You don’t have to be looking to find the best fucking thing for you.

Sometimes all you have to do is open your eyes and realize it found you first.

I glare out the front window.

“You got a thing for her?” I ask him point blank.

“What?! No!”

His answer is instant and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“I love Krista. I’m happy with Krista and plan to follow her ass around like a little bitch after graduation.” He laughs lightly. “I like Demi, and I care about her, but no...” He trails off, and I cut a glance his way.

“What?”

A heavy tension lines his eyes, and he curses under his breath. “I gotta tell you something.”

“Tell me what?” I ask, merging over and turning down the road that leads to the airport.

He shakes his head, blowing out a long breath. “Look, this—”

Trent’s phone beeps.

With a sigh, he pulls it from his pocket, frowning at the screen.

“Goddamn this girl.” He shakes his head.

“That was Krista?”

“Yeah.”

“What did she say?”

He lifts the phone for me to glance at the screen.

A picture of the inside of a liquor store bag full of junk food and a bottle of Hennessey, he scrolls up to show the other one that came with it.

It’s of the girls walking, a near empty bottle at Krista’s lips.

“They’re walking?”

In the fuckin’ dark?

He types away. “She don’t listen.”

I chuckle, turning into the terminal that leads to the pickup line. “They never do.”

Trent laughs, looking out the window.

“We gotta talk, Nic,” he says.

I shake my head, not up for this. “Not right now, your brother’s coming out in a minute.”

He turns to me, an overwrought expression on his face. He nods. “Yeah, all right, man, but later, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I agree, when I have no desire to hear him tell me for the tenth time this is a bad idea.

We’re so fuckin’ far past that.

I lean over, sticking my tongue out and touching it to Macy’s while Krista takes a picture, laughing.

Carley plops down beside us, but slides off the bench, falling to her ass on the grass and the two of us drop with her.

“Hey, don’t leave me out!” Krista whines and throws herself onto the pile.

We giggle, letting our empty snack containers tumble to our sides, and lay there silently.

After our first few shots, we decided to walk along the green strip that leads to the golf course. Halfway through, though, the Hennessey kicked in and the snacks ran low, so we sat down, drank some more and here we are – a mile from the golf course one way, and a mile from Macy’s house the other.

I sigh. “Why do guys suck?”

“Because it’s the only way they know how to work the clit from the outside.”

The three of us bust up laughing while Macy smiles, proud of herself.

“I’m so drunk,” Krista hiccups. “And hungry. Are you guys hungry?”

“Starved.” I blink several times, following the lights of a plane flying overhead.

“What did Nico do, Demi?”

Made me believe in us.

“He kissed me.”

Carley and Macy push up on their elbows while Krista’s head snaps my way.

“I’m confused.” Carley tries to frown.

I groan, closing my eyes. “So am I! My boyfriend is supposed to kiss me, right?”

“I think she’s trashed,” Macy says.

“She’s definitely trashed.” Krista yawns. “And I’m definitely dying from starvation.”

“Let’s finish the walk to the country club. We can charge some shit to my mom’s account,” Carley says.

We all agree, but nobody moves, and a few minutes later we’re chuckling for no reason, but mine dies when a familiar face is suddenly glaring down at me.

“I think I’m having a nightmare,” I whisper.

The girls chuckle, then open their eyes.

Macy screams before she rolls over laughing at herself and Carley groans, throwing an arm over her face.

Nico looks left so my eyes follow, finding Trent glowering at Krista the same, but she only smiles up at him.

When she lifts her arms like a child, his grin breaks free and he sighs, bending to pick her up off the grass. She wraps her arms around his neck, then looks at us. “I solved our food dilemma. No more apocalypse.”

I push onto my elbows, but my head starts pounding and I fall back slightly, blinking hard.

Nico grips my arms, stupid flat expression on his handsome asshole face. “You good?”

My eyes search his, and the ache in my chest comes back harder than earlier. I tug free and have Carley help instead. It’s not the best idea, but it works.

Nico stays bent on one knee, glare pointed my way, while I attempt helping Macy stand. Neither of us are steady on our feet and we stumble, but Nico’s reflexes are sharp, and he’s able to grab ahold of us both before we fall.

Macy looks up at him, letting out a whimsical sigh. “You should share, Demi.”

“Sharing would imply he’s actually mine,” I murmur, and Nico’s glare cuts to me.

My eyes widen and I cut a quick glance to Macy who, luckily, is already headed for Trent’s truck.

I shrug away from Nico, following my friends.

“My truck is behind his.” His words are a firm warning, one I choose to ignore.

“Might wanna move it before he hits you then,” I say over my shoulder, dragging my ass in with the girls while Trent drops Krista in the front and shuts the door to talk to Nico.

“You mad at me, Demi?” Krista asks as she attempts to put on her seatbelt.

“Yes.” I drop my head back. “But if you feed me, I’ll forgive you.”

She yawns. “Deal.”

Trent hops in a moment later, announcing we’re following Nico to his house to drop off his truck before we find somewhere to eat, and within minutes, my friends are climbing into the third row, my fake boyfriend who I thought real kissed me has weaseled his way to my side.

He wraps an arm around me, and I attempt to slide away, but freeze when his lips brush my ear.

“We haven’t ended this.” His words are a harsh whisper. “You said you aren’t mine, I heard you loud and fuckin’ clear, but to them you are, so act like it or I’ll make sure everyone knows what we’re really doing.”

I jerk my head toward him, glaring at those deceitful lips. “And what are we really doing, Nico?” I hiss, my gaze snapping to his. “Because I’m not even sure anymore.”

“What does that mean?” he hisses right back, frustration burning deep in his tone.

But his eyes...

A powerless pain.

I don’t understand you, Neek.

“Where should we go?” Trent’s voice breaks through our hushed conversation.

I clear my throat, facing forward.

“Oh, let’s go to the place we used to eat at every Friday night before they kicked us out!” Krista shouts.

“No way! They’ll recognize us,” Carley says.

“Yeah right. We were flat chested, brace-faced kids. Besides, no way it’s the same workers there!” Krista adds.