~Joey~

"Last night was amazing!" Heather says, throwing a pillow and catching it in a bear hug. She twirls like a little girl and lands on our bed with the pillow still in her grasp.

Is she giddy or is she giddy?

"Yep," I agree, propping myself onto our vanity table. It really was amazing, conversation with Keenan being the highlight of my night.

"I still can't believe I did a body shot!" She giggles.

"Who took it off you?" I ask.

"Wyatt." Her grin fades as she meets my eyes. "He insisted, I wasn't really thinking straight."

"Heth, I don't care." I roll my eyes. "It's all in the past and I just want to move on. Sure, he's not one of my favorite people, but there's other reasons for that. If you want to have sex with him, go ahead."

Her eyes widen on instant. "Hey, hold up! No one said anything about having sex!"

I smirk. "Did I read wrong?"

"No, but—" Her eyes widen as she hears herself speak. "I mean-I mean yes! You definitely read wrong. I just really like the fact that we all had fun."

"Mhm."

She scowls at me and I blow a kiss to counter it. She rolls her eyes and picks up the pillow again. "Did you finally finish 'After Yuletide'?"

I blink. "What?"

"You left, I assumed you snuck away to go read like you said you would."

"Riiight." I twist my toes. I didn't read a word, between talking to Keenan and well...talking to Keenan. By the time we checked the time, a full hour had passed of us chatting back and forth about literally everything pertaining books and my childhood. We didn't talk much about him, though. He avoided questions about his family, though I know that his sister is currently sick. His eyes went sadder than I've ever seen when he mentioned her and I'd changed the subject by asking about his tattoos-they're mostly roses because those are his favorite flowers, and some are phrases. After that, it was about my parents' stance on tattoos, which just led us right back into tales of my childhood.

I have a feeling he'll open up about himself one day, I just have to give him time. Isn't that what friendships are about?

"Earth to Joey!" Heather's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, I was...thinking."

"You—" she's cut off by a knock.

"Come in!" I yell, both at the door and to block out whatever Heather was about to say. "We're decent!"

The door swings open to reveal Kevin Alvarez in his natural state and form—hungover. I grin at the bags under his eyes.

"Hey."

"You look amazing, Kev. How's the hangover?" I ask him.

