The Way You Hurt Me

Chapter Five

The bass of the speaker pounds through me as I step through the threshold of Mason's apartment. Kelly and Ronnie follow close behind me. There are people everywhere. I didn't realize it would be this crowded, but there are at least forty people crammed inside.

I glance over my shoulder at Kelly, taking in her tan skin that makes the bright orange crop top she's wearing stand out. She paired the top with cute high-waisted jeans with rips down the front and brown booties with a three-inch heel. Ronnie wears a black leather skirt with a black bodysuit that's plain in the front, but ties around her neck and plunges down her back. She wears black wedge heels that have a strap over her toes and her ankle. Kelly is always the most casually dressed when we go out. Ronnie and I love getting all dressed up when we go out, for us, it's one of the best parts of the night.

I glance down at my dark green bodysuit tucked into my tightest fitting black skirt. My bodysuit has long sleeves and a square neckline that I always find flattering. My black wedges almost perfectly match Ronnie's except mine lace up around the ankle.

We shuffle our way inside, maneuvering around sweaty bodies until we get to the kitchen. I find a small space for us next to the fridge and walk over to it. I place the bottle of tequila on the counter and turn to face Ronnie and Kelly.

"Damn Mason has a lot of friends," Ronnie comments, leaning her head close to mine and Kelly's so we can hear her over the music. The music vibrates through my body and with the combination of the shots I already took before we left my body is begging me to dance. The only problem is, there's no one dancing. Everybody is just mingling throughout the space.

"How are we even going to find Mason?" I ask, my eyes squinting as I look through the crowd.

"Text him and tell him you're here," Ronnie suggests. I give her a nod in confirmation trying to save my voice. "And in the meantime, let's do another shot."

Kelly and I laugh but pull our monogrammed flasks out of our back pockets. Kelly takes out two and hands one to Ronnie since her skirt pockets weren't big enough to fit a flask.

Last year for each of our birthday's we decided to get each other these cute monogrammed flasks with our favorite colors. They have been such a game-changer when going out because we can hide them so easily. We always bring them into bars with us and take swigs from them in the bathroom because drinks are way too expensive.

"Drink!" Ronnie yells, jerking her white and lilac flask up to her mouth.

"Ronnie!" Kelly squeals as she struggles to unscrew the top of hers. I quickly down mine and grimace, closing my eyes to keep them from watering.

"God, you would think with how much I like to take shots I would be used to that," I grumble. Kelly's and Ronnie's faces look similar to mine as we all stare at each other.

"We should've brought salt and lime," Ronnie remarks, biting her lip.

"Oh, yeah. We could borrow Mason's cutting board and a knife too." I roll my eyes.

"We might've looked like jackasses, but at least we wouldn't be dying right now." Ronnie gives me a sassy look and I smile. I look past her head and notice a bag of red solo cups on the counter. Putting my flask back into my pocket, I walk around to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing three cups. I fill each of them with water and then walk back to Kelly and Ronnie.

"Always so thoughtful, Re," Kelly says, smiling. I grin back at her as Ronnie thanks me, taking her cup from my hands.

"Now, text Mason," Ronnie demands. I laugh and take out my phone. I glance at our brief messages from earlier today where I had wished him a happy birthday.