That night, there’s a massive party at someone’s house—a typical high school bash where nearly everyone from Silver Ridge is going. It’s one of those parties you hear about for weeks, the kind where people squeeze into every corner of the house and spill out into the yard, red solo cups in hand, laughing like they’ve got no cares in the world.
I wasn’t planning on going. After the argument with my dad, parties are the last thing on my mind. But Emerald and Esmeralda wouldn’t take no for an answer.
"You need this," Emerald had said, practically dragging me by the arm as we got ready. "Trust me, it’s going to be fun. You can forget about everything for one night."
"Plus, you never know what’ll happen," Esmeralda had added with a sly grin, wiggling her eyebrows. "High school parties are un
