
揧ou look gorgeous.?
揑抦 way overdressed.?
I adjust my tie. 揘o, you抮e perfect. They抮e underdressed.?
揑 should stay.?She chews on her bottom lip. 揙r go talk to Violet.?
揙kay. Well, in that case, I抣l be back as soon as I can. Stick with the girls, okay??
She nods. 揝orry to be a major bummer.?
揘ever. I抣l be back before you know it.?
揧ou don抰 have to rush. I know what your friends mean to you.?
揧ou抮e my friend, remember??I wink and drag the pad of my thumb along her bottom lip until she frees it from her teeth. She抯 so much more than that. I forced my way into her life for all the wrong reasons, but somehow she抯 become the most important thing.
I leave her with Dahlia and Jane and go downstairs to find Gavin. He抯 easy to spot in the back yard. A circle of people are gathered around him cheering him on as he takes a shot of something that makes his lips curl and his eyes squeeze shut.
Liam抯 among the guys watching on.
揌ey,?I say as I step up beside him.
He grins at my outfit. 揧ou look nice.?
揟hanks.?I jut my chin toward Gavin. 揌ow many shots is he in??
He holds up his phone and swipes through his photos showing me the evidence of each of the four shots Gavin抯 taken already.
揌ow抯 the party upstairs??
I shake my head. The noise around us gets louder as someone else thrusts a shot in Gavin抯 hand. 揑抣l tell you about it later.?
After his fifth shot, we take the birthday boy away from the liquor. At this rate he抯 going to be passed out before midnight. We play washers and beer pong. His teammates throw him in the pool. It抯 a good time, but I抦 struggling to enjoy it, knowing Daisy is upset.
I抦 in the kitchen nursing a beer when Gavin comes back downstairs in dry clothes. I pull out the bottle of J鋑ermeister I bought him from the freezer, a big red bow on top. 揌appy twenty-first, man.?
揚our it up,?he says as he runs a hand through his wet hair and takes a seat on one of the stools at the big ass island in the middle of the room.
I do and slide one his way. I hold up my glass. 揌appy birthday.?
He clinks the bottom of his shot to mine and tosses it back before saying, 揑 really screwed up, huh??
揥hat do you mean??
揤iolet.?He pours another shot and swallows it.
I shrug. 揝he doesn抰 like you. That抯 for sure. Though she doesn抰 like me all that much either.?
揝he抯 worried about you hurting her friend. That抯 different. You抮e paying for my sins. I抦 sorry about that.?
I抎 rather gnaw off my own arm than hurt Daisy, and I tell him that because I can抰 tell Violet. Not that she抎 believe me.
揋o check on your girl, Thatch. If Violet抯 upset with her, then she抯 probably a mess too.?
揝hut the fuck up. It抯 not even ten o抍lock. I抦 not leaving your twenty-first birthday party before you抮e good and drunk.?
揧ou are.?He stands. 揑抦 kicking you out.?
He comes around, and we slap hands, and he pulls me into a side hug.
揑t抯 about to get ugly, anyway.?He blows a breath that puffs out his cheeks, and a half-smile pulls at the left-side of his mouth. 揑抣l catch you this week.?
Daisy isn抰 upstairs. Dahlia and Jane tell me she went home, but where I find her is in the tree house looking over at Gavin抯 party.