“Come here,” Drew said. “I have something for you.” He grabbed Kelly’s hand and tugged her out of the enclosed eating area and around the back of the building, away from the chaos of the party.
They had total privacy back here. The woods grew in close to the building. Leaves tickled the back of Kelly’s neck. She batted them away, leaning a shoulder against the cool aluminum siding of the building.
“Here is fine,” Drew said, keeping his voice low.
Kelly bit her lower lip, trying not to smile too wide. She had to stop being such a goof around Drew.
On second thought, Drew knew better than anyone that she was a total dork. She didn’t have to hide anything from him.
“Happy Birthday,” he said when he pulled a small white box from his jeans pocket.
Kelly gasped. “Drew. You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Of course I did. It’s your birthday. Open it.”
She took it with nervous fingers. A small white box almost always meant jewelry. More specifically, jewelry from Adorn Jewelry Shop, the most upscale place in town.
Kelly slowly popped open the lid. Sitting on a velvet bed was a sterling-silver infinity knot pendant, a silver chain attached to it.
“Drew!”
“What?” He smiled.
“This is…I…” She swallowed back the stinging of tears.
“I’ve known you longer than anyone here,” he explained. “And this symbolizes our past and present and hopefully our future. I want to keep you in my life forever.”
Kelly’s lower lip trembled, and she knew she’d lost the battle with the tears. A few slipped over her lids and slid down her cheeks. She swiped them away and laughed.
“I hope those are happy tears,” Drew said.
“Definitely happy tears.” She pulled the necklace from the box. “Could you put it on for me?”
She turned, lifting her hair. Drew draped the necklace around her neck and fastened it at the back. The silver was cool against her too hot skin.
“I so love you,” she said, kissing him quickly, her heart thumping in her chest.
Something clicked behind them.
Kelly pulled away from Drew and saw Craig Theriot, his cell open in his hands.
“Craig!” Kelly shouted. “Tell me you did not take a picture.”
He chuckled. “Just wanted to take a snapshot for the birthday girl so she can remember this special day.” He hurried off as Kelly lunged at him.
“Kelly.” Drew grabbed her hand and stopped her.
“He just took a picture of us kissing!” she said, her breath coming quicker. Craig had the biggest mouth at school. He was going to tell everyone.
“So what?” Drew said. “People are going to find out anyway. Let’s just try to enjoy tonight, huh?”
“But…”
He tilted her chin up with a finger and kissed her, pressing her back against the building wall. His tongue glided over her lips, and she couldn’t seem to think straight.
“I’ll find Craig,” Drew said softly between kisses, “and ask him to keep quiet just for tonight.”
“Thanks.”
Drew kissed her once more before disappearing around the building.
Sydney turned down the long gravel drive toward the park. A sign at the entrance read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KELLY! in big block letters with balloons tied behind it.
“Well, I’m at the park,” Sydney said to Quin in her cell phone. “Want me to call you later?”
“If you’d like. If you feel like talking.”
In the last week, Sydney’s mood had been up and down, but Quin had been there for her whenever she needed him. And it helped that when she asked for space, he gave it to her without question.
He was cool like that. And Sydney, for the most part, tried to remain calm and collected, despite her mother’s presence in the house. Quin’s laid-back attitude really helped keep Sydney above water.
He was a great friend. A lot different from anyone she’d ever known, but maybe that was a good thing. He’d opened her eyes to new things.
“I want to call,” Sydney said.
“Then I’ll be waiting.”
Sydney said good-bye to Quin just as her cell rang with a new picture message. She parked near Kenny’s truck and shut the car off.
She checked the sender: Craig Theriot.
“Great,” she muttered. It was probably a picture of his butt or something. He was notorious for sending stupid picture texts.
Sydney hit the OK button and the picture popped up.
She froze. The breath stalled in her throat. Her jaw slowly dropped open.
Was she seeing what she thought she was seeing?
Her eyes instantly stung with angry tears.
Was that really Drew and Kelly kissing?
Sydney got out of her car and stomped down the gravel drive. Music thudded through several speakers, reverberating through her chest. People greeted Sydney as she passed, but she couldn’t even manage to nod.
She scanned the faces, looking for Kelly or Drew. It didn’t really matter which one because she’d find both of them eventually.
At the pavilion, Sydney wove through the picnic tables and spotted Alexia near the back corner with Ben. His arms were wrapped around her and they were whispering to each other.
