She was gorgeous; the sparkles in her ivory dress were reflecting the light from the corner, her full, blonde hair and freckles giving her the perfect balance of sex kitten and girl next door. I tried not to stare at her lips and recall that Tyler had tasted them once, even though there had been a time not so long ago that I wouldn’t have minded tasting them myself.

Just as Tyler moved to introduce us, the crowd parted and Paige appeared, looking nervous but hopeful. Her hair was silver now, in a freshly trimmed pompadour. She had more tattoos and piercings than I remembered, the sweet innocence long gone from her eyes. She handed me a beer in a red Solo cup, tapping hers to mine.

“It’s been a long time,” she said.

“How’ve you been?” I asked.

“Shitty. How have you been?”

“Still a drunk,” I said, taking a big gulp. “But the Internet says I’m a functioning drunk, so I’ve got that going for me.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Always so funny.”

Tyler kissed my cheek. “I don’t mean to be rude, baby, but Taylor’s…”

“Baby?” Paige said, tucking her chin. “What are you? A couple now?”

I cocked my head, surprised at the sass coming from such a tiny package. “Actually, we are,” I said.

Paige choked out a laugh, and then continued to giggle, covering her mouth and then waving her hand in front of her face.

Tyler and I traded glances, and then he leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I didn’t invite her. I guess she lives in this building now.”

“Oh,” I said, nodding with wide eyes. “Great.” I downed my drink, and then Paige took it, reaching behind her and then producing another.

“Baby,” Tyler warned. “There’s a fine line between functioning and just drunk.”

“It’s New Year’s Eve,” Paige said. “What is your problem?”

The door opened, and Finley walked in, staring wide-eyed, fascinated with all the bodies in the tiny space. I took another drink, tossing back half the glass before I saw Sterling step inside, too.

I choked, and Tyler patted my back while I swallowed the contents still in my mouth and then coughed.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph fucking Stalin,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Finley waved emphatically and then pulled Sterling through the crowd. He looked as sick about the impending disaster as I was.

“What do I do? What do I do?” I said, panicking.

“Keep me from killing Sterling?” Tyler said. “That should keep your mind off Finley.”

I looked up at him, watching him glower at Finley’s date. I gulped down the rest of the beer Paige had brought me and handed my cup to Tyler. No amount of alcohol was going to get me through the next few minutes.

“Ellie!” Finley said, throwing her arms around me.