"You swear she's not mentioned Spencer to you?" I was interrogating Reagan for the third time that evening.

"I swear. I wasn't even suspicious or onto her in any way. Which either means I'm a shitty friend or—"

"I'm overreacting." I said it for her.

"Careful there. She may think it's a black and white thing if you keep objecting."

"Reagan! How dare you even suggest that? And yes, that's my biggest fucking fear. Since I can't tell her the real truth, she'll dream up the worst of me. I hope you're joking about that even being a remote possibility."

"Well, what is the truth behind your hatred toward Spencer? Did he do something at the pool?" Reagan expected a candid answer.

He hadn't done anything or acted in any way beyond his regular entitled Pure Pines demeanor. He hadn't been that bad to work with, either. I just knew what I saw that day, and I couldn't let Lynn be deceived by a monster.

Lynn had plenty of clout of her own. Elite guys from surrounding schools were begging to take her out, and she was going to waste her time with that piece of shit? He was well into college. What was he even doing back this year?

"God, Reagan, since when did we all start keeping secrets. I mean real ones that could hurt each other. Look at you. Your pager's been going off all night. I know you're making plans with Kane, and what about his bitchy girlfriend? She's no saint Reagan. The stunts we heard she pulled last year—"

"You don't' know anything about it or what I've got going on with Kane."

"Is he coming tonight? At least give me that much."

"Yes."

My heart sank for her, and I shook my head. But I shook it off; I had to. I already had enough beef with Lynn, and then there was my ambiguous now semi-private relationship that my friends had been kind enough not to interrogate me about.

"You know what we need?" A genuine smile took over the tension in my face and spread broadly across my cheeks.

"Do you have to ask?" Reagan pulled a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses from her vanity drawer.

"You can drink because your boyfriend agreed to be the DD!"

"Stop it. You know he's not my boyfriend. That's your friend." That smile remained on my face at hearing my best friend refer to Adrian as my boyfriend, even if it was a tacky joke. Reagan poured two shots and clanked my glass.

"I saw you guys, you know. I went to get something out of the kitchen, and I could see you from Lynn's kitchen window. I almost called her over to watch, but I figured you were in enough trouble with her." She poured us another shot I did not intend on and passed it to me. "You know he's really smitten. I mean, you're not going to get rid of him that easily, if you wanted to. I don't pretend to know how you feel about him or what you want, because you sure as shit haven't told me. You've been hellbent on suffering through this one alone. But I can tell you, I know Adrian. And he's not like that with anybody else. He wasn't with Natalie. I've never seen him touch or look at anybody like he does you."

"You got all that from creeping out a window one time?"

"July, Lynn and I have watched you two this entire year. It's absolutely exhausting. You are both so ridiculous we've just stopped caring. I've never seen two people who haven't even slept together torture themselves so much."

"And just how do you know we haven't?"

"Because I know you! Here, wear this, not that." Reagan threw a dark green shirt at me. It was a sleeveless tailored button down with a collar, and she threw me the shorts that matched it from her dresser drawer.

"I can't get into those."

"Yes, you can. Hurry, Lynn will be her in ten minutes." I looked down at the colorful denim, but printed shorts. They were a darker shade of the jade green top with tiny purple flowers printed on them. They were snug but super cute, and the top was a great color. Striking almost. It was summer sexy, with the collar giving off an Audrey Hepburn vibe.

It was disgusting the wardrobe Reagan had at her disposal via she and her mom's great taste and her dad's cash. After years of politely resisting, I got tired of fighting her. If I shut up, got dressed, and asked no questions, it usually achieved a head turning look I would have never had at my disposal otherwise.

"You look good."

"Thank you for this, I'll be careful in it."

"Please don't."

A honk outside announced Lynn, and we ran outside to hop in.

"Are we waiting for Adrian to follow or..." Reagan asked as she shot a look toward Adrian's while climbing up to the front seat of the jeep.

"No. He's not coming." Lynn landed that plane a little colder than necessary.

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I felt mortified and let down. Then I saw Lynn's eyes find me in the rearview mirror.

"Relax, he's meeting us there later. He had to take care of something at home. Something with his dad. "Sorry, July. I had to. The idea you would make us miss this party when we all three look this good!" She winked at me in the mirror and turned the music up. She was blasting NIN's "Closer." How appropriate for this party was all I could think.

However, past all the sarcasm, I was grateful she had forgiven me.

The problem was it put the cart before the horse, as so many things surrounding our little group seemed to do lately. How could she have forgiven me when she didn't even know the truth of why I wanted her to stay away from Spencer?

Then, Adrian. The thought of how fickle our situation was. The power it had to destroy me. Was I sure I wanted that? To be with someone who's track record of disappointing me super exceeded the one day at the pool and yesterday's conversation in his yard... in his arms?

