I was standing in the crowded living room, swaying my hips back and forth while sipping my Red Bull. I didn't need alcohol to let loose, one Red Bull, and I was on fire. And that was definitely not because I knew Easton was watching me. I sneaked a few glances at him from time to time, and sure enough, he was watching me. That is until Blondie showed up at his side and stole his attention. I couldn't help but wonder what they had been doing before when they were upstairs together. I realized that I had been looking at him too long and quickly averted my gaze. I needed to ignore him, but it was impossible.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw one of the guys that had been sitting on the couch all night smoking cigarettes standing behind me. He flashed me a big smile, showing off his yellow teeth.

"Do you want some vodka with that Red Bull?" He offered while checking out my legs. I was not in the mood to have some guy hit on me tonight, and definitely not someone who smelled like an ashtray.

"I'm fine, thank you," I replied coldly while wishing he'd just go away.

"I'm Luke. Who are you?" He asked me, unperturbed.

"Not interested," I said purposely, avoiding his gaze.

"Pfft, not interested is not a name. What's your real name?" He pressed.

"I'm Isabelle," I answered, stepping backward to put space between us.

He licked his lips slowly. "Oliver throws a party every Saturday, and I've never seen your face here before."

"I don't party a lot," I replied.

"Hmm... maybe we should change that," he said as he slung his arm around my shoulder, but it was quickly yanked away by Easton, who appeared out of nowhere.

"It's midnight. We're leaving." Easton's stern face told me that it wasn't negotiable.

"Come on. You can't leave yet, the party hasn't even started." Luke wailed, and Easton gave him a look that made him retreat. I was thankful because the cigarette and alcohol stench from him made me feel nauseous.

"You should come by next weekend. Maybe we can continue our conversation then," Luke suggested before he strolled back to his passed-out friends on the couch and lit another cigarette.

"Who was that, and why were you talking to him?" Easton asked me as he crossed his arms and pursed his lips.

"Why do you care?" I challenged him. 

He seemed to think about that for a second before saying, "I'm looking out for you and that guy you were just talking to --" he turned and pointed towards the couch "he is definitely not someone I would consider good company."

"And the blonde girl you were with? Is she good company?" I scoffed.

Easton has this big, cocky grin as he turns to me. "As a matter of fact, she's very good company."

------------------

In the car ride home with Candy, I was still thinking about what Easton had said about Blondie being good company. It bothers me more than it should. 

I suddenly jerked forward as Candy stepped hard on the brakes.

"What are you doing? You're about to give me a heart attack!" I wheezed.

"Someone is lying in the middle of the road. I could have hit him! What kind of crazy person is that?" She asked while exhaling heavily.

I leaned closer to the window to get a better look. A black hoodie covered his head, but I could see his face clearly. The streetlight shining on his face caused the light brown skin on his face to glow. I know who he is. He's Russ's best friend.

"Omg, it's Ryan!" Candy whispered, covering her mouth in shock.

We got out of the car to see if he was alright, and Candy dropped to her knees before him.

"Ryan, can you hear me?" She asked him in a shaky voice.

There was no response except for a small groan. She took his hand in hers and gently stroked it back and forth.

"His hands are freezing. I wonder how long he's been out here.".

"Maybe we should call for help?" I suggested.

Ryan's eyes immediately sprang up, and he turned to the side to throw up.

"I guess I had one drink too much," He chuckled, wiping his mouth with his hoodie.

"Oh, thank God!" Candy said while throwing herself over him for a hug.

I furrowed my brows. That hug was a little too friendly, in my opinion.

"Come on, let's help him get off the main road," Candy instructed me. We latched onto his arms and pulled him up. He could barely stand by himself, so we made him lean against the truck.

"Is there something going on here that I don't know about?" I asked Candy.

She chewed her lip nervously while Ryan had the biggest grin on his face.

"Uhm... Ryan and I went on a date a few days ago." She admitted while avoiding my eyes. "I didn't want to say anything to you because he's Russ's best friend." She flinched.

I needed to blink or swallow. I just stared at her with a dry mouth.

"I'm so sorry... you must be really upset with me."

"I am. But not that you went out on a date with Ryan but kept it a secret from me. You're my best friend... best friends don't keep secrets from each other."

