Lydia dropped her mascara back into her bag. “Nothing.”

“Good.” Beth’s warm hand circled her arm. “Come on, Eden. The boys are waiting.”

Eden let Beth steer her toward the door and as it opened, Lydia caught her eye. “Remember what I said. Sloan Williams is a flake.”

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Beth snapped. “Stick to making a dick of yourself on reality TV.”

Beth hustled her out of the bathroom and back into the crowd.

“Sorry about that,” she muttered. “I fuckin’ hate that woman.”

Eden glanced around, trying to digest what had just happened. “Wh-Why? Why do you hate her?”

“Oh, Willow tried to get her on my podcast back when they were dating. I talked to her for about thirty seconds and wanted to push her into a ravine.”

Eden felt winded. “Willow wanted her to be on your podcast?”

Beth seemed to realise she’d made a mistake. “Dude, it wasn’t a thing! They only dated for a couple of months. He just asked if I’d consider it.” She scanned the crowd. “Where the fuck are the boys? They were right here!”

So, Willow had tried to make opportunities happen for Lydia. Eden pressed a hand to her chest. “Did he end it? With her?”

“Of course, he did. Lydia wanted them to get married on TV.” Beth gripped her hand. “I know this sucks, but don’t let her get to you. She’s a prick.”

“So why is she here?”

“Oh, she’s humping some other idiot from The Hammers.” Beth grimaced. “Not that Willow’s an idiot. I mean, he was about dating her. But he’s not a baseline idiot, you know?”

“Sure.” Eden watched the door to the girl’s bathroom. Lydia came out, looking shiny and perfect. Her mouth turned sour. “He’s dated a lot of girls like her, hasn’t he?”

Beth gritted her teeth. “I mean… didn’t you Google him?”

Eden had, but seeing it was something else. Seeing her was something else. How could someone as nice as Willow have gone out with someone as mean as Lydia?

How does any guy do it? How did David ditch you for your zombie sister?

Eden’s stomach churned. All the excitement she’d felt about the party, about seeing Willow, were dwindling away like tokens in the world’s shittiest arcade game. She scanned the warehouse for a side exit. She needed to go outside and be alone for a while.

Beth tapped her shoulder. “Eden?”

“Yeah?”

“I found Willow.”

And she had. Lydia’s ex-boyfriend, Sloan Williams, was standing by the DJ booth, arguing with…

“Francis,” she whispered. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

16

Eden had stumbled into a horror scene. Willow had his finger in Francis’ face, his cheeks as red as his hair. Francis, his entourage not far behind, was grinning like this was the funniest thing in the world.

Eden blinked, but the image remained crystal clear.