Sydney tapped Alexia on the shoulder. “Where is Kelly?”
“Um…” Alexia pulled away from Ben. “I just saw her and Raven going into the bathrooms.”
Sydney whirled around. She went past the bonfire, the fire crackling in the pit, throwing heat out in a twenty-foot radius.
How could Kelly do that? And how long had they been going behind Sydney’s back? Had they been hooking up ever since open-mike night?
Nausea rolled in Sydney’s gut.
Or maybe they’d been seeing each other long before that. Maybe that was why Drew had broken up with Sydney in January.
Oh god, she thought as she neared the white brick bathroom building. That long? Could they possibly have gone behind Sydney’s back for over half a year?
How could she be so stupid? And how could Kelly and Drew be so cruel?
“Sydney, what is going on?” Alexia asked, running after her.
Sydney clenched her hands into fists. She pushed open the green metal door on the girls’ bathroom and it slammed against the wall behind it. Kelly and Raven both looked up.
Kelly leaned against the sink counter while Raven stood, arms crossed over her chest.
“How could you?” Sydney screamed. She crossed the bathroom, grabbed Kelly by the shoulders and shook. “How could you do that!”
Tears streaked down her cheeks, blurred her vision.
“Sydney!” Raven yelled.
“How long, Kelly?” Sydney said, getting right in her face. “How long have you been seeing him? Since open-mike night? Longer? I was right all along, wasn’t I? You two were seeing each other the whole time!”
Sydney’s fingers were like claws now, twisting the material of Kelly’s T-shirt in her grip. She let go, swiped her eyes. Kelly froze, horrified, her eyes glossy.
“I…I…”
Sydney gave Kelly a shove, and she slammed against the sinks.
Raven stepped in between them, blocking Kelly from view.
“What is going on?” she said.
The music of the party was a distant noise outside the bathrooms. Someone whistled, another guy shouted.
Sydney took in several measured breaths.
“Sydney?” Alexia said.
Kelly was sobbing now, her face buried in her hands.
Good, Sydney thought. I hope she feels terrible. I hope she feels guilty and ashamed.
“Sydney?” Raven said.
Sydney blinked, focused on Raven’s face.
“What is going on?” she said again more slowly.
Sydney pulled out her cell and scrolled to the new picture message. She brought up the picture, heat rising in her throat as she looked at it again.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Why had she ever broken up with him in the first place? What was she thinking? What was he thinking hooking up with Kelly?
“Look,” Sydney said, thrusting the phone into Raven’s hands.
Raven looked at the picture, frowned, and glanced over her shoulder at Kelly. “Kel? Is this really you and Drew?”
Kelly didn’t say anything. She only cried harder.
“How could you be such a bitch?” Sydney said, the anger taking over every other emotion. It burned through her veins, made her heart thump harder. Sydney wanted Kelly to hurt the way she hurt.
“And why the hell is he with you anyway?” Sydney went on. “How could he like you? You’re a ditz!”
“That’s enough,” Raven said.
Sydney gritted her teeth. “You’re such a slut,” she said to Kelly.
Kelly’s knees almost gave out. She slumped against the counter, and Alexia went to her, holding her up.
“That’s not true, Sydney,” Alexia said. “And you know it.”
“She’s going out with my boyfriend!”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Alexia reminded her.
Raven stepped aside, shifting her weight to one foot. “Kelly, can you tell us what happened?”
Kelly wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to catch her breath. “I never meant to…” She sucked in a breath. “I don’t know what to say.”
“How about you start with how long you and Drew have been seeing each other?” Raven asked.
“Not long.” She shook her head. “We just…just the last few weeks. We never did anything.” She looked at Sydney. “I swear it, Sydney. We never even kissed or anything when you guys were together.”
“So you waited until I broke up with him and saw your chance?”
“No! I didn’t want to hurt you! But…”
Sydney narrowed her eyes. “But what?”
Kelly took in a shaky breath. “I…I love him,” she said.
Alexia and Raven both stilled. Sydney’s heart was a rampant drumming in her head. She just wanted to get out of this bathroom, away from this party, away from everything. Everything felt like it was falling apart.
She straightened her back, clenched her hands at her sides. She looked at Kelly and said, “No friend would ever, ever go out with another’s ex-boyfriend. You can have Drew, Kelly, but we’re not friends, and we’ll never be friends again.”
She whirled around and whipped the door open as Kelly erupted into sobs.