Relationship With My Boyfriends Best Friend

Chapter 14.

I swallow harshly when we pull up in front of the party house. The amount of people already visible makes me ten times more anxious and I'm starting to just want to leave or stay in the car.

"Nina?" Braylee puts her hand on my shoulder. "You look like you're going to be sick. Are you okay?"

"Maybe we shouldn't make her do this, she doesn't look too good," Candice hushes sympathetically.

"She has to, Candy," Braylee nearly snaps. "That douche bag is fooling around on her-"

"That's not for certain," Candice argues back, her voice showing a tone of anger now.

"Are we going to take that chance, though?" My cousin points out. "If he is fooling around on her, wouldn't you want to know now instead of on her god for saken wedding day?"

"Guys stop," I whisper, my voice gone behind the lump in my throat. I swallow and nod my head as if too encourage myself. What Braylee is saying is right, I need to do this. For myself. "We came all the way out here, we're going in. I'm just overreacting."

Candice looks at me softly. "Are you sure?"

Braylee glares at her, but I ignore my cousin and nod to Candice's question. "I am."

I'm not.

"Okay then," Braylee claps her hands together. "Lets go. And Candice and I won't leave your side."

I thank them, and we finally - finally, get out of the car. The cold winter air hits me like a bucket of ice water, and I shiver in both nerves and from the freezing temperature of Michigan.

Braylee startles me when she throws her arm around my shoulders, leaning her head against mine. "I promise I have your back."

I look at her, feeling a huge sense of gratitude towards her, but also distinguishing the tone of voice she uses. Like if Baylee is right, and Eric is behind this door, she will do everything in her power to pick me back up.

"Thank you, Bray," I choose to go with instead. She smiles light heartedly and leads Candice and I both into the house.

The first thing that fully and thoroughly consumes every one of my senses is the heat. It's like walking into a sauna right off the bat, and not to mention the pungent smell of sweat and heat. I try to ignore it.

"I'm going to guess that you just want a soda, right?" Braylee asks in my ear, the music too loud for any other way for me to hear her. I nod. "Lets go to the kitchen then, that's where everything is."

Candice grabs on to my hand as to not lose me - or vice versa - and we make our way through the crowd. This party seems way bigger than the last one I went to - the only one I had to compare this too.

Braylee rummages through a few coolers before digging out a Dr. Pepper. She hands it to me and wipes her hair out of her face.

"You'd think they'd have a better collection of refreshments here," she comments and rolls her eyes. "As if they don't have enough kegs to last them a lifetime."

I snort, still shaky as I'm out of my element. Braylee goes back to grab her and Candice a mixed drink before they come back to me.

"So," I rock on the balls of my feet. "What now?"

I'm not sure what to do now that we're here, I was too worried about what I would find instead of really figuring out an agenda. I guess it wouldn't be this hard to think of something if I had experience with parties. Even then, we have to stay on the down low anyway. That's to not attract attention to ourselves before we can even catch Eric in the act. If there is an act to be caught.