“And you’re right,” I say before shooting the shot. The liquid burns down my throat, and soon, things are a little hazy. “Sheesh, maybe we should start dumping these,” I say when I look down to see we still have a lot left.

When I look up at her, she’s already looking at me, surprised. “Sorry, I’m still shocked you said I was right.”

I scoff. “Don’t worry. I won’t admit that often.”

She grins as she nods, shooting three more in a row. “I’m gonna be flat on my face in the morning.”

I nod just as Jace and Markus pop over. “You have ten minutes left. How many do you have? Nine? Jeez,” Jace says, and then they both reach for two, shooting them.

Making a face, Markus says, “You can do the last five.”

“Thanks, boys,” she says with a grin.

“It’s cool, but you owe me a dance,” Markus says, but when he looks at me, he makes a face before looking back at Baylor. “Never mind, I don’t want to dance with you. Like ever.”

Then he’s gone.

“Whoa, whiplash!” she laughs, and Jace rolls his eyes.

“Because Jayden just—”

I punch him again. I know, I need to stop, but the kid won’t shut his face.

“Damn it, Jay!”

“What?” I ask innocently, and finally he walks away, grumbling that I’m an asshole.

“Jeez, what was that about?” she asks me then before taking another shot. Her eyes are glazing over, her cheeks rosy from the bitter liquid. She looks like she did that night, and man, I wanted her then and I want her now.

“He’s an idiot,” I say, taking one of her shots. Wanting to change the subject, I say, “Four more, all yours.”

“Jerk.”

“Baby.”

She glares before downing all four in a row. She looks up at me and says, “I think I’m gonna puke.”

“Probably. Need me to hold your hair?”

She swallows hard and shakes her head. “A respectable, classy girl doesn’t need her hair held.”

I raise a brow. “I don’t know about that.”

“Eh. Me either, but I’m good. I swallowed it.”

“Because that’s hot,” I joke and she smiles, her cheeks matching her lips. “So that’s the reason you don’t want friends? Because of those assholes?”

She shrugs. “One of the reasons,” she says slowly as she draws in a breath through her nose. “I mean, why make friends when I have a one-way ticket out of here?”

I pause for a moment as she takes a long pull of Coke. Looking up at me, she meets my gaze as I say, “Because it’s better than being lonely, don’t you think?”

“So what, you want to be my friend?” she asks, her eyes challenging me.

Flashing her a grin. “We can start at that.”

When Sia’s “Chandelier” starts to blare through the party, her eyes light up and she starts singing. And when I say singing, I mean screaming the words at the top of her lungs. Laughing, I watch as she slowly slides her jacket down her arms, throwing her arms up in the air. Soon everyone in the kitchen is singing and dancing along. When the chorus comes on, though, she’s on top of the counter, spinning and singing like a madman.

It’s so fucking awesome.

When Markus and Jace all of a sudden jump up there with her, dancing and being goofy, I can only sit back and grin. She’s dancing around, carefree, and I love it. When she looks at me though, her eyes are dark before she reaches for my hand, pulling me up there with her. It’s unexpected, but I would never say no to dancing with her. Moving our bodies close together, my arms around her waist loosely, she sings, badly, in my face and I can only laugh.

As the song ends, a sweet little grin on her face, I drink her in because I know I won’t get many moments like this. We dance for a while, but then I want to be closer. Pulling her in, I slide my hand down her hips as she moves against me. When she looks back at me though, her eyes go wide and she takes a step back at the end of a song, almost falling off the counter, but I pull her back to me.

She eyes me and then points at me. “This is weird.”

“Weird?” I ask as she breaks free of my arms. “I was thinking great, nice, perfect even.”

Climbing down, she looks over at me and says, “Yes, but we don’t get along.”

“But we could,” I say as I get down with her, grabbing my beer and meeting her gaze.

“I’m sure it won’t last.”

Shrugging one shoulder, I tip my beer to her. “It would if you’d forgive me.” Her brows come together, and then I hold her gaze. “You haven’t forgiven me for what I did back in Florida.”

She waves me off, looking away. “I don’t even think of it anymore.”

“You’re lying,” I say automatically.

She looks up at me and says, “I am?”

“Yeah, when you lie, you look away or chew on your lip.”

She glares at me, her eyes darkening. “So you think you know me, eh?”

“Not all of you, but some, and I know you think of it because I do every time I see you.”

Looking away, she shakes her head. “I don’t want a boyfriend, either.”

Confused, but a little intrigued as to why she said that, I ask, “And why is that?”

She moves her hands through her hair, and her eyes are glassy as she says very offhandedly, “Because I got my heart broken by this fucking douche back in Arkansas.”

Oh, I’m an asshole. She’s drunk and I need to stop talking, but this may be the only time I can get in. Find out even a little bit about her, show her she can trust me. “Oh yeah? How?”

Leaning on her hand, she looks up at me through heavy-lidded eyes. “He, Seth, fucking used me, Jeez, I’m drunk.”

“So am I,” I lie, but I’m only tipsy. “As you were saying?”

“Yeah, he used me, and get this, he forced me to have sex with him even though I didn’t want to. But I loved him, so maybe he really didn’t force me. Eh, I don’t know. I just didn’t want to have sex and he made me. So yeah, I don’t know. Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

As she hiccups, I can only stare at her. Whoa, what? “Did you kick his ass?”