“Shit, Avery.” I pulled back, cupping her cheeks. “I’ve been blowing up your phone—so have Jacob and Brittany.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

“You’ve been crying.” Anger rose again. “You’ve been fucking crying.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Have you looked in the mirror?” When she shook her head, I closed the door behind me and then took her small hand. “Come on.”

She swallowed hard, but let me tug her along. I took her into the bathroom and flipped on the light. She sucked in a sharp breath as she caught sight of her reflection. “Oh God . . .” Our gazes met in the mirror, and then she dropped her head into her hands. “Perfect—just perfect.”

“It’s not that bad, sweetheart.” The knot in my chest ached as I gently pulled her hands away. “Sit down.”

Avery sat on the closed toilet seat and stared down at her fingers. “What are you doing here?”

Grabbing a washcloth, I ran it under the tap and then knelt in front of her. Disbelief kept me from speaking at first. “What am I doing here? Is that a serious question?”

“Guess not.” She hadn’t lifted her gaze.

“Look at me. Dammit, Avery, look at me.”

Her chin jerked up, eyes narrowed until only thin strips of dark brown showed. “Happy?”

My molars cracked as I grinded my jaw. “Why would I come here? You left a party without saying a word to anyone.”

“I told—”

“You told Brittany you were getting some fresh air. That was three hours ago, Avery. They thought you were with me, but when they saw me later they knew you weren’t. After what happened with that asshole, you scared them.”

Her face fell. “I didn’t mean to. I just left my phone in the car.”

Silent, I swiped the washcloth under her cheeks, erasing the streaky makeup. “You didn’t need to leave.”

“I overreacted. The guy . . . he really hadn’t done anything wrong. He just surprised me and I overreacted. I ruined the party.”

“You didn’t ruin the party. And that son of a bitch shouldn’t have been grabbing you. Fuck. I heard you say ‘let me go’ and I know damn well he did, too. Maybe I shouldn’t have reacted as . . . strongly as I did, but fuck it. He was grabbing you and I didn’t like it.”

Her shoulders slumped forward. “You didn’t need to come here. You should be at the party having fun.”

I honestly couldn’t believe that she thought I should be at the party while she was here crying. She watched me, her features pinched with confusion. “We’re friends, right?”

“Yes.”

“This is what friends do. They check on each other. Brittany and Jacob would’ve been here, but I made them stay there.”

“I need to get my phone and call—”