Chapter 27

                I woke up the morning after Christmas day, still wearing the red dress I had on from last night. The silver picture frame that held the photo of Everett and I years ago was placed on his nightstand, the glare of the sunlight reflecting off the glass.

Rolling over to my side, I tried not to disturb the arm that was holding me from the waist. I faced Everett, who was breathing lightly, his chest heaving up and down slowly. His lips were slightly parted, a piece of his hair falling into his eyes. I smiled slightly, placing my hand on his left cheek- the one that wasn’t pressed against the pillow. Brushing my thumb against his cheekbone, I pushed the strand of hair away from his eyes, causing him to flinch just a little bit.  

                I bit on my lower lip, leaning in just close enough so that our lips were just a mere centimeter away from each others. I took in a deep breath, brushing my lips against his gently. The feeling only lasted for a second before I pulled away. My cheeks were flushed red, even though Everett would’ve never known that I just stole a kiss. I bit back a smile, a sudden fluttering feeling exploding in my stomach. My heart was pounding against my chest quicker than it should as I rolled back over. Closing my eyes to go back to sleep, I couldn’t help but think that I was right where I belonged.

*

                I never did parties- parties just weren’t my thing.

                I was currently in a very awkward situation, where I was sitting on the end of a leather white sofa. I wasn’t by myself, though- a couple was shamelessly having a sloppy make out session beside me. On the right of me, the floor, laid a girl who passed out forty minutes ago, a puddle of puke beside her.

                Tapping on my red party cup that was full of soda, I waited impatiently for Max to come back from the bathroom. I’ve been waiting for half an hour now, and I was trying to convince myself that he hadn’t ditched me at this stupid, New Years Eve party that he practically dragged me to. Waiting another five minutes, I finally got fed up when the couple making out beside me decided to make unappreciated noises. “Fucking hell.” I murmured under my breath, pushing myself past through a crowded group of sweaty dancers. When I finally escaped the mess, I stumbled out, gasping for a breath of air.

                Wiping the bit of sweat that formed against my forehead, I smoothed out the bottom of my skirt. I scanned my eyes around the room, spotting Maria by the kitchen with Jared. The two of them were leaning closely towards each other, Maria letting out a burst of giggles at something Jared whispered into her ear.

                I hated to be the third wheel when I was around them, but I was desperate to find Max. I weaved through the packed groups of people, nearly tripping over a couple that was going at it on the floor. I cringed, scrunching my nose in disgust, finally reaching the kitchen. Jared spotted me first, waving over at me. “Hey, Riley.” He grinned, his arm around Maria’s waist.

                I gave the two of them a small smile, not wanting to interrupt whatever moment they had before I came over. “Hey guys,” I paused, “have any of you seen Max? He kind of ditched me thirty minutes ago.”

                Maria frowned, tilted her head to look around the room. “Really? That’s so unlike Max, though.” She muttered to herself before turning back to me. “But, I just saw him five minutes ago when I left the bathroom.”

                I sighed with relief, giving her a nod. “Thanks.” I smiled. “I’ll catch up with the two of you later.”

                I left the kitchen, walking towards the long hallway, where the bedrooms and the bathrooms were. With each bedroom door I passed, I couldn’t help but be mentally scarred from the unpleasant sounds that were coming from the other sides of the doors. “Where are you, Max?” I hissed under my breath, suddenly getting irritated by his sudden leaving.

                When I reached the very last door of the hallway, I couldn’t help but feel defeated. I searched Cooper Daniels’ entire house, yet there was no sign of Max. I frowned, wondering if Max actually left me at a party by myself. He even begged me to come, yet he was just going to desert me her with a bunch of teenage alcoholics and sex addicts. I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking to myself that this was the worst, possible way I could’ve spent my New Years Eve night.

                Just as I was about to turn my heel and leave, I heard a familiar voice coming from the last door of the hallway. I stopped in my tracks, nearly freezing in my steps. Inching closer, I pressed my ear against the wooden door. “Why did you ask me to come here?” Max’s cold voice spat, catching my attention. “I thought I told you that I wanted nothing to do with you anymore.”

                “Max,” a quiet voice spoke, “I told you, I’m sorry.”

                I heard a disheveled grunt before Max spoke again. “I don’t care, Cassandra.” He said sternly, making my eyes go wide. Max was inside of there with Cassandra? My lips parted as I began to wonder what she wanted. “Can’t you just stay out of my life already?”

