Jeff had left for Ellie’s graduation earlier in the afternoon. Ari’s parents were planning on taking them all out to dinner afterward, so I had plenty of time to get things ready for the party. Jack was already at the house setting up his equipment. He was probably one of the best DJs in Austin. I only had to promise him two fifty-yard-line seats to get him to do this party.

“All right, dude, I got my shit all together and ready to go. I’m going to go and grab some food. What time do you want me back here?” Jack asked as he threw his backpack over his shoulder.

“Seven sound good?” I asked as I saw Jeff walk in the front door and slam it shut.

“Sure . . . see y’all then.”

Jeff walked by me and into the kitchen.

“Hey, how was the graduation?”

He reached in the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He slammed the door shut. “Fucking great . . . just fucking great.”

Well, holy shit, what was going on with him? “Dude, what’s going on? Oh, fuck, please tell me your mom didn’t show up at the graduation.”

“What? No . . . no man, she didn’t show up. The graduation was perfect. It was the fucking dinner afterward that sucked. I swear to God, I want to just wring that Ari’s fucking neck!” Jeff said as he slammed his empty beer bottle down and grabbed another beer. Wow . . . he downed that beer fast.

“Fuck, Jeff, you’re going to be trashed before Ellie even gets here. What the hell did Ari do?”

Jeff just started laughing. “What does that girl not do? She never fucking shuts the hell up for one thing. I mean I just wanted to reach across the goddamn table and shove a piece of bread in her damn mouth. Then that prick showed up and all he did was fucking flirt with her over dinner, and she flirted right back with him. It made me sick.”

Ahhh, so now we get to the big picture.

“Who was this prick who showed up? Someone they graduated with?”

“I don’t know who the fuck he was . . . some asshole she used to date in school. He was having dinner with his family at the same restaurant. Fucker sure didn’t have any manners, since he practically sat with us the whole time and left his family sitting there just waiting for him to come back.”

“Okay, so what exactly did Ari do that has you so angry with her?” I asked Jeff as I watched him get another beer out of the fridge.

Holy fuck, he had it bad for Ari. Why the hell couldn’t he admit it?

Jeff laughed as he walked over and sat down on the sofa. “I pulled Ari aside and told her how inappropriate it was for her to be flirting with this guy so openly in front of her parents.”

“Oh, holy fuck . . . only knowing Ari for a few days, I’m pretty sure that probably pissed her off, Jeff. What the fuck did you do that for? It’s not like she’s your girlfriend.”

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. “Funny fucking thing . . . she said the same damn thing to me as you just did. First, she just about called me every name in the book, told me to mind my own damn business and ended it with ‘I’m not your goddamn girlfriend, I’m just Squirt, your little sister’s best friend.’ Then she smiled at me, leaned in, and whispered against my ear that it was such a shame I was a spineless, dickless prick because she didn’t go for guys like me! Bitch!”

Ouch! Talk about sexual tension.

“Jeff, why can’t you admit you have feelings for Ari? It sure would make things easier on Ellie, you, and Ari,” I said as I sat down next to him.

Jeff just turned to look at me and then smiled. It was such a sad smile.

“I need to focus on Ellie right now. I don’t have time to jack around with some baby drama queen who obviously needs way too much attention to keep her happy. Let her little high school prick friend do that. I need to go jump in the shower before Ellie and her friends get here. I told them to come any time after seven. I also called Rebecca and invited her and some of her friends. Told them it was Ellie’s graduation party, but most of the normal folks would be here. Do me a favor and keep your eye on Ellie and her friends tonight. I don’t want any of these jackasses trying something with any of them. I already gave Ellie the lecture about taking any drinks from anyone.” Jeff ran his hands through his hair and started to walk to his room.

“Hey, dude, you didn’t tell Rebecca to invite Crysti, did you?” I asked as I reached down and picked up the two empty beer bottles Jeff had downed since he sat on the sofa.

“I told her I didn’t care who she brought along. The more of them that are here, the less likely the guys will hit on Ellie and her friends. Ellie was adamant about having college students here, something about leaving her high school years behind,” Jeff said as he walked away from me.

