All in

Chapter 12

Catherine's POV

I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach, but that was pretty hard to do considering my heart was beating so fast I was worried I was going to pass out.

Tyler Jameson was going on and on and on about his daddy's cottage and a boat and a lake and a Fourth of July party.

What. Ever. God, he liked to listen to himself talk. And Annabeth wasn't any better. She was sitting on Noah's lap, listening to whatever was on his mind as if he was Jesus giving a sermon. I had to admit that they looked cute together, but still...she should be paying attention to what was happening to me. At least a little bit.

Because what was going on with me was pretty pathetic. I didn't know how to act like I didn't care that Drive-in Girl was practically mauling Jason, so I prayed that no one would notice.

Not that anyone other than Tyler was paying attention to me. I felt like I was in sixth grade all over again. Playing with the big boys and having no clue.

I exhaled. Good. Breathe. You can do this.

I nodded when Tyler asked me if I liked to water-ski. Um, no, but it seemed easier to just agree with whatever he was saying. He'd been pretty much glued to my side since we arrived nearly half an hour ago. Which was weird. It's not as if we run in the same social circles, but then, I guess I presented a bit of a challenge. I knew what some of the guys in town thought of me, and I knew that they considered "nailing the Mayor's daughter" as some sort of win.

Whatever. It used to bother me, but now it seemed so immature and silly, considering all the other stuff going on in my life.

The bonfire glowed red, and I stared into the flames because I didn't know where else to look. Why had I agreed to come to this party?

Oh. Right. Because Annabeth convinced me that I needed to. You know, because it was going to be fun. A blast. An epic party, I think she'd said, adding that as a bonus, I could show Jason Smith what he was missing.

I told her I didn't care what Jason Smith thought.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a skimpy top from her wardrobe.

Her enthusiasm, coupled with the fact that my parents were home but not speaking to each other, made my decision way easier than I would have liked. So I let Annabeth dress me up and do my makeup. The result was that I looked a little on the trashy side and I felt a whole lot uncomfortable.

"Do you want to walk a bit?"

Annabeth and Noah's lips were locked together. "Sure," I found myself saying. It's not like I was going to be missed here anyway. I felt like an idiot nursing a red Solo cup of Jack and Coke, and I don't care what Annabeth said-it was just as gross cold as it was warm.

Caleb grabbed my hand, and we trudged the opposite direction of Jason and Drive-in Girl. We walked past a couple who were half undressed and pushed up against a tree and another couple whose moans made them sound like a bunch of wild animals caught in a trap. Seriously? Pride, people.

It didn't take long for the forest at the edge of the clearing to swallow us up.

"This is much better," Tyler said.

I wasn't exactly sure what this was, but so far, other than having an extremely high opinion of himself and his father's money, he seemed harmless.

"I don't think I've seen you at one of these bashes before." His hand was still on mine.

"Trevor wasn't exactly a party animal."