"Do you want me to hold onto your purse?"

Ella sat perched on the edge of the tub in Russ Lee's guest bathroom with an oversized tote bag balanced on her lap. She stared at the bright purple mat that covered the peeling linoleum floor and wondered why she'd bothered dressing up to spend her night sitting next to a toilet. Jacqui had insisted that Ella make an effort, so she had, trading her favorite jeans for a pair of clean ones and finishing off the subtle transformation from country bumpkin to polished woman with low-heeled boots. Although her outfit was casual, Jacqui had been impressed with the way Ella's lacy tank top hugged her lean waist before the two girls left the latter's home. Ella usually wore long sleeves to protect her from both the sunlight and the wood ticks that lived in the fields around her farm, so she had to admit that it felt nice to show off her defined arms in something halfway girly.

Within thirty minutes of arriving at the party, however, Ella had two drinks spilled on her by other guests and she'd dropped one on herself, too. She knew it was one of the hazards of cramming an entire town's worth of teenagers in one small farmhouse, but usually she was lucky enough for her clothes to emerge unscathed. Ella made a mental note to throw her evening's outfit in the washing machine before Margot woke up so that her stepmom wouldn't catch the unmistakable scent of stale beer coming from her laundry hamper.

Jacqui glanced over her shoulder before returning her attention to her reflection in the mirror above the sink. "Would you mind?" she asked, dabbing at her lower lid with the corner of a tissue. Ella shook her head, reaching for Jacqui's tiny clutch. "Thanks, but to be honest, I can't believe you brought that thing; it's huge." Jacqui motioned towards Ella's bag. "Aren't you getting tired of people brushing against it?"

"Not really," Ella replied, placing Jacqui's clutch on top of her own wallet and then setting the tote on the ground. "Besides, we've spent most of our time hanging out in here."

Jacqui raised a perfectly filled in eyebrow. "Ella, I'm having a crisis."

Ella sighed. "What's new?" she replied without thinking. "You're always having a crisis."

"Wow, ouch." Jacqui frowned. "You're in a good mood tonight, huh?"

"Sorry," Ella mumbled, instinctively moving to smooth down her hair. In addition to telling her to dress up, Jacqui had told Ella to leave her hair unbraided, which meant that Ella's thoughts were consumed with a nagging panic that people were laughing at her poorly straightened waves. Leaning over to turn on the bathtub's faucet, Ella wet her hands under the cool stream and then ran her fingers through her hair in a feeble attempt to tame the ever-increasing frizz.

Jacqui sniffed and resumed fussing with her makeup. "Even if you think I'm a drama queen, I think I have a good reason to be upset." She pursed her lips while she reapplied a coat of dark lipstick. Although she was trying her best to hide it, Ella could hear the hurt in Jacqui's voice and she felt guilty for her previous comment. "I can't believe Max came with Jenn," Jacqui continued, her expression reminding Ella of an especially depressing basset hound. "Do you think they're together?"

"I don't know," Ella admitted. She wiggled her toes inside her shoes. A blister was beginning to form on the smallest toe of her right foot, she could feel it, but she hoped it wouldn't end up bleeding through her sock.

"I bet they're dating," Jacqui lamented. "Jen's so pretty, I hate her. I mean, I don't hate her, obviously — who could, when she's so freaking nice, too — but I'm totally depressed now. You saw it, right?" She turned around again to meet Ella's eye, wistfully clutching her lipstick tube to her chest. "Wasn't he, like, all over her in the living room? What'd you think?"

Ella hesitated. "They seemed pretty close, I guess," she finally answered, hoping that honesty really was the best policy.

"Great." Jacqui groaned as her shoulders sagged. "I can't believe I thought he liked me. I mean, after we kissed at the Fourth of July party, he actually texted me the next day." Ella remembered that. She also remembered that, at the time, Jacqui had described the kiss as being pretty terrible. "Why would he bother if he wasn't interested? I don't get it." Jacqui paused, her forehead creased with deep worry lines. "Am I gross? Seriously, El, am I hideous?"

Ella snorted. "Shut up, you loser. You know you're pretty."