                “You know that’s not what I want Max.” Cassandra’s broken voice croaked, sending a panging feeling in my chest. I suddenly stood up straighter, touching my palm against my chest. What the hell was that? “I’ve been fucking miserable these past few weeks. I haven’t sleep in God knows how long. I fucking miss you, Max.”

                There was a sudden loud bang vibrating from the door, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Max had just punched the wall. He’s done that once before in his room, when he was extremely angry when he found out that his father was having an affair with one of his co-workers. “Max,” Cassandra cried pleadingly, “stop it! You’re bleeding for Christ’s sake!”

                When I found out that Max was hurt, I wanted to barge into the room to check to see if he was alright. But, just as I was about to turn the knob of the door, a voice stopped me. “What are you doing?”

                I turned around slowly, facing Everett. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his low-slung jeans, his eyebrows raised at me. I finally looked over at myself, noticing that I was in a very compromising position. My ears were pressed against the door- and we all knew what happened inside bedrooms during parties.

                My ears turned bright red, my voice suddenly becoming high and pitchy. “I-It’s not what it looks like, I swear!” I squeaked, warmth overtaking me. “It’s just Max left me half an hour ago and I was trying to see where he was. Maria was with Jared and they told me they saw him over here somewhere, so I was just trying to find the guy, you know? Then I heard his voice in this room, and then I found out that he’s with Cassandra inside there and then you showed up and-“

                “Riley,” Everett cut me off, biting back his lips from laughing at me, “take a breath, would you?”

                I followed Everett’s instructions, breathing in deeply, and then letting it out. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m not creeping up on two people having sex.”

                Everett finally grinned, smirking as he stepped closer to me. Brushing away a few messy strands of my hair, he whispered against my ear, “I know you would never do that.” His lips brushed against the edges of my ears, sending shivers down my spine. “You’re too innocent.”

                I smiled faintly, but my eyes were focused in on Everett’s lips. They were so rosy and smooth- he swiped a tongue over his bottom lips, taunting for me to press my lips against his. I hadn’t noticed that Everett was stepping closer and closer towards me until my back was pinned against the wall. Everett’s cool breath fanned over my lips, making me close my eyes. Before I closed my eyes entirely, though, the one last vision I had was of Everett, leaning towards me- his green eyes so warm and bright.

                I needed him- more than anything.

                “Five, four, three, two,” I heard Everett count off quietly, his lips brushing against mine with each word he spoke, “… and one.”

                I sound of fireworks and cheers went off. In the background, people shouted, “Happy New Years!” but I wasn’t paying any attention to that. My arms were wrapped around Everett’s neck, his hands holding my firmly by my hips, pulling me as close to him as humanly possible. My heart was beating against my chest quickly with each passing second, and I was satisfied when I felt Everett’s rapid heartbeat against mine.

                Everett was finally mine again.

                “Holy shit, we need to get you some ice.” The door swung open, revealing Max and Cassandra.

                Startled, I pushed Everett away from me immediately. Everett was taken by surprise, stumbling back a few steps until he regained his balance. I looked over at Max, who was clutching onto his fists tightly, blood oozing down his knuckles. My eyes bulged at the amount of blood that was pouring from his hands. “Fucking shit, Max!” I cursed, feeling a bit dizzy from the amount of blood that was displayed in front of me. “What the hell happened?”

                “He punched a wall.” Cassandra said, looking genuinely worried that Max was hurt. “Crap, it’s not broken is it? Can you move your fingers?”

                “Look, I’m fine, Cassandra.” Max snapped, taking a step away from her. “I really don’t need you.”

                In that moment, I saw Cassandra crumbling under her skin. Her face fell entirely, her shoulders slumped forwards. Moisture appeared in her eyes, making them look glossier than ever. Trying to stop her lips from quivering, she whispered, “I was only trying to help.”

                Max glared at her with much hatred, but deep down inside, I knew that he was yearning for her. Max may act like he hated Cassandra with everything inside him, but he loved her. He loved her more than any other girl out there, and love like that did not just fade away with a snap of your fingers. All Max was doing was trying to conceal the pain he had by acting like a complete asshole. “Just like you wanted to help Katie, right?” he whispered quietly, loud enough for us all to hear.

                A large droplet of salty tears fell from Cassandra’s right eye, her hand flying up immediately to wipe it away. My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach as I stepped in front of Max. “Max,” I hissed quietly, “cut it out.”