Fucking great . . . the last thing I needed was that bitch Crysti hanging around me all night with Ellie here. If Jeff thought having some UT bitches here were going to stop the guys from hitting on Ellie and her friends, he was seriously not thinking clearly.

An hour or so later people started showing up. Ellie and her friends had yet to arrive. Jeff had drunk two more beers and was now arguing with Brad about which of them could bench press the most. Jack had the music spinning and there were already people dancing inside the house and outside in the yard.

Just then I felt all the hair on my arms stand up. She was here. I could just feel it.

I looked over at Jeff, who looked toward the front door and got the biggest smile on his face. I followed his eyes and saw Ellie walking up to him. Fuck me she looked beautiful. She was wearing a short white dress with cowboy boots and her hair was pulled up into a pony. She had a bit more makeup on today than she did yesterday. As soon as she got to Jeff he picked her up and spun her around. She threw her head back and laughed. I looked behind Jeff and noticed Brad and Josh were standing there with their goddamn mouths hanging open.

Fuckers. I didn’t like how they were looking at Ellie like she was a piece of fucking meat. As Jeff started to talk to Ellie I walked up to where about six or so of our friends were standing.

“Hey, Gunner, what’s up, dude? Check out the fresh meat! Holy fucking shit, Jeff’s sister is HOT and her friends are just as fucking hot!” Josh said as he whistled.

“Listen, you motherfuckers . . . I’m giving you this warning once. None of you get any ideas about Ellie’s friends. This warning comes from me and Jeff.”

Josh let out a laugh. “All right! But you didn’t say anything about his baby sister, so if y’all will excuse me,” Josh said as he started to walk toward Ellie. I stepped in front of him and put my hand on his chest to stop him.

“I don’t think so. Ellie is off limits. Period. You so much as fucking look at her wrong, and I’ll beat your ass, you got that?”

“What the fuck, Gunner? You calling dibs on the baby sister?” Brad asked as they all started to laugh.

“As a matter of fact, I am, asshole. I’m dead fucking serious . . . do not so much as talk to her wrong.”

Josh and Brad exchanged looks, and Brad held up his hands and took a few steps back. I could hear Josh saying something about how this was not fucking fair.

I turned to see Ellie walking up to me. I smiled at her as she walked closer. Her smile grew bigger. God, how I had missed her, and it had only been a day since I last saw her.

I could see Ari and two other girls start laughing and talking to each other. I wondered if Ellie told them we had kissed. I hoped she told them, because that meant she was thinking about it. I better make sure I gave her something tonight to keep her thinking about me.

Ellie walked up and stood on her toes to give me a kiss on the cheek. My heart jumped up into my throat, and my dick started to get hard.

“Hey, Gunner, how are you doing tonight?” Ellie asked with that beautiful smile of hers.

“I’m doing much better now that you’re here. How was graduation?” I looked over Ellie’s shoulder to see Ari giving me a shit-eating grin. Yep, by the way Ari was looking at me, I knew Ellie had told her about the kiss.

“Ari, how are you? How’d your speech turn out?”

“Hey, Gunner. Oh yeah . . . the whole speech thing. It went pretty good. I about pissed in my pants from being nervous. I looked out and saw Jeff, so, I just pictured his ass naked and sucking his thumb, and strangely enough, I calmed right down,” Ari said with a shrug and the most serious face I’d ever seen. I kind of believed she was telling me the truth. I shook my head and laughed. Damn, I liked this girl.

“Well, shit, I’m going to have to remember that one when I stand in front of a group pitching an idea for a new building.” Ari just gave me a wink.

Ellie introduced me to a girl with shoulder-length brownish-red hair. “Gunner, this is Amanda. Amanda, this is Gunner.” Ahhh, so this was Amanda, the girl who lost her virginity at a frat party. It was hard for me to keep a straight face, but somehow I managed. She was probably dressed the most provocatively in tight jeans and a brown tank top that showed her assets really well.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amanda,” I said with a smile.

“We’ve heard so much about you, Gunner . . . seems you made an impression on our Ellie here.”

I laughed as I saw Ellie give Amanda a dirty look.

“Anyway—if you are done, Manda—Gunner, this is Heather,” Ellie said. Heather was a little shorter than Ellie and Ari, and the only blonde in the group. She had shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. She reminded me of Ellie in a way. Innocence was pouring off her.

