The Good Girls (5 page)

“I’m going to grab my drink,” I spoke over the booming music as I turned to face him. He nodded, and his hand went to the small of my back as I worked my way through the other partygoers. I grabbed my cup I’d sat on the stand beside the couch and gulped down the last sip.

Brody set down his empty bottle and took my cup. “Let’s get some refills.”

I followed him into the kitchen were several guys were tossing ping-pong balls into cups on either side of the table. Luke was leaning against the counter with his arms around the waist of a very inebriated blonde. He nodded to his brother as he looked to me, his smile growing. Brody just shook his head at his brother’s teasing.

“What did you have in here?” he asked turning to face me.

“Um…it tasted like one of those hot candies.” I thought of the taste still lingering on Cara’s tongue as it slid over mine.

“Fireball. You came to party.” He nodded his head once with approval. I turned my attention to the crowd around the table as everyone yelled. Someone was forced to gulp down a drink. “Here,” Brody’s arm came over my shoulder from behind, and my eyes danced over the intricate tribal tattoo that left barely any flesh to be seen.

“Thank you,” I took the cup and continued to watch the game unfold as Brody’s arm slid around my waist, and he leaned back against the counter, pulling me back against him.

“So why’d you move in with Cara?” he asked. I closed my eyes, willing the sad memories to stay away. This wasn’t the time to grieve or relive the kiss on the porch that was running through my mind on instant replay.

“She lives with my father.”

“Really? It’s weird we’ve never seen you around here before.”

I sighed. “I grew up in Haleford, Georgia.” I took a drink, and the crowd erupted again in front of us. I was thankful to the interruption to our conversation. Brody was a good-looking guy, but I wasn’t trying to give my life story to anyone here. This was my chance to be someone new.

“How old are you?” I asked, my eyes still fixed ahead.

“I’ll be twenty in a month. You?”

“Eighteen,” I lied, knowing they already thought Cara was legally an adultas well, not that they cared, seeing that they were serving us alcohol.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Cara

I
pulled back from Tristan, catching my breath from our passionate kiss. He smirked as he slid his thumb across my lower lip, the evidence of his happiness still pressed against my hip. But all I could think about was the softness in Ellie’s kiss. Tristan was anything but tender.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I had acted without regard for the repercussions, and even though I didn’t regret it, I was worried she might. I might have destroyed a friendship with her before it even had a chance to begin. My stomach twisted in knots at the idea. And what might be something innocent among some friends now left me feeling guilty that I’d betrayed Tristan. I knew he wouldn’t see it as harmless if he ever found out.

I glanced around us, and I realized I’d let Ellie wander around the party by herself. She was never going to talk to me again unless she was already avoiding me.

“Shit. I need to find El.”

“What is it with that girl? She seems a little uptight.”

“She’s not uptight, she’s just not used to letting go.” I replied as I laced my fingers in his and pulled him through the crowd. He tugged on my hand, making me stop and look back at him.

“Let her have some fun. Maybe we can slip off into a room for a few minutes.” His eyes narrowed playfully as he pulled me back toward him.

I shook my head as I backed away. “I have to make sure she’s okay. She’s going through a hard time. Her mom just died, and she doesn’t have anyone. She doesn’t even really know David.”

His smile faded, and he nodded. I was thankful in that moment that he was so understanding. Tristan had always been protective and caring, even if he tried to hide it behind his college partier persona. He was rebelling against his conservative parents, but the core values they had taught him were still there, hidden under layers of indifference, often making me feel guilty that I no longer believed in anything.

“You have a lot in common with her, huh?” His voice was low, quiet.

I could only nod, swallowing back the lump in my throat. My mother was very much alive, and it was I who was dead to her. But that past was too muddy to drag Tristan through, so I told him she was gone and let him draw his own conclusions.

It wasn’t a lie, I told myself. I was only responsible for my words, not for how they were interpreted.

