“Becky. Come on.” I sat beside her.

“He wants you, Sam. I’ve always known that. I tried to push you two together before, but I still…” She whispered, “I still wanted it to be me. I wanted the fairytale.”

“I know.” I patted her leg. “And I wasn’t lying when I said I think you’ll get it.”

“Come on.” She choked on a sob and brushed at her face. “Stop making it worse.”

“I do think you’ll get the fairytale ending. I just don’t think it’ll happen in high school.”

She snorted as tears continued to slide down. “That’s right. You said Adam wasn’t mature enough for me.”

“He isn’t.” I threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “But he’s getting there. He stopped playing the charade tonight, you know.” I felt her shoulders droop and something folded inside of her. She seemed to crumble beside me. The arm I had around her shoulder sagged down an inch. “Becky?”

“He’s stopped for a while.”

I was struck. That sounded like a confession from her. “What are you talking about?”

She looked up with tears still on her cheeks. They were at the rim of her eyes and clung to the corner of her lips. She let them all remain as she held my gaze. There was a stricken look to her. “He’s been honest with me for a long time, Sam. I just never wanted to admit it, but tonight—I dunno. I couldn’t let it go anymore. Especially when Logan called him out. He wanted just to have sex with Tanya. I knew that. Adam told me that one night. He was really hurt and I think he was mad at you. He’s always mad at you, you know. But he’s slept with other girls before, in front of me.”

“When?”

Her shoulder jerked up. “When hasn’t he? He’s always had another girl with him. He never chooses me, Sam. He never will. I just didn’t want to accept that I was a loser. I am a loser. I’m never going to be good enough for him.”

A curse rushed from me as I pulled her close. “Don’t think that. Don’t ever think that.”

One of her hands clung to my arm. A sob wracked through her body as she trembled against me. “He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t want me…”

She cried, and I held her. We remained like that for a while. I didn’t keep track of the time so I had no clue how long we’d been gone, but when my phone kept buzzing in my pocket, I pulled it out. It was from Mason. ‘Logan said you left. Where at?’

‘Still here. Adam’s car is blocked in.’

‘Where?’

‘By the tree. Becky is crying.’

There was a pause for a minute and then my phone buzzed again. ‘Some of your chicks showed up. Dunno how. Come back?’

I sighed as I looked down. Becky was still crying, though they had subsided in the last few minutes. She wiped at her nose and asked, “Who is that?”

“It’s Mason. He said some of the girls from our school showed up.”

She hiccupped. “What does he want?”

“We have to go back.”

She paled and jerked her head. “I can’t, Sam. Adam saw…I was crying in front of him.”

“He thinks you were drunk. You’re not anymore.”

She groaned. “Can I be? That’d make it better.”

I hopped off the trunk and faced her. My chin was firm. I wish it wasn’t. This wasn’t something I wanted to do either, but I held my hand out. “Come on, bucko. We’ve got to go and face the music.”

“Can we get drunk?”

At first I said no. When we got closer to the barn and I saw who was there, my eyes went flat and I grabbed the first beer offered.

Becky squealed next to me and grabbed a cup as well.

Cassandra and Amelia glared at us.

“Oh, look. Bitch,” Cassandra clipped out. Her hand fell from her side and she started towards me, but Adam swung an arm around her waist and held her back. He stepped in between and held her back by her shoulders.

“What are you doing, Cass?”

“I’m going to teach her a lesson. Once and for all.” Her glare didn’t diminish as she looked around him. It intensified.

“I smell a catfight.”

Everything shifted, and I straightened to my fullest height. I swung around and there stood Kate and Parker, both with similar glares on their faces. Parker pulled down her thin top, but it wasn’t enough to cover her frame. Like Kate, her ribcage was showing and it was evident she wore no bra.

“Isn’t it January?” I grumbled. “We’re supposed to wear sweaters this time of year.”

“We’re in California.” Kate stepped towards me. It was more like she stalked towards me. A chill went down my back, and I edged back a step. She walked like a panther would towards its kill. “If you’re cold, have some booze.”

“Yeah.” Parker started forward, but Kate clamped a hand on her arm. She was jerked back. “Drink up, wino.”

“Wino?” Nate materialized at my side. He couldn’t hide his amusement. “Since when did you start drinking?”

“Nate!”

“Parker, stop,” Kate seethed.

I grinned at him before I took the cup he’d been holding. “Tonight, apparently. I’m a wino, you know.”

“I heard.”

“I have a drinking problem.”

He shook his head and tsked me. “You’re so young, Sam. So sad.”

I finished his drink in one swallow. “Tragic even.” And I tried to ignore the burning in my throat. What had he been drinking?

“You two are making fun of me,” Parker screeched as she continued to strain against Kate’s hold. She had one hand on her arm and a tired expression on her face. When she yawned, her fingers let go and Parker stopped in surprise.

She hissed at her, “You’re supposed to hold me back.”

“I’m bored. We can’t do anything.” Kate gestured to Nate. “He’s here.”

“Nate. Leave.” Parker turned to him.

His grin grew. “You leave.”

“Come on. Just go. Please.” Her smile turned seductive. “I’ll make it worthwhile.”

He mirrored in Kate’s boredom. “Been there for the night.” Then he smirked. “And we all know you’ll come crawling back later.”