Starting With You

16. Your mixed signals are messing with me.

Teddy

THE LOUD MUSIC AT ROXY'S PUMPS THROUGH my brain as Rylie and I stand at the bar to order our drinks. I avoid looking at the corner where our usual spot is, not wanting to make eye contact with any of my friends. Rylie orders me some fruity drink that looks suspiciously similar to the one she made me at my house, and I take a small sip through the tiny cocktail straw.

Scrunching up my face, I glare at her. "Ew. What's with these sweet drinks tonight? What's wrong with beer?"

"Beer is for sitting at a high-top table, BSing with friends. Tonight we dance. Remember?" She twirls the straw around in her drink, looking over my shoulder. "Looks like the whole gang is here tonight, too. Come on, let's go show ourselves."

Before I can object, she is hauling me across the busy bar. My heart hammers the closer we get to my friends, and I suddenly wish I would have chugged the rest of the drink at my place.

"Well, if it isn't Wylie Rylie," Finn says as we stop in front of their group of tables. "Hi there, kitty cat."

She purrs at him before sinking into the open seat next to him. I awkwardly stand rooted in place, swirling the straw in my drink. I feel an arm loop over my shoulders and when I realize it's Kelly, I lean into him, grateful for the comfort.

"Hey," he whispers. "Didn't know if you'd show up tonight, but I see you let Rylie doll you up."

I elbow him when he moves his eyes down to check me out. "Fuck off, Kelly."

Laughing, he abandons me for the seat across from Rylie, who winks at him. "Look at that, all my favorite hot men have arrived." She purrs at him and Kelly winks back.

"I didn't realize it was feral animal night at Roxy's," Sutton huffs, jumping off her seat and stomping off.

Kelly turns to watch her go, and Rylie instantly calls him out on it. "Checking out your best friend's baby sister, huh, Kelly?"

He faces her with an evil smirk. "Well, aren't you just a shit stirrer tonight."

"Always, baby. Always." She winks at him again, which elicits a laugh from Kelly.

"Come join us, Teddy," Finn calls over the music to me, pushing out the chair on the other side of him. "We won't bite."

"Nope! She's not sitting tonight." Rylie rounds the table to me, points to my glass and makes a drinking gesture.

When I've drank nearly the whole thing, she takes the glass from me, plunks it on the table and pulls me toward the makeshift dance floor. Since it's still fairly early in the night, there are only a handful of people dancing. The way they gyrate against each other tells me they started drinking long before we did.

"Rylie!" I whimper. "Don't make me do this. You know I don't dance unless I'm completely sloshed."

"Fine," she relents, cradling me under her arm as she guides me back to the bar. We fall onto stools at the bar top and she holds up two fingers to Randy, the bartender. "Did you see the way Jensen was looking at you?"

"What?" I whip around to survey my groups of friends at the table in the corner. I hadn't been brave enough to look at who was in attendance, opting to stare at the contents of my pink drink instead.

Now I could see my best friend, and he was staring right at me. We share a look for a heated moment before he breaks eye contact.

Spinning back around in my seat, I groan. "Shit. He's here."

"Yeah, he is. And the plan is working. The guy can't keep his eyes off you."

Randy sets two glasses of the same pink drink in front of us and I groan. "Come on, Rylie. No more with this shit."