Page 54 of Break Point
“Short?” She scoffs. “You wear way shorter skirts than that on national television. So suck it up. You look great. You’ve got killer legs, and you know it. Let’s go.”
She’s not wrong about the short skirts. I do wear them all the time, but it’s athleisure.
Fortunately, the drizzle has stopped, but the night is still chilly. Gemma insisted I shouldn’t wear a coat because it would only get in the way and ruin my outfit. She, however, is wearing a thin blazer, which feels unfair. Apparently, it goes with her outfit, and I know better than to argue with Gemma about fashion.
Once inside, we realize the party isn’t the total madness it seemed to befrom afar. Sure, the place is packed and the music is loud, but people are just talking and drinking. It’s nothing too wild.
“Hey, girls!” Josh says, approaching us. “So glad you came!”
It’s been a while since I last saw him, but he still has those chubby cheeks that make him look younger than he is. I like Josh. Safe, sweet, and always the guy who made everyone feel welcome.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Belén. Gemma, though … she’s a regular,” Josh says with a laugh, and Gemma shoves him playfully.
“Thanks for the invite,” I say with a tight smile.
I wasn’t officially invited, but here we are.
“Can I get you ladies something to drink? Or will Rob give me crap about it later?”
“Robbie won’t mind,” I say with a shrug. “Promise.”
Or maybe he will. I’m not sure. But I’m desperate to get my hands on a drink, just to see what all the fuss is about.
“Right this way, then. Pax! Get in here!” Josh calls out to his older brother.
Gemma’s glancing around like she’s searching for someone. I spot a few of Robbie’s friends scattered around, but aside from Josh and Paxton, there’s no one else I know.
“Take it easy, okay?” Gemma whispers in my ear. “You’ve never had a proper drink in your life, and don’t you have to train tomorrow?”
“You sound just like Henry.” I roll my eyes and pull her toward the huge, modern kitchen. “Besides, this was all your idea, remember? I’ll have one or two drinks tops. I just need to take the edge off.”
Gemma shrugs.
Paxton greets us with a quick hug while Josh rushes back to a girl waiting for him in the living room, or so he claims. Paxton is Josh’s opposite in every way. He’s tall, lean, and athletic. His shoulder-length brown hair looks shiny and smooth. He’s wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, and a few pieces of silver jewelry, like a chain around his neck and a thick, flat ring on his pinky finger.
He looks like trouble.
“Okay … so, there’s a bit of everything,” Paxton says, brushing a few strands of hair off his face. He starts rearranging the bottles, listing off our options. “There’s rum, whiskey, three kinds of tequila, beer, Smirnoff Ice?—”
“Got any gin?” I ask.
Why experiment when I already know what works back home? Elliot, my former coach, always stressed the importance of using techniques from people who know what they’re doing.If it worked for them, it’ll probably work for you.
“We do.” Paxton glances over his shoulder, smirking our way. “How do you usually take it?”
“Tonic water,” Gemma answers for me, reading my mind as usual. “And I’ll have the same, please.” She winks at me and gives my hand a gentle squeeze.
“Coming right up, ladies.”
“Let’s have fun, okay?” Gemma whispers.
She knows how badly I need this, even though I haven’t said a word about what happened with my mom or how I’m feeling about my performance in China. She gets me, and I love her so damn much for that.
“He’s cute,” I mouth, pointing at Paxton’s back with my thumb and jerking my chin at him as if to say, “Why don’t you go for it?”
Gemma’s about to reply when Paxton turns around and hands us our drinks.
“Thank you,” I say, lifting my glass to my lips. It’s as bitter as the first time I tasted it, but I welcome the flavor this time.
