Prom House

one

I WAS not prepared for a house this swanky. As I stood outside on the wide, wraparound porch, I couldn’t help but gape at the glamorous dark paneling and white trim. Rentals—especially party rentals—usually came with shabby carpet and dripping refrigerators. Judging by the exterior, this Jersey Shore mansion was none of that. It was movie-level luxe, and I was staying here with my friends for an epic prom weekend.

Yes! I whispered.

My best friend, Aubrey, who had been standing shoulder to shoulder with me, opened the door without knocking. I stepped forward to catch the door before it closed behind her, the porch planks creaking in my wake. Crisp, cold landscaping lights shot up from behind the green bushes, illuminating the commanding white columns at the front of the three-story house.

Kylie, you coming? Aubrey had both hands wrapped around the crossbody strap of her overnight bag, like her clothes were about to make a break for the beach.

I shrugged my considerably lighter bag higher on my shoulder and walked inside. This place is ridiculous.

Right? Even in the low light of the huge foyer, I could see that Aubrey was beaming. Her auburn hair was pulled tight into a perfect ballerina bun, but she sauntered toward the living room with the grace of a newborn giraffe.

Watch the—

The tip of her shoe snagged on the rug, and she pitched forward. The sofa caught her before I could.

Rug? Her laugh was clear and high. Nothing was going to ruin this weekend for her.

I needed to get in the same mindset, even if this plush furniture and the wildly ornate candlesticks sitting on the mantel above an oversized fireplace made me feel even more out of place. My house had a standard stoop, not this wraparound porch fanciness.

Who rents out a party house and leaves so much breakable stuff? Overly trusting adults, I guessed.

Aubrey shrugged. People who have money to burn.

People ready to make a quick ten grand off seniors. Aubrey’s boyfriend, Cam, sauntered into the house behind me. He let out a low whistle at the interior.

"You mean like ten thousand dollars?" Even saying that number aloud made my throat squeeze.

Wait, so Kylie didn’t front the cash? Cam didn’t bother disguising his sneer. He’d buzzed his hair a couple weeks ago, and it somehow made him look meaner.

Aubrey planted a fist on her hip. Don’t be a dick.

What? I’m kidding. He rolled his head from side to side, like he was preparing for a fight. Kylie, the house is covered. Don’t freak.

That’s not an apology, Aubrey muttered.

This was supposed to be our first weekend of freedom. But within seconds of stepping inside this incredible party house, Cam and Aubrey were already sniping at each other.

Babe.

"Don’t babe me."

He shuffled closer to her. His shoes screeched against the hardwood floor. Let it go, Aub. You wanted to do this.

He cradled her face in the palm of his hand, and I had to look away. This is what they did. A fire-and-ice routine that left her crying every other weekend. Jabbing at each other until he made promises he wouldn’t keep. I started toward the stairs. Aubrey’s pouty I wanted to have the prom you promised me followed me, but I didn’t look back to see if she was caving to his dimples.

This rental was the most secluded house I’d ever seen on the Jersey Shore. We were out on the end of a long road and right up next to the beach. Which was great, knowing how loud we could get when we partied, but I wasn’t supposed to be alone here with just Cam and Aubrey for company. Especially not when they were already going at it.

Liam? Holli? Rory? I started shouting my other friends’ names to see who might call back. A precursor to the round of Marco Polo we’d most likely play in the pool after we got back from the dance.

Noah told me he’s already here. He’s probably staked out primo digs upstairs. Cam’s voice was raspy behind me. I turned and found him and Aubrey standing at the bottom of the stairs; Aubrey’s cheeks were heated. That resolved itself quickly. She pulled her phone from the front pocket of her oversize weekender. A swipe and a trio of taps later, she announced, Dani and Hudson are already here somewhere, too. Rory is stuck in traffic, and everyone else is in her car.

Everyone? The tightness in my chest tried to strangle the word. Seven of our friends were joining us for the weekend: Noah, Dani, Hudson, Rory, Holli, Vic, and…

Aubrey got a dimple in her cheek when she smiled. Even Liam.

Oh, good. Though I could tell my cheeks were burning, Aubrey didn’t call me out. Liam was my boyfriend, but we hadn’t been dating long, and I knew clingy wasn’t a good look. He thought he’d be here first.

Aubrey darted past me. Did anyone call dibs on rooms beforehand?

This is a finders, keepers situation, Aub. And the sooner I found a room to claim, the sooner I could distract myself with prom prep. I was banking on Aubrey pinning my deep brown hair into a prom-worthy updo. She’d brought the flat iron for some 1920s-style finger waves but promised she wasn’t going to burn my ear again. Third time’s the charm, right?

