The Boiling Point | ✔️

17 | spinning out

SUMMER

I never knew Charlie lived so close to the Villas. Three blocks over, to be exact. Mrs. Villa would drag me right back if she knew where I really was.

She thinks I'm out for an innocent girls' night with Lola and Fawn, something she only believed because Lola is equipped with a trustworthy appearance and the ability to perform improv like an award-winning actress, unlike me.

So where were we going? That fancy Italian restaurant, Succulent, and maybe dancing afterwards. An under twenty-one club with no drinking or boys, of course. Lola gave Mrs. Villa her most heart-warming smile, and we were golden.

I had worried when Mr. Villa caught up with me before I got in the car, fearing he had been sent out to give me a bunch of rules. But he was there of his own accord.

"That was all bogus, wasn't it? You're going to a party."

My pulse skipped, and I felt the weight of Lola and Fawn watching us from inside the car while I mentally scrambled for an answer. Then Mr. Villa smiled, the moonlight softening the blue in his eyes and washing relief over me.

"Relax, relax. Remember what I told you in my study? I want you to have free rein, Summer. But I also want you to be safe. I'm sure you'll be responsible, but if you end up drinking too much and need a ride, just call me, okay? Call and I'm there."

He saved his number under 'Mark' in my phone.

❖❖❖

Being in the same neighborhood, it's no surprise that Charlie's house lies within a shared architectural vein as the Villa's house.

At first glance, the only major difference is the grey stone walls instead of pale wood siding. But other than that, a modern double story with a wide driveway, freshly cut grass and a charming little porch out front. Another perfect slot in the suburbs.

And not a place I would have pictured someone like Charlie to live at all. She doesn't exactly scream suburbia. Although this party certainly screams Charlie.

The air is hazy with pumping music and vibing voices when we walk in. Knots of people are scattered under dim lights, idling in the hallways, drinking on the couches, dancing in the living room. It's like every student in town has gravitated here.

We follow Fawn's blue hair weaving through the crowd like a firefly, passing by a freckly boy on the way. He's got a redhead making eyes at him in the stairwell, his eager hands slipping into her back pockets and the world slipping away with them. I can smell the pheromones from here.

Fawn sniffs out the kitchen like a bloodhound, the hunt leading us to a treasure trove of drinks and all the wasted people downing liquid gold like water.

She grabs three cups and heads for a beer keg. "You especially need this, Summer. I swear I saw a vein in your neck burst back there!"

I shake my head at Ashton's childish antics, hiding my smile with a sip. They don't need to know his idiocy didn't completely piss me off. How could it? Getting hit with that damn grin is like having pure kryptonite injected in your bloodstream. Doesn't help that his faded bruises make him look more like his devilish self again either.

I deepen my sip. Done with him. Done with him.

"The wicked witch let you go!"

If I was drunk, I'd think Charlie was a glimmering apparition floating toward us. She's so pale it's as if she's permanently followed by a moonbeam. With raven curls running wild, glittery eyelids and her sequined top flowing like silk, she reminds me of a forest fairy or a mermaid. Downright ethereal.