Chapter 15

MAGGIE

~FIVE YEARS AGO~

“What kind of party is it?” Logan asks me in his stern, bossy tone.

I roll my eyes. “The usual type.”

“Define ‘usual.’ If it’s going to have drinks, drugs, and sex, I can’t allow you to go to this, Maggie.”

“I’m not doing any of that,” I promised.

“When your dad comes back from his trip, you can go to the party. Right now, you’re my responsibility, and you’re not going to any parties on my watch.”

I’m wearing a really cute dress and even did my makeup. Now Logan wanted to control my life even though he hasn’t been around for a long time.

I’ve always gone to these parties, and I know how to look out for myself. It just proves how much of a child he thinks I am, even though I’m an adult now.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked. “All my friends are going to be there!”

He shrugs. “Not my problem.”

“But I’m already eighteen. You know you can’t stop me, right? My dad doesn’t.”

He laughs. “Why do I get the feeling like you keep throwing the ‘I’m eighteen’ card at me to get things your way?”

Just then, the doorbell rings. He gives me a suspicious look. “Who is that?”

Logan opens the door and quickly steps back. It’s my classmate, Amelia, the one who invited me to the party.

Amelia is one of the girls in school who hangs out with the popular crowd. The party’s at Dawson’s place, who’s a QB and her boyfriend.

All the guys who play sports are Dawson’s friends, and I feel so lucky that I’m part of that crowd. If you want to get through high school, it doesn’t hurt to stick with the popular gang. Makes things easier.

She pushes past Logan, and her eyes light up when she sees me on the stairs. “Oh gosh, Maggie, you look so sexxxyyyy… I bet all the boys in the party won’t be able to tear their eyes away from you.”

~Ha. Logan, did you hear that?~

Of course, Logan doesn’t pay attention. He’s busy texting someone on his phone.

“My babysitter says I can’t go,” I complain to her.

“Why the hell not?!” Amelia turns to Logan.

He gives her a bored look. “Because I don’t trust these parties. I know exactly what goes on there.”

“But we won’t do any of the things you think we’ll be doing, right, Maggie?”

I nod. “Please, Logan. I owe you for this. All my classmates are going to be there. It’s my only chance to make more friends. Please.”

He sighs because my pout is his weakness, or so I think. “Fine, but I’ll pick you up by ten.”

“Ten?!” I yell at him. “The party starts at nine!”

“You want to go to this party or not? This is my house, remember? My house, my rules. Ten p.m. sharp. Take it or leave it.”

Before I can get a word out of my mouth, Amelia jumps in. “Ten is totally fine!”

“And I want your number,” he tells my friend, “and the person whose house you’re going to. Send me the location as well.”

My heart warms up every time he acts so caring about me, like my dad blindly trusts me and wouldn’t bother asking me all these details, but Logan is different.

“Okay, I’m going to start the car. We have to go right now!” Amelia whispers to me before she bulldozes out of the door.

When she’s out, I pick up my purse and start to walk out of the door when Logan calls out to me.

“Be careful, okay?” he says. “And don’t accept drinks from boys, especially boys. You never know what’s in there.” He looks concerned, and that makes me giddy.

“I won’t,” I say.

“You have to promise me,” he says.

“I promise.”

“And don’t go alone to any room with any guy that says he wants to show you something.”

Heat rises to my cheeks. I nod.

He pats my cheek. “Go have fun. I’ll be there to pick you up by ten. If there’s anything you need me for, just call or text.”

“Thanks.”

When I get into the car with Amelia, Logan’s still at the doorstep. I wave goodbye.

***

The party’s in full swing. I guess when Adrian sent out that Facebook status about having a party at his place, every kid in town turned up. There were even kids from the rival school.

I wonder who invited them. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Dawson was the one who did it. He’s a bit of a show-off, but other than that he’s a decent guy. Much better than some of the other jocks at school I know.

“Hey Maggie, you look hot.” That’s Tim. He’s a goalie on the soccer team, and he recently broke up with Nat, his girlfriend of six months. Since the breakup, he’s been trying his best to get another girl.

I’m probably his current target.

“Thanks.” I smile. I mean, he’s cute and all, but he doesn’t get me excited.

“You want punch?” he offers me a red solo cup.

I look at it with terror. “Uh…No, I’m good.”

He laughs. “It’s just fruit punch. Relax. We haven’t mixed anything funny in it.”

“No, I don’t like fruity stuff.”

He pulls out a chilled can of beer. “Here.”

Since the beer can is not opened, I accept it. “Thanks.”

“Ooooh, looks like you like the hard stuff…haha…kidding.”

“Maggieeeee…,” Dawson drawls and goes in for a hug. He’s drunk. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Happy to be here.”

He gives me a polite smile. “Tim, take care of my friend here, okay? Don’t let her out of your sight, and if you try to touch her, I’ll punch you.”

Tim laughs. “Cool, man. Any friend of Amelia’s is mine, too.”

“Greatttt…” He kisses Amelia sloppily on her cheek. “Babe, you promised.”

She wiggles out of his arms, giggling, “Okay, let’s go.”

Since it’s difficult to listen to anything, Amelia leans in to scream into my ear, “I’m going upstairs with Dawson. He says he bought a new PlayStation console. Are you going to be okay by yourself for a while?”

“Of course.” I smile at her.

When she follows him happily upstairs, Tim says, “They are so totally going to bang in there.”

I laugh nervously. “For sure.”

She promised she would not leave me alone for even a minute, and now she’s off to have a fuck-fest with her boyfriend, leaving me with heart-eyes Tim.

Just freakin’ great!

“Want to go to the gaming room?”

I don’t have anyone else to keep me company, so going with Tim is the only other option I had.

