Rule 28: Do not lie to your girl about The Ex, even if it breaks a rule.
“You ride with Drew,” Todd said as he rushed around his bedroom digging through the piles of dirty clothes on his floor.
“Todd,” Kelly said, glancing quickly at Drew as he leaned against the dresser, which, if Kelly had to guess, was empty since it appeared all of Todd’s clothes were on the floor. “Why don’t we take my car and we can pick Emily up on the way?”
Last weekend, while Drew helped Kelly with her geometry, he’d asked her to come to the basketball team’s annual party. She’d been adamant about not going since he was Sydney’s ex-boyfriend and that just seemed wrong. But really, she’d be going with her brother, and Drew would just be riding along. That is until Todd decided to change the plan.
Todd stopped digging through clothes long enough to send his sister a disgruntled look. “No freakin’ way. It won’t be a date if my little sister is driving.”
“I don’t think it’s a date anyway. Who would want to date you?”
“Ha-ha.” He pulled a navy blue T-shirt out of a pile and inspected it. “Emily wouldn’t have called me specifically to see what I was doing tonight if she didn’t want me.”
Kelly snorted and stole a glance at Drew. Drew smirked, shaking his head. Kelly had been close to turning down this invitation, but now she couldn’t wait to go. She hadn’t been out to a party in months. It wasn’t Will’s scene. Kelly liked going just to dance. She didn’t need to drink or gossip or anything like that, she just needed to work to the music in order to have a good time.
Todd pulled his T-shirt off and threw on the blue one. “Just ride with Drew. What’s the big deal?”
She wasn’t exactly sure what the big deal was. Something told her showing up at a party with her best friend’s Ex wasn’t a good idea. Not that there was anything to be guilty of—they weren’t going on a date—but what would it look like to everyone else? People talked in Birch Falls.
“I don’t mind you riding with me,” Drew said, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets.
“See?” Todd straightened, running a hand through his messy hair. “Besides, this crap shot was the one that invited you in the first place.”
“That is true,” Drew said, smiling.
Kelly sighed. “Fine. Let me go get my coat.”
Todd raised his arms in the air. “Hallelujah! She’s finally listening to me.”
“Shut up, Todd!” she hollered as she headed down the hallway.
The thump of music could be heard out in the driveway as Kelly got out of Drew’s truck. There were already several cars parked in the driveway and along the side of the road. Lights lit all the downstairs windows of the Victorian-style house and some of the smaller basement windows.
Drew got out and came around the front of the truck to meet Kelly. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
They walked up together, passing a few girls who were leaving. The girls looked at Drew, smiling flirtatiously until they noticed Kelly with him. Then their faces fell and whispers started between them.
Drew and I are just friends, she thought. I have nothing to feel guilty for.
Mr. Turner, a fifty-something man with thinning hair, opened the door after Drew knocked.
“Come on in, Drew,” Mr. Turner said, pulling the door back. “Everyone is downstairs.”
“Thanks.”
They passed Mr. Turner, and Kelly fell behind Drew, letting him lead the way. They went into the living room, down a hallway, and then rounded a corner to the basement steps.
The taupe carpet was plush beneath Kelly’s flats. Music filled the stairwell and got louder the farther they went down. When they were past the overhang of the wall, the temperature rose a good five degrees. It was hot and muggy from so many bodies. Kelly looked out over the basement and was surprised to see a moving mass of people. She didn’t think it’d be so packed.
When they reached the floor, Kelly pressed into Drew as a couple tried to get past her up the stairs. Drew leaned over. “You want to get something to drink?” he shouted.
“Yeah.”
Drew took her hand and pulled her through the dancing crowd. They emerged on the other side of the basement where cool air spilled in several open windows. There was an L-shaped sectional couch in the corner, a huge entertainment center directly across from it.
Music played through the surround sound while the LCD TV hanging on the wall displayed a moving image of an ocean complete with palm trees and a hammock. It was like one of those living screen savers.
A game of cards was in play on the square, glass coffee table. Through an arched doorway, Kelly saw a pool table and a guy she recognized from her math class lining up a shot.
“Come on,” Drew said, nodding toward another room of the main basement. There was a bar along one wall where an older woman filled glasses with ice and soda. “Hi, Mrs. Turner,” Drew said.
“Oh, Drew! How are you?” Mrs. Turner brushed hair from her eyes then unscrewed the cap on a two-liter Pepsi.
“I’m fine. Thanks. Can we just have some water?”
“Sure.” Mrs. Turner handed over two bottles.
“Thanks.” Drew handed a water to Kelly. “Want to sit down?”
She nodded and he led her back to the main room to the couch. Drew and the other guys did their handshake thing as Kelly made herself comfortable on the end of the couch. She fidgeted with her jacket, pulling it around herself to hide her stomach. This did not feel like a skinny day for her. What did she have to eat yesterday? Turkey sandwich…a plum…oh yeah, a bowl of ice cream. The latter probably didn’t complement her thighs.
Maybe she needed some exercise.
She leaned over toward Drew. “I’m gonna dance.”
“Okay,” he said as she got up.
Tentatively, she approached the throng of dancers looking for someone she recognized and could sidle up to. There were a few girls she recognized from some classes, but no one she knew well.
