Out of Breath (Breathing, #3)(109)

‘She just does that to piss Peyton off.’ Meg laughed.

‘Emma!’ TJ hollered from the patio on the terrace below with a ridiculous smile on his face. ‘You’re here!’

‘Yes, I am,’ I hollered back, laughing.

‘One of Evan’s friends?’ Sara noted.

I nodded.

‘Finally, a party with decent music,’ Serena admired, bobbing her head to the band set up on the patio. ‘C’mon. Let’s find the guys.’ She grabbed my hand to lead me down the stairs.

‘Do you want a drink?’ Meg asked when we reached the patio.

‘Yes,’ Sara answered for all of us, heading towards the bar.

‘Hey, guys,’ I said to Nate and Brent when we finally reached the front of the line.

‘We were wondering when you were going to show up,’ Nate said, then noticed the girls next to me. ‘Hi, I’m Nate. And this is Brent.’

Brent revealed his flirtatious smile and held out his hand when I returned the introduction.

‘Emma, you look stunning,’ Brent complimented.

‘Thanks,’ I replied, smiling back. The girls eyed me curiously.

‘What can I get you lovely ladies to drink?’ Brent offered, rubbing his hands together.

‘Surprise us,’ Serena requested.

‘Evan’s with James and Jared. They’re around here somewhere,’ Nate informed us after Brent had lined up our drinks on the bar.

‘Thanks!’ Serena replied. She grabbed my arm with one hand while holding a blue-hued drink in her other.

We didn’t have to look too hard. They were the guys every girl seemed to be staring at. It helped that they were also taller than just about everyone around them.

‘Hey,’ I said, approaching Evan.

His breathtaking smile appeared as he said, ‘Hi. Glad you’re here.’

‘Oh, we have to dance to this song,’ Serena exclaimed, taking the drink out of my hand and giving it to Evan before dragging me through the bodies towards the small stage. I glanced back at him in apology. Evan grinned and shrugged. In seconds the rocking crowd had swallowed us up.

Serena picked a spot in front of the band and began jumping to a cover of a popular alt rock song.

Uncertain how tender my cuts and blisters still were, I tentatively started bouncing on the balls of my feet.

‘C’mon, Emma!’

Realizing I could handle it, I pushed off with more force, jumping alongside Serena as she thrust her arms in the air. Sara bounced her way towards us, her red hair flailing around her. Meg, who preferred her feet on the ground, laughed at our exuberance while rocking her hips.

‘I’m not sure we’re going to see them again,’ Jared said, watching Sara as she pogoed, tossing her head from side to side.

‘The band will take a break eventually,’ I assured him.

‘What are they drinking?’ James asked, holding up the blue drink Serena left with him.

‘It’s a girl drink,’ I explained. ‘The guys come up with a special drink for the girls each party. It’s usually super sweet and full of alcohol.’

James took a sip and cringed. ‘Yeah, I’ll stick to beer.’

I laughed.

‘How are things going with Emma?’ Jared asked, not taking his eyes off Sara.

‘It’s complicated,’ I answered, taking a sip of my beer.

‘Usually is with her,’ Jared said, making James chuckle.

‘You’re not surprised?’ I asked James.

‘She’s … different,’ he responded, choosing his words carefully. ‘But I like her. She’s not predictable.’

‘That she’s not.’

‘That’s why Evan likes her,’ Jared commented with a half smile. I let out a short laugh, recognizing the truth in his statement. ‘Well, whatever you’ve been doing, it seems to be working, because she doesn’t look so messed up. She looks pretty good actually.’

‘Uh, nice, Jared,’ I said with a shake of my head. But he was right. I watched as her cheeks glowed pink, laughing at Serena jumping beside her. I couldn’t deny that she was beautiful, even in just jeans and a tank top. But then again, I thought the same thing when she woke up in the morning with her hair sticking up and pillow lines on her face.

‘Hey, Evan,’ TJ bellowed across the pool, drawing my attention away from Emma. ‘Ren could use your help upstairs.’

‘I’ll be right there,’ I yelled back. ‘I’ll see you guys later.’ I looked down at the drink in my hand. ‘Could you give this to Emma?’ I handed it to James, who balanced both drinks on the palm of his hand.

I left them and headed into the house, where the demands of the party kept me busy for a while. More people showed up for this party than for any of the others so far. Somehow, I’d gotten suckered into helping once again, even though I had nothing to do with planning this party. In fact, I wasn’t even staying in the house any more.

Emma came over to say hi, but I wasn’t able to talk to her because it was so busy. I tried to break away several times, but it just didn’t happen. I scanned the room in search of one of the guys, getting more irritated by the minute.

‘Hi.’ A slender blonde greeted me from the other side of the bar.