“Maybe bringing her here wasn’t such a good idea. I swear sometime you don’t think…” And as he spoke, I knew that hidden under his kind eyes I was being scolded. He was right. Why would I think this would make things better for her when none of it helped me? But then I remembered that it was his idea to invite her along, and my guilt turned to frustration.

I turned, unable to be under the judgmental gaze of his blue eyes, and wove my way through the dancers in the living room. I spotted Ellie in the kitchen with Brody, alleviating some of my guilt.

“He doesn’t strike me as her type,” Tristan commented just as Ellie’s gaze found us.

“Why are you always so hard on Bro? He’s a good guy and one of your closest friends.” I looked at the way Brody held her.

“He’s a user, and he’s going to break your friend’s heart. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Consider me warned,” I rolled my eyes as I walked toward them. I was growing tired of the alpha-male bullshit.

CHAPTER NINE

Ellie

“Y
ou having fun?” Cara asked with a giggle as her eyes went from Brody to me.

“It’s all right.” I shrugged, and she winked in response.
Why did that tiny gesture send shivers through my body?

“You need a drink?” Tristan asked Cara. She nodded in response before he looked to me.

“I have one.” I held up my cup as he tilted his head to the side before scratching the back of his head. I realized I’d already broken the rule of letting someone else get me a drink. He kissed Cara on the temple and poured out their new drinks.

“We call next,” Cara shouted above the guys playing in front of us.

“You’re not serious.”
Please don’t add public humiliation to the list of new experiences tonight.

“Come on, El. All you have to do is get the ball in the cup. It’s easy. Bro and Tris can be a team.”

“I’m down,” Brody responded, and Tristan nodded once as he held out Cara’s drink for her to take.

We watched the rest of the game, and I studied what the players did so I wouldn’t look like I was completely new to everything that was going on. I was a quick learner and regardless of what Cara said, fairly good at concealing my true self. I could blend and become one of them, live my life vicariously through Cara.

I stood next to Cara, ping-pong ball in hand as I lined up my shot. I tossed it, and it bounced off Tristan’s chest, which rumbled with laughter.

“Okay, so I suck.” I shrugged as I rolled my eyes.

“I can let you practice handling my balls if you think it will help,” Brody said with a laugh as Tristan’s arm hit him across the chest.

“Don’t be a dick,” Tristan growled, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Bro,” Cara snapped, and my eyes went to him as his smirk disappeared behind his bottle of beer. I loved that they were looking out for me, but behind the crude humor, I could tell Brody was just playing around. I think he enjoyed pushing Tristan’s buttons.

I picked up the cup of beer and downed it, wiping a drop on my chin with the back of my hand. We continued to play, and the crowd around us grew as we all became more inebriated. I was feeling no pain, and finally, the memories of the last week were safely hidden in the back of my mind. I’d done it—been able to slip away and find some semblance of enjoyment. Cara and I lost our game, but we began a friendship that I knew would be crucial in my ability to move forward in life.

We played another round before slipping back into the living room, and the four of us danced together in a group. The music pulsed through my body as Christmas lights that hung along the walls twinkled in rainbow colors. During the daylight hours this place would probably look uninhabitable, but in the late hours of the night, it was transformed. I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face, even in the intense heat of swaying bodies.

Brody’s hands roamed over my thighs, igniting a fire in my veins that I never knew had sparked. I rested the back of my head against his chest, exhausted but not wanting the night to end.

“I need some air,” Brody mumbled into my hair, as I stifled a yawn. My eyes looked around us, and I realized that only a few people remained dancing. Most were making out or passed out.

I looked to Cara, who nodded, and we all headed out to the back porch. I hoped Brody wouldn’t bring up what he’d witnessed out here earlier, but he was more concerned with getting high.

“You want to hit the blunt?” He held out a brown cigar that looked homemade. I nodded as he lit it, and the familiar smell from the car engulfed us.