                Max seemed uncontrollable, his eyes burning with rage. But once he saw the look I shot him- one signaling for him not to cause a scene, the scowl he had on his face instantly fell. Cassandra’s lips were trembling and she was trying her best not to show that she was upset by biting on her lips. Her gaze was towards the ground, strands of her matted blonde hair falling over her face. With her shoulders slightly shaking, she whispered in a voice so low, “I should go.”

                I parted my lips to tell her to stay, but before a word got to escape my lips, Cassandra made a dash down the hallways. I tried to go after her, but Everett’s hand captured itself around my wrist, stopping me. Cassandra was long gone now- lost in the crowd of drunken teenagers.

                “Shit,” Max cursed under his breath, seeming to forget that his hand was bleeding, “I screwed up, didn’t I?”

                I groaned, pressing my back against the wall. “No, not at all, Max.” I mumbled sarcastically before examining Max’s hand. “I think we should call it for the night. We should get you back home so you can bandage up your fist.”

                Max stopped me from walking by gently pushing my shoulder back. “No,” Max said sternly, “just because I messed up, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to ruin your New Years.”

                I sighed, glancing over towards Everett, who was busy texting someone on his phone. I gave Max a small smile, nodding slowly. “Okay, thanks.” I muttered, giving him a tight hug. “You’ll be fine, right?”

                “Yeah,” Max assured, kissing the top of my head, “I’m going to go make things right.”

                Before I got to question Max, he was already gone.

*

                It was four in the morning, and Everett and I left the New Year’s party hours ago. The two of us drove to the woods on the other side of the town, where there was a cliff that was hidden. You had to make a swift turn on the side of the road to get to the path of the cliff, and when I asked Everett how he knew about this place, he simply said, “My mom brought me here.”

My eyes were starting to become heavy as I shivered under the cold wind, large pine trees surrounding us. There was an open view in front of us, giving Everett and I a perfect clear view of our town. Most houses were dark, but some portions of town still had their lights on, not letting the New Year’s spirit die down yet.

                Glancing over at Everett, I noticed that his eyes were closed and his breathing became slower. He was laying down, his back to the ground. I sat cross legged beside him, my palms supporting my weight. A tired yawn escaped my lips, moisture filling my eyes. Rubbing my eyes, I lied down next to Everett, our shoulders brushing against each others. Even though the contact of our skin was brief, I couldn’t help but feel my stomach churning every time I got close to Everett. It was like the first time I realized that I loved him, three years ago.

                A hand found its way to mine, intertwining our fingers together. I suddenly didn’t feel as cold as I had a few minutes ago, a faint smile appearing over my lips. Rolling over to my side, I turned my attention to Everett. His eyes were open now, but I could tell that he was getting just as tired as I was. “Happy New Year’s, Everett.” I whispered quietly, feeling the need to speak in a hushed tone.

                Everett chuckled lightly, his chest heaving up and down slowly. “Happy New Years, Riley.” He finally said lowly, staring up at the navy dark sky.

                I licked my cold lips, biting down on my tongue. Closing my eyes, I recalled back to the time just a few weeks ago when Cassandra confessed that it was her sister behind the wheel when a car ran into Colette’s. I stared over at Everett, noticing that his eyes were focused on my lips. Trying to bite back a smile, I gave his palm a squeeze. I wondered if he knew. “Everett, why were you drunk last week?” I asked. “You never get drunk.”

                Everett’s eyes seemed to dull down as he gave me a weak smile. “I just wanted to have fun.”

                I scanned Everett’s face, noticing traces of dishonesty and lies. It was weird that although the two of us were apart for two years, I still knew him so well. “No more lying, Everett.” I whispered, gently touching his cheek. “Please.”

                Everett closed his eyes, letting in a deep breath of air. “You’re one of the only people I trust, Riley.” He said to himself before clearing his throat. “I just wanted to know what it’s like to be drunk- why people get drunk. I wanted to know what the hell Celeste was thinking when she was driving while drunk.”

                I frowned. “Celeste?”

                Everett smiled softly, nodding. “Cassandra’s sister.”

                I closed my eyes, Everett just confirming the question I had in my head all this time. He knew- he must’ve found out the night he decided to get drunk. “We all miss her.” I muttered. “We all still miss her.”

                I suddenly became drowsy, my eyelids getting too heavy for me. Leaning my head against Everett’s chest, I slowly began to fall asleep.

                “Riley, one thing,” I heard a whisper before I went into deep slumber, “I don’t want you to blame yourself for my mother’s death anymore. I never wanted you to blame yourself.”