"Take me back to the hotel."
"What?"
"Take me back to Corbin."
It made my stomach churn the same way it had when she'd said it last night. I knew in my gut she'd left because of him. He'd gotten her a hotel room for fuck's sake. How close had they come to sleeping together? Had he pushed her? Touched her? What if I hadn't been here, and Tiffany had refused to pick her up? That didn't matter, because I was here, and based on the sickness developing in my gut at the thought of her being stranded, I always would be.
"What kind of eggs do you like?" I asked to distract myself.
"How do you normally make them?" Tentatively, she took a seat. "What do you drink in the mornings?"
"Scrambled, but I'll eat them any way. Sometimes I'll make an omelet."
"With what?"
I continued about my routine, reminding myself when her gaze followed me around that I wasn't nearly as interesting as she seemed to think. "Whatever's around. Spinach, mushrooms, peppers. You sure you aren't hungry?"
"Yes. What do you drink?" she asked again.
"Coffee."
"I want some."
I gave her a look. "You don't drink coffee."
"How do you know?"
"I just do." No seventeen year olds I knew drank coffee. Not that I really knew any. I jutted my chin at the mug. "How about the orange juice?"
She took a long look at it, her expression contorting with disgust.
"What?" I asked.
"It's what I drank last night."
"Orange juice? At prom?"
"With rum."
She picked it up anyway and took a sip. I wasn't dumb enough to think there wasn't alcohol at prom, but it hadn't occurred to me she might've been drunk last night. I hadn't smelled it on her. The eggs sizzled on the pan behind me, but I couldn't get myself to move. "How much did you drink?"
She didn't look at me. "By the time you picked me up, I was fine."
"You have to be careful."
"I was." She raised her eyes to me. "You know I was."
I turned away. I hated the idea of it, her, drinking in a hotel room with men. No, I couldn't fucking stand the idea of it. Men were assholes to begin with, but they could be dangerous when they drank. Not that Corbin or any of those guys were men-they were boys, and that was worse. Drunk boys lost control. They made bad decisions. I ran a hand through my hair and pulled-fuck if I hadn't already been on this carousel all night before she'd called. I'd been in bed, staring at the ceiling long after Tiffany had gone to sleep, running through all the awful scenarios that could go down at prom.
I pulled the pan off the burner just as I heard a noise that sounded like her stomach grumbling. She twisted back and forth on the stool, looking not a day over her age. I scraped eggs onto a plate and set them in front of her. "Here."
"I said I'm not-"
"Bacon'll be done in a minute."
"But it's yours."
I smiled a little. "They're overcooked anyway."
"Oh." She watched me, wide-eyed, as she ate a forkful. Finally, she smiled, too.
The bedroom door opened, and Tiffany came out in just a t-shirt. My t-shirt.
Lake's eyes traveled over her sister, head to toe.
"What's so funny?" Tiff asked.
I realized I was still smiling, so I stopped. "Nothing."
She gave me a look as if I were in trouble, then went straight for the coffee. "How was last night?" she asked over her shoulder. "Did Corbin bring you?"
"Manning picked me up from the hotel," Lake said.
I stared at the back of Tiffany's head as she poured herself a mug, then moved by me to get her fat-free creamer from the fridge.
"She asked for you," I said, sensing her irritation. "But I didn't want to wake you. I was already up."
"What about Corbin?" Tiffany asked. "Still sleeping?"
"Corbin?" Lake asked.
"He's here, right?"
Like fuck I'd let that little shit into my home so he could take advantage of Lake. "No," I answered.
Tiffany laughed, coming around the counter to hug a blushing Lake. "You didn't get laid on prom night? I thought that's why you came here. For privacy."
I couldn't do it. Couldn't let that image into my head. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eye sockets, forcing blackness. "Jesus Christ."
"What?" she asked, looking at me over Lake's shoulder. "She's seventeen, not ten. She can get laid on prom night if she wants. Lord knows I did, and if Corbin had been my date, I'd do it again. He's got that hot surfer bod. Better get to him before his freshman beer gut kicks in."
The room went silent except for the sizzle of bacon. Tiffany was angling to get under someone's skin, but I wasn't sure if it was mine or Lake's. Lake looked at her lap. "I wasn't-I'm not ready."