I waved. “Hey.”
“Hi, Meg,” I said quietly. I always tried to be nice when I ran into her, but she didn’t seem to like me too much.
“Hi, Charlotte.” She didn’t even bother to make eye contact.
Liam introduced everyone else, and I felt relieved that the topic of my being in a club I was too young for and kissing James didn’t come up again. Liam evidently decided that the blame for my presence could be pinned on James, so he didn’t give me a hard time about it. I also thought he was glad to see me enjoying the show. Despite how weird I felt about James kissing me, and my fear that William had witnessed it, as soon as the second set started, I lost myself in the music and let go of the usual anxiety that had become a fixture in my life.
Liam brought me back to reality as the set ended. “So what are you guys up to now?”
Rachel pulled her attention away from Henry. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”
“I suppose we can do what we always do.” Henry didn’t need to give any more information than that. Almost every night, we ended up at the same place—James’s house. The combination of no adult supervision and his ridiculous entertainment system made it the logical spot.
“So do you guys want to come over to my place, too?” James didn’t seem too keen on inviting Liam, but maybe he was trying to make amends for kissing me.
“Sure, we’ll come,” Liam answered quickly.
“We will?” Meg studied Liam skeptically. “We are seriously going to go hang out with a bunch of high school kids?”
Liam shrugged. “I can drop you off first.”
“Maybe you should.” Meg’s tone was icy, but Liam didn’t seem affected.
I tried to hide my relief that Meg wouldn’t be coming. Hanging out with Liam would be so much more relaxing without her around.
“I’m game.” Jason smiled. “It’s not like we have anything else planned.” Meg glared at him. I stifled a laugh. I was beginning to like Jason.
***
I slunk down on the couch next to Liam, already exhausted. The car ride over to James’s house had been awkward enough, and I figured the one place James wouldn’t be was next to Liam.
“So, pretty cool show tonight, huh?” Liam asked.
I smiled as his fingers played the bass line of a song on his knee. It was comforting to see him do it; it reminded me that not everything had changed.
“Yeah, Kiev is awesome. You know, I always think of you when I listen to them because they were on the playlist you made for my birthday last year.”
Liam smiled, and we sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, the late hour catching up to me.
“I could hurt him, you know.”
“Hmm…?” I opened my eyes.
Liam wore a serious expression. “James. I could hurt him for kissing you.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Once again, I wished one of us had the ability to manipulate time.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck being around such a jerk all the time.”
“Normally I would try to defend him, but tonight he deserves it.”
“He always deserves it.” Liam grinned.
“I feel so stupid.”
He put a reassuring hand on my arm. “What do you mean? Why would you feel stupid?”
“I should have expected him to do it—I fall for everything.”
“Char, he took you by surprise, and you’re only human—well almost.” He snickered. I was surprised that he called me Char. He usually used my full name.
“So you don’t think it was partially my fault? I shouldn’t feel guilty?” I wanted Liam to tell me it was okay. Maybe if he said it, I would believe it.
“No, not at all. But do me a favor, okay?”
“Sure…” I said carefully.
“Next time you have the urge to kiss a boy, pick someone other than James.”
From his expression, he should have been ready, but he didn’t stop me when I punched him in the arm.
“So anyone up for a dip in the hot tub?” James shouted over the blaring music of the video game Henry and Rachel were playing. It was one of those dance games, and Henry was making quite the spectacle of himself.
Jason took a seat next to Liam. “James does realize it isn’t normal to have a hot tub in his living room, right?”
“I like it where it is, and that is the only thing that matters,” James said, no longer needing to shout once he perched on the arm of the couch next to me.
“Liam, you really have some interesting friends.” Jason shook his head in disbelief. I laughed silently. Jason didn’t know the half of it.
“So you never answered me. Anyone up for the hot tub?” James never gave up.
***
I woke up groggy and tired after only two or three hours of sleep. I remembered arriving back home with Henry and Rachel, hoping that Monty wasn’t waiting up for us. I rolled over and realized I wasn’t alone in my bed. “Hey, Rach, we probably need to get up.”
She groaned.
Someone knocked on the door. “Girls, you have to get up. Charlotte, we’re leaving in thirty minutes whether you’re ready or not.”
“Yes, Monty.” I was so tired it took me a second to get the words out.
Almost exactly thirty minutes later, I slipped into the backseat of Monty’s new SUV, between Liam and his roommate. Jason had wanted an excuse to get out of town and pretty much invited himself along. Henry took the front seat after saying goodbye very publicly to Rachel. For a boy who had never even held a girl’s hand before moving in with us, Henry had definitely changed. Of course, Rachel had made the change easy. Newly single after her boyfriend broke up with her to go to college, Rachel had taken one look at the new exchange student living in my house and dove in headfirst. Henry certainly wasn’t complaining. Between joining the basketball team and dating Rachel, Henry’s new life didn’t remotely resemble the one he’d left behind.
I knew I probably could have pulled the girl card and gotten shotgun, but I was too tired. Besides, I was the smallest and would be the only one comfortable sitting in the middle seat for the five-hour drive to Chapel Hill. My hair was wet because thirty minutes barely gave me enough time to get showered and dressed, and left no time for blow drying, so I tied it back in a ponytail while trying not to elbow either of the boys sitting next to me. Groaning, I closed my eyes and sat back.
“So let’s set down some ground rules here.” Monty watched us in the rearview mirror as he pulled out into the street. “I don’t care what you did last night, but there will be no getting sick in my car and no complaining. Is that understood?”