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ONE YEAR PRIOR.
CASSIDY WAS ABSOLUTELY WASTED. She swung her hips to the beat of the music, her cup spilling everywhere around her from her spot on the table and she couldn't find half the effort to care about the mess. All she cared about was that, for the first time since Renee had died, she felt something other than the painstaking grief that rampaged through her body.
Topper watched his girlfriend dance atop the table and bitterly took a sip from his cup, glaring at the boys who stared at the girl. He was pissed that she was acting so brazenly as if he wasn't feet away from her. She hadn't spoken a word to him throughout the night and it was his own goddamn party.
He flinched as Rafe stumbled up besides him, his lips lingering on the blonde girl's as she attempted to pull him back towards her to no avail. "It's time for you to get the fuck away from me," he spat towards her, rolling his eyes as she let out a string of curses directed at him and stalked away. He laughed at the encounter and turned back towards Topper, slinging his arm over the boys shoulder as he followed his eyes towards the dancing girl.
"Well shit, Top. Cass sure puts on a good show," Rafe slurred, raising his cup towards Cass as she caught his eye and winked, swaying her hips more as Sarah clambered up and joined her in the movement. He looked back towards Topper and shoved his body, nodding towards Cassidy with a small grin.
"Bro, your girlfriend is up there half naked and you're standing here like a fucking loser. If I had her in my life, I wouldn't be able to take my hands off of her—"
"Shut the fuck up, Rafe," Topper snarled, shoving his friend away from him as Rafe held up his hands in defense. He laughed after a moment and grabbed a bottle from a passing boy, chugging it as his eyes closed following the burning sensation. He was, putting it modestly, on the brink of being just as drunk as Cassidy Blaire was and he was loving every second of it.
"Trouble in paradise?" He taunted Topper, his eyes falling back to the dancing blonde as he grinned at the sight. He had been furious when he had found out about their relationship, picturing himself in the spot that Topper had snatched right from his fingers. He had been so damn close to bagging Cassidy Blaire and, just like that, Topper has managed to get her for himself.
"She won't talk to me," Topper admitted, his voice raised slightly so that he could be heard over the blaring music. "She's acting like she's perfectly okay and I know that she isn't," he continued, chugging the rest of his cup as he watched even more people climb atop of the table to join his girlfriend in her performance.
