Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 60309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Although, she nearly slipped on the wet tiles.
Winona jumped in the shower to support Audrey, keeping her upright. She’s already changed out of her soaked crochet top and jeans, and she borrowed a floral dress from Audrey. It’s short on her super tall build, but she brought a long cargo jacket too.
We all helped and hurried to get Audrey dressed after the shower, but when we put her pants on backwards with the butt pockets in the front, all four of us fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.
It was one of my favorite parts of the night.
Now the four of us are squished together on a leather couch. We’re in the Cobalt’s den like we’re all on trial for murder. And it’s not just because we threw Audrey a pre-birthday sip-in-snow. The living room is a hurricane of glass from a broken coffee table. The kitchen is a flour-coated mess.
Outside is even worse. The pool has unidentified debris floating on the surface, and planters are broken—all from the T-Bags showing up and causing absolute mayhem.
It was drama.
The bad kind of drama.
Only saving grace was Akara and Banks showing up with Sulli to diffuse the whole situation, but they called Uncle Connor and Aunt Rose.
Who called all the other parents.
They told us to wait at the Cobalt Estate for them and not sneak back home. Winona and I live so close that our houses are just a quick walk down the street. We could leave, but maybe the punishments won’t be so harsh if we listen.
Unfortunately for Vada, her dad arrived first to pick her up.
Uncle Garrison looks between us with raging disappointment. “Party crashers?” he says in almost disbelief. “Party crashers?”
“We didn’t invite the party crashers,” Vada defends.
“No duh,” Uncle Garrison says. “But would they have showed up if there wasn’t a party to crash?”
Vada narrows her eyes. “Maaaaybe?”
Uncle Garrison groans and puts his hands to his head. He has a short buzz cut and an Abbey Games T-shirt on. He’s also the one who asked all our friends (not the party crashers) to leave, but a few girls from school slyly snapped photos of him on their way out.
Vada made a gagging noise that I joined in on.
“Where’d you even get the alcohol?” Uncle Garrison looks between the three of us, landing on Nona the longest. Most think she’s the “ringleader” of our group, but she’s more like the glue. The one holding the four of us tightly together.
“The other kids brought it,” I lie easily.
Vada and Nona nod in agreement while Audrey slurps harder on her straw. Uncle Garrison takes this news with a single nod and asks, “How’d the security system get disabled?”
“It was disabled?” Audrey plays innocent.
“I had no clue,” Winona says.
“Me either,” Vada and I say in unison.
Reality: Vada remembered her dad talking about the Cobalt’s security system, and she worked her technological magic to shut the thing down. We all asked her to do it. We’re just as guilty, and there is no way I’d throw her under the bus. Not if we can squirm out of this unscathed.
“Come on, they didn’t magically turn off,” Uncle Garrison says, looking directly at each of us.
“Maybe it was a glitch,” Winona says.
“A glitch?” Uncle Garrison’s brows rise. “A glitch occurred right at the moment when you girls threw a party? What a well-timed glitch.”
We all nod. “Yep,” I say.
“Truly,” Audrey mutters, then slurps.
“Totally,” Vada nods a few more times.
Uncle Garrison blinks. “Do you four really think I’m that dumb?” He holds up his hand as Vada opens her mouth. “That was rhetorical, Vada.”
“I was just going to say you’re the smartest person I know,” Vada says, and there’s a sincerity to her voice that’s unmistakable.
Uncle Garrison and Vada share a look I struggle to decipher and then his attention veers to the sound of the door opening. “Thank God,” he says.
When I see my mom, I cave backward into the leather couch, waiting for my dad to follow her in like an ominous shadow. But he doesn’t. It’s just her, and relief is quick to fill me.
“Where’s Xander?” My mom looks around quickly like he’ll emerge from the walls. Her worry causes more tumbling emotions. Memories I don’t want to face. He’s fine.
“He’s in the bathroom,” I say.
She stiffens.
“He hasn’t been in there long,” I add, trying not to be too worried. He looked okay.
Ben is maybe in the kitchen trying to clean the flour. Or he could also be upstairs in his room as far away from Xander as he can be. I wouldn’t know. I don’t have X-ray vision. But maybe their distance is what’s best.
And if anyone asks—I’m on Xander’s side. There is absolutely no question. That will be in my next video diary, for sure. In fact, I try to remember everything that went down tonight for diary number seventy-five.