Four Years Earlier
Victoria
“If this bus jerks one more time, I’m jumping out while it’s moving,” Kate groans, her face a picture of misery.
“Poor thing. You should’ve taken a motion sickness pill,” I say sympathetically, looking at my friend’s pale face. Her red hair is a mess, like she’s been running in the wind all day. “We could’ve just had a barbecue in the woods nearby instead of dragging ourselves this far on a bus.”
“Ugh, don’t talk, I’m gonna be sick,” she whispers, closing her eyes.
“Girls, you in?” Lily calls from the front seats.
“We didn’t catch what you said,” I answer for both of us.
“Party. At my place. All night,” she grins, making her way toward us.
“I’m out,” I say immediately, glancing at Kate.
“Come onnn,” Lily pouts. “It’s been such a great day. Let’s go,” she twirls a strand of her long blonde hair around her finger, staring at me like she’s trying to hypnotize me. “When are we ever gonna hang out like this again?”
“We all reek of smoke. What kind of party is this?” I’m surprised she even wants us there. “We need to change.”
“We’ll find something. We’re basically the same size,” says Lily, who’s nearly six feet tall while I’m a good head shorter. “We’ll have a blast. My parents are off on some island, no one’s gonna be checking up on us. Kate, you convince Vicky, and I’ll plan the menu,” she spins around and heads back to her seat.
“Kate, huh?” I ask, shocked. “What’s up with her?”
“Don’t ask,” Kate mutters. “Her dad and mine are doing some business together. While you were tanning on the Azov Sea coast, we got to know each other a bit better. She’s actually okay, just way too hyper. Weird, right?” She looks at me guiltily.
“Yeah, a little. Especially since you two couldn’t stand each other in high school.”
“Well, yeah, that happened,” Kate smirks. But after the bus hits another pothole, she squeezes her eyes shut. “We’ll hang out at her place for a bit, then grab a cab home,” she says quietly. “Lily will be too drunk to even notice we’re gone.”
“She’s already halfway there,” I drawl as the bus erupts in laughter at a joke from our resident star, the daughter of well-known businessman Andrew Biletsky.
At the final stop, a driver in a white SUV is waiting for Lily. Kate and I follow her; none of our other old classmates agreed to come to the party. Lily acts bold and carefree, flirting shamelessly with the young driver the whole way, making even me feel awkward.
“Hey, Vadik, why don’t you join us at the party?” she purrs playfully. “We love cute guys. Right, girls?” She starts laughing, while Kate sighs and rolls her eyes.
Nothing’s changed in a year. We didn’t like her all through high school. She transferred to a parallel class and instantly became the queen bee, so none of the girls looked at Lily too kindly. I still can’t figure out why a family with that kind of money sent her to a regular public school.
I don’t know how long we drive, but it feels like forever. Kate manages to fall asleep on my shoulder by the time the car finally pulls into the courtyard of a stunning two-story house. I’ve never been here before. Honestly, I’ve never even crossed paths with Lily at parties—we live in completely different worlds. She invites us inside, blowing a final air kiss to the driver. Poor guy, I genuinely feel bad for him. With a job like that, you’d go crazy, especially if you’re constantly chauffeuring Lily around.
Even from the outside, it’s clear the house is luxurious, but Lily doesn’t give us time to look around inside. She leads us straight upstairs, cranking up the stereo system to full blast on the way.
“Make yourselves at home,” she says, flinging open the door to her room. She heads straight to her closet, pulls out hangers with clothes, and tosses them carelessly onto the bed. “Pick something,” she says, flopping down beside the pile and propping her cheek on her hand. “Hurry up, we’ve got cocktails to make. People will be here any minute.”
“I thought this was gonna be a small party,” I mutter quietly, and Lily bursts out laughing.
“Are you kidding? This is gonna be a rager no one will forget. Oh, look at me, talking in rhymes. Guess I’ve got a hidden talent,” she says, getting up and heading back to the closet.
“Yeah, a talent that comes out after a couple liters of booze,” Kate whispers in my ear.
She starts browsing through the clothes, while I stand there wondering why I got myself into this. I could be sleeping at home right now after a whole day outdoors. But you can’t show up to a party in shorts and a T-shirt that smell like campfire smoke, so I’ll have to borrow something from Lily’s wardrobe. I spot a white sundress, pull it out, and hold it up—it should fit. I don’t look for anything else since I’ve lucked out with the most modest piece in Lily’s very immodest collection. I’m shorter than her, so it won’t be as short on me as it would be on her. Kate picks a sparkly blue dress that looks more like a New Year’s outfit, but it suits her. We change and do our makeup with Lily’s cosmetics. I never thought I’d see the day—we’re actually at Lily’s house.
“White looks good on you, especially with your tan,” Kate says as we descend the grand staircase to the first floor. This place is practically a castle, just decorated in a modern style.
“And you don’t look like a pale mushroom anymore. The color’s back in your cheeks. You’ll live,” I tease her.
“Wow!” Kate exclaims as we step into the kitchen. I just stand there, unable to tear my eyes away—not from the countless bottles of alcohol on the table, but from the party host’s appearance.
“So, how do I look?” Lily asks, spreading her arms wide.
She’s wearing a short romper with a plunging neckline so deep it looks like everything might spill out if she moves too much.
“Amaaazing,” Kate drawls for both of us, since I’m at a loss for words.
