“It’s no wonder Parker dumped me,” she continues, and the name causes a sense of dread to come over me. I have a bad feeling about the direction this conversation is headed. “I mean, just look at you!”

My heart picks up slightly. “Me?”

She turns away from the mirror to face me, leaning against the sink. “You’re gorgeous. You’ve always been the prettier one. Maybe if I looked more like you, I could actually keep a guy around.”

I let out a small breath of relief, grateful that she wasn’t making the accusation I thought she was. But my heart sinks when I think about her words. “Audrey, don’t be silly. You’re beautiful.”

She simply pushes off the sink, walking to the exit. “I need another drink,” she says, slipping through the door clumsily and dodging the throngs of people outside.

“No, you do not,” I call, following her, trying not to lose sight of the back of her head as I push through the crowd.

By the time I actually catch up to her, the bartender is already handing her another shot, which she promptly downs, and I groan, sitting down next to her, and leaning my head on the bar. After taking one look in my direction, she orders another one then slides it over to me, and the cool glass grazes my arm. I lift my head, eyeing it skeptically, and she nods in encouragement. With a sigh, I decide to just fuck it and toss it all back in one quick motion.

I wince as the liquid burns down my throat. “All right,” I say, turning to face her. “Can we go home now?”

Audrey pouts, sticking out her bottom lip. “Aw, come on. The night is still young!”

“No,” I disagree, grabbing her wrist and dragging her in the direction of the exit. “The night is already way too old.”

She continues to grumble to herself, but she lets me tug her along, following without putting up much of a struggle. Once outside and in the fresh air, I grab my phone out of my bag, and, without really thinking about it, dial a number that’s quickly becoming very familiar. I place the cool device to my ear, trying to keep moving to prevent myself from getting too chilled.

Mason picks up on the third ring.

“Alina,” he says, his voice urgent, “Is everything all right?”

“Totally,” I reply, feeling warmth rush to my cheeks. Why did I call him? “Um, totally fine. But could you maybe come pick us up?”

“Us?”

“Me and Audrey.”

“Where are you right now?”

I take a few steps away from the door, and Audrey gives me a confused look, shuddering from the cold. Craning my neck, I try to read the name of the place, but my vision is blurry and the font makes it hard to make out any letters. “Not sure. Carb . . . Card something.”