“Heather, it’s very nice to meet you.”

“The feeling is mutual. Thank you for inviting us, Gunner.” Innocent and with that southern charm . . . these girls were in for a wake-up call tonight.

Both girls were more than pretty, and I could already see the vultures swarming. I gave all four of them my lecture about not leaving with anyone, not even a girl. No taking any drinks from anyone other than one another, Jeff, or me. I also made sure Amanda and Heather had plans for a ride home. Heather had drawn the smallest straw, so she was not drinking tonight.

Jeff had already told Ellie that she and Ari could stay over. Something he was regretting just thirty minutes ago when I mentioned Ari staying over all night. I thought he was going to come undone.

Once I got the girls beers and Heather a Diet Coke, they all moved out to the backyard and were quickly dancing. I had to smile at Ari . . . man, that girl knew how to get attention. There must have been at least four guys dancing around her. Amanda was holding her own and seemed to have Brad’s full attention. Ellie and Heather were dancing with each other and both seemed oblivious to the guys who were desperately trying to get their attention. I looked over as Jeff walked out the sliding glass door with Rebecca in tow. He scanned the people dancing. He saw Ellie and smiled. Then his smile faded and was replaced by pure anger. I followed to where he was looking.

Ari. She was dancing with another girl and two guys. Christina Aguilera’s “Your Body” was playing, and wow . . . Ari could sure dance. She saw Jeff and gave him a smile and a wink. I looked at Jeff and he had his hands balled up in fists. Shit, that girl had him under her spell, whether he wanted to believe it or not.

Just then Ellie walked up to me and bumped my shoulder.

“You enjoying your first college party?” I asked as I gave her a wink. I looked into those beautiful blue eyes and my heart started to pound. The twinkle lights we had hanging in all the trees were casting sparkles in her eyes and it took my breath away.

“Yes! I think Ari is trying to make a statement, though,” Ellie said with a nod of her head toward Ari.

“I think you might be right. By the look on Jeff’s face, I would say it’s working. Where the hell did she learn to dance like that?”

Ellie laughed. “She’s been taking lessons since she was five years old. She loves to dance,” Ellie said as she looked over to Jeff. I saw her smile fade from her face.

“Who is that with Jefferson, and is that the girl from the coffee shop behind her? What was her name, Crysti?”

Fuck . . .

“The girl is Rebecca. She’s the cheerleader who Jeff went out with Thursday night. Crysti is another cheerleader and is one of Rebecca’s friends. Jeff invited Rebecca, but I’m not sure why because he can’t stand her.”

“Probably to piss off Ari, I’m guessing. They had some kind of fight at dinner, and Ari won’t tell me what they argued about.”

Ellie stared at them for a good a minute before she turned back to me and smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I reached for her hand and brought it up to my mouth and kissed the back of her hand.

“Don’t worry, Ellie.” I gave her a wink and slowly let her hand go.

“I’m not worried. I’m sure Jefferson knows what he’s doing. I just hope he didn’t invite this girl just to make Ari jealous. They were both in piss-poor moods when they came back in from outside. Ari just told me Jefferson was being a dickwad. That seems to be her favorite word to describe him the last few days!” Ellie said with a small laugh.

I looked back out to the dance floor to see Ari dancing pretty close to Josh. I took a peek at Jeff and he was trying to pay attention to whatever Rebecca was saying to him, but he kept looking out on the dance floor at Ari. He looked worried, and he should’ve been. Josh has probably slept with every girl at this party except for Ellie and her friends. The way he was looking at Ari, though . . . I know what that fucker was thinking.

“Gunner, can I use the bathroom in your bedroom? Jefferson said y’all keep your rooms off-limits. There was a pretty long line waiting for the bathroom when we walked in.”

“Of course you can, sweetheart. Just be sure to lock the bedroom door when you go inside.”

“Will you wait right here until I get back?” Ellie asked as a blush crept up her cheeks.

“I’ll be right here,” I said as I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Ellie stopped to talk to Jeff for a quick second. I saw Rebecca and Crysti staring her up and down.

Bitches.

Jeff walked over to me with Rebecca and Crysti in tow and slapped me on the back. “So, you think my baby sister is having fun at her first college party?”