In the gaming room, I watch the other kids play. There are all sorts of games here. Ping-pong, video games, pool, and even those race-car arcade games. There’s a drinking competition taking place on the other side of the table.

Tim tries his best to engage me in a conversation, but he’s just too boring, and is hoping to hook up with someone for tonight. I’m not in the mood to become his conquest, even to kill time.

I eat some chips out of boredom and then go to the pool deck. Thankfully, Tim finds someone else to entertain, which is a relief.

I sit down in the corner, minding my own business, scrolling through my phone, because I don’t want to make eye contact with someone I don’t want to talk to when I feel someone sitting beside me.

I hadn’t even noticed him there until a few seconds ago.

He grins at me. “You’re not enjoying the party?”

“My friend bailed on me,” I admit.

“Tell me about it.” He laughs. “Well, my friend did the same thing, so I guess we’re in the same boat.”

“Sucks for you,” I smile back. “You don’t go to our school. I’m sure I would have noticed you.”

“You’re right. I’m from Springfield High. It’s just thirty minutes away from here, not that far.”

“I see, so… I take it you’re friends with someone here?”

He nods. “Actually, I lived in Canada with my father for a while, but my parents divorced last year, so I moved here with my mother. Dawson and I are good friends.

“Our schools played against each other last year. I’m a QB too.”

“Really? I know most of his friends, and I’ve never seen you.”

“Well, now you have.” He raises his hand for a shake. “Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Carter. What’s your name?”

I shake his hand. “Maggie.”

Carter is the best-looking guy here at this party, and he’s the only one so far who has grabbed my attention. With shaggy brown hair and green eyes, he’s a total babe.

Since he plays sports, his arms are big and muscular too. I have no doubt that he has a girlfriend, because a guy like Carter couldn’t go to the bathroom without some girl trying to cling to him.

“It’s nice to meet you, Maggie.” He gives me a friendly smile. “Want to go for a swim in the pool?”

“Oh no, I didn’t bring my swimsuit. It’s okay, you go on ahead.”

He looks at the crowd inside the pool. “Nah. I think I’m good here. At least I’ve got a new friend now who I can chat with.”

“So, we’re friends now?” I ask him.

“Why not? I mean, we have something in common.”

“Which is?”

“The fact that we both hate parties.” He winks, and that makes me laugh.

“You’re right.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to see it’s a call from Logan. The time is a quarter to nine. I press my hand to my other ear to listen to what he has to say. “Hey.”

“Mags, just wanted to check. What’s up?”

“Um, nothing…just chilling here. Not getting into trouble,” I say.

“Good. Is Amelia with you?”

“Uh…yeah, she’s in the kitchen,” I lie.

There’s a pause like he’s unsure what to say next, then he says, “Okay, have fun.”

When he hangs up, Carter gives me a knowing smile. “Boyfriend?”

I wave my hand. “Oh no. He’s family.”

“Listen, Maggie—”

“Excuse me!” Amelia came stomping toward me. “You were sitting here all along, and I’ve been looking everywhere for you, missy.”

“Hey, you were the one who bailed on your friend and sneaked off with your boyfriend. Not Maggie’s fault,” Carter says quickly.

He and Dawson do that fist-bump thing that boys usually do.

“Exactly what Carter said.”

Amelia groaned. “Okay, fine! I’m the worst friend ever.” She narrowed her eyes at us. “On the bright side, I see that the two of you have already met.”

Dawson slaps Carter on the back. “Thanks for keeping her company.”

“It was no problem.”

“Can I get you something to drink, Maggie?” Carter asks me.

Before I can answer, Dawson says, “Maggie only drinks from cups that are handed out by me or my better half.”

“Aw, am I really your better half, baby?” Amelia pouts.

“I thought you already knew.”

Ugh. They are so cute together. It makes me gag.

“So, what do I need to do to climb that ‘trust’ ladder?”

“Just hang out with us,” Dawson says. “Tell you what, we’re going to the movies next weekend, Carter. You should join.”

He laughs. “Can I? I mean I would love to, if you girls don’t mind.”

“We won’t. It would be kind of a double date,” Amelia looks at me with wide eyes.

“Cool,” Carter says, and then his attention shifts to me. “Listen, Maggie, is it okay if we exchange our numbers?”

“Of course,” I say, pulling out my phone.

It’s weird because my heart’s pounding against my chest, which has never happened before, other than when I’m with Logan.

Amelia pulls me into the kitchen, and she squeaks and hugs me. “What the hell was that about?”

“What?”

“You and Carter?!”

“I just got a new friend,” I tell her.

“It looked like he’s interested in being more than friends,” she says, “I mean this is Carter Cruz.

“He’s the god of football around here. You seriously will climb the popularity ladder to queen status if you date him. Girls at our school are dying to just talk to him, and he asked for your number!”

Right on cue, we see two girls lingering close to Carter. The friend nudges her, and then she speaks to him. Carter says something to them politely and then excuses himself.

“It’s nothing like that, Amy. Come on.”

“You’re totally blushing.” She hugs me tight. “Anyhow, it looks like he’s interested in you. It wouldn’t hurt to just hang out with him, right? He’ll be good for you.”

I nod. “Yeah, I guess.”

We have pizza for dinner, and I can’t help but notice that Carter finds excuses to spend more time with me. At exactly ten, I get a text from Logan like a control freak that he is.

Logan

I’m outside.

“Guys, I have to go.”

“You’re leaving? So soon?” That’s Carter.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I have a curfew.”

“Okay, let me walk you outside at least.”

Carter walks me outside, and I notice Logan’s Mercedes parked outside the driveway. Logan’s smiling until he sees the guy behind me.