BooksBarbecue
Back The House Party
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. April 2008
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. Author’s Note
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. About the Publisher

Maddie was shaking her head, her face pale. Will started to put a hand on her arm, and then stopped, unsure what to do.

“I have to go,” Maddie mumbled. Before Will could stop her, she took off toward her car.

“Wait!” June called out. She grabbed Maddie’s bag, which Maddie had left sitting on the bench. “I’ll go with her,” June said over her shoulder as she followed Maddie to her car.

“What was that about?” Hunter asked, after they’d gone.

Will shrugged. “She’s having a really hard time lately. We were hanging out the other day and she just ran off in the middle of our conversation.”

“Has she said anything to you about what happened at the party?” Rosie asked.

“Not really,” Will said. “She’s not okay, though. I tried to talk her into going to the police, but she didn’t want to.

“No police,” Hunter said. “What are they going to do? You’ll have to tell them everything. We’ll all go down.”

“I thought they never actually prosecute those types of cases anyway,” Rosie said.

“You saw what Maddie’s like, though,” Will said. “I think she needs help.”

Rosie nodded her head. “I’m not sure that was water in her bottle.”

“We promised to stick together,” Hunter reminded them.

“I know,” Will said. “But if we’re all sticking together, why does it feel like everything is about to fall apart?”

24

Maddie heard quick footsteps behind her, and she fought the animal urge to run.

“Wait!” June called out, and Maddie stopped. Her hands were still shaking.

June caught up with her and held out her bag. “What happened?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

Maddie took the bag, shaking her head. “June, I thought maybe I imagined it, but . . .”

“Imagined what?” June asked.

“That scent,” Maddie said. Hunter’s sickening scent of musk and sandalwood as he leaned over her was still in her nostrils and her mouth. And with the scent, a shadowy memory of Hunter, his arm around her, holding her up as he kissed her neck. The loud noise of the party and the feeling that people were watching them. Her head rocking forward and back as she tried to cling to consciousness.

It was all coming back to her. The ecstasy had overwhelmed her, but in the tidal waves of sensation there were brief ebbs, and in one clearheaded moment she’d slipped out of his arms and pushed through the crowd of kids. She’d lunged up the stairs and found a dark and quiet room in the back of the house where she thought she’d be safe. That’s why she was alone up there, she realized. It should have been a relief to finally have at least one answer about that night, but it wasn’t.

“The scent?” June prompted her.