I looked at Jeff, who was clearly getting himself drunk. “Jeff, man, what’s going on with you tonight? You never get wasted like this. You’re leaving me totally responsible for watching your sister and her friends.”

“It looks like Jeff’s little sister’s friends are taking pretty good care of themselves,” Rebecca said with a laugh. Crysti and some other girl who I’d never seen before started to laugh as they looked out to where everyone was dancing.

Just then, Ari started to walk over to where we were standing. She was out of breath from dancing. I reached into the cooler I was standing by and handed her another beer.

“Whew! I haven’t danced that much in forever! Where is Ellie? She needs to get her ass out there and dance with us,” Ari said as she took a sip of beer.

She looked over at Jeff and then noticed Rebecca hanging onto him. This was not going to turn out good. Ari’s eyes traveled up and down Rebecca, and landed at where she had her hand on Jeff’s waist.

“Who is your friend, dickwad?” Ari asked Jeff.

“Rebecca, this is Ellie’s best friend, Squirt. Squirt, this is Rebecca . . . a friend of mine.” Jeff stressed the word “friend” and I saw Ari’s whole body just stiffen up. What the fuck was he doing?

“Hello, Jeff’s friend Rebecca. The name is Ari, nice to meet you,” Ari said as she reached for Rebecca’s hand to shake it. Rebecca, being the bitch she was, just looked at Ari’s hand and laughed.

Jeff just stood there with a grin on his face. Why in the hell was he letting Rebecca be so rude to Ari? This was not like him at all.

He leaned closer in to Ari like he was going to say something only to her.

“Better be careful dancing like that out there, Squirt. You’re playing with the big boys now. You might just lose your V card if you keep dancing like that, honey.”

Holy crap! Oh, shit, he did not just say that!

Jeff practically shouted it to Ari. Rebecca and Crysti started to laugh. I just stood there stunned. This was not Jeff. He would never purposely hurt anyone.

I turned and looked at Ari. She just stood there staring at Jeff, the tears slowly starting to build in her eyes. She looked over at the two bitches, who were laughing still.

“Rebecca, knock it the fuck off, or you can take your friends and leave,” I said as I walked in between Ari and Jeff. Ari looked like she was ready to knock the shit out of him. He just stood there smiling at her. After what felt like forever, I saw Ari’s shoulders square off and she stood up tall.

“Fuck you, Jeff! It’s not the first time I’ve played with the big boys, and it certainly won’t be the last.” Ari turned and walked over to Jack. It looked like she was asking him to play a song.

I turned and just stared at Jeff. “Rebecca, will you and your friends give us a few minutes please?”

“Sure, I’ll be inside, baby.” Rebecca reached up and kissed Jeff on the cheek. He briefly closed his eyes like he couldn’t stand the contact.

“Jeff, what the fuck is your problem? Why the hell would you embarrass Ari like that?” I pushed my hands through my hair. What the hell was he thinking? “Holy fuck, dude, that was a real douchebag move.”

Jeff just took a swig of his beer and shrugged his shoulders.

Next thing I knew, “I’m a Slave for You” by Britney Spears started playing.

Oh, fuck, this couldn’t be good. Just then, Ellie walked back up with a confused look on her face.

“What the hell?” Ellie said, just as Jeff looked out to the dance floor. His jaw dropped. I didn’t want to turn around but I did.

Dammit. I shouldn’t have . . .

Ari was dancing with Josh. I mean, she was dancing closely with Josh. There was some major grinding going on. I’d never seen a girl move like how she was moving. There must have been at least a group of ten people standing around whooping and hollering. I saw her look over toward Jeff and the look on her face was sending a clear message.

“Gunner, do you know why Ari is dancing like she’s starring in the next Dirty Dancing movie?” Ellie asked over the music. Fuck, what was I supposed to say? She was going to be pissed at Jeff.

I looked at Jeff to see if he was going to say anything. Nope. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from where Ari was dancing. We just stood there . . . watching Ari. Amanda and Heather joined in on the dancing. Josh looked like he had died and gone to heaven. Even I was getting turned on just watching Ari dance with Josh.

A slower song started to play, “Fall into Me,” by Brantly Gilbert. I shook my head at Jeff and looked down at Ellie.