Jacqui ignored her. "It would explain a lot, right? It would explain why guys are happy to hang out, but they don't... Want to date me."

Ella shook her head, unsure of how to tell her friend that her boy troubles probably had very little to do with her looks. Before she could say anything, however, both girls jumped at the sound of someone pounding on the door.

Ella scrambled to her feet. How long had it been since they'd left the party? Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, Ella unfastened the door's lock and allowed the next gaggle of girls to rush inside while Jacqui gathered her makeup and followed Ella into the hallway. Ella folded her arms across her chest and gave Jacqui a meaningful look, trying to find the right words to cheer her up.

"It's just Max," Ella began, clearing her throat. "He's not exactly James Dean, you know?"

Wordlessly, Jacqui scanned the crowd until her gaze landed on the current object of her affection. She stared at him for a moment before forcing a weak smile. "That makes it even more pathetic, don't you think?"

Ella watched Jacqui's confidence continue deflate while the lanky boy flirted openly with Jenn Baker. Jenn was an adorable brunette who'd somehow managed to avoid ever going through an awkward phase. She was one of the few biracial kids in town, and Ella had always marveled over how easily Jenn switched between English and Vietnamese when she spoke with her mom. More important than her looks, however, was the fact that Jenn never had a bad thing to say about anyone, which might have explained why nearly every boy in school had developed a crush on her at one point or another. Unfortunately for Jacqui, that meant that Jenn was almost always competing with her for attention from the boys she liked, and Jenn had a fairly consistent winning streak.

"Come on," Jacqui mumbled, turning away from the sight of the maybe-couple and heading for the keg in the kitchen.

Ella dutifully followed behind, offering apologies while she and Jacqui pushed through the crowd. She cringed when a cup brimming with beer slipped from someone's hand and splattered on the ground, splashing her for the fourth time in just under two hours. Annoyed with her luck, Ella turned away from Jacqui and walked past the bottles of cheap vodka on the kitchen countertop while she searched for a roll of paper towels to wipe off her shoes. The rustic wood paneling that covered the floor was coated in thick layers of potato chip crumbs and a mixture of sodas, and Ella wrinkled her nose as she knelt down to dab at the dark leather of her boots.

When she had finished, Ella tossed the soiled ply sheets into the overflowing garbage can near the sink and then returned to where the half-empty bottles of alcohol sat on display. Next to an uncapped handle of rum were stacks of plastic cups, and she reached for one, hoping that it was clean but knowing it probably wasn't. Ella had been telling the truth when she'd told Jacqui that she hated beer, but that distaste didn't necessarily extend to fruity drinks or shots of tequila. She poured a healthy finger of whiskey into her cup and then topped it off with what was left in a carton of apple juice. Ella brought the concoction to her nose and sniffed at it before adding another splash of Jack Daniel's to the mixture. Maybe she didn't want to get drunk that night, but if Jacqui wasn't going to snap out of her mood soon, Ella would definitely need something to take the edge off.

"Hey, Ella."

Startled by the sound of her name, she turned to see the owner of the deep voice that had spoken. Cal grinned at her and she offered a thin-lipped smile in return.

"Hi, Cal," Ella said, avoiding his gaze even as he reached forward to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I almost didn't recognize you with your hair like that," he admitted. He allowed his right hand to linger near her cheek for a moment before lowering it again.

"Oh yeah?" Ella's throat suddenly felt painfully dry, and she sipped at her mixed drink to wash away the chalky sensation in her mouth.

"Yep," Cal murmured with a nod. "It looks pretty down."

"I like it up," Ella responded automatically, only realizing how rude her comment sounded after the words left her lips. She drank from her cup again. "Thank you, though."

"Nah. What I really should've said was that I think you look great no matter how you wear your hair."

Ella wished that the rap song blaring over the speakers in Russ' living room had been turned a little bit higher, just so she wouldn't have heard what Cal said. How could she feel so attracted to him, yet simultaneously want to sprint in the opposite direction whenever he came her way?

Ella motioned towards the plastic cup in her one-time friend's hand, hoping to shift the discussion away from her looks. "What are you drinking?"

Cal glanced down at his drink as if he forgotten that he was holding anything. "Water."