“You two are way too modest,” Lily says, raising a glass of champagne in a toast before taking a sip.
“She’s as trashed as my grandpa Stepan at the local dive bar,” Kate whispers, making me bite my lip to keep from laughing.
By the time the crowd shows up, my head is pounding. Only someone with nerves of steel could handle Lily’s chatter and hysterical laughter. The loud music is starting to grate on me, and no matter how much I try to turn it down, nothing works. I only recognize a few guys from school among the guests; the rest are complete strangers. But everyone acts so comfortable, like they know exactly where to go and where to grab drinks. Seems like Lily throws these parties often. Alcohol flows like a river, and Lily’s friends get louder and happier with every toast. Meanwhile, I’m exhausted from the day and just want to sleep, or at least lie down for a bit, amid all this chaos.
In the living room, Kate is singing karaoke with some girl. Other girls join in, loudly belting out the lyrics and trying to out-sing each other. I’m not drinking, so I don’t get the wild excitement of everyone around me. Let’s just say their singing isn’t exactly pleasant. Especially Kate’s. She’s never had an ear for music—or any insecurities, for that matter, which is more than I can say for myself. I sit on the couch for a while, but eventually, I can’t take it anymore. I decide to wash my face because Lily’s expensive makeup is burning my eyes.
I head up to her room, but there’s a couple making out in there. I go to the bathroom at the end of the hallway instead. It’s empty, quiet, and cool. I grab a towel from the shelf and wash my face. It’s a huge relief because the feeling of my eyes about to pop out isn’t exactly pleasant.
“Phew,” I exhale, tucking my hair behind my ears. I recently trimmed my long black hair a bit, but now it’s curling even more. It’s like a curse—I’m constantly having to straighten it.
I spend some time alone in the bathroom, just sitting on the edge of the tub, scrolling through social media. Then I head back downstairs to the madness, noticing new faces. Looks like not all the invited guests arrived on time. Three guys are sitting on the couch in the living room, where Kate is still singing. In the hallway, another guy has his arms around Lily, who doesn’t seem to mind at all. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when she starts kissing him. I look away and accidentally lock eyes with a stranger. He’s standing on the other side of the stairs, talking to some guy, but looking at me. His gaze feels like it’s scanning me, making me uncomfortable, so I quickly slip away toward the kitchen. It feels like a whole busload of guests showed up while I was washing my face.
I find a clean glass, pour myself some water from a bottle, add a slice of lemon, and drink half of it in one go. I listen for a moment—Kate’s not singing anymore. Time to drag her out of here. I head to the living room, but now they’ve started dancing. Just what I needed. Once the dancing starts, there’s no way I’m getting Kate to leave. I sigh. I turn to go, but I bump into someone tall. Looking up, I freeze. It’s the same stranger. His hands are on my waist from when he stopped me from falling.
“Sorry,” I mumble and bolt out of the living room. I knew I shouldn’t have come here. Now I have no idea when I’ll get home since I can’t just leave Kate. It’s always like this—I’m too soft and can’t say no. Maybe I should sign up for some assertiveness classes.
I take my spot by the counter, watching the crowd around me. Everyone’s having a blast. Doesn’t Lily care about her house? They’re wandering wherever they want. And who knows what’s going on in her room?
A few minutes later, I see that guy again. He’s walking into the hallway with a girl. She’s laughing and obviously flirting with him. Weird. Can’t she see he’s completely uninterested? Not a single muscle moves on the stranger’s face, like he doesn’t know how to smile. I wonder what he’s doing here and how old he is. Lost in thought, I’m late to notice his gaze directed at me. I look away and take a big gulp of water. I decide to shift positions, but my eyes drift back to him on their own. He stands out somehow. Tall, dark-haired, noticeably older, and… stern. That’s the first word that comes to mind when you meet his gaze. He’s looking at me again, straight into my eyes, and then he leaves the girl and heads toward the kitchen. Trouble. Why did I keep looking at him like I’ve lost my mind?
Of course, everyone’s scattered now, and there’s no one to talk to. I scan the room, surprised by my own reaction. It’s not like I’ve never talked to guys before. It’d be nice to leave, but that would look weird. I’m nervous. There’s this strange, growing anxiety inside me. A foreign, unpleasant feeling.
“What?” A rough male voice sounds above me.
“Excuse me?” I look up at him. “Are you… talking to me?” My voice comes out as a squeak.
“Why are you staring?” He’s standing too close, invading my personal space. “Did we hook up, and I forgot to call?”
“What? No. Of course not,” I say, my voice returning, though my cheeks flush. The nerve of this guy!
“Figured as much. I’d definitely remember you,” he says, placing his hands on the counter on either side of me. I’m speechless, just breathing heavily in and out. “I’m Yaroslav. And you are?” He looks into my eyes intently, making my heart pound nervously. The only thought in my dumb head is: Why did I wash off my makeup? Couldn’t I have endured a few more hours? I shrug uncertainly and look away, my face probably turning beet red.
“Forget your name?” he chuckles, amusement in his voice.
“I’m a friend of Lily’s,” I reply quietly, gripping my glass tightly.
“Does Lily’s friend have a name?” He brazenly takes the glass from me, takes a sip, grimaces, and sets it back on the counter.
“Vicky,” I exhale, flustered, noticing a faint smile on his lips.