The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett(43)

Emily ran up to me and gave me a hug. “I can’t believe you came!”

I was pretty sure she’d been drinking. Otherwise, she looked like regular Emily, wearing a peach cardigan. That made me feel better. Normal.

Logan was right behind her, and she introduced me to him, even though technically we’d met before. Then I introduced both of them to Enzo.

Emily was polite. She smiled at Enzo and told him it was nice to meet him. I was probably the only one who noticed that the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Or that Emily, with her impeccable manners, hadn’t offered to shake Enzo’s hand.

“Hey,” Logan said, “aren’t you the guy whose girlfriend is missing?”

I could tell how uncomfortable Enzo was without even looking at him. It’s like the feeling was radiating off his skin. “Yeah. I am.”

“That sucks, man. I’m really sorry.”

“Thanks.”

“So, are there, like, any updates?”

“No,” Enzo said, glancing around the room as if not looking at Logan would make him disappear.

Emily and I looked back and forth between them. I wished for something clever to say that would take the whole conversation in a new direction, but instead, I just stood there.

“You think an animal got her?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s harsh. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

Enzo ended the conversation by saying he was going to find us some drinks. Emily, ever helpful, pointed him in the right direction. For the second time in just a few minutes, I felt relieved.

“Why did you bring him here?” Emily asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

“I didn’t want to come alone.”

If it were any other time, she would have pressed the matter, and it would have turned into an argument. But we were at a party, and no one wanted to think about unpleasant things.

“You’re not alone,” Emily said, putting her arm around my shoulder. “You have me.”

I laughed and squeezed her back. The alcohol was probably responsible for her uncharacteristic display of affection, but I’d take what I could get.

? ? ?

An hour later, Logan’s band was onstage, and I was probably the closest to drunk I’d ever been, which was OK, because I felt great. Strength in Numbers was better than I thought they would be, Emily and Enzo were getting along, and I’d stopped caring about everyone else and what they thought of me.

“They have so much energy!” I said to Emily, and I wasn’t sure if she could hear me, because we were so close to the stage, but she nodded and grinned like she knew exactly what I was talking about.

Some people next to us were dancing, and I thought that was a great idea, so I started swaying back and forth too. Emily burst out laughing, then grabbed my hand and joined me.

While watching the revelry in the Barn, I’d had an epiphany. Parties weren’t just about who was who and being seen. It was about letting go. About celebrating that we all made it through one more boring week. Everyone came together in one place, and for a while, it was as if nothing mattered except the music and the energy and being away from all of the adults in our lives. These parties were about freedom.

And friendship. They were about friendship too. All the tension I’d felt between me and Emily during the past weeks faded away. I remembered why I loved her so much and why she was my best friend. Emily was smart and talented, and she never apologized for being her own person. She was so much better than everyone in the Mills, and she didn’t even know it. And she got me. We clicked in a way that I just couldn’t with other people. What did it matter if she had a weird boyfriend? What did it matter if she was about to leave me?

“I’m going to miss you,” I shouted.

“What?”

I leaned and tried again. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Where am I going?”

“The music thing.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Emily said, but she was laughing. She knew she’d get in.

“And college.”

“You’re going to college too!”

I wasn’t even sure what I’d be doing the next day, let alone the next year.

“You’re my best friend in the entire world,” I said.

Emily hugged me in response, and I knew what she was trying to say. That she wasn’t leaving me, even if we wouldn’t be in the same place anymore. That we would always be best friends, no matter what. That somehow, everything would be OK.

“Come on,” I said and pulled Emily closer to the stage. “Let’s go watch your boyfriend.”

We danced, and the room swirled around, and I could hear Logan playing the guitar through it all. I was sweaty and tired, but I was alive. What was more important than that?

? ? ?

When Logan’s band finished playing, Emily went to find him and tell him how good they’d been. I had no idea where Enzo was. It was very suddenly too warm, and even though I stopped spinning, everything around me kept going.

I pushed my way through the crowd. If I could get outside in the fresh air, I figured I’d feel better. But I didn’t really. I stumbled around the side of the barn and promptly threw up, hating myself the whole time. I was just as bad as the rest of them.

That’s when I heard a voice that I one hundred percent had not expected. “Thorny? What the hell?”