Then she heard her name shouted over the din of the music, followed by a shrill finger-in-the-mouth whistle.
Craig Thierot.
“Hey!” he shouted, coming up alongside her. “Dance with me?”
“Yeah.” She started swaying her hips, arms hung in the air. Craig got in close but kept his hands off her, opting instead to hook his index finger around hers. She hung her head back and laughed as he twirled her around.
It’d been a long time since she got out and danced at a party. This was not Will’s sort of thing and “dancing” to him was a formal, slow dance. Something you had to take lessons to learn.
Craig grasped her hand tighter, sliding his other arm around her back as he dipped her. She screeched as she tossed her head back, the ceiling suddenly straight above her, and then Drew popped up in her line of sight.
“Mind if I cut in?” he said, giving a sideways grin.
Craig hoisted Kelly back up. “That’s cool, dude.” He let Kelly go and melted into the crowd, finding another dance partner easily.
A fast pop song came on next and instantly the mood in the room shifted as did the pace of dancing. Drew took Kelly’s hand. She started bobbing her head in time to the quick beat, her feet moving beneath her. Drew followed her lead as Kelly swung their hands up in the air along with everyone else.
He laughed as she shouted, “Woo!” and made a circle around him wiggling her hips.
This was so much fun! How long had it been since she’d had this much fun? Like, months! Ever since she started seeing Will. His idea of fun was sitting at home making US history flashcards.
By the time the song was over, sweat beaded on Kelly’s forehead and she swiped it away. Drew grabbed her hand and pulled her off the dance floor, thrusting a bottle of water in her hand.
“That was fun,” he said, grinning at her.
“Totally.” She downed a gulp of water and her stomach growled. “Is there food here? I’m starving.”
“Just chips,” Drew said, looking apologetic. “But we could go get something. If you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving, but I don’t want you to leave the party or anything.”
Drew shook his head. “It’s cool. I came, I made an appearance. Now I’m ready to go. Come on.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
You deserve the best, but I gave you the worst, Sydney wrote in her Breakup Code journal. You were always looking out for me, but I never paid enough attention to realize it.
The ringing cell pierced the silence in Sydney’s bedroom and the whole damn house. She rolled off her bed, grabbing the cell from atop her dresser. The lit screen said Lisa.
“Hey.”
“Hi, Chut,” Lisa said. “What’s up?”
Sydney tried not to cringe at the nickname. “Not much.” She resettled on her bed, uncapping her pen. She drew a star on the open page in her notebook then ran over the bold black lines again and again. “What’s up with you?”
“I was just at Matt’s party…for the basketball team.”
“Oh.” Sydney drew another star, bigger than the last. “Was it fun?”
“It was okay. I saw Drew there.”
Sydney stopped doodling. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. And he was there with someone.”
Wasn’t he going with Todd and Kelly? Had plans changed? “Who was he with?” Silence fell on the line. “Lisa?”
“He was with your friend. Kelly.”
Sydney let out a breath of relief. “Oh. Yeah. I know. I just talked to her not that long ago. She and Todd were going with Drew.”
“Well, she and Drew just left together, without her brother. And…they were dancing together. Like all over each other.”
Sydney’s heart sped up in her chest. “But…”
“I’m sorry. I thought you should know.”
“You’re sure it was them?” Sydney shut her pen in her journal and got up, pacing the floor.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sure. Drew’s hard to mistake.”
“Okay.” Sydney suddenly felt numb all over. “Thanks, Lisa.”
“Don’t thank me. Call me later, okay? We’ll do something.”
“Sure. Bye.” She disconnected and continued pacing her room. Kelly wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their friendship. Would she? There had to be some sort of mistake or explanation. Drew and Kelly were friends. They had been for a long time. Sydney met Drew through Kelly.
Sydney dialed Kelly’s cell number and Kelly picked up on the second ring.
“Hi,” Sydney began, wondering how to approach this conversation without sounding like a bitch or an obsessed ex-girlfriend. “So, did you go to the party?”
“Yeah,” Kelly said, sounding a little bit breathless.
“Did Drew…uh, dance with anyone?”
“No.” A door slammed somewhere nearby and then a car engine started up. “My Chemical Romance” blared when the CD player started up. “Sorry. Hold on,” Kelly shouted. The music faded in the background.
“You with Drew?” Sydney asked. Had Kelly been lying about the dancing? Or was Lisa? Why would Lisa lie?
“Yeah,” Kelly said. “We’re going to get something to eat.”
“Is Todd with you?”
Kelly groaned. “No. He ditched us for Emily Sutton. Can you believe that? Emily is an idiot, don’t you think?”
“So it’s just you and Drew?” Sydney clutched the phone in her hand. She had nothing to be angry about, did she?
“Yeah. Is…that okay?” Kelly asked softly.
Sydney squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten. Was it okay? Should she care? Yes, she cared, but maybe the right question was: Did she have a right to care?
“Sure. That’s fine. I don’t care,” she finally said. “Just call me later. Okay?”
“I will. Bye.”
Sydney flipped her phone closed but continued pacing the bedroom. Was Kelly lying? Had they been dancing all over each other? Did Drew even dance?
Sydney tried to shake the anger rolling in her gut. She just needed to calm down. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Until then, she had no reason to doubt her best friend.