Wrecked Book 4 (11 page)

Reaching the kitchen, I glanced around at the multitude of faces searching for either Miranda or Kass. Or the twins, even. Anyone who might be able to lead me back to Miranda. But the kitchen was packed, too, and I wasn
’
t sure if I would be able to find anyone.

Someone tried to shove a drink into my hand. I took it purely out of instinctual reaction. I didn
’
t want it to fall to the floor and make a mess, so I gripped the cup as the other person let go. Looking down at the amber liquid that swirled inside it, I couldn
’
t deny that I was tempted.

God did I want a drink. Badly.

It had been so long now, and it was for the best, I knew, but that didn
’
t mean I didn
’
t crave the ugly, bitter taste of alcohol. I remembered how fun it was to drink, how much I
’
d enjoyed doing it in high school. It took the complications of life away and made everything, if only for a night, easier to deal with.

Even with the bitch of a headache in the morning and the disaster that was the hangover, it had been worth it to my high school self to drink to her heart
’
s content.

Now, as I stared down into the cup, I contemplated taking a sip. Just a quick, brief sip that was barely anything at all. It didn
’
t really count, did it? I bit my lip, thinking of how much easier my life would be if I just had a little alcohol in my system. Suddenly, all the drama that had been swirling around in my world would drift away and I could easily laugh and have fun with everyone else, not worrying about
every little thing
.

The temptation was real and so clear that I almost lifted it to my lips, but before I could give in I shook my head. I didn
’
t need to do this. I wasn
’
t that girl anymore. I shoved my cup onto the counter and moved on. I was here looking for someone to keep them from making a very easy, seductive mistake.

Miranda didn
’
t seem to be in the kitchen, so I headed out back towards the living room. I didn
’
t see her. I didn
’
t see anyone I knew, really. No Kass, no Mason or Mark, no James. It looked like everyone at the whole school was here
—
except for the people I was looking for.

“
Miranda!
”
I tried calling out, trying to raise my voice above the sound of the music, but it was a lost cause.
I
couldn
’
t even hear myself. My call was drowned out by the sounds of the party.

Frustrated, I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I tried calling Kass. It rang three times before she picked up.

“
Hello?
”

“
Kass?
”
I said through the phone, holding a finger into my ear so that I could hear her.
“
Where are you?
”

The echo of the music through the phone threw me off. I needed to get outside or at least somewhere inside that was quieter than here so that I could hear Kass.

“
What?
”
she called through the phone. She seemed to be having a hard time hearing me, too.
“
Addy, what did you say? I can
’
t hear you.
”

I made my way to the back yard. There were still a lot of people out there, partying and drinking, shouting and making a ton of noise. But the music was fainter out here at least. Even with people splashing into the pool and laughing obnoxiously, it was a lot easier to hear now.

“
Kass, it
’
s Addy. Where are you?
”
I asked into the phone, still speaking loudly because I knew that Kass still had the music blaring in her ear.

“
I
’
m at the party, remember?
”
she shouted back at me.

I made a frustrated noise, crossing one arm over my chest and latching it onto the other against the chill of the night air. If I
’
d had that drink, probably I wouldn
’
t even notice it. I was sure that the water in the pool was warm and all and that was part of the reason that no one outside was complaining of the chill in the air, but I also knew that getting
out
of the water wasn
’
t exactly a pleasant experience.

“
I know you
’
re at the party!
”
I told her.
“
But where at the party?
”

“
Are you here, too?
”
she said in surprise and what I thought was at least a little bit of eagerness. She
’
d never really known me to do the party thing.

I nodded, though she couldn
’
t see me.
“
Yeah, I
’
m trying to find someone,
anyone
I know, but there are too many people here.
”

“
We
’
re over by the staircase. Check on the first corner landing,
”
she told me.

The
‘
we
’
gave me a little bit of hope.
“
Who else is with you?
”

The music blared over her through the phone and I couldn
’
t make out what she said.
“
What?
”
I asked, putting my finger in my ear again to block out the noises on my end.

“
I
’
m with Mason and James,
”
she told me and effectively dashed my hopes.

I don
’
t know why I
’
d been thinking that maybe she was with Miranda, but I had hoped. Still, finding at least
someone
I knew was a start. I could search more for Miranda after I found Kass and them.
“
Alright,
”
I told her.
“
I
’
m headed that way. Keep your phone handy in case I can
’
t find you guys.
”

“
Okay,
”
she told me, still just excited that I
’
d come at all.

We hung up, and I headed back inside. It seemed even louder now that I
’
d gotten used to the far lower volume level outside and I had to resist the temptation to plug my ears so I didn
’
t have to deal with it. Heading towards where I remembered the staircase being, I had to shove past a bunch of different people. They were all drunk, not even realizing that someone was trying to get through and probably they didn
’
t even realize when I pushed them aside to get past.

I reached the staircase and found no one there. Kass had said to go to the first landing, so I managed to get myself actually on the staircase and headed up. There were at least only a few people actually on the stairs, so that was one less thing to worry about.

It didn
’
t sound like fun to deal with me breaking my neck at this party on top of everything else.

I found Kass standing with Mason and James on the first landing. When Kass spotted me, she let out a squeal of delight and hugged me as soon as I reached her. Her red plastic cup sloshed around as she did so, spilling a little on my jacket.

“
I can
’
t believe you came!
”
she shouted at me, her face beaming as she grinned at me.

I hugged her back, then shook my head.
“
I
’
m not going to stay,
”
I told her, which caused her mood to drop instantly.
“
I
’
m looking for Miranda. Have you guys seen her?
”

James and Mason shared a look. I wasn
’
t sure exactly what it was, but it didn
’
t look good. Maybe worried? Kass nodded her head in answer to my question and pointed.

“
There!
”

I looked behind me, back towards the living room. Thanks to the vantage of being on the stairs, I was able to see through the crowd a little easier. And sure enough there was Miranda
—
being pressed into the couch by some large guy who was holding her hands above her head, effectively pinning her down.

“
Shit.
”

THE END

Stay tuned for WRECKED 5, coming soon! It will be the FINAL book in the series.

Copyright @ 2015 Rachel Hanna

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Rachel Hanna www.RachelHannaRomance.com