“Cardino. Alina,” he says again. “Why are you at the club?”

I wince, though I anticipated this reaction. “Well, I’m not exactly . . . sober.”

He sighs. “I’ll be there in ten.”

True to his word, Mason arrives in front of the club ten minutes later, his car slowing to a stop a few feet away from the entrance.

Audrey and I are sitting on a bench, her head resting on my shoulder as she struggles to remain awake, and I work on getting us both upright. Mason exits his car, slamming the door shut behind him. We make eye contact as he approaches but he immediately looks away. A feeling of guilt settles in my chest as I stand, keeping a tight hold on Audrey to prevent her from falling to the ground.

“Let’s get her in the car,” he says, avoiding my gaze as he slings one of her arms over his shoulder.

“Okay,” I say, doing the same, and the three of us slowly make our way over to his car, a somber feeling in the atmosphere.

Mason pulls the door to the backseat open, and I let him safely set Audrey inside. After the door clicks back into place, he turns to me, and I don’t shy away from his stare. He’s unimpressed. For the briefest of moments, he appraises my appearance. His expression softens for a millisecond as he takes me in, before he slides wordlessly into the car.

I blink a few times, trying to process what just happened, then quickly get into the passenger’s seat, not wanting to test his patience.

The drive back to Seymour Avenue is awkward as hell. Once we arrive at home, I follow Mason out of the car. Together, we lift Audrey from the vehicle, bracing her on our shoulders again, and I begin to feel restless from the quiet.

After maneuvering through the door, we slowly make our way to Audrey’s bedroom, and with a heave, set her down on the bed. Huffing, I blow a strand of hair out of my face, grateful to not be bearing her weight anymore. For a second, we just stand there, watching as she settles into her covers, a mess of incoherent mutters, before I turn to Mason.

“Let me just make sure she’s all right,” I say, wanting to dispel the tense atmosphere.

“I’ll wait out there.”

He turns, exiting the room and heading down the hallway. I wait until his footsteps fade away into nothing before taking a seat on the bed next to my sister. Her hair has fallen into her face, and I reach forward, brushing it aside. This causes her to stir awake, and she squints, lifting her head to look around the room, confusion spreading over her features.

“How did we get home?”

“I got a friend to pick us up,” I say, wondering if Mason is within earshot.

“Oh.” She yawns. “I feel funny.”