had first talked to her, in her sophomore math class.
Sera had tapped her on the shoulder, and quietly asked for the answer to a question, but Clover was just as stumped as she was. The girls managed to cheat off the smart guy next to them, and they both passed the test. Theyâd been best friends ever since.
âHi, Clover!â Sydney said, giving her a hug. The girl was so warm, Clover wanted to stay in her arms forever. âIâve been dying to meet you!â
âWow,â Clover said. She was feeling a bit wobbly, and she hadnât even had a drink.
âSorry,â Sera said, âI did tell you we were meeting Sydney here, didnât I?â
âCanât blame you if you forgot,â Sydney said, smiling. âWith a boy like Chris on your mind!â She turned to Clover. âI hear itâs our mission to find you a boyfriend. Letâs have a look, hmmm â¦â She scanned the bodies, and Cloverâs eyes followed. The log was up a little rise, so they could see everyone around them. A good vantage to watch out for Dee. An even better spot to check out guys.
âDo you have a boyfriend?â Clover asked. She couldnât believe how comfortable she was with Sydney, even though theyâd met only minutes before. Sydney smiled. âSpencer goes to uni in Denver.â
âUni, wow.â
âSera mentioned you wanted to get your hair done. Call me next week and weâll set something up.â
Clover stared, wide eyed.
âHer momâs a hairdresser!â Sera said.
âIâm doing an apprenticeship,â Sydney said. âIâd love to do your hair.â
âThatâs unreal!â Clover threw an arm around Sydney it was the happiest sheâd felt since leaving Canada. All it took was forgetting about racing, and partying!
Chris appeared behind Sera, and thrust a pink, frosty beverage into each of their hands.
âHeâs a keeper,â Sydney said, twisting the top off hers.
Cloverâs mouth started to water at the sharp, fruity aroma.
Chris bent down to kiss Sera. They were such a hot couple. Sheâd heard rumours about Chris, but most of the popular guys were called âplayersâ, so she didnât take much notice.
The music from the black truck pumped up and she recognised the song.
And the drink kept calling her, âBe brave, drink me! Have fun!â
The first few gulps went down like heaven.
In no time at all, Clover forgot all about Dee and pulled Sydney out into the throng of the coolest kids from Silvertown to have a dance.
FIVE
Light. Arggh!
âTurn it off!â Clover mumbled. âJasmine!â She shouted and then regretted it.
No more noise. Head, pain. Sick. Stomach, sick.
Clover groaned and rolled over, putting a hand to her mouth. She fell and hit the floor with a smack. At this point, the pent up mass in her gut broke free and splattered against the wall. Sweaty and trembling, she raised herself to a shaky all fours and saw in front of her a red feature wall. Not her room. This was bad. Clover hadnât asked to stay out last night.
She swiped at her mouth.
âWhatâs that smell? Holy shit, Clover. What the hell?â
âDonât yell!â Clover whispered.
âCouldnât you have gotten to the bathroom? Man, it stinks!â
Clover blinked. âSera?â Her skull threatened to crack.
âYes itâs me! Get your ass up so you can clean my freakinâ room! Oh great, and youâre wearing my cheerleading skirt, too. Good one. Suppose Iâll have to get it sanitized now.â
Clover tried to get her shaky legs to lift her weight, but the room spun as she got to her feet. âWhat happened last night?â she croaked, losing her balance to collapse once more on the bed.
Sera looked amused and pissed off at the same time. It was a look Clover had seen way too often and always found annoying. âOther than you being a