He rolls his eyes. "I puked it up, so mild, thank you. The guys and I are going out. If you guys wanna join, you have five minutes." He closes the door behind him, then opens it again. "And you're paying for your own stuff."

~~~~

I hop off the vanity to use the mirror to fix my face. I pull the band holding my hair and shake it out, then push it with both hands behind my ears. I add little lipstick and dark eyeliner because I want to look hot in case I get caught on hidden camera.

"Let's go, Joey!" Someone yells from downstairs.

"One second!" I drop the makeup and grab my backpack, kindle, and my copy of 'The Risk', the first book in the Mindf*ck series, which I started two weeks ago and haven't gotten around to finishing. I have it on my kindle, so I have an idea what to do with the hard copy...if he'll take it. I scribble my number and a note in the cover, then slip it in the bag for delivery.

"Joey!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" I hurry out, close the door behind me and make one last stop to Keenan's room. I set the book on his bed, then head outside to meet the others, who are already hurdled around Vincent's SUV.

"We were bouta leave you," Vincent says as I join the posse. "I've been screaming your name."

"Sorry, I had a thing."

"We could've just left her," Wyatt says with a coy grin.

"I was getting tired of holding them off," Heather says.

"Well, the important thing is that we didn't leave. I already called shotgun, by the way," Stella chips, making her way to the front.

I heave a sigh from all the running I just did. "Where are we going again?"

"Some ice cream shop because these idiots are still hungover and they think ice cream will help them."

I'm not sure how or why anyone would think that, but I'm not about to say no to free ice cream. "Sounds good."

"There are eight seats, so Stella and Kevin are in front, me and Joey in the middle and three of you can take the back," Heather says, designating seats to everyone.

"No, Joey's in the back with me," Vincent says. He gets incredibly handsy when drunk though, so I shake my head.

"Actually, no. I'll be just fine in the middle."

"Hear that?" Heather smiles as she speaks. "She's fine in the middle."

Keenan comes out of the house with a bucket in hand and white towel hanging from his shoulder. He and Logan aren't coming because they apparently have better things to do.

"Stop being difficult, Joey. It's just a seat. You can sit on my lap if you want."

I peel my eyes from Keenan to answer Vincent. "What? No. I don't need to be on your lap. I have my own buttcheeks to sit on."

"Will you guys stop fighting like children and get in the car?!" Kevin yells from the driver's seat window. I flip him off and he responds by honking the horn so loudly, Stella screams at him from the passenger seat.

"Okay, fine. I'll just join you and Heather can sit with Wyatt and Brett," Vincent says. Brett shakes his head subtly but I catch it in my side eye. Before I can read enough into it, Heather speaks again.

"I am not sitting in the back."

"Well it's my car and I say get in the back."

"Okay, fine. Then just I won't go," I suggest, even though I really want to.

"You all shut up!" Kevin cuts in. "Vincent come drive and I'll sit in the back."

"I'm hungover, motherfucker!" Vincent shouts back, then turns to me. "Joey just stop playing this game. We both know you want to so why can't you just —"

Keenan's voice interrupts me before I even start speaking. "Why don't you leave the girl the fuck alone if she doesn't want to sit with you? Joey, take shotgun. Vincent sit your fucking ass with Brett and Wyatt and Stella join Heather in the middle, you can shotgun later."

Vincent scoffs. "She already called-"

"No! I agree, I'll sit with Heather," Stella says and hops out of the front seat before anyone else can say anything.

Heather pushes the second middle seat down so that Brett and the others can climb inside before Stella takes her seat. I walk to the front and pull the door open, situating myself beside my brother. The window is open, so I stick my head out and mouth 'thank you' to Keenan, who nods and mouths back something I don't get because the car starts moving.

Kevin glances at me and sighs. "What? I just said thank you."

"Who cares? He owes you major pints." He mutters back. I roll my eyes.

When we get to the ice cream shop, I step in with a smile on my face. The place isn't small, but not too large, either. The first sight is a large showcase, containing several bowls of ice cream, lined side by side. Beside us, a glowing pink wire is twisted to make out the word Melted, which is the name of the store.

After taking photos and placing orders, Heather, Stella and I huddle together at one of the green, ice cream themed booths, while the boys walk around, doing whatever it is boys do at creameries. Wyatt starts talking to a cute blonde girl of about my height and the others get on with their business.

"Let's be real. If I wasn't in a relationship, I'd be all over Vinny because he's tall, dark and handsome." Heather snorts at Stella's words. I just laugh, which makes her pout and look between us. "What, are you two like anti-relationship or something?"

"Nope," I answer for the both of us.

"Virgins?" She asks in a low voice. I shake my head.

Heather shrugs. "I am."

"I'm not," I say. I've just never been one to settle down for no reason. I've had friends dating guys they didn't like, simply because it made sense to do so. And half, if not all the time, it ends in a disaster of epic proportions. I'm ready to throw caution to the wind and try things on other fronts of life...just not this.

"Okay, so why are you avoiding Vincent?"

"You really want me to answer that?" I deadpan. Stella shrugs like she really can't think of a single reason why not. "Okay, fine. Literally every girl at Bowen who knows Vincent says thinks like He's nice, he's hot, he's sexy...okay, and?" I wave my plastic spoon toward myself. "I'm 'nice, hot and sexy' and I don't think guys have an obligation to like or date me."

"But he's into you," she says, taking a photo of her ice cream mid scoop. "Isn't that a reason to at least try?"

