Love, After Dark

Chapter 45

SIRI

I didn’t sleep much. I just laid there. Staring at the ceiling. Replaying everything. The red punch dripping down my face. The laughter. The way the room felt like it was closing in. The look on Brice’s face. Frozen. Mom had added another two weeks to my grounding this morning after finding out about the party. I was officially banned from life until further notice. I didn’t even argue. What was the point? I didn’t want to go anywhere. I didn’t want to see anyone. The idea of walking into school on Monday made my stomach twist. I could already hear the whispers. She got dumped. She got humiliated. She went after someone else’s boyfriend.

I was surprised Mom hadn’t taken my phone too. Maybe she figured being stuck in my room was punishment enough. I spent most of the morning under my covers. Texting Keisha here and there, but even that felt exhausting.

Keisha: I swear if I see Wynter I’m going to jail.

Me: Please don’t.

Keisha: I mean it.

Me: I know.

Keisha: You okay?

Me: I will be.

It was a lie. But it was easier than explaining. Mom came in three separate times. Once around breakfast. Once around lunch. And once mid-afternoon. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked gently. “I’m fine,” I muttered into my pillow.

By three, I couldn’t take the smell of dried punch in my hair anymore. I forced myself out of bed. Maybe a shower would wash the night off. I opened my bedroom door just as Sia opened hers across the hall. She blinked at me. “Oh. “You can go,” I said quickly, stepping back. “I’ll just use the guest bathroom.” She didn’t move. Just tilted her head. “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” I said, waving her off. “Go shower.” She squinted at me like she didn’t believe a word I said.

I closed my door and waited until I heard the shower start before grabbing my towel and heading to the guest bathroom. The hot water helped. A little. It washed away the sticky feeling. But it didn’t wash away the humiliation. When I got back to my room, towel wrapped around me, Sia was sitting on my bed. Arms crossed. Eyebrow raised. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to.

I sighed and went to my dresser, pulling out clothes. “You’re not going to drop it, are you?” “Nope.” I got dressed slowly, telling her about the auditorium. About Brice coming to talk to me. About Wynter staring holes into my back all week. She stopped me three times. “Wait. Who’s Luke again?” “His best friend.” “And Courtney is which one?” “The blonde with the lip filler.” “Ohhh. Okay. Continue.”

The further I got into the story, the more Sia’s face changed. Confusion. Then disbelief. Then anger. By the time I got to the party, her eyes were blazing. “And then she just— dumped it on you?” she asked. “Yeah.” “Who tf does that b***h think she is?!” she yelled. I let out a small laugh despite myself. “You sound just like Keisha.” “Who?” “My friend.” “Ohhh yeah,” she said, snapping her fingers. “The one who wanted to fight everyone.” “Yeah. She actually reminds me of you. Less whiny. Fills the push-up bra out more but—” A pillow smacked me in the face. “Siri!” she shrieked. I burst out laughing, and a second later she was laughing too. For a moment, it didn’t feel so heavy.

“So,” she said once we calmed down. “What are you going to do now?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just… see how it plays out.” Right then, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. Sia lunged for it before I could. Her eyes widened. “Brice Westin.” My stomach flipped. I took the phone from her and opened the message. We both leaned in.

Brice: I wanted to say I’m sorry about how things went last night. You didn’t deserve that. Wynter and her friends took things way too far. I never meant for it to turn into something like that. I hope you know that.

I read it twice. Sia read it once and scoffed. “That’s it?” she said. “He apologized,” I said weakly. “For their behavior,” she corrected. “Not his.” I didn’t answer. “What should I say?” I asked quietly Sia didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the phone. Her fingers flew across the screen.

Me (via Sia): You’re apologizing for your girlfriend’s behavior but not for your own. You should never have allowed it to get this far in the first place. Then you stood there and did nothing. Whatever you have going on in your relationship is your business, but I won’t be used in your sick game to make her jealous. From this point on, leave me alone. She hit send before I could protest. Then she blocked him.

She handed the phone back to me with a satisfied nod. I stared at her. “You just—” “Yep.” For a second, I didn’t know whether to be horrified or impressed. Then we both started laughing. “I cannot believe you,” I said. “You’re welcome,” she replied. I shook my head, still smiling faintly. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared all this with my thirteen-year-old sister. But since moving to Redhaven, we’d gotten closer. Closer than we’d been in years in Millburn.

Back there, things weren’t this complicated. In Millburn, boys were just boys. Parties were just parties. And drama didn’t feel like it could ruin your entire existence. “I miss Millburn,” I said softly. “Yeah,” Sia sighed. We both lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about old friends. Old hallways. Old versions of ourselves. Back when everything felt simple. Back when I didn’t know what it felt like to have a room full of people laughing at me. Back when I didn’t know how much it could hurt for someone to just stand there and watch.