Chapter 4
On the day of the party, I slept until noon.
Someone had posted a photo of an oversized loveseat.
The group chat had moved on to seating arrangements for tonight.
Someone had posted a photo of an oversized chair.
[Save this one for Sabrina. A normal chair’s not gonna hold up.]
[So thoughtful. Give this man the Briarhaven Humanitarian Award.]
Sienna jumped in. [What if Sabrina actually comes? You guys
have to promise you won’t laugh at her.]
[She won’t come. Stop wasting your time.]
I said nothing, got out of bed, and hopped in the shower.
Every time she defended me, the chat only got worse,
I said nothing and got out of bed to wash up.
At two, Phoebe stormed into my house with two makeup cases.
“Today I’m making you so hot that Tristan becomes the victim.”
I sat in front of the mirror and raised an eyebrow at her.
“How does a makeover make him the victim?”
“You walk out untouched. He sees you and flatlines.”
After curling my hair, she pulled a black spaghetti–strap dress from my closet.
Simple cut. It cinched at the waist and left my shoulders and collarbones bare.
I stepped out, and Phoebe stared at me for a full thirty seconds.
Then she pressed a hand over her heart.
“It’s over.”
“What is?”
“If I were a man, I’d catch a felony over you tonight.”
She made me laugh.,
“But next to you tonight? She’d look like your assistant.”
“Sienna’s cute. That girl–next–door thing works for her, on its own.”
“Just stating facts,”
At five, someone posted a video from the mixer venue.
A white cake stood in the center of the rented lounge.
At five, someone posted a video from the party venue.
The laughter around it was obnoxious.
Red frosting across the top: [Welcome, 220–pound girlfriend).
The laughter around it was piercing.
A boy with a buzz cut yelled into the camera. “Sabrina, if you
don’t show up soon, we’re doing the challenges without you!”
Tristan sat on the couch. He glanced at the camera and scoffed.
“I told you she wouldn’t show.”
“She wouldn’t even turn her camera on. You think she’s
showing up in person?”
Sienna nudged him with a laugh.
“Don’t talk about Sabrina like that.”
I closed the video.
Phoebe snatched her car keys off the counter.
The request note had one word. [Nolan.]
I was walking out the door when a friend request popped up
on my phone.
The request note had one word. Nolan.
I accepted. His message came almost instantly.
I stared at those two words, “I’m sorry,” and something in my
chest shifted.
[Do you need me to pick you up?]
I stared at those two words, I’m sorry, and something in my
chest shifted.
The typing bubble bounced for a long time.
[And I’ll do the challenges tonight.]
The typing indicator stayed on for a long time.
Half an hour later, the car stopped outside the venue.
[You don’t have to.]
Before driving off, she held my hand.
“Anything happens, you call me. If anyone gives you shit, I’ll
have their name all over the campus gossip page by
midnight.”
Before leaving, she held my hand.
Walking through the lobby, I caught the security guard at the
front desk glancing up at me. Then glancing again.
I nodded and got out of the car.
The private lounge was at the far end of the third floor.
He was still watching when the elevator doors closed.
“It’s six o’clock, and she really didn’t come.”
“Tristan’s $1,400 is safe.”
“I told you. With a body like that, she’d need oxygen before
she even made it to the venue,”
“Nolan isn’t here either. Did she scare him away?”
[I told you. With a body like that, she’d need oxygen before
she even made it to the hotel.]
[Nolan isn’t here either. Did she scare him away?]
Then Tristan, casual as ever.
“I already told her not to come.”
“She can keep pretending behind a screen. Showing up in
person would just be embarrassing for everyone.”
Sienna responded with a laugh.
“Sabrina probably isn’t trying to fool anyone.”
“She just wants to be liked so bad, you know?”
More laughter.
I stood outside the door. I raised my hand.
A voice behind me.
“Sabrina?”
I turned around.
Tall. Black shirt. The corridor light cut across his face, and
every line of it was sharp, the kind of features that looked
carved from something cold.
He saw me, and for a second, he just stopped.
“You’re…”
I smiled at him.
“Ten seconds left! If she doesn’t show, the betting closes!”
Inside the room, someone had started a countdown.
“Ten seconds left! If she doesn’t arrive, the betting closes!”
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
“Eight!”
Nolan hadn’t looked away.
I turned back and wrapped my hand around the door handle.
One second before the countdown hit zero, I pushed it open.