And speaking of prom-worthy, I couldn’t believe I’d landed my dream date. Liam and I had had classes together for years, but we’d only started dating a month ago. I almost hadn’t recognized him after winter break; he’d grown what seemed like six inches. When he leaned forward with that messy black hair flopping over his green eyes, I went gooey. All languid limbs, bands of tension snapping up from my hips to my chest, and rushes of effervescent bubbles to my brain. Every. Single. Time.

I wasn’t sure I was prepared for how he was going to look in a tuxedo. Or how I was going to handle being with him in this house. Aubrey had made me pack the skimpiest swimsuit I owned, and I was already cringing at the thought of poolside wardrobe malfunctions. Not to mention the more pervasive mental image of me purposefully pulling the string on the back of my bikini because I wanted to show Liam more. Did I?

The first room we passed had two twin beds pushed up against opposite walls. A desk with a stack of leather-bound books was wedged beneath a windowsill.

Aubrey didn’t even pause. Pass.

Cam grumbled behind me. It’s just a place to crash for a couple nights.

The hallway pivoted right. For a tall, square house, the interior was oddly serpentine. The next door we passed was closed. I gripped the brass knob, but before I could twist it, a high-pitched squeak slipped out. I flinched, then realized the sound was coming from inside the room. There was another squeak, and another. Bedsprings. I peeled my fingers away from the knob before I alerted the couple on the other side.

Aubrey’s eyes widened.

I mouthed, Found Hudson and Dani.

Cam simply smirked. A bed’s a bed, ladies.

Aubrey and I had to scurry down the hall with our hands clasped over our mouths to keep the laughter from spilling out.

Safely up on the third floor, we found bedrooms across the hall from one another, and a bathroom between them that was big enough for prom prep.

We each get a room? I still couldn’t believe it.

I know how you are. Told everyone we needed megaspace for maximum cuteness, Aubrey said.

The four-poster bed in my room was enormous. Five people could sleep in this bed. I mean, they wouldn’t, but the space. As I was reveling in its sheer size, Aubrey slipped into the room. She’d ditched her shoes, and her toenails were painted a posy pink. I toed off my own canvas sneakers. She nodded at my riotous lime-green polish. Niiiiice.

Cam settling in? He hadn’t followed her.

Said he needed to ‘set up’ for the party. She rolled her eyes, which meant he had to be toting in coolers of beer.

I dove onto the bed, landing starfish style at the center. The mattress threatened to swallow me in downy softness.

I still can’t believe my mom went for this, I said to the textured ceiling, refusing to let Cam and Aubrey’s relationship drama ruin prom prep.

Aubrey flopped down next to me on the bed. She knew I’d be a good influence.

I rolled my eyes at her. She said it was about proving I was a responsible young adult. I tried to mimic my mom’s serious voice, all stoic and concerned.

I just told mine I was rooming with you. Aubrey tapped her heels against the footboard.

Even when I stretched, my toes barely made it to the wood at the end of the bed. Would Liam fit? His feet had dangled off the edge of my bed at home, but he hadn’t slept over, so it didn’t matter.

No, I chided myself, I wasn’t going to think about what might happen in this bed tonight. I was going to focus on getting ready for prom. My ears burned anyway. Stupid brain.

It probably helped that Liam and I are such a new thing. I mean, he’s thoughtful and my mom likes him. When I said our names together, the words had this umami tang, like I was testing a new flavor. Maybe Mom thought I wouldn’t rush into anything serious with Liam, the same way I refused to choose a mom-approved dress for graduation. The difference was I liked the way Liam felt against me, unlike all of those scratchy dresses.

Yeah. Wouldn’t have worked with my mom.

It’s not like you and Cam are new, I countered.

Well, he does sneak out of my house at least once a week. Pink splotches dappled the sides of her neck. New or not, grumpy or not, Cam was it for Aubrey. And calling it sneaking is generous. He’s so bulky. I love it, but he’s even less coordinated than me.

A door slammed somewhere downstairs, followed by a flurry of muffled voices that shook me from my thoughts. This weekend wasn’t about sneaking. I wouldn’t have to hide my beer, I wouldn’t have to hold back with Liam if I didn’t want to, and I wouldn’t have to worry about steering clear of drama. It was prom weekend, and we had super-fancy digs. Tonight was going to be one hell of a rager.

two

OLD HOUSES weren’t built for the power of well-placed Bluetooth speakers. Our rental offered speakers on the back patio, but Liam and his best friend, Noah, had brought their own to augment the audio. Every wall in the five-bedroom home carried the slapping bass line of whatever current bop was blasting outdoors. We’d only been back from prom for a couple hours, and already our party was perfection.

Liam’s hand slipped around my back to rest low on my hip. Heat bubbled beneath my breastbone, and it had zero to do with the second bottle of sparkling wine I’d split with Rory and Aubrey. Tendrils of hair fell around my face and tickled the nape of my neck; Aubrey hadn’t burned me once in preparing the perfect 1920s updo, but her pin job might need work.