Candy nodded. "You're right, that was not cool, and I will never do that again. Can you forgive me?" She asked hopefully.

I nodded, and she went in to hug me. My phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that it was a text message from Easton.

Easton: Where are you?

I sighed. "I've gotta go. Easton just texted me. He's at home waiting for me."

"Alright, let's get Ryan in the car. I know where he lives, so I'll drop him off at home."

"Ugh, my mom will kill me," Ryan groaned.

"Serves you right," Candy told him. After buckling up Ryan like a kid, she got in the driver seat and turned to face Ryan, who sat in the backseat.

"Don't you dare throw up in my car." She warned him. "This truck might be old, but it's my little baby" She turned the key, and the car made a rumbling sound but didn't start. She sighed and turned the key again, but nothing happened.

"Oh, come on! She shouted, slamming her hands on the steering wheel.

"Exactly how old is this car?" I asked her, and she sent me a glare.

"I can't believe this is happening right now," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

My phone started to vibrate again, and I knew it was Easton calling me. I picked up and started to explain to him everything that had happened.

"You're giving me a headache, Isabelle. I now understand why your dad wants me to look after you."

"Oh, shut up. It's not my fault this happened!"

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see it.

"I'll be there in 5 minutes. Leave the car. I can check on your friend's truck tomorrow."

"What do you know about cars?" I asked him.

"A lot more than you know." He fired back and hung up the phone.

---------------------------

Easton picked us up in his car and dropped Candy off first. She thanked Easton for the ride and for taking care of her truck. She then turned to give Ryan a kiss on the cheek, seeing as he still had dried vomit around his lips. Now it was just me, Easton, and Ryan in the car.

"Oh God, I feel like crap. This is all Russ's fault. He kept giving out tequila shots." Ryan groaned.

"Yeah, tequila usually has that effect," I told him.

His voice was raspy as he said, "I should have stayed home tonight. It wasn't that much fun."

"Oh, how come?" I asked.

"Russ had hired a bunch of strippers, and they kind of ruined the mood," Ryan replied.

Easton turned his head from the driver's seat to look at him. "I'm sorry... what?" 

I shot Easton a look to let him know that he should focus on the road.

One minute later, we pulled up in front of a red house.

"We're here. Is this where you live?" Easton asked Ryan.

"Yeah, it's my house," Ryan replied.

Ryan turned to me and made eye contact.

"I appreciate your help. I'll make sure to pay you back somehow." A soft smile lit his face as he leaned towards me.

"You don't have to do that," I said awkwardly.

"Maybe we can go to the movies?" He asked while he looked at me in a way that made me uncomfortable.

"Oh, uh, that's not necessary," I replied, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"Think about it, okay?" He said with a wink before exiting the car, leaving me alone with Easton.

I took a deep breath because that was intense.

"Wow." Easton chuckled and grinned at me over his shoulder.

"What?" I snorted.

"Nothing." He made eye contact with me through the rearview mirror.

"He's totally into you." He finally said.

I opened my mouth but wasn't sure what to say. So I settled for shaking my head. "What?"

He raised his eyebrows. "He told you that strippers ruined his mood, asked you out, and winked at you."

I crossed my arms. "Oh, so just because he doesn't enjoy strippers, he likes me?" I argued.

His grin spread. "I can tell when someone is trying too hard to impress a girl." When my eyes widened in shock, he chuckled.

I held up a hand and rolled my eyes. "He's dating Candy. You're being ridiculous." I told him, my pointed stare demanding him to drop this line of conversation. I didn't know much about Ryan, but I've never got the impression that he's a player. He was probably just trying to be nice to me for helping him out.

Easton twisted in his seat just enough to glance back at me. He raised his eyebrows and gave me a mischievous grin. "Wanna bet?"

Shrugging, I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Fine."

A grin tugged at my lips because there was just no way that Ryan was interested in me, and it would be so good to put Easton in his place.

"Wanna make it interesting?" A small smile lifted his lips.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"The one who loses will have to do what the other says for a day" My eyes widened. Having Easton do as I say for a whole day? Now that sounded like fun, and besides, I'm never one to back down from a challenge.

"You're on!" I told him.

"Cool. Can't wait to win." Easton chuckled as he parked the car in front of our house.