Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

to saysomething until the other one nudged him and they both walked away. Byronglanced up at the window that was no surprise, empty now.

“Did you just meet those two assholes?”

She nodded and now that he was this close to her, he could seejust how glossed over her eyes really were. She stood there swaying in place, hiccupping,and glanced around looking completely out of it. Muttering under his breath again,because he sure as fuck hadn’t thought this through, he glanced back at his carblocking the driveway.

“What’s your name?” he asked still looking in the direction ofhis car wondering where he might find a better place to move it to.

He turned to her after hearing her sneeze. “Bless you.” She stilllooked completely out of it but now she peered at him strangely. “So, what’syour name?”

“I just told you. It’s Sochee.”

Confused for a moment it suddenly dawned on him why she waspeering at him so strangely. After hearing her clarify her strange name herealized she hadn’t sneezed. Her name just sounded like she had.

Refraining from chuckling he smirked. “Ah. Sorry, I’ve neverheard the name before I thought . . .” He shook his head. “Never mind. Listen .. . Sochee. I need to move my car before it gets towed. But I don’tthink you should stay here all by yourself.” Starting toward his car he tuggedher along gently but held her firmly. “Come with me and we’ll park it somewherethen we can walk back and look for your friend.”

She started to say something but then nearly stumbled again so hegripped her arm a little tighter. “Careful,” he muttered garnering all thepatience he could muster.

Fucking hell.

Six

The Douche and the Liar

Vannah

This had been such a bad idea. Joseph rushedalongside Vannah and she was actually grateful for his clinginess now. Shecould use a second pair of eyes.

“How far could she have gone?” Swinging the door open to one ofthe many bedrooms in the house, Vannah gasped when she saw the half-naked coupleon the bed. “Sorry.”

As awkward as the moment was, Vannah still glanced around in caseXochitl was passed out anywhere in the room. The girl hadn’t been kidding whenshe said she was a lightweight. Not that Vannah wasn’t also. She’d only everbeen buzzed once before in her life. But somehow her friend went from mildlybuzzed like Vannah to falling down drunk in a matter of a couple of hours. Vannahhad left her for two minutes to go find a bottled water and she’d disappeared. Clarissahadn’t been able to make it tonight and Silvia’s sister got them the booze, butafter hooking up with her ex, Silvia had taken off with him and they’d been ontheir own for the rest of the night.

Closing the door, Vannah trudged ahead on a mission. With herheart at her throat, her parents’ warnings loomed in the air, about howdangerous it was to get drunk at these college parties. She was only gratefulnow that she hadn’t drank nearly as fast as her nervous friend. Whatever buzz Vannahhad begun to get, was long gone now that she was growing more and more panickedwith every passing minute that she couldn’t find her friend.

“Xochitl!” She called out as she neared the stairwell in case shewas downstairs somewhere searching for Vannah as well.

“Is that the wasted girl you were with earlier?”

Vannah’s eyes zoomed in on the girl who was doing the askingdownstairs. “Yes! Have you seen her?”

“She just left with some guy.”

Remembering the pushy guy who’d been trying to throw the moves onXochitl earlier, Vannah turned to Joseph wide eyed. “Oh my God.” Turning backto the girl downstairs who’d gone back to dancing, Vannah rushed down thestairs “Excuse me!” She pushed her way through the crowd. “Excuse me.” The girlturned to her again barely slowing the hip swaying. “What guy? Which way didshe go?”

“Some horndog who was all over her,” the girl said loudly overthe blaring music. “He took her that way.” She pointed at the front door. “Itwas so obvious he wanted in her pants bad. But if you hurry you mightcatch them.”

Without even thanking her, Vannah rushed toward the door evenmore glad that Joseph was still sticking with her. Earlier she’d been annoyedby his overly eagerness. Now she might need him if this horndog Xochitl leftwith got confrontational.

Blasting through the front door, Vannah jerked her neck in everydirection of the crowded front yard and sidewalks. “Hey!” She yelled when shesaw them. The guy was helping her very wobbly friend into a car and Vannah practicallysprinted toward them, glad she was so used to wearing such high heels. “Hey,you! Where do you think you’re taking my—”

Nearly choking when the guy turned to her and she saw who it was,she was rendered speechless.

“Vannah I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Her drunk friend’s slurred words pulled Vannah out of her stupor asshe turned to respond to her. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Refusing to look at Byron because the girl’s comments about thehorndog all over Xochitl were suddenly not just maddening anymore. The verythought was doing something else to her now. A part of her felt incrediblydisgusted and disappointed, but another part felt unbelievably jealous.Only she’d die before she’d let this jerk, she’d obsessed so much over andclearly had been way off about, notice. Instead, she kept her eyes on Xochitl.“Where are you going?”

Hiccupping loudly, Xochitl giggled. “We were- hiccup! –going to go park – hiccup! - and – hiccup!” Covering her mouthwith one hand, even as Byron held her by her elbow, Xochitl pinched her nosewith the other and inhaled deeply holding her breath.

“We were just gonna—”

“I don’t need to know what else you were planning on doing.” Theharshness of her words toward Byron surprised Vannah, but she knew it wasn’t justbecause he’d been planning on taking advantage of her drunk friend.“Whatever it was, it’s not happening now.” Vannah hurried to help Xochitl outof the car again, refusing to even look at him.

“Wait I wasn’t planning on—”

“Can’t you see she’s completely wasted?”

“Yeah, that’s why—”

“Oh, I bet that’s why,” she retorted finally turning tolook