“It’s not gonna be me,” I reminded him when he gave me a knowing look.

“We’ll see, LC. We’ll see.”

9

July 11

Kennedy

“KIRA, ARE YOU really not going to go?”

I waited for Kira to turn and face me, but she never moved from the fetal position she was in on her bed.

“No,” she finally grunted.

After waiting a few seconds more for her response, I walked over and sat so I was resting against her back. “Well then, I’m not going,” I promised as I played with her long hair.

Last weekend she’d started staying in the condo instead of going out with Liam and the people we’d been regularly hanging out with. During the week, she’d been mostly normal at work—although more than a handful of times I found her staring at nothing with a worried look on her face. Then yesterday at work she didn’t say a word the entire time we were there, and hadn’t left her bedroom since we’d gotten home.

“Just go, Kennedy. I don’t want to talk today.”

My forehead pinched, and for a second, my hand paused in her hair. Once I started up again, I shrugged. “That’s okay. We don’t have to talk. But there’s obviously something going on with you. I’m not going to leave you when you’re like this.”

“I don’t want you here,” she responded immediately with a monotone voice.

“That’s okay too,” I whispered.

“No, Kennedy, really. Please leave.” This time her voice shook with her words.

I heard the front door open with a knock and looked up, waiting until I saw Liam fill the doorway to Kira’s room. I shook my head slowly in response to his question-mark expression, and he just nodded.

“Hi, Liam. Bye, Kennedy and Liam,” Kira mumbled, and I sighed.

Given the way she was acting, I normally wouldn’t have left her. But we’d gone through a similar conversation last night, and I’d ended up backing out of dinner with Liam to stay with her—which had resulted in Kira shrieking for me to leave her alone until I finally left her room.

Kira and I could bicker like there was no tomorrow, that’s just how we were and always had been. Probably because my parents were the exact same way, and while Kira was just like Mom, I was too much like our dad. But nothing that was said in this conversation could have made me pick a fight with her. I was too upset for her, and I wasn’t even sure what was bothering her this time. If she and Zane were fighting, I wouldn’t have known because she wouldn’t talk to me about him anymore.

“Kennedy—” she began, but I cut in.

“Okay, I know. We’re leaving.” I stood and walked over to Liam, but called back to Kira, “Call me if you need me.”

When she didn’t respond, I looked up to Liam and pushed him away from the door so I could close it behind us.

“We don’t have to go anywhere,” he assured me.

“No, it’s fine. Once I left her room last night, she never said a word to me or left her bed. I sat outside her door most of the night, and she never even cried. There’s no point in staying here again. She’ll call me if she needs me.”

Liam didn’t move toward the front door, and with a deep breath out, he asked, “Are you sure? I really don’t care if we don’t leave.”

“I’m sure.” Grabbing his hand, I started walking toward the door, but he didn’t budge. “Liam,” I groaned on a laugh.

He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between us, and pulled me close. “Your sister’s upset. I’m not going to make you—”

Pressing my mouth to his to make him stop talking, I smiled and stood on the balls of my feet to wrap my arms around his neck when he deepened the kiss.

“Nice distraction,” he murmured against my lips, and I made an affirmative noise in the back of my throat.

“Kira will be fine. I want to leave the condo, and I want to spend time with you. Please, can we go?” When Liam just stared at me with a torn expression, I added, “I’ll text Zane.”

“Fine,” he conceded. “But only if you text him.”

“As soon as we get in the car, I promise.”

With a look back at Kira’s room, Liam released me and began towing me toward the front door. As soon as we were in the car and it was turned on, he looked at me expectantly, and waited until I was done texting Zane about Kira’s mood and begging him to call her. Once my phone was back in my lap, Liam leaned in for a quick kiss before backing out of the space and heading over to his friend’s place.

I’d been there before, but still couldn’t believe the size of it when we pulled up. This guy’s house was so extravagant and large that he even hired a valet parking service for when he had parties. Kira had called his house a resort because that’s pretty much what it looked like. You could easily get lost trying to find a bathroom, and I’d told Kira he should have signs up directing guests.

He had a kitchen the size of our condo—that was only for entertaining purposes and appearance—and a much larger kitchen in the back for his chefs. Outside there was a basketball court, tennis court, two pools and a hot tub, and a small golfing area—and by small, I mean it was large enough for nine holes. And that’s not including the third pool and hot tub that were in the house, as well as the bowling alley. There were also menus placed near random phones in the house so you could call in a food order to the kitchen. And the best part? The part of the beach the house was on was private.

Like Kira said . . . resort.

Liam had gone to school with the owner of the house’s younger brother and sister, and apparently Eli and Liam did a lot of the advertising for the man’s business. Whatever his business was. I’d forgotten as soon as he’d told me just like I’d forgotten the guy’s name. Kira and I had been referring to him as RB—Rich Bastard.

There were hundreds of people there. Some in the house, some outside at the pools, and a few mingling on the beach. Weaving through the bikini-wearing girls and guys without shirts were waiters delivering drinks and food.

Liam kept his arm around my waist as he talked with someone he knew, and I just tried to take everything in again. It was all super overwhelming—even more so the second time around since Kira wasn’t with me.

“Well, don’t you two look a little overdressed?” a loud voice boomed from behind us, and we turned to find RB standing there with a wide smile. “Liam, how are you?”

“Good, doing good. Rob, do you remember Kennedy?”

Rob . . . Rich Bastard . . . same thing. I plastered a smile on my face and extended a hand toward him. “Good to see you again!”

He took my hand quickly, then pulled his away and pointed at me. “Was I really wasted last time, or were there two of you?”

“There were two. My twin, she’s not here,” I explained seconds before he pulled me in for a hug.

“Good deal, I was about to worry about my alcohol intake if I’d been seeing double.” He laughed and pointed at a man passing us. “Chris! This couple needs to be relieved of some clothing. Care to help them out?”

A uniform-wearing guy stepped up to us and pulled a key ring out of his pocket. After taking the key off, he handed Liam the key ring that had a gold plate with the number 103 on it. “Don’t lose that, please, otherwise I won’t be able to get your clothes back until everyone else has left the party. What clothes and belongings can I take for you?”