“I love this song. Will you dance with me, Ellie?” I asked as I took my hand and ran it down the side of her face.

Ellie looked over at Jeff. Clearly she knew something had happened, and then she looked over at me and smiled.

“Of course, I’ll dance with you.”

I scanned the dance floor and saw Ari was dancing with Josh. I thought I saw her quickly wipe a tear away from her face, but I wasn’t sure. Shit . . . Jeff fucked up big time.

I took Ellie in my arms and held her close. I took a deep breath in and breathed in her smell. She would forever smell like daisies to me. She molded perfectly into my body. She was tense when we first started to dance but I could feel her relax more and more as the song went on.

I looked up to see Rebecca and Jeff dancing . . . and kissing. Jeff didn’t even have his eyes closed. It was almost like he was on autopilot.

Stupid drunk bastard.

I was going to fucking kill him tomorrow. I kept Ellie turned away. I didn’t need her leaving me now to go bitch out her brother. I closed my eyes and pictured Ellie and I all alone—just the two of us dancing.

The song ended and Ellie looked up at me with the most precious look on her face.

“Gunner, you have a beautiful voice,” she said as she stared into my eyes.

I could lose myself in those beautiful blue eyes. If I had not known any better, I would have thought my knees were about to give out from under me. Wait . . . what did she just say? I had a beautiful voice? Was I singing?

“I didn’t realize I was singing out loud. I’m sorry!” I said with a laugh. “That must have been pure torture!”

Goddamn, there comes that smile I would die for. It slowly spread across her cheeks along with the blush that I have grown to love so damn much.

“No, it was . . . it was one of the most romantic things ever. It took my breath away,” Ellie said as she looked down and away from me. She looked back up with a weak smile.

“You’re going to make some girl very happy someday.”

Fuck. I had my work cut out for me. It was pretty damn clear she was sticking to this whole “friends” bullshit. She was just going to keep pushing me away. Patience was all I needed. If it meant ending up with Ellie the rest of my life, then I was going to have to learn to give her the space and time she needed.

Ellie and I danced together most of the night. I was pretty sure I didn’t see Ellie dance with another guy. Not that they were not asking her to. I saw her turn down more guys tonight than I cared to count.

I stopped drinking after my fourth beer. I needed to have a clear head. Between keeping the vultures off Ellie and her friends, watching that dickhead Jeff, and trying to keep Crysti at bay, I needed to be as sober as I could.

The most interesting part of the night was when Ari stood right next to Jeff and Rebecca and danced to “Shut Up” by Christina Aguilera.

“Okay, what’s going on with those two?” Ellie asked me while she watched Ari dance, and never once did Ari look away from Jeff. He looked like he was going to blow any minute. I was just hoping that they didn’t rip each other’s eyes out.

I shrugged my shoulders and prayed that Jeff didn’t kick Josh’s ass since he was dancing pretty damn close to Ari and she had a shit-eating grin on her face the whole time. Jesus, those two were going to be the death of me tonight.

The party started to wind down around midnight. I was standing in the kitchen talking to Scott and Brad when I felt someone come up behind me and wrap their arms around my waist. I instantly knew it was not Ellie.

“Hey there, handsome, what do you say to a dance with me?” I took the arms that were wrapped around me off my waist and turned around to see Crysti standing in front of me. She looked like she was wasted. Fuck, I wish her and her Barbie-doll friends would just leave already. Rebecca had been clinging to Jeff damn near all night.

“Ah, no thanks, Crysti. You might want to start gathering up your friends. We’re shutting things down soon,” I said as I gave her a blank look. Last thing I needed to do was encourage her anymore.

“What the hell, Gunner . . . you have a few high school girls at your party and we all have to go to bed early tonight? I know who I want to go to bed with,” Crysti said as she threw her arms around my neck.

Of course, that would be the moment Ellie and her friends had walked into the living room. She was scanning the room. Probably looking for Jeff, but he fucking disappeared about thirty minutes ago. She caught my eyes. She tried to keep her face neutral, but I was not stupid. Her whole body tensed.

I pulled away from Crysti’s death grip. I held her arms and pushed her back slightly.

