But no.
No Grant.
For a moment, I’d been sure that Grant hadn’t answered my call because he was here for the celebration. But I didn’t see him.
“Oh. You put this all together?”
“Well, no,” Cheyenne admitted.
Gabi came up next to her. “Grant planned it all. Got everyone to keep it quiet and come tonight. He’s been planning it since that night he came to the library.”
“Oh,” I muttered again lamely. “Well, uh…where is he?”
“We don’t know,” Gabi admitted finally. “We got here with you. We could go ask the guys.”
“No,” I said quickly.
The last thing I wanted was to be the desperate girl asking about her boyfriend. I couldn’t believe he had put this whole thing together for me. It was unbelievably sweet. I didn’t know if he had been planning it this whole time, and that was why he had avoided me this week. Maybe the reason I hadn’t seen him had nothing to do with our argument.
But if that were the truth, then where was he?
Nowhere.
No, one decent action by Grant McDermott didn’t make up for last weekend and his silence the past couple of days. When I saw him again, I was seriously considering wringing his neck.
Asshole.
“It’s fine. Let’s get a drink,” I said.
The last thing I wanted to do was bring attention to myself about the situation. The girls knew things were weird with Grant right now, but that didn’t mean I needed to alert anyone else. There were too many vultures at the party. Groupies were here because Grant had invited them, and they would quickly rush to his side if they knew we were in trouble.
Ugh!
Trouble. I couldn’t even think about that word.
I realized how irrational that sounded even in my head. I was mad at Grant, mad at myself, but I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t want anyone else to get close to him. It was all so confusing.
We walked over to the bar, and I was handed a beer.
“Birthday shots!” Shelby cried.
“Later. I want to let this settle first,” I told them.
“Oh, come on,” Shelby pleaded. “I need to get fucked up.”
“Well, get one now, and I’ll get the next round.”
“Shelby, you do not need to get fucked up,” Cheyenne snapped.
“Yeah, you shouldn’t have to compete with that,” Gabi whispered, leaning over forward.
“What am I missing?”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Aribel, do you not pay attention to anything?”
I glanced between them. “Not really.”
Gabi cracked a smile and then smothered it under Cheyenne’s glare. “Sydney is here.”
“I know. I saw her.”
“And hello? Shelby has been dating Miller since Sydney left.” Cheyenne gave me an exasperated look.
“I didn’t know it was serious,” I mumbled.
Actually, I’d spent more time around the guys in the last two months, and I knew firsthand that Miller did not think they were serious. He thought she was fun to hang out with and fuck. He liked that she was here in Princeton and with his friends’ girls.
But he still had a thing for Sydney.
As did Vin.
That was the last topic to bring up around Cheyenne even though none of us had any fucking clue why she liked the meathead douche bag.
“Well, it’s not been defined,” Shelby muttered.
“Because you won’t ask him to define it,” Cheyenne said.
“Have you asked Vin?” Shelby snapped.
“No, but I don’t want a relationship. I’m cool with this limbo we’re in. I get to fuck him when I want, but I don’t always have to listen to the stupid things that come out of his mouth.”
“At least you’re talking some sense now,” I said. “Sometimes, I wonder if you even remember he tried to drug me.”
“I don’t think he intended anything bad to happen.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes. “Please. He wanted to sleep with me.”
“Well, nothing bad did happen, and he doesn’t do that shit anymore.” Cheyenne leaned forward and sighed. “He’d kill me if I ever mentioned this, but he told me once he felt really bad about what happened that night.”
“Vin has feelings?” I asked in disbelief.
“All I’m saying is, I think a little bit more is up there than he lets on.” Cheyenne held her hands up. “Don’t let him know I said that.”
I shrugged. I couldn’t change what had happened or that Vin was a fact of life around Grant. My eyes left the girls as they chatted more about what Shelby should do.
Seriously, Grant…where are you?
“I am not going to go hang on him like some desperate tramp!” Shelby cried.
“Oh my God. Miller probably didn’t even invite Sydney. Grant probably did. Just act normal and things will be fine. There are more important things to worry about,” I said before tipping back my bottle.
All three girls looked at me, surprised.
“Look, Aribel is giving good relationship advice,” Cheyenne said. “You should take it. It’s probably the first and last time.”
“Ha-ha. You’re hilarious.” I grabbed Shelby’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go say hi. It’ll be fine.”
“What? Now?” Shelby asked frantically.
“No time like the present.”
Really, I wanted any excuse not to think about or talk about Grant.
“Sydney!” I called, walking over to Grant’s cousin.
She was a vivacious brunette, wearing one of her tamer outfits—a studded white sleeveless crop top and skintight leather leggings with a sheer stripe down the sides, starting at her hips and disappearing at the knees where they met her heeled black leather boots. The last time I had seen her she was in a miniskirt and cowboy boots at a ski lodge.
“Ari, hey! Happy birthday.” Sydney rushed forward and threw her arms around me. “It’s good to see you.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
Sydney and I hadn’t necessarily bonded the last time we were together, but despite all the craziness she brought, I found I did like her.
“How is Tennessee?” I asked.
She currently went to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I couldn’t believe she had driven up during the middle of the week for my birthday while she had school. I never would have done that.
“Fine. Still plenty of Southern cock to keep me occupied,” she said rather loudly in Miller’s direction.