Chapter 79

Crystal’s efforts created a different result from the first party. The intended structure took hold. There was a cohesiveness to the atmosphere that kept the group glued together. That surprised me because individual connections nevertheless seemed to rule the day. Kat gravitated to Jamie. Katie almost immediately became super-glued to me. Crystal, to my surprise, monopolized Rita. And, as if by default, Jess flirted with Jason.

Despite this rapid pairing off, we all stayed in the wide open main living room of Crystal and Jason’s house. We ate. We drank. We topped off and maintained our cocaine buzzes. But we did so while remaining centrally located. As alcohol and coke coursed into our systems, though, the inevitable started to take place. My eyes darted around the room, taking in the progression.

Jess, always a hedonist who put desire first, effortlessly flirted with Jason, her hand casually grazing his crotch. As far as I knew, they hadn’t been together since the one