My stomach flipped, just remembering how it felt to be held by him, and then again, when I recalled his blue eyes darting toward mine, requesting I walk outside with him in front of the two people that meant a great deal to us both.

I looked out the window, entranced, remembering how he had looked at me the day before. His arms and hands were strong and something I always wanted around me. The way he smelled sent something through my veins that was primal. Pheromone-like in a way I would never be able to grasp. How could I be so physically and emotionally invested in someone who had so little investment in me?

However, what was invested was palpable and visceral. Something that would not release me.

Even uncertain about where we stood, I worried about him. What was this about his dad? This was the second time he was mentioned as an issue. I couldn't help but be concerned. Adrian was super close to his dad. They did everything together. I hoped all was okay, but I had a funny feeling something was off.

The drive down was beautiful. The East Texas sun sat purple in the sky, following us above the water as we neared Lake Cherokee. People used to say more people were believers here in the Piney Woods of Texas, not because of all the churches, but because they had proof in the sunsets. And they were brilliant masterpieces, always in some exceptional version of a color you hadn't seen in a while.

There were a few cars when we pulled up, but nothing like the Tomlin Twin party. I saw Court's red truck but no blue Mustang yet.

I noticed Lynn and Reagan's surge of anticipation on our arrival, and I should have been excited, too. If it weren't clouded by Spencer, it would have been the first time I got to mix these two worlds together.

Of course, if I thought deeper about it, Spencer was why the worlds of Prairie lifeguards, their high school in- crowd, and their Jr. College basketball players were mixing with several hand-picked Pure Pines elite. Lane and I certainly wouldn't have warranted that kind of gathering. I wondered if he would be in there.

I prepared myself to loosen up and make sure Lynn and Reagan had a good time while I kept an eye out for them both. Damn it, Reagan, why did Kane have to be a factor? I envisioned enough trouble watching out for Lynn with Spencer. Now. I would have to peek around corners to be sure Reagan was safe. Maybe that's what Adrian was for. He said he'd be here to help, and I knew he would be. He would never let Lynn down.

The vibe was much more subdued and cool, as you would expect a college party to be. The decor of the stunning lake house was part of that. Lean the wrong way, and you might break a vase taller and more expensive than you. There was a massive great room with high wood beam ceilings and large slate tiles that met a circular cut-out in the middle complete with a white shag rug and an indoor suspended fire pit hanging above it.

All of that, plus massive windows looking out to the lake for the most spectacular panoramic view.

There was a pool table in a room further back that felt a little more casual. Although there were very few cars outside, there were more people inside chatting with a drink in their hand than I thought there would be.

We made our way to the pool table room, and I was immediately swooped up by Court. He sat his pool stick down and picked me up by the waist, then sat me on the pool table, interrupting the game. He leaned in close to my face.

"I just want to say this once loud and clear while everyone is sobber-ish and listening. We are in a truce. This is a party; your friends are here..." He looked back at Reagan and Lynn, who stood with their mouths open. "And we are in a truce. No pranks, no jokes, no bodily harm, mental anguish or embarrassment. Deal?"

I looked back at my two besties, who had no idea what to think, and then leaned into Court's face, about a centimeter from it. "Well, Court, if I'd just known how much this party meant to you, as well as how much... embarrassment and mental anguish my winning pranks had caused you, I would have refrained for your health and well-being a long time ago."

"Woo-hoo!" The group of guards watching cued and whistled.

I smiled factiously and extended my hand to shake. He tilted his head to the side and moved his hand away.

"You said these lovely ladies were your friends, right?" He picked me back up and dropped me on the floor on his way over to Reagan and Lynn. I was laughing so hard I almost cried.

"No! Truce, truce, truce!" I screamed, climbing on his back to get him away from my friends.

"That's what I thought." Everyone who knew us clapped, and he introduced himself to Reagan and Lynn, thanking them for being good sports.

"That's one." I shouted over my shoulder as we headed toward what looked like a kitchen behind the pool room.

"Oh, damn," Lynn said out of nowhere. Reagan and I looked in the direction she was looking, and we saw Devin standing there next to most of our varsity cheerleaders. They were eyeing Court like they wanted to eat him and apparently had seen the entire display.

I glanced away when I felt Devin's eyes on me. I figured I'd say hello to the others when they were out from under her wing. As I looked back toward the pool table to divert my eyes from her, I saw Court staring back at me. I couldn't help but wonder how much that little horseplay witnessed would cost me with Devin. Damn it. However, the thought occurred to me that in that moment, we weren't in Pure Pines anymore... and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or something potentially far worse.