Page 57 of Revelry

Before we can reach the others, an almighty shout goes out and Zed, Leif and Deb come barrelling towards us—or Zed comes barrelling towards us. The others just follow behind him. Zed scoops both Levi and I into a hug, squeezing me so hard I feel as if I might just snap in half.

“I fucking love Holme’s parties. Where’s Coop? Is he here?”

“No. He passed out,” I say, deciding to leave out the part where he kissed me and then called me Holly, and practically broke my heart in two. To think I’d deluded myself into actually wanting to sleep with him, into wanting more from that kiss.

Shut up, Ali, you’re drunk and being a dickhead. There never has been, nor will there ever be any future with Cooper Ryan. He’s so far out of your league you may as well be an entirely different species.

“So why are you here, then?” Deb asks, giving me a look up and down and eyeing my blanky distastefully. “Why the hell are you carrying a blanket?”

“I … er …”

“She’s here with me, and she’s holding a blanket because she fangirled Josh Holme’s arse,” Levi says.

“Fucking amateurs,” Deb snarls under her breath.

“Bad Debbie, bad.” Zed says, pulling Deb into his side. “Ali is our friend.”

“Fuck you,” Deb says, shirking out of his grasp.

Now would be a wonderful time to leave it the hell alone and just accept that she doesn’t like me, and that she probably never will like me. Now would be the time for anything other than confronting her at a rock star’s party, but …

“What the hell is your problem with me?” I shout, thinking that the noise of the revellers and that unbelievable bass-line Growl is playing alongside the squealing electric guitar licks coming from one of Josh’s thirty-five guitars—yes, google and I have spent many nights unravelling the mysteries of Josh Holme—will drown me out. Of course, they chose that moment to bring their session to an end, and everyone turns to look at me.

I glance around sheepishly and then I just decide, to hell with it, I have a fluffy blanket and I’m in Josh Holme’s house, and not even Debbie Does Satan can ruin this night for me.

“What’s my problem with you?” Debbie glares me down from as little as three feet away. It takes everything I have in me not to cower before her. “My problem with girls like you, Ali, is that I don’t like you. I don’t like that you’ve wormed your way into this band and into my brother’s life, and I especially don’t like the way you’re all up inside my brother’s head.”

“Okay, crazy lady. One, you might remember I didn’t even want to be here—”

“Oh sure, that’s what you say, but name me one girl who doesn’t want to follow Taint around.”

“Um, hi … hello,” I say, waving to her as if I’m the crazy person here. “Pick me! I didn’t want this job. To be honest, when I started I couldn’t think of anything worse than following Taint around like their personal lackey. No offense, boys.”

“None taken, Red,” Levi says, and Zed murmurs some non-committal response, which has Debbie smacking him in the chest. Leif looks as if he’d rather be anywhere but here.

“I didn’t ask for this job. As I recall it was your stupid brother who got me in this mess in the first place, and I don’t really think I’m a threat to his precious memory of Holly anyway, so you can just chill the fuck out—”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means he tried to kiss me tonight and then he called me Holly. Yeah, fun times, because nothing boosts a woman’s ego like a guy picturing his ex.”

“You’re not even making that up, are you?” Her tone softens a little.

“No, Deb, I’m really not.”

“Jesus Christ, that jackarse,” Debbie says, with her arms folded in front of her chest. “I’m sorry my brother is such a fuckhead. I’ll talk to him.”

“No! God no. For the love of god, do not talk to him about this. It’s bad enough that you all know.”

Zed nudges Debbie, and she rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch. I don’t like people much. Especially new people.”

“Yeah, I kinda gathered that, but I don’t like you much either so …”

Deb laughs. “Not friends?”

“Very much not friends.” I smile back and rub the soft blanket between my fingers for comfort.

“Come on, let’s get you another drink,” Levi says, edging me away from them. When it’s apparent there isn’t going to be a girl fight, the music starts up again and conversations resume around us.

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