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“You mean, Javonte Witt’s party?” Connor countered smugly. “Your face is only plastered across dozens of posts about it… And don’t forget about the drink that was in your hand. So what do you have to say about underage drinking, Foster? Or better yet, what are your thoughts on drunk driving?”
I opened my mouth, not surewhatto say. I knew people had taken pictures of me that night. Videos, too. And yes, there would’ve been a beer in my hand through all of it. Shit.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa...” Javonte called, hurrying over. “Tack Martin wasn’t underage. He was twenty-five and had graduated from Haverick three years ago.”
“ButFoster’sunderage,” Connor argued with Javonte as he kept his gaze on me. “Aren’t you?”
I shook my head, not understanding why he thought I had anything to do with the drunk driver. “You know I am.”
“And so were a lot of people that night,” Javonte added with a scoff.
“But a lot of people weren’t driving.” Tearing his gaze from Javonte, he smirked at me. “Were they?”
“Why don’t you just say what you’re getting at?” I asked bluntly. “Because I’m not following your point.” And his runaround was starting to irritate me.
“Fine.” Connor cleared his throat and flushed as if embarrassed for being called out. “I know you drove to Witt’s house that night. And I know you drank while you were there. There’s social media all over the place, proving it. So I want to know what makes you any different from that drunk driver?”
“What makes me different?” I repeated slowly, feeling my collar start to steam with the incensed heat rolling off me. “Well, I guess it’s the fact that Ididn’tdrive home that night. If you’d taken a picture of Javonte’s front drive the next morning any time before eight, you would’ve found my truckstillsitting there.”
“Oh.” Connor’s gleeful smirk faltered, and he sank a step back. “I didn’t realize that.”
“Yeah,” I said dryly. “Any other questions? Or do you want to keep trying to shove me into the same box as someone who killed three people?”
“For real,” Javonte scoffed. “What’re you trying to do; make Eighteen out to be some kind of murderer?”
“I—no!” Connor cried in dismay. Then he waved a hand as if he couldn’t handle our idiocy. “Yeah, I’m done asking questions,” he mumbled before hurrying away, only to mutter, “Jackass,” under his breath.
“Dude, was he talking to you or me?” Javonte wondered, pointing between the two of us.
“You, definitely,” I said, and we broke out laughing.
When we spotted two more players exiting the changing room, Javonte hurried their way, calling, “Yo, you guys will never believe the shit that Resson just tried to pull.”
I swallowed as he told them about Connor’s accusation, and they all laughed as if they thought it was the funniest thing ever. But my head was starting to ache.
“I gotta get out of here,” I told Raina under my breath, rubbing at my brow as I hurried from the building.
As soon as I was outside, I gulped in some much-needed fresh air.
“You okay?” Raina asked, keeping pace with me as I put space between me and the journalism building.
“I’m just great,” I muttered, dropping my hand from my face. “Freaking dandy.”
“Well, I’d be pissed,” she told me as if she hadn’t realized I was being sarcastic. “I still can’t believe Connor tried to blame my accident on you. And then he calledyouthe jackass.”
When she snorted, I lifted one shoulder. “I embarrassed him.”
“I don’t care. He was totally out of line. Heneededto be embarrassed.”
“I mean, I get his point,” I went on. “I shouldn’t have been carrying around a cup of beer and getting photographed. I was basically promoting underage drinkinganddrunk driving. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You didn’t do anything different than what probably hundreds of other college kids were doing that night.”
“But I’m a public figure,” I told her. “People watch me. They judge me differently. I’m supposed to modelgoodbehavior.”
“Ugh.” She glanced at me in worry. “I’m sorry, Foster. I never realized being you would have so many drawbacks.”
“Not that many. Idohave a good life,” I argued, running a weary hand over my face. “It’s just sometimes, after shit like that, I need a minute of quiet peace to recharge.”