I shrug. "No. He's a great guy but I don't want it because I don't want it."

"Move," Kevin says, bumping himself into our booth beside me. He sets his delicious looking parfait down on the table and I'm quick to swap it with my half eaten rocky road. He loves rocky road, so he ignores the plain injustice and switches the spoons before digging into my ice cream. "What are you guys yapping about?"

"Why your sister doesn't date," Stella answers, watching his hands wearily. "Did you seriously just give her your entire parfait?"

He pushes his glasses up his nose and shrugs. "I'll get it back."

I snort. No, he won't.

"No wonder you don't want a boyfriend. You guys basically act like a couple besides the matching blood, genes and eyes."

"Okay one, gross and two, they don't have matching eyes," Heather corrects, shaking her head. "Joey doesn't need glasses."

"Yes she does," Kevin argues.

I chuckle. "I'm like six percent short sighted. I'm practically perfect."

"Aren't you wearing contacts?" Kev whispers. I shake my head no and his lips part in shock. I'm surprised he didn't know. I rarely wear my glasses or contacts anymore.

"Don't worry, I'll get rechecked whenever we go home. Hopefully I haven't corrected yet so we can match again."

He rolls his eyes, pulls his glasses off and sets them on the table. "There."

"See?!" Stella squeals. "Like a couple!"

"Okay, stop. You're getting creepy." He rolls his eyes. "We're not...like a couple." He looks me up and down, then shudders. "Gross."

He just called me gross but to be honest, back at him so I'll ignore it. "Yeah, disgusting. I don't have a boyfriend because I don't want one, not because of him," I maintain.

"Vin's really on your back, huh?" He mutters, eating a spoonful of ice cream.

Heather shrugs. "Can't you just tell him you're not interested...like, straight up?"

"I care about Vincent, okay? Imagine I tell him that and he decides he hates me," I explain. "What do I do then?"

Stella drops her cup. "So you want him to keep liking you but you don't like him." She shrugs. "Slay bitch."

I laugh at her words. No, that is definitely not the case. I'm not above flings, but as for intentionally leading someone on, then that's beyond even me. "I just mean that want to keep our friendship. He's a great guy."

"Exactly."

"Kev, you're only saying that cause he's friends with Keenan Reid, who is the literal urban legend for beginner junkies."

"Shut up, I don't even do drugs."

Laughter bubbles out of us girls. "You don't have to lie, Kev. We all know what you've been doing," Heather says.

"Well, I stopped." He focuses on Stella as he says the word 'stopped'. "He's not even dealing anymore."

"Really?" I turn my head. Keenan never mentioned that, but then again, we didn't really talk about him last night.

"Nope. His brother's not talking to him for now so his reservoir is seized."

I pause with a piece of parfait halfway to my mouth and it topples onto Kevin's lap. That isn't true, he told me he spoke to his brother yesterday. Is he lying to them?

Somehow, I feel like I have an entirely different relationship with Keenan than anyone else here.

"Really, what caused that?" Heather asks.

"No idea."

"Maybe I'll ask him," Stella offers.

I get a little twinge in my stomach at the thought, but I quickly ignore it. It's not my business, even if he decides to answer a personal question from Stella, and not from me.

"Personally, I wouldn't get too close, Stella. He's got baggage, believe me. We keep him around, but..." Kevin stops talking and shrugs.

"But what?" I prod.

He lowers his head and voice to continue. "Brett thinks he's planning something against next year. He's been calm these past few days, but they say they've noticed him getting more distant over the months. We never know what could happen."

"Well have you asked him?" I ask, not believing he's talking about the same Keenan I sat and laughed with last night.

My brother scoffs. "Like he'd say anything. He's a bag of secrets."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, but we know him. And sometimes, it's better not to get involved with certain things, even just by knowing them. He got his hands on GHB, Jo. That's major shit we're dealing with, and according to Brett, it wasn't even from his brother. And look what it did, it knocked you out within minutes. Where could he have gotten that?"

It is as if all the cold air in the creamery seeps through my skin, particularly into my chest. My heartbeats grow faster as multiple possibilities begin to run through my mind. I pause, remembering what Keenan said yesterday, about people drawing their own conclusions before asking questions. Though, I have to admit, it's getting increasingly hard to keep an open mind right now.

"So cut him off, then!" Heather says, her eyes coating with worry. "If he can possibly endanger you guys, stop being friends with him."

"It's not that easy, Heth. He knows the other guys too well."

"He doesn't know you and Logan too well," Stella says. "You guys have got to stop hanging out with them. There's plenty of guys at our own school to befriend."

Kevin buffers for a few seconds, then finally nods. "We'll definitely think about it."

"Wait a second," I say, knowing that I'm about to sound like a bit of a fool. "Why don't we hold on with this first, and maybe get our facts straight?"

"Better safe than sorry," Heather says. "I know you're trying to be chill about things, but look what they already did to you and now this...personally, I'm cutting him off completely. If I ever see him again after spring break, it'll be too soon."

"Honestly, I'm thinking that too, if things don't change ASAP," Stella says.

Kevin's eyes meet mine like he's expecting me to say the same thing. I don't know the full truth and I don't know Keenan's side of things yet. After last night, I think it'll be greatly unfair to him if I don't at least try.

"Joey, you have to stay away from him."

I swallow to keep my nerves in check. I can't make the promise he's asking me to, but I can't make the 'why' obvious. "Yeah, I'm with Stella on this. If things don't change, then yeah. Me too."

He nods, satisfied.