You really do look gorgeous tonight, K. Liam’s lips brushed my ear, and I shivered.

He looked like a dark-haired Hemsworth brother. His tie hung loose, and he’d unbuttoned the top of his white shirt. The rest of him was still tailored, though. His shirt was tucked in, which highlighted his trim waist and made his shoulders look ten times broader. As my eyes raked over him, the corner of his mouth quirked up. Oh, man. I was staring. I jerked my gaze away, landing instead on the coolers lining the concrete patio that were brimming with bottles of beer, wine, and someone’s dad’s whiskey.

I pretended I could hear the crashing of the nearby ocean waves over the splashing in the pool and the music and the rumble of voices, but really I was tuned in to the sound of Liam’s heartbeat, fast but steady. I looked back at him for a half second. His eyes were shuttered, but that pounding pulse was visible in the side of his neck. My own heartbeat threatened to choke me. Was there a move I needed to make now? It was too dark to see the shore—just the horizon disappearing into blackness—but I watched like I would find someone who could tell me what I was supposed to do next. I’d spent the last month trying not to be overeager, but when he looked like this? I didn’t stand a chance.

Noah clapped a hand against Liam’s back, hard enough to jostle me. He towered at six feet tall, but with his long dirty-blond hair whipped into a bun at the nape of his neck and his slim, slouched frame, Noah looked almost scrawny. You ready to do this?

The gleam in his eye should have worried me. Nothing good came from impish smiles and mischievous delight when Noah was involved.

Liam dropped his arm from my hip, and I sucked in a couple steadying breaths. That tiny bit of distance allowed me to come to my senses. His touch did something to me, something thrilling and kind of terrifying.

Oh hell yes, Liam said to his friend. To me, he added, Back in five. Keep an eye out. You’re going to love this.

I gave him my signature skeptical glance. Impress me, I said with confidence I didn’t own, still thinking about the way his fingers had skimmed my skin.

He planted a quick kiss on my forehead and disappeared into the house with Noah.

Lights placed beneath the water set the pool ablaze with a cerulean-green glow. It was enough to make it more tropics and less Shore. A string of fairy lights over the patio swayed in the gusty wind. I sat at the edge and let my feet dangle in the warm water.

Rory swam up to me, her round face framed by slicked-back pool hair. Rory had been the third member of our friendship power triangle since sixth grade. She’d pulled the bobby pins from her short, dark hair and cannonballed into the pool within five minutes of returning from prom. She lifted her chin toward me, and the rebellious gleam in her eyes blazed. "I don’t know who picked this place, but baller."

I wasn’t sure who had found this place either. Aubrey and Liam both had invites and told me I didn’t need to drop cash for the room. Should I have asked more questions? I looked at the rap-video setup we had for this backyard—the bottles of booze resting poolside, the pristine white lounge chairs, the gold and green glowing lights pressing up from the water and down from the eaves of the house. Nah.

Holy…Isn’t that your boyfriend? Rory pointed behind me. No, above me.

I turned and found Liam perched at the edge of the second-story roof. Noah was clambering out of a windowsill a few feet away. My stomach sank. Was this supposed to be impressive?

It’d started to rain. Not enough to dampen our party, but the shingles of the roof overhead shimmered like submerged slate.

No diving board is no fun, Noah shouted.

Hudson, his dark skin warming beneath the string lights overhead, ignored him. If we hadn’t scored this rental, Hudson would have thrown a party of his own. Hey, Dani, he shouted before chucking an inflatable beach ball at his girlfriend’s head with a precision that proved why he’d earned a lacrosse scholarship. She splashed him, but turned her attention to the guys on the roof before she could see him shake the water from his short, coiled Mohawk.

You’ve got to be kidding. Holli, a Florida girl who had adjusted to New Jersey life faster than I would have, swiped a hand over her pink curls.

Noah wasn’t kidding. Hudson and Dani started heckling the guys, and quickly Rory and even Aubrey started cheering them on. I didn’t see Vic or Cam, but Noah didn’t need their encouragement.

Noah smirked. We make our own fun.

Liam rose out of a crouch and good God. He’d ditched his shirt and his pants. I hadn’t seen him out of his pants before, and those boxer briefs left very little to the imagination. Every inch of his tanned skin was taut, his muscles locked and eager to move, and deep lines carved a sharp V at his hips. I looked back at the water, as if it might cool the fire flashing to my cheeks and loosen the knot forming in my stomach.

Kylie! he called. His smile pulled wide into a full-on grin. Comin’ for you, babe.

He leaped. It wasn’t a sexy swimmer dive. It was a power jump from a swath of shingles, but he landed with a proper splash, and the wake crashed over my head. My hair was plastered to my face, Aubrey’s careful crimping gone in an instant. I swiped the soaked locks back to a chorus of laughter. I could only smile and shake my head. This boy was trouble.

Noah followed him swiftly, and the two lazily treaded