CHAPTER 3

"Revenge Is Best Served Drunk"

I smiled warmly at the new guy, but honestly I was indifferent to the kid. He was a little stand-offish, not that I minded. Sean hadn't said a word to me since he made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with me. To be fair, he hadn't spoken to Drake either, so maybe he just wasn't in the mood for socializing. If only this was just socializing we were dealing with, but Snake reiterated several times that this was a huge part of our grade. His silence certainly created tension, though.

"Any good ideas for the website?" I asked the two of them, but it was mainly directed towards Drake. He shrugged his shoulders and adjusted the hood over his head. He came off as a little sketchy, but who was I to judge. The two of us continued with brief, awkward conversations that Sean declined to join in on. After sixty eternal minutes, the class ended and the bell rang. I was nearly out the door when Drake stopped me. I jumped slightly and turned to face him. He was quiet for a second before he spoke to me.

"You know, you're really pretty," he said with a crooked smile. I was appalled by his incredibly blunt flirting, but I had to admit that his confidence was a little attractive. It reminded me of Sean a little - hard on the outside, soft on the inside. And it was nice to be sought after because I wasn't usually considered the biggest catch. That, and everyone assumed I was in love with Sean. The only two people other than him to take a risk with me were Chris and Jay. Before I had the chance to reply to Drake, he walked away. I watched him go without another word, stunned.

At the end of the day, I went to meet Manny by her locker as always, but she was nowhere to be seen. I eventually found her in front of the school with Liberty. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know she wasn't with Sean. Manny widened her sympathetic eyes, clearly regretting her mistake. I reached them and nodded at Manny, letting her know that I wasn't angry with her.

"Manny here just convinced me to attend a party hosted by your former boyfriend," Liberty filled me in. I frowned and gestured for them to clarify. Liberty patted me on the arm and hurried away, probably to find JT. I patiently waited for Manny to provide me with an explanation. She opened her mouth and closed it; it appeared that she was searching for the right words.

"Sean's having a party today, I mean, it's more like a small get-together, and he told me I could come," Manny didn't look me in the eyes when she continued. "He kinda told me not to tell you." At least she was attempting to be sensitive to my feelings, I told myself. However, it disturbed me that she asked Liberty to join her, leaving me to be the odd one out. She finally locked eyes with me, and I shook my head to show her that I wasn't affected by my lack of an invitation whatsoever. It was a lie, but I wouldn't let Manny in on how much pain Sean was making me feel.

I peeled off the clothes I'd worn to school and threw on sweatpants and an old t-shirt. I put my hair up in a bun and sat down at the kitchen table to begin my homework. It would be an understatement to say I was mentally exhausted. I glanced at the clock. It was nearing eight o'clock, so the party, or "small get-together," would most likely begin soon. I pushed away those thoughts and concentrated solely on the work, until about two hours later I received a distressed phone call from Liberty.

"Hello?" I picked up the phone.

"Emma, you have to get here. Manny's drunk and she's making a scene and I haven't a clue how to handle it. I'm not accustomed to dealing with these types of scenarios."

"Liberty, I can't. You know Sean told Manny specifically not to come," I protested.

"I know, I know, but you have to get here now. It's getting bad. Look, I have to go. I'll text you the address," she told me anxiously before she hung up. It had occurred to me when I first saw him that he wouldn't have anywhere to stay, so I was more than curious to discover his living conditions. He obviously wasn't living on the side of the road if he was hosting a party.

Realizing I had no means of transportation, I grabbed my mom's keys and slipped out the window. She was sleeping, but I couldn't risk making a peep. My phone dinged and I was about to put the address she'd sent me into the GPS, but did a double take after I read it. It was the same one he'd had when he lived with Tracker. He must have gotten the house back.

I was already half way to the party when I noticed I was still in my sweats. I mentally slapped myself because I didn't have time to turn around and change. I pulled over on the side of the road leading up to his house behind a long line of cars. I rushed inside to find Liberty and Manny. I'd searched about half the party, receiving once overs from half the guests, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was Manny...She was making out with Sean. Both were clearly drunk.

Liberty emerged from the crowd and I could see that she pitied me.

Gathering up the courage, I coughed loudly. Manny and Sean both turned their heads towards me. "Emma, you aren't allowed to be here, remember?" Manny exclaimed, giggling. Sean was silent.

I grabbed Manny's arm, "Come on, we're going home." Manny protested loudly but I ignored her, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. Sean didn't look remotely apologetic. In fact, he looked smug, which only caused my heart to wrench more. It didn't matter how drunk they were. In my eyes, nothing would excuse their actions.

"Manny! We're going home, now."

A/N: I sincerely hope you're enjoying this story so far. I'm certainly enjoying the writing process. Please review, it really means a lot, and I notice and appreciate every single review. Thank you for reading this far!