Thin Ice

chapter eight

Though we usually try our best to stick together at parties like this, I find myself alone after heading off to find the bathroom and getting stuck chatting with two girls from my psychology class. With a single scan of the room, I find Will and Caleb in the far corner of the living room with their heads bent together. Caleb is nodding along to whatever Will says, and when he responds Will ducks his head and glances toward the center of the room, meeting my gaze as he does. He straightens, waves me over, and says something to Caleb, who frowns and turns to see me too. For a moment, he doesn't move or even react to seeing me, but after an extra second a smile breaks out across his face. If I weren't drunk and halfway across the room from him, I'd think its a little forced, but Caleb is always happy to see me, so it can't be true.

I slip through the crowd to reach them, stumbling past the last person and bumping right into Caleb. He straightens me out and grins down at me. "You good, Ali?"

Through a laugh, I lift my cup and nod. "I'm great. What about you?"

This time, Caleb is the one to laugh. "Pretty good."

I turn my gaze to Will, who is watching Caleb as he takes a sip of his beer. By the time I blink, he's already looked away, this time meeting my gaze with a smile. "Where's Hunter? We assumed he was with you."

Shrugging, I swallow down the last of my drink. "Haven't seen him in a while." Automatically, I scan the room. "Last I saw he was with Tyler, but then I saw Ty with Paige—" At that moment, I finally spot Hunter. He's leaning back against the wall, staring across the room at a spot several feet away from where I'm standing with Caleb and Will.

Staring at Stella, who appears to be lost in a world of her own while grinding on a junior from the baseball team.

Shit.

A moment of clarity slams into me. "Fuck."

"What is it?" Will asks. I answer by pointing over at Stel, who has to be making Hunter feel like shit without even realizing it. "Oh. Fuck."

My head drops back, and I groan in frustration at the downward spiral that will become the rest of my evening. "Dammit. Here." I hand off my beer to Caleb. "I'm going to need to be sober as soon as possible to deal with this."

"Do you want some help?" Caleb asks, although he doesn't appear all that thrilled at the possibility of sectioning himself off with just Hunter and I until our whole group is ready to leave. I don't blame him, but I know he would drop everything to help Hunter or any of us.

I shake my head. "I've got it. We'll just go out to the porch or something. Try and check in with Ty and Tristan though, okay? Text me when you're ready to go." He nods, already downing the rest of my drink as he turns to Will. They resume their conversation in low voices as I slip through the crowd to Hunter's side.

He doesn't even look away from Stella as I reach him.

"Hey," I say, grabbing his arm. "Let's take a walk."

His muscles tense under my grip. "I'm fine, Alison. Go back to the party."

Raising my eyebrows, I say, "Wow, didn't realize I left the party. Must have teleported or some shit like that." Finally, he looks at me for long enough to show me just how funny he finds me— by his pissy expression, I would say not very—, and I grin as our eyes meet. "Now, let's take a fucking walk. Don't make me go alone. My drunk ass may fall and break a hip."

Hunter stares down at me, expression surprisingly devoid of emotion for one who was watching his ex dance with another guy, but his eyes share what his face doesn't.

My grin fades, dampening at the sight of his pain. "Trust me, Hunter. Don't torture yourself. It's better if you walk away."

Finally, he relents. Nodding, he lets me pull him out of the crowded living room and onto the back porch. There are still people out here, but its far quieter, and we're able to sit at the hanging bench swing without having to wait for it to clear.