He held it out between us, and I took it, nearly dropping it on my jeans. Looking out at the darkened yard, I pressed my lips to the end and inhaled, waiting for the burn to settle in my chest. I quickly exhaled before I began to cough and held it out to Cara, who sat down on the first step, nestled between Tristan’s thighs.

I ran my tongue over my lower lip, tasting the lingering strawberry flavor from the cigar wrapping. Brody slid his leg around me, and I leaned back against his chest as I looked up at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

“Ah! Did you see that? It was a shooting star!” Cara sat straight up, a wide grin across her face as she pointed out into the abyss.

“Make a wish,” Brody replied to her from behind me.

“She’s already got me. What more does she need?” Tristan laughed as he exhaled his hit of weed.

“The Japanese believe that if you make a thousand paper cranes, you will be granted one wish,” I mumbled. After a few seconds Brody began laughing, his chest rumbling against the back of my head. I sat up and turned to look over my shoulder. “What?”

“It just seems easier to wish on a star. Seriously. That’s a lot of fucking paper. Think of the trees, new girl.” He laughed so hard he began to cough, and Cara giggled uncontrollably to the point her face was red.

“Not to mention the time it would take.” Tristan passed the blunt to Brody.

“Some things are worth the effort.” I shrugged before leaning back against Brody’s toned chest, his tattooed arm sliding around my stomach.

“Brody likes his wishes like he likes his women…easy!” Cara doubled over, but her laughter no longer made a sound as she slapped her thigh.

“Well, he’s sitting with the wrong girl then,” I huffed as I took the blunt from Brody’s thick fingers. “It was just something my mom told me.” I shrugged and looked back to the sky. Cara’s laughter abruptly ended, and a silence fell between us.

“Don’t listen to them about me. I am definitely sitting with the right girl,” he whispered into my ear, causing goose bumps to spread like wildfire across my flesh.

On the ride back to our home in the early morning hours, I rested my head against Cara’s shoulder as her fingers twisted in my hair. The back seat now only had Cameron’s long body stretched across it as he slept.

Luke had wandered off to one of the bedrooms in the frat house with some random chick, and Brody wasn’t ready to end the party. I tried not to show my disappointment when he decided not to leave with us. Cara had warned me he wasn’t the boyfriend type; I should just have fun, and the right person would find me.

I pulled my legs up to my chest and let my eyes flutter closed as we made our way back home. Tristan dropped us off at the end of the driveway. He was going back to Cameron’s to crash for the night. He waited at the end of the lane until we were safely inside before leaving.

Sneaking back into the house was more frightening than when we’d left, and I wasn’t sure if it was paranoia induced by the weed. Cara wouldn’t stop giggling, and I had to squeeze her hand repeatedly to quiet her down. Even if we did get caught, it would have been worth it. Those couple of hours just being part of the crowd and leaving my old life behind had meant the world to me.

As we reached the top of the stairs, Cara fell against her door causing her to lapse into a fit of giggles that only made the slightest squeaking sound before she snorted loudly. I turned her doorknob, causing her to nearly trip over her own feet before guiding her to her bed. She fell back on to her pillow, pulling me down with her, her dark hair splayed out over the rich fabric. I pushed myself off her, my face burning with embarrassment.

I pulled off her sneakers as she wiggled her toes beneath rainbow-striped socks.

“Good night,” I whispered entirely too loudly and turned to leave her room.

“El,” Cara called out, and I turned to look at her. “I want you to teach me how to make paper cranes.” She turned on her side and curled into a ball with her hand under her pillow, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
Tonight had been perfect.

“Okay,” I slipped out of her room and pulled her door closed behind me, carefully tiptoeing to my room. Once inside, I let out a sigh of relief that we hadn’t gotten caught, even though it would have been worth it. Sliding out of my sandals, I stripped out of my jeans and fell back on my bed, letting the memories of the night wash over me as I drifted off into sleep.