“Crysti, that’s enough. I already told you no and asked for you and your friends to start heading out. Party is over. Jack is packing up his stuff, so there’s no more dancing.”

Crysti looked like she was going to cry, but then she started to laugh. What the hell?

“Oh my God. Tell me you’re not into that little girl. Come on, Gunner, don’t you remember how good we were together? I bet she can’t make you feel the way I did.”

Fuck. Ellie was now just standing there listening to the whole thing. Could this get any worse?

I should not have asked. Just then I heard Rebecca’s obnoxiously loud laugh. She and Jeff were walking out of his bedroom and down the hall. Rebecca was throwing her hair in a pony, and Jeff was slipping a T-shirt on over his head.

Oh, fuck no, Jeff, you didn’t . . .

Ellie and Ari both spun around and looked at them. Then Ellie turned back around and looked at me.

“It’s time to go, Crysti, and take your tramp friend Rebecca with you,” I said as I grabbed her arm and led her into the living room.

“Hey, take your hands off me, you dick,” Crysti shouted.

“Get out now, Crysti,” I said as I looked around for Cooper, another football player who hung around the Crysti and her gang. He was taking them all back to their sorority house.

Once I got them all out the door, I started to clear out the rest of the guests. This party was over since Ellie, Amanda, and Heather were sitting on the sofa with a clearly upset Ari. I didn’t notice Ari crying until Amanda stood up to say goodbye to Brad. Did he just hand Amanda a piece of paper?

Amanda and Heather walked up to me. “Thank you so much, Gunner. We had a really great time. We would say thanks to Jefferson, too, but we can’t find him,” Amanda said with a weak smile.

“You girls are more than welcome. I’m glad you had a good time. Heather, you haven’t had anything to drink, right? You’ll be okay driving home?” I asked as I looked over their shoulders at Ellie watching me talk to her friends. God, this girl was my undoing. Just a smile from across the room could bring me to my knees.

“Nope, I haven’t had a drop! Thanks again, Gunner. Hope to see you around soon,” Heather said as they headed back over to Ellie and Ari.

“Um, yeah, sure. See ya around,” I said.

Ellie walked them to the front door. Everyone was now gone. I watched as Ellie walked back over to the sofa and sat down next to Ari.

I decided it was time for me to find out where the fuck Jeff went and what the hell he was thinking. I walked outside and he was sitting in a chair, just staring off into space. He was the only one outside, just sitting there alone.

“You want to tell me what the fuck has gotten into you tonight, dude?” I asked as I grabbed a beer out of the cooler and pulled up another chair to sit next to him.

Jeff looked up at me, and I’d never seen him look so damn upset. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’ve got to know what an asshole you were tonight, not only to Ari but to your sister as well. Dude, I can’t believe you fucking slept with Rebecca. What a stupid-ass move, man.” I took a long swig of beer and looked over at Jeff. He had his face buried in his hands.

“I don’t want to fuckin’ talk about it, Gunner. I know I fucked up, okay? Just leave me the fuck alone.”

“I have never in my life been so goddamn disappointed in you, Jefferson. Never!” I heard Ellie shout.

I looked up to see her standing in front of Jeff with her hands on her hips. She looked so fucking cute standing there all mad.

“Ellie, why don’t y’all head into my room and get some sleep, okay, honey?” Jeff said without looking up.

“What? You really think either one of us wants to go and sleep in a bed you just fucked a girl in?” Jeff flinched when Ellie shouted the word “fucked.” “No thank you, Jefferson. I’m calling a cab and we are going back to Ari’s house.”

“Ellie, no, don’t leave, sweetheart. Ari has had way too much to drink. You both can sleep in my room tonight,” I said as I stood up and walked Ellie away from Jeff.

“I can’t believe he did this, Gunner! I just can’t believe it. Ari just told me what he said about her losing her virginity. Oh my God, Gunner. This . . . this person sitting here is not my brother.” Ellie was on the verge of tears. She looked over my shoulder at Jeff and screamed out, “You are just like Mom! You drink and you spit out hateful, hurtful things, you prick!” Ellie pulled out of my arms and started to walk into the house.

I turned around to look at Jeff and saw something I never thought I’d see: he was crying as he watched Ellie walk back into the house.