We both kick our shoes off. There are only a few people in the pool at the moment. I sit down next to her drink, putting my feet in. Emily piles her hair on top of her head with a hair tie before she slips into the pool.

Emily gets in and out of the pool a few times. The music starts to grow louder as the sun fully sets. I stay sitting by the pool.

“I’m gonna dance.” Emily motions over toward the DJ, where a small crowd of girls has formed that are dancing together. I finish off my drink.

“I need a bathroom,” I tell her as I stand to slip my shoes back on. The world tilts for a second, but I blink it away. How many of those things did I have? They tasted so good that they went down easily.

“Take the stairs that wrap around the side. They will take you to the inside hangout. There are bathrooms to the left.”

“Okay.” I make my way to the house. The party actually hasn’t been that terrible. A few of Emily’s friends from the cheer team joined us at the pool. They’d all been really nice. I’m starting to wonder if it’s me that puts up walls and makes myself believe I don’t fit. I’ve never given Emily’s friends a chance. I kept to myself. It felt pointless with only one year of high school left. I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point.

“Molly.” An arm wraps around my waist. “Damn, you’re all dolled up tonight.”

“West.” This is the first time I’ve seen him since we arrived.

“That’s me.”

“I need the bathroom,” I tell him.

“All right. I’ll show you where it is.” He leads me into the house and down a hallway. “Here.”

“Thanks.” I slip inside, locking the door quickly behind me. I pee and then wash my hands. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The makeup around the corner of my eyes is a bit smudged, and my hair is tangled some from the wind. I do my best to straighten it out with my fingers.

When I open the door, West is leaning up against the opposite wall waiting for me. “You want a tour of the house?” he asks when I step out of the bathroom.

“I told Emily I’d be right back.”

“This way.” He puts his hand on my back. I start walking but stop when we get to the end of the hallway and there is a set of stairs that only go up.

“We went the wrong way.” I turn back around, bumping into West.

“Not the wrong way. I think this is the right way.” He steps into me. I retreat a step, my back hitting a wall.

“What are you doing?”