Page 12 of Endeavor

“Malibu? Isn’t that sort of a trek?”

Quinlan shrugs. “It is, but her house is amazing. Trust me, you’ll want to see it. It’s super environmentally friendly.”

“You do know that I care about things other than just the environment, just to be clear. My interests are much broader,” I say and then immediately regret saying that to my mentor.

She laughs. “I know. I’m just saying, it’s worth the trek.”

I shake my head and grin. “Fine. I’ll try to stop by.”

“Great. I’ll get you added to the list. But get there early. Parking is a bitch.”

I nod and head off to find Will.

“Hey,” I say as I finally make my way through a throng of people.

“Oh, hi. How was talking with Andy Westin?”

“Cool. He’s a really nice guy,” I answer, pausing as I contemplate whether I want Will to attend the after-party. The date’s been a little weird. I’d hoped we would hang out more tonight, but that didn’t exactly happen. Hell, maybe he’ll be more fun at the after-party. “So, there’s an after-party. Want to go?”

He raises an eyebrow. “An after-party?”

“Yeah, at Blythe’s place in Malibu.”

“Malibu? That seems kind of…far.”

I laugh. “I said the same thing.”

“I mean, we are really close to campus here. It’d be a hike to get out there and then back here again.”

“True,” I reply slowly, contemplating the dilemma.

I’m about to say maybe we should call it a night when I feel my phone buzz. I look down to see a text from Quinlan.

Quinlan: There’s plenty of extra rooms at the house. Feel free to crash there.

I feel a little awkward even considering crashing at Blythe’s house. I mean, we just met, and she didn’t even invite me to the party.

Me: Are you sure?

Quinlan: YES! Come!!

“We could stay the night,” I squeak.

“Wait. What? Spend the night at Blythe Daniels’s house?”

I nod, biting my lip.

“That seems…uh…shit, why the fuck not? I mean, it’ll be some story I tell my kids someday, right?” he replies with a chuckle and throws his hands up in a gesture of defeat.

I laugh. Now that’s the Will I’m friends with and I’m glad he’s finally getting over whatever weird mood he’s been in since we got here. “It certainly is.”

Will downs the last of his beer. I notice the crowds of people are slowly thinning out of the room. I check my watch and see that it’s nearly midnight. I suddenly feel like Cinderella. I should get out of here before the clock strikes twelve.

“Let’s head out. It’ll take a while to get out there.”

Will places his empty beer bottle on a passing tray, and I grab my purse. We manage to get to the car in record time. I slip off my heels and sigh. “Party clothes are a pain in the ass,” I announce.

Will chuckles and loosens his bow tie. “No shit.”

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