"You're lying."

If there was one thing that Ella knew about Cal, it was that he could hold his drinks... and he liked to drink — a lot, if his usual antics at parties were any indication of his bad habits. Ella didn't hold that against him, though. In a town like theirs, drinking had to be one of the least self-destructive ways for bored kids to pass the time.

"Swear to God, I'm not. I drove," Cal explained, patting his front pocket. Ella's gaze fell to where his hand rested and she noticed the end of his keychain peeking from just above his pocket's lip.

"Oh."

There was an awkward pause. "So," Cal asked after refilling his cup with tap water from the sink. "How've you been?"

"Fine," Ella said too quickly. "Good. You?"

"Can't complain."

"I'm glad." Ella took another long sip, though this time the apple juice didn't mask the booze's acrid taste and she winced. "Well, I'm going to go find Jacqui before she thinks I ditched her—"

"She's fine," Cal said, pointing towards the door that led to Russ' dining room. As if on cue, Ella heard Jacqui's laugh rise over the party's chatter. "Last I saw, she'd partnered up with Brett Sanford for a round of beer pong."

Great, Ella thought, forcing another smile. Now how am I supposed to get out of this conversation? "Thanks for looking out for her."

Cal studied Ella for a long beat, almost looking offended. "Jacqui's my friend, too, you know."

They stared at each other until Cal cleared his throat. "Think we'll have any classes together this year?"

"Dunno," Ella replied. The subjects she excelled in were the same ones that Cal hated. "I guess we'll see."

"You still planning on applying to college?" Cal squinted at Ella, waiting for her to say yes but all she could do was shrug.

"Maybe."

"What's stopping you? You're smart. I bet you could even get a scholarship to one of the big state schools if you wanted to."

"Maybe," Ella said again. "I mean, I know I should apply, but I'm not sure..." She took a deep breath. What'd she have to lose by telling him the truth? "I think I'd rather go to fashion school than spend another four years writing essays."

"Huh." Cal brought a hand up to his neatly cut hair while he considered her answer. "Well, studying fashion would be good, too."

"Really?" Ella couldn't hide her surprise. She'd expected him to give her the same lecture she'd heard a hundred times before from just as many people.

Be realistic.

Come on, Ella, think about your future — the long-term future.

Do what we think is best for you...

Ella hesitated. Now that she'd heard his initial answer, she felt greedy. "You don't think I'm being stupid?"

"No. Why would I think that?"

"Because going to college—"

"—isn't the only way to be happy in life," Cal said, stunning Ella with his understated wisdom. For the first time since they'd ended things, Ella gave him a genuine smile.

What's wrong with me? Ella wondered, knowing deep down that if being with Cal had been an option rather than an expectation, she definitely would have been in love with the dark-haired boy by now.

They continued to talk — and flirt — in the kitchen for what felt like only minutes, but when Ella looked at the clock hanging above the stove, she was startled to see that it was already a quarter to one.

"Oh no," Ella said, pulling out her phone. She had three missed calls and four texts — all from Jacqui. "Shit. I suck."

"What's wrong?" Cal asked, but Ella twisted away from him before he could rest his hands on her shoulders.

"I need to find Jacqui."

Ella picked up her purse from where she'd set it on the counter and started for the living room. The party's crowds hadn't thinned at all. In fact, they'd seemingly doubled since she'd bumped into Cal. How long had they been talking?

Cal fell in step beside her while Ella went from room to room looking for her best friend. She felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she climbed the stairs and reluctantly began knocking on bedroom doors. Jacqui was a wonderful person — kind, smart, and honest. She was a great friend, which made it hard for Ella when Jacqui made less than amazing choices. Jacqui had been drunk before they'd arrived at the party, and Ella knew it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that Jacqui's beer goggles had led her to believe that hooking up with Brett Sanford was a good idea.

Sure, Brett was nice enough, but Ella knew that Jacqui would never even think about touching the guy if she were sober.

As Ella knocked on the final door that lined Russ' second floor hallway, a new worry crossed her mind. What if Jacqui had left — and what if she hadn't left with Brett? What if she'd been led away by one of the thirty-year-old townies who'd crashed the party early on?

