Page 99 of Play For Me

I’ve barely seen her since we got here. Apparently, she met a girl back at the venue, someone on the road crew, and the two of them have been tucked away in a corner most of the night flirting.

She studies me now, quiet, and I force myself not to shift uncomfortably. “Sol told me that you were there the night he ran into his mom in San Jose,” she suddenly blurts out. “He said you helped him to relax that weekend.”

My cheeks immediately go hot with the memory of exactly how the two of us relaxed in that hotel room. If she notices my reaction, she doesn’t say anything.

“And tonight, I saw you give him ear plugs at the concert.”

I’m not sure where she’s going with this. “I thought they would help.”

She sighs, and I get the impression she doesn’t want to be having this conversation any more than I do. “I’m just saying…it seems like you’re on top of things. With him.”

I study her, not sure if that’s a compliment or what. “I know loud spaces aren’t always easy. I wanted to make sure he was comfortable.”

Her face tightens. “Maybe not putting him in the position to be uncomfortable would have been better.”

I gape at her. “Are you saying I shouldn’t have invited him?”

She clenches her jaw but doesn’t say anything, and my annoyance ratchets up. “Look, Emery. I get that you’ve been friends with Sol for a long time?—”

“Our whole lives,” she snaps. “He’s mybrother.”

“That doesn’t mean you get to make choices for him,” I press on. “I trust him to know what he wants and to know what’s best for him. I’m not going to treat him like a baby.”

She looks outraged, like she thinks I’m accusingherof treating him that way, and opens her mouth to argue, but I don’t stop.

“If Sol thought the concert was going to be uncomfortable for him, that would have been fine. I wouldn’t have pushed. And if he got overwhelmed, at any time, we could have left. But I’m not going to exclude him from stuff just because I’m worried it might be too much. I trust him to decide that for himself.”

She takes a step closer to me, lowering her voice. “Do you even know what his issues are? Did he tell you about his parents?”

I feel a twinge at that. He hasn’t been very open about his so-calledissuesor his parents. I don’t want to believe it’s because he doesn’t trust me.

“What he told me or didn’t tell me doesn’t matter, Emery. What matters is that I’m going to be there for him when he needs me to be—but I’m also not ever going to assume he isn’t capable of deciding that for himself.”

She opens her mouth and then shuts it again, like she isn’t sure what to say. There’s a burst of uproarious laughter from the patio behind us, and I look over her shoulder to see Sol and Silas cracking up at their table. I smile in spite of the tension I still feel radiating off the woman in front of me.

“I’m gonna go see what they’re up to,” I tell her, knowing that continuing this conversation is only going to make me more annoyed. “I’m glad you could come tonight. I know it made Sol feel more comfortable with