Page 346 of Small Town Firsts

"Can we not do this? Please. Let's call a truce, just for tonight."

Summer laughs. "Oh, wait, you were being serious?"

I nod, hoping they'll agree.

"Yeah, no." Both women cackle. "Good luck tonight."

"Good luck with what?" I ask, but they both turn and flounce away.

"Miss me?" Sterling asks, and I whirl back toward the kitchen in time for him to drop a kiss to my cheek before passing me my drink.

I sip from it, determined to put Melanie and Summer's strange behavior out of my mind. "Mmm, fruity."

"How about we take these to-go and head to the dance floor?"

I down the rest of my drink along the way, abandoning my cup on a table before Sterling pulls me into the throng of dancers.

The tempo of the music is sensuous and the rhythm heavy as we rock our hips together, swaying in time to the beat. We stay that way, in our little cocoon, dancing for several songs, before I announce that I need a break.

"Oh, look!" I point toward the far side of the room. "There's Gabe and Zach. Wanna go say hi?"

"You go ahead, baby. I'll wait here."

He swears he's not, but I think he's still salty about me wearing Gabe's name. Regardless, at least they don't hate each other. That would be miserable.

"Gabe! Zach!" I rush up to them and they squish me between them in a bear hug.

"Where's Stella?" Zach asks.

"Anniversary dinner for her parents," I inform him.

Suddenly my ears heat and my skin prickles. I glance up, expecting to find Sterling looking my way, but he's right where I left him, messing with his phone.Weird,I think, shaking off the odd sensation.

"Oh, man, that was tonight?" Gabe says.

"I know, it sucks. She's really bummed."

Gabe snaps his fingers. "We one-hundred-percent need to send her a selfie."

The three of us pose, our cheeks squished together with smiles on our faces. Gabe sends her the picture, chuckling evilly.

"If that doesn't set her FOMO off, I don't know what will,” Zach says.

Gabe’s phone dings almost instantly. "Guess we're about to find out," he says as he whips it up to his face to look at her response.

He swallows roughly, glancing from his screen to me. "Um, Emmy."

"What?" I ask, his tone setting me on edge.

Before he can answer, Zach’s phone pings.

"Jesus-fucking-Christ," he mutters, looking like he's going to be sick.

"Guys, y'all are freaking me out."

"You need to get out of here, Emmy. You need to leave and go straight home."

"What?" I ask, my eyes prickling with unshed tears. "Why?"

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