Luckily, before Ella could spiral into a panicked tailspin, the door that she'd knocked on opened and Ella thought that Brett looked as relieved as she felt.

"Thank God," he muttered once he realized it was her, and he stepped to one side so that Ella and Cal could enter the dimly lit room. "I thought I was going to be stuck with her all night."

"What?" Ella frowned. "What do you mean by stuck with her?"

But as soon as she asked the question, Ella heard a horrible gurgling sound come from the en suite bathroom.

"What the hell?" Ella brushed by Brett, only half-listening to him as he explained that Jacqui had gone from playing beer pong, to flip cup, and then downed shots with the a couple guys from the baseball team as if she were drinking sweet tea. Inside the bathroom, Ella gasped when she saw Jacqui's body slumped lifelessly over the toilet, her cheek resting flat on the seat. If it weren't for the whimpers and other sounds of despair coming from Jacqui's mouth, Ella might've thought the other girl had died.

"At first I kind of thought it was cool because she seemed super into me," Brett explained, "but as soon as we got up here, she started puking over everything."

Ella knew he was telling the truth about the last part; the smell of vomit clung to the air in the bathroom like a toxic fog. As she tried not to gag, Ella noticed that Brett was only wearing an undershirt and jeans. Eyes watering, she looked at the sink and saw that Brett's button down was soaking in the soapy water that filled the basin.

"Oh, my God," Ella said, kneeling down on the faded bathmat while she stroked Jacqui's back. Ella tried to ignore the slime that coated sections of her friend's hair, though it was hard to pretend it was anything other than vomit when Jacqui began retching again. "Thank you for not leaving her. I'm so sorry you had to deal with this."

"It's fine," Brett said, though he seemed uncomfortable as he wrung out his shirt and held it at arm's length in front of him. "But, uh, do you mind if I take off? Since you guys are here and all..."

"It's fine," Cal said, answering for Ella. "We've got it."

Brett turned to leave but before he could disappear, Ella called out to stop him. "Please don't tell anyone about this, okay? Jacqui's going to be mortified when she wakes up."

Brett shook his head, his mouth curved into a strange grin. "That's funny."

"Huh?"

"Half the people at this party are seeing triple. Tell her she has nothing to be embarrassed about."

Brett really was an alright guy, Ella decided, and she thanked him before allowing him to slip away. Left alone, Ella and Cal exchanged nervous looks while they decided what to do next. Eventually, Cal mouthed at her, "Is she awake?"

Ella shrugged, and then said loudly, "Jacqui? Jacqui, can you hear me?"

A faint grunt greeted her in response. It was neither a 'yes,' nor a 'no,' and Ella had doubts that Jacqui had understood her at all.

"Nod twice if you're alive," Ella joked, hoping to elicit a chuckle from at least one of the two other people in the room. When no one reacted, Ella continued, "Jacqui, can you stand up?"

Jacqui didn't even grunt that time, so Ella leaned forward, taking hold of Jacqui's shoulders and gently pulling her away from the toilet until her back rested against the side of the nearby bathtub. Instead of staying upright, however, Jacqui slumped onto the floor, and Cal averted his gaze as her dress inched dangerously high up her legs. Ella tugged the hem of Jacqui's dress down and sighed.

Meanwhile, still not looking in their direction, Cal fiddled with the sink's faucet and Ella watched while he tested the water's temperature with the back of his hand. When he was satisfied, he grabbed a hand towel from the drying rack near the door and then let the water run over the terry cloth until it was damp.

"Here," he said, handing it to her, and Ella took it with an appreciative nod.

Brett hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said that Jacqui had puked everywhere. Along with what was in her hair, she also had vomit down the front of her dress, on her chin, and a suspicious splotch had stained her shoes. Wordlessly, Ella began dabbing at Jacqui's clothes, making sure to wipe away as much evidence of her having been sick as she could.When she'd finished, Ella stood up and rinsed the towel out before thinking aloud, "How the hell am I going to get her home?"

"I can drive," Cal offered, and Ella knew that she'd be an idiot to protest.

"Jacqui," Ella said, giving her friend a little shake, "come on, get up. Cal's going to take us home now."

