Beneath

22 WAY TOO MUCH WINE

C A M I L A

Ever since I met Noah Bello, I've been paying more attention to things like quotes, history and patterns. I tear the paragraph from the magazine, tossing it back over to Maddie's empty hotel bed. This scrap has all I need. The world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history. Oscar Wilde.

I press my cheek to my knee, a broad, girly smile splitting my face. Ugh, I'm disgusting. I can't stop smiling.

Noah and I danced for hours, singing Creep by Radiohead, pretending to be repulsed by each other. I had another shot of tequila. Noah had two. When our hands got a little carried away, Jed was there to remind us of where we were: his party. Noah was annoyed. It was adorable.

When Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell came on, Fox took the hand of old Irene, a maid at the inn, and brought her to the dancefloor. She showed off her moves with him, some kind of routine they must have made up. The crowd ate it up.

After that, Noah managed to snag a chicken salad from a table that was assured no-nuts, and I ate a few slices of pizza. We talked, we laughed, and we ogled each other. When I tripped on my feet, Noah scooped me up into his arms and took me up here, telling me to drink lots of water. I didn't want him to leave, so I grabbed my cheeks, pressed a kiss to his mouth, then said goodnight. I've now showered, finger-combed my curls, and slipped on a pair of little yellow shorts and Noah's grey crewneck.

The door to our hotel room crashes open and I flinch violently.

Maddie and Paige's return comes with the subtlety of a marching band.

Maddie's wrapped in her Dalmatian costume, which still looks painted on, and Paige's headdress is askew. Each has an armful of rosé bottles, clinking together.

"Girl's Night on the roof!" Maddie shouts, waving a bottle of rosé toward me. The label is a blur of French, likely hundreds of dollars per glass.

"I'll take a rain check," I say with a little laugh, "Where's Fox?"

"Why are you asking about Fox?" Paige says, tilting her head.

"Come on, Cam!" Maddie jumps up and down a little, her blond hair bouncing with her.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Paige teases.

"I need to sleep." I gesture weakly to my bed. "We've got class tomorrow. We shouldn't—"

"Stop!" Maddie snaps. "Why can't you just be a good friend for once! You didn't talk to me all night but you had time to dance with my boyfriend!"

"I..." The word catches in my throat, a lump forming that makes it hard to swallow, hard to breathe. "Maddie, I didn't mean to..."

But the words won't come.

Maddie has always been more than just a roommate; she's my friend, my confidante, the one person who has been with me for the last three years. And I left her on the sidelines tonight. I didn't even know she was looking for me.

"I'm sorry," I finally manage, the words barely a whisper choked out around the tightness in my chest. "I was selfish. I didn't think—"

"Didn't think what?" Maddie's voice is sharp. Beneath the anger, I see the hurt.

Paige steps forward, breaking the tension with a bottle of rosé shoved into my hands. "Enough. Cam, you screwed up. Don't dance with your friend's boyfriend. Maddie, you're half-way drunk. Let's not waste good wine on bad feelings."

I nod, swallowing past the knot in my throat. "Okay. I'll come to the roof."

Maddie's expression softens, the anger receding like the tide. "Good."