Free The Collector by Victoria Scott Page B

talked about this on the way over. People drink at parties. You’re at a party.” I step toward her and run my hand down her arm. “Trying new things, remember?”
    She wraps her arms around her waist, then smiles and nods.
    “Thatta girl.” I grab a strawberry-kiwi wine cooler from the top shelf. A shot of tequila is what I’d like to feed her, but I figure I better ease her into this.
    I slide the wine cooler across the kitchen counter, and she grabs it. More beer finds its way down my gullet as Charlie twists the cap off her drink. She takes a small sip.
    “Not bad,” she says. She takes another sip.
    Thank goodness for small miracles. “Ready to get crunk?”
    “Get what?”
    “Join the party.”
    “Oh, yeah,” she says. “Where is everyone?”
    “Probably in the back.” Following the thumping sound of bass, I lead the way through Taylor’s house and find a sliding glass door in the living room that leads outside. When I pull it open, the music washes over me.
    Two speakers are built over an enormous deck that extends into the backyard. A dozen people sit on benches built along the inside of the deck, and from the sound of it, there are even more people farther out in the yard.
    I nod what’s up to a few people and keep moving. Charlie stays near me as we head down a flight of wooden stairs descending from the deck. At the bottom of the stairs, she stops and makes this surprised sound.
    In front of us is a clearing half the size of a football field. Beyond that are giant trees with white paper lanterns hanging from the branches. I’m a bit impressed myself. The parties I used to throw were limited to kegs and a bonfire. Guys don’t really do decorations.
    Though this party is all fancy , the kegs are still in attendance, which is pretty delightful since I’ve already killed my beer. I crush the can and do a long-distance toss to the trash.
    “Ready for another?” I turn around and face Charlie, who still has ninety-nine hundredths of her drink left. “Charlie, you’re nursing that thing. You need to drink it.”
    She breaks her gaze from the lanterns and turns her drink up. I put my hand on the bottom and keep the bottle upturned for much longer than I’m sure she intended.
    “There you go,” I say when she forces it back down. It’s going to take more than a wine cooler to earn Charlie seals, but I know where one wine cooler can lead, and that’s where we’re headed. Drunk people lose their inhibitions. People without inhibitions sin. Therefore, Operation Get Charlie Wasted has been launched. “One more good pull like that and we’ll be ready to hit the keg.”
    “I knew you’d come.”
    I turn around and see Taylor heading toward us. Over her shoulder, I spot a guy’s legs flailing in the air. Keg stand. Jealous.
    “How long you been here?” Taylor wraps her arms around my waist and pulls me into a hug. Her boobs press against me, and I briefly wonder if they’ll make a full appearance tonight. The bright orange shirt she’s wearing is pushing those puppies up and over, and it wouldn’t take much to make it happen.
    “Not long,” I say. “Good party.”
    “’Course. I only throw the best. Come on, let me take you around and introduce you.” She loops her arm through mine and starts to pull me away.
    “Hang on.” I pull my arm away. “Charlie, you want to walk around with us?”
    Taylor notices Charlie, and her face puffs up like a blowfish. “I didn’t know you brought a date.”
    I shrug because there’s no best way to handle this. Tearing into Taylor will be tonight’s dessert, but I can’t have Charlie upset.
    “It’s okay,” Charlie says. “Think I might just hang out on the deck.”
    Taylor grabs my arm again, and again I pull it away. “I’m not ditching her, Taylor.”
    “Okay. Fine.” She smiles likes it’s no biggie. “I’ll be around if you decide to be social.”
    I face Charlie as Taylor sashays toward a small group of girls. “Yes. Before you