Once again, there was no reply other than a single snore, but before Ella's frustration could boil over, Cal bent down and scooped Jacqui up in his arms. Ella knew that her best friend couldn't weigh much more than she did, but she was still impressed by how effortless Cal made it look as he carried Jacqui from the bedroom, down the house's back staircase, and out to the dirt driveway behind the garage where he'd parked his truck.

"Thanks, Cal," Ella said once Jacqui was tucked into the backseat of Cal's truck and her own seatbelt was fastened. She listened to the truck's engine come to life but it wasn't until they started moving down the bumpy road that Ella realized how much she'd had to drink, too. She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes, trusting Cal not to kill them. That was something she'd always appreciated about him; Cal might've done stupid things when he was with his friends, but he'd never been reckless around her. In all the times he'd driven her to school, she hadn't even seen him speed.

Cal's voice was low as he asked, "She lives out on Mulberry, right?"

Ella nodded, hugging herself while the heater wrapped her in a blanket of warmth. "Just past the main water tank."

"Got it."

The truck's cab was silent and Ella found herself struggling to fight off the urge to sleep. They were only a few minutes from Jacqui's house when Ella heard her best friend whimper. Despite the heaviness in her lids, Ella opened her eyes and turned around in her seat to study her. It was hard to see in the darkness, but the glow from Cal's dash panel gave off just enough light that Ella could see tears streaming down Jacqui's face. "What's wrong?" Ella asked.

Jacqui's words were heavily slurred from the booze. "I kissed Brett."

"I know," Ella replied. "Don't worry."

"I kissed him in front of Max."

"Oh." Ella glanced at Cal to gauge his reaction, but his face didn't even twitch. Ella looked at Jacqui again. "Are you sure?"

"No," Jacqui admitted. "I think I did, but I can't remember."

"That's what happens when you chug vodka," Ella teased gently. Jacqui groaned.

"Why doesn't anyone love me?"

"I love you," Ella said, and she reached out to pat Jacqui's head before remembering what she'd seen in the bathroom. She settled for Jacqui's shoulder instead.

"That's not what I—"

"I know."

Jacqui didn't respond, and Ella didn't move her hand away until Cal had pulled up alongside Jacqui's mailbox. He didn't bother switching off the engine before hopping out of the truck and helping to ease Jacqui from the backseat. Ella and Cal stood on either side of Jacqui, her arms across both of their backs.

"Ready?" Cal asked, and they began the slow task of steering Jacqui while she staggered up the path to her house. Although she seemed more alert than she had back at Russ' party, Jacqui's head still lolled as if her neck was made of rubber. 

Ella had called Jacqui's older brother before they left the party to let him know that they were bringing his sister home. Unlike Jacqui, Brian was taciturn on the best of days, and growing up, Ella had often wondered how two siblings could be so different. Whereas Jacqui craved attention and affection, Brian had always stood sullenly in the shadows, his eyes darting around while he searched for an escape route. Brian had instructed Ella to bring Jacqui to the backdoor when they arrived so that his parents wouldn't wake up while he snuck Jacqui up to her room. As the three teens drew closer to the back porch, Ella caught sight of something orange flickering, and she guessed that Brian had lit a cigarette while he waited for them.

Sure enough, when they reached the bottom step of the porch, Brian emerged from the darkness with a curl of smoke rising from the corner of his downturned mouth. He scowled at Jacqui's uncoordinated movements while she struggled to stay on her feet, and Ella knew that the twenty-three-year-old was far from impressed. With a single motion, he flicked his cigarette onto the dusty pavement, allowing it to burn out before taking firm hold of Jacqui's arm. Cal and Ella watched while Brian led Jacqui inside, though only Ella was surprised when Brian turned back to them and said, "Thanks."

When the backdoor closed with a faint click, Ella let out a long sigh of relief. Her friend was home safely, which of course was the biggest victory of the night, but what took the silver medal was the fact that Jacqui had, almost predictably, forgotten that Ella had her purse.

Which, coincidentally, meant that Ella had Jacqui's wallet.

Which meant she also had her ID.

Which meant that cleaning up Jacqui's vomit had been more than worth it.