Chapter 36

I barely had time to knock.

Jessie opened the door so fast I barely saw her coming. Behind her, the house was full of flashing lights and heavy bass that shook the floor.

“Finally!” she laughed. She grabbed my wrist, her skin warm and smelling of perfume, and pulled me into the intensity of the house. “You look insane, Emily.”

I blinked, feeling the sudden wall of noise. “What?”

“That dress,” she said, stepping back to look at me. “Black, tight, short—Emily, are you trying to kill someone tonight?”

A flush rushed to my cheeks, hotter than the air in the crowded hallway. “I didn’t—”

“Drink first. Talk later.”

Someone handed me a plastic cup. I took a sip; it was sweet, sharp, and burned all the way down. The music felt even stronger once I was inside. It wasn't just noise. It was a vibration in my chest. Loud. Fast. Alive.

The whole house was packed. Voices layered over each other like a thick fog. Laughter, m