Childhood best friends to enemies to lovers.
Alina wants nothing to do with the rebellious bad boy, Liam Somner.
Which is difficult, because he goes to her school. And lives on her street. And keeps showing up at her apartment, and sitting in her ki...
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When the flask is empty Liam convinces us to rejoin the party, and now that I've got a bit of alcohol in my system I find I'm not so hesitant. The music is loud, everyone's shouting over each other, and the floor is kind of sticky, but I don't hate being here. It's my first time back in this world - the world of high school - and I try to take a screenshot in my mind of everything, from the girls playing beer pong to the guys who are dancing stupidly in the middle of the room, because I can't shake the feeling that this can't last forever.
But then Gracie finally gives in and is pulled into the group of girls and Liam is dragged into dancing with the boys, and I'm left standing in the kitchen, holding a red plastic cup, and wondering if I'll ever be at a party where people like me so much that they look for me, and want me to join them. I wonder what it's like to have a group of people who would seek me out in a crowded room and beg me to dance.
I pull out my phone - I got the screen repaired at the Apple store today - and glance down at the texts, and then I have to look again because I realise I have two missed calls from Mom. My stomach does a panicked flip and I stare at the missed calls.
My first thought is instantly Oscar.
I let him walk out into the night, alone, and I have no idea what kind of mental state he's in, and maybe coming to this party was too much, and now something has happened. Something not good.
I scan the room, spotting Liam amongst the guys, and rush to his side. He's got a grin on his face and he's dancing recklessly with the boys.
"Liam," I say.
As soon as he sees my expression, Liam's smile disappears.
"Oscar?" he asks me.
"Oscar," I say.
Without another word, the two of us push through the crowd, racing to the elevator. As soon as we're in it and the doors close painfully slowly, Liam and I meet each other's gaze. I can see my own fear reflected in his face.
All I can think of is the sight of Oscar leaving this very party. Putting his headphones on. The wink. And then he was gone, into the night. That could be the last time I saw him alive.
I don't have signal in the elevator so I have to wait until we're on the street before I can call my Mom back, but then she doesn't pick up.
"Where do we go?" I ask Liam, and I hear the panic in my voice. I try to call my mom again.
"Call my mom," Liam says.
I do as he says, calling Sonja, and she doesn't pick up either.
"What do we do?" I ask. "Do we go home? Or do we go to a hospital? We don't even know which hospital!"
"Home," Liam says. "I can't stand just waiting. We have to move. If we walk home, maybe we can..." he doesn't finish the sentence, because right now we both know that there's nothing we can do. We just have to wait.
