Ecstasy

Zara

I’m late.

By two minutes, which is fantastic because people are already there, crowded around the private room reserved for Mom and Cory. It means Mom can’t blow up at me just yet and if I leave early with Eli, she’ll have to get me on the phone.

But it seems like Eli Addison helps soften her anger anyway. She has no idea he’s Alex’s roommate, and besides that, she’s only met Alex once before, over the summer when I was blitzed out of my mind and she had no idea. The whole exchange lasted five minutes or less, a run-in at the grocery store where Alex was buying me wine.

She was pretty mad I hadn’t told her I was dating someone. I lied to her and told her I wasn’t. I don’t need them to talk. It’s enough that Alex is using Kylie to keep tabs on me. I don’t need her talking to Alex too.

Mom’s big blue eyes light up when she sees Eli though, which is a relief. The pressure is no longer on me. Mom pulls him in for a hug, which is a little comical, I get my height from my father and she looks like a child in his arms, and she admonishes me for not mentioning I was bringing my “boyfriend”. She said she would’ve had a place setting for him.

I glance around at the private room of Crate & Egg. It’s a high-end brunch spot just outside of Monkey Junction, but place settings definitely aren’t fucking necessary.

“He’s just a friend,” I tell her quickly as Eli laughs softly to himself, slipping his hands into his pockets. “We’re just, uh…we just met for coffee this morning,” I add awkwardly. Despite myself, I almost laugh, too. Like, why the hell would I bring a friend to meet my future new stepdad?

“Well, friend of my daughter, it’s nice to meet you.”

Eli flashes her a grin and I think about him holding me underwater on Wednesday night. I think about his forearm against my throat. “You, too, ma’am.”

Oh, wow. There’s that Eli charm. “Where’s Cory?” I ask Mom quickly, looking around the room for him before she can question Eli about our non-friendship. I can’t think straight enough for questions.

My body is sore from sex with Alex I guess, and I’m feeling pretty fucking low after last night’s high, but I’m here. That’s what matters. I made it, and clearly, Mom doesn’t suspect me of using anything right now even though I swallowed an Adderall at the apartment in my bathroom while I changed.

Even Eli doesn’t know that.

I spot one of my cousins, Jessica, across the room, eyeing the pale pink cake on the banquet table. She looks up and offers me a little wave, her eyes going from me to Eli and back again, brows waggling. I roll my eyes with a smile and look away.

Many of the people here are Mom’s coworkers, a couple who I assume must be Cory’s parents because the man has his same sad brown eyes and the woman has his rather large nose. It occurs to me that this is a little elaborate for an informal engagement party from two people who have been married before and have already met the family more or less, but then Mom holds up her hand, wiggling her slender, manicured fingers and I see why this is happening.

Jesus Christ.

There’s the diamond engagement ring that Cory gave her two months ago, but there’s another ring, too.

A fucking wedding band.

They’re already married.

What the fuck?

“What the fuck?” I can’t stop the words from tumbling out.

Beside me, Eli brushes his arm against mine casually in a sort of silent warning, I guess, but I don’t give a shit. He doesn’t know my mom. He probably doesn’t really understand what’s happening right now, so I spell it out for him, refusing to take my mom’s hand.

“When did you get married? I thought this was an engagement party. A chance for everyone to meet Cory, before you went and married him?” The chatter of voices at my back has grown quieter, and Mom glances nervously over my shoulder, fiddling with the neck of her pale pink satin shirt, to match her stupid wedding cake.

“Zara, I told you to come early specifically so—”

But I don’t let her finish. “You couldn’t have told me before today?”

Mom swallows, twirls her necklace between her fingers.

My stomach churns. “You lied to me!” Mom getting married a fourth time was bullshit enough, but this shit… “You fucking kept this from me!”

“Sorry, Miss…?” Eli says quickly and then trails off, uncertain if Mom shares my last name. Ha. I have my father’s last name. That was three husbands ago, apparently.

Mom swallows again, glances up at Eli and brushes her pale blonde hair over one shoulder. It’s just past shoulder-length and beautiful, just like Mom herself. She’s got the same pale skin as me, but her eyes are bigger, a lighter shade of blue, and she’s petite and well put together and I’m not surprised at all that she keeps convincing men to marry her but for fuck’s sake.

She fucking lied.

“Mrs. Rushing.”

My gut clenches. Cory’s last name. Of course.

“Unbelievable,” I mutter, not done with this. She lied to me. And yeah, sure, I lie to her too but I’m the fucking kid. I shake my head, run my hand over the bun I threw my messy hair into. “This has got to be bad for business, huh, Mom? Always changing your name on the real estate billboards?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Rushing,” Eli continues, ignoring me, “but last night I kept your daughter out too late.” He averts his eyes, making a good show of his bullshit apology. “That’s why we were ru

Mom looks from me to him warily as I hear someone call her name from behind us. “Zoe! Oh my gosh, Cory just told me!”

“I’m sorry, Zara,” Mom whispers quickly, smoothing down her blouse and looking over my shoulder again at whoever the hell it is that’s rushing over here, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. “I wanted to tell you this morning.” Mom pastes a smile on her face. “I thought you’d be happy for me.” And then she pushes past me and I turn to see her get thrown into a bear hug by a large lady with curly highlighted hair and a glass of champagne in one hand.

My cousin Jessica is still by the cake, and I see her grab a small plate and a fork. I wonder how long it’ll take her to dive into it. If she can hold off until after Mom makes this stupid fucking wedding a

Today, I kind of hope she destroys that fucking cake.

It would serve my mother right.

I want to get out of here.

I don’t even know why I came in the first place.

I turn to Eli, who is quiet at my side. People are hovering around the banquet table as waiters in white set down plates of scrambled eggs, French toast, and a bowl of what is probably spiked punch.

“I’m ready to leave,” I a

I glance up at Eli, into those green eyes, and I’m thinking back to last night. To him in the doorway. To me, waking up in his room.

To how he set down a glass of water on the island, right in front of me, before he went upstairs to change.

To how he remembered today was my mother’s fucking engagement party.

He offers me a small smile, glancing over my head at the party. Music starts to play, Die for Me by Post Malone and wow. Just fucking wow.

“Your mom is a bitch.”

I stare at him, shocked.

He shrugs. “That was shitty.”

I take a deep breath. My irritation is climbing, and while I know maybe I should eat something or have some water, I stalk away from him and head straight to the enormous plastic punch bowl.