Page 9 of My Heart to Keep
I popped to my feet. This was all his fault. He’d invited Sloane. He attracted trouble. I reached out to push him, but I listed to one side, and my knees buckled.
Maiken, who was on my other side, caught me. “I got her, bro.” He ushered me outside, passing the watching and judging eyes. Some people even had their phones out, recording what was happening.
Great. Not the way I wanted my party to be remembered.
“Does she have a pulse?” I managed to say before I ran to the edge of the barn. I didn’t have a chance to bend over before the puke came out in a projectile stream. My head spun like I was on a fast-moving merry-go-round.
Maiken rubbed my back. “Let it all out.”
“Go away, please.” The words stammered out before I puked again.
“Party is over,” Daddy’s voice roared. He sounded like a lion about to attack.
I was in deep trouble.
Quinn puked her guts out, and the scent of alcohol flowed in my direction.
Mr. Thompson was wrangling kids out of the barn. “Carter, go up to the top of the back driveway and guide the ambulance down here.”
Mrs. Thompson ran down, her head turning in every direction. “Quinn?”
I waved at Mrs. Thompson. “Over here.”
Quinn’s mom dodged the kids leaving and rushed to Quinn’s side. “You’ve been drinking?” Her tone was full of disappointment and shock.
I hated to think how much trouble Quinn was going to be in with her parents. I was sure Mr. Thompson, who was quite scary, would ground her for the rest of the year.
Mrs. Thompson pinned me with a stern expression. “Maiken, have you been drinking too?”
Quinn puked again.
“No, ma’am.” After seeing what liquor had done to Marcus, I wasn’t rushing out to try the stuff. Actually, Dad had let me taste a few sips of his beer once, and I didn’t see what the fuss was all about.
“I’ll take care of Quinn. Go help Jeff and my boys.”
I regarded my girlfriend, who had her back to me. “Quinn?” I didn’t want to leave her. Then again, I couldn’t do much anyway.
“Do what my mom says.” Quinn’s tone was rough and scratchy.
Mrs. Thompson flicked her head, her brown hair falling out of her bun. “She’ll be fine.”
I doubted she would, at least not for a while. Nevertheless, I plowed through the kids who were lingering outside the barn. The paramedics were lifting Celia onto a stretcher. Liam was close by, biting his nails. I’d learned earlier that he and Celia had broken up, but from the panic in his eyes, he still cared for her.
Ethan was standing next to Marcus, who had his arm around Sloane. I guessed she’d won Marcus’s attention since I didn’t see Holly anywhere.
I had the urge to give Sloane a piece of my mind, but it wouldn’t do any good. Sloane and Marcus were on a different planet than the rest of us. They walked to a beat of their own, and frankly, I was tired of trying to get through to my brother.
Marcus said something in Sloane’s ear. Then the two slipped through the crowd and made their way out.
Ethan came up to me. “That went well. You want to stop him from leaving?”
“Nope. Let him do whatever it is he’s going to do.” Marcus was the least of my worries. I tossed a look over my shoulder, but I couldn’t see Quinn from where I was standing just inside the barn. I didn’t even see her walking up to the house.
“You say that all the time but then get in his face.”
A group of kids were lingering and watching as Mr. Thompson talked to the paramedics.
“He didn’t start the fight.” My girl kind of had, which was mind-blowing. Then again, she was under the influence of alcohol. If she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have outright punched Sloane.
