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“You and Brandon Bowers?” I askPen.
She shakes her head. “No way. But he’s smarter than I thought. What about Tyler? You forgot to tell me you have killerchemistry.”
I fight the shiver of anticipation. “We’ve always been friends. But at my dad and Haley’s wedding, we had…” I remember our dance, the way his lips brushed the corner of my mouth. “… a moment. Then he ghosted me for eightmonths.”
“So, make him suffer a little. The point is you deserve good things. Don’t make some kind of problem that doesn’t exist just because the hottest guy at Oakwood looks at you like you’re a steak and he’s acarnivore.”
I shiver, feeling foolish and not really caring as I motion Pen toward the stage. “Wanna getcloser?”
She grins. “Yeah.”
We dance next to the stage, and I catch Tyler’s eye a few times. When I step away, he jerks his chin at me and mouths,Where are yougoing?
Drink. I point at him, lifting mybrows.
Water, he mouths back, then grins when Inod.
So I know I’m not at this party with him, but as I trail through the crowd toward the kitchen, I can’t help thinking that would beawesome.
Not because he’s the new prince ofOakwood.
Because he’s Tyler, and he’s so different from all ofthem.
He’s talented and beautiful and he sees me. We have jokes together and can be real with one another. He moves seamlessly between the nothing he left behind and the bright future he has. He can charm rich kids one moment and go thrift store shopping thenext.
He also seems less strung out than the other night, as if our weird conversation in the laundry room was only adream.
Maybe we’re friendsagain.
Maybe we could be more thanthat.
On my way back from the kitchen, I’m stopped by the last person I wanted tosee.
“Nice costume, Annie. What, are we double-fisting?” Carly takes the cup from my hand and sniffsit.
“It’s for Tyler. You can get your own, it’s your house. You should know where to findit.”
“You know, when I first met you, I hoped you’d be cool. Jax Jamieson’s kid and all. You were a huge disappointment. I decided it was because you came from nothing. That before your rich daddy claimed you, you were living on foodstamps.”
It’s not true, but her cutting words have my hands clenching on thecups.
“But then Tyler showed up. He comes from nothing too, and he fits inhere.”
I move to step past her, but the crowd is thick and she cuts meoff.
“I wondered why he even bothers talking to you, but once I figured out he was staying with you, it all made sense. He wants to be besties with your dad. It’s a lot easier if you two are cool. Know what Imean?”
Anger boils up, and I squeeze my hands into fists. “You don’t have the first clue about me andTyler.”
Her lips curve cruelly. “No? Let’s find out. We’ll call it an experiment. I bet he doesn’t look for you. I bet he doesn’t even notice you’regone.”
Carly grabs the water out of my hand before I can stop her and carves through the crowd on her shiny stripperheels.
I watch as she reaches the stage and holds it out toTyler.
When he notices her, he takes the cup with an easy half smile that looks no different than the ones he givesme.
He doesn’t lookup.
