Lost Girls(39)

That’s where I should have been. Sitting with the geeks who didn’t really belong.

Instead, there was a welcoming cry as soon as we walked through the door. Brett shouted and came over to slap Dylan a high five and Lauren let out an excited whoop, nearly stumbling in her three-inch stilettos when she tried to get to me before anyone else. Before I knew it, we were both surrounded. We stood at the core of a widening circle with all the kids we hung out with at lunch. On the outer edges were other teens who seemed to stare at Dylan and me with admiration, as if they wished they could be part of the inner circle. Brett handed us both a beer and Dylan glanced down at me, maybe wondering if my dad would have a fit if I came home drunk.

“Just one. I promise,” I said with a grin, then I took a long sip.

He smiled back hesitantly, then set his cup aside. “Not tonight. Not for me anyway.”

I was surprised. I’d always imagined him to be the life of the party. He must have been holding back. Meanwhile, Lauren and the other girls hugged me and squealed, and pointed out a group of older guys who had crashed the party.

“They go to UCLA. I think the blond guy is friends with Brett’s older brother. Isn’t the tall one hot?” Lauren said. She flashed him a grin and licked her lips when she got his attention.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “She’s got a thing for older guys lately. Nobody from high school is good enough for her anymore.”

“Did you guys see the Skittles bowl in the living room?” Zoe asked. “The college crowd just dropped a handful of Ecstasy and Forget-Me-Pills in it.”

“Ecstasy? Where?” Lauren asked, turning to look back toward the living room.

Dylan overheard what we were saying and he grabbed Brett by the arm. “You said you weren’t having a pharm party. Don’t you remember what happened last time?”

Brett laughed, a deep, booming sound that always made you want to join in—except now. Right now it gave me the chills. “Hey, dude. Drink a beer and relax.”

“I’m not gonna relax. Last time two guys ODed and ended up in the ER. I told you no more drug parties—”

“We got a new rule this time. One pill per person.”

“And who’s enforcing that? You?”

Brett pointed toward the cluster of outcasts, who perched nervously on the sofas that lined the room. “The Misfits. I told ’em it was the entrance fee to the gig.”

Dylan shook his head, obviously mad. He picked up the beer he had refused a minute ago and slugged it down, all of it.

“That’s my boy!” Brett said, clapping him on the back.

Dylan shrugged his hand off. “Remember who you’re talking to. I’m not your boy.”

Brett looked away, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry,” he mumbled in a low voice.

“Ooooh! Way to put the captain of the football team in his place,” Lauren said with a laugh. Both Dylan and Brett shot her dark looks, then the two of them wandered off, their voices raising and lowering, then raising again.

“Are they going to fight?” I asked, an unexpected shiver of fear snaking into my chest. Up until now, I’d thought the dark side of Dylan was exciting. But as he walked off with Brett, both of them evenly matched in size and strength and athletic abilities, it didn’t feel right. A thick tension filled the room, mixing with cigarette smoke, the stench of spilled beer and sweat from people dancing. I started to push my way through the crowd, wanting to follow Dylan. I had some crazy idea that I could somehow give him backup—if he needed it. Not that I could take Brett down, not in a zillion years. That guy was ripped and then some. I began to wonder if he was on steroids. I’d seen how he dominated the football team, how he led our school to state finals, and knew that he had a scholarship to Notre Dame waiting for him.

But I didn’t get far because Lauren and Stephanie and Zoe grabbed me by the arms, dragging me back into the living room.

“Let them go,” Stephanie warned.

“Yeah, you don’t wanna get between the two of them when they’re mad,” Zoe said, her hazel eyes wide.

“There’s a lot of stuff you don’t remember, Rach. Maybe you’ll never remember it,” Lauren said, her tone condescending. Almost like she enjoyed me being in the dark because it gave her more power. “The guys, they’ve got their own way of dealing with things. They’re not like us.”

I could still see the two of them, silhouettes out on the balcony, arms gesturing as they talked. Things must have gotten even more heated since they got outside, because Brett pushed Dylan, hands against his chest, shoving him several feet away until he collided with the guard rail. I gasped, unable to move because the girls still hung onto me. I started to twist away from them, tempted to land a few kicks and jabs of my own to break free.

“Stop it,” Lauren whispered in my ear. “Dylan wouldn’t like it if you went out there now. Trust me.”

I didn’t want to trust her, though. Not if Dylan could get hurt.

Just then, Dylan grabbed Brett and took him down, flipping him on his back and pinning him to the ground. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd that had formed around them, irritated that everyone had started chanting, fight, fight, fight, their voices raising, louder and louder.

“I won’t do anything, but I have to make sure he’s okay,” I said as I wrenched my way free, hoping I hadn’t hurt one of the girls in the process. One of them yelped, but I couldn’t tell if it was Stephanie or Zoe. I ran then, shoving people out of my way, elbows jamming into ribs and making kids wince and cry out as I passed, my mouth open, sweat streaming down between my shoulder blades. I was ready to leap on top of Brett and kick him in the face if I had to—it didn’t matter that he was my friend. Not now. Not if Dylan was in trouble—