She makes a face, and I know she’s thinking of the weird food. Now I’m a little nervous about it, too. Not because I don’t think I’ll like it, but I’m not sure what my reactions will be. These people have probably tried every food under the sun. This is the most exotic meal I’ve ever had, and it’s surely mundane to them.

Zoey appears at my side. “You didn’t drink your wine. You didn’t like it?”

I glance at the large amount of red liquid left. “Oh… umm, not really. I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s great wine. Maybe I’m not a wine person.”

She beams a sympathetic smile. “It’s not for everyone. We have an incredible vodka. It goes down so smooth you barely even know it’s there.”

“I’m not sure I’m a vodka person either.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll love it. Come on, you can sit right next to me. I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of. I want you to have a good time now that you’ve crashed our little party.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Jane Mendoza

Alcohol has always been associated with pain.

When my foster father would drink, he’d get violent. Noah drinks, too, but he just gets depressed when he has a few beers. There’s nothing good that happens. And it tastes terrible. A little splash of coconut Bacardi in my Coke was the most I could handle at parties.

I would have preferred plain Coke, honestly. The rum made it taste weird.

That tastes nothing like the imported top-shelf vodka in lemon drops. I drink them down like it’s rainwater and I’ve been dying of thirst. They’re delicious. And I’m drunk.

Being drunk is amazing.

It’s not about pain. Everything feels so good right now.

Paige went to sleep hours ago. I took her upstairs feeling woozy as we climbed the steps and I helped her into bed. I could have stayed there. I would have stayed there, but Oliver and Lucas Morrison, or as I call them, the Hemsworth brothers, invaded my room with dry humor and coaxed me downstairs again.

Turns out the famous actor was actually Mateo Garza. The Mateo Garza. The one who was in all those superhero movies. I found that out when someone casually called him Mateo and asked about his filming schedule. I would be starstruck if I wasn’t busy being tipsy.

I’ve had two lemon drops. Maybe three. Or four?

It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that everyone should know how great this feels. I tell that to Lucas, who thinks that’s hilarious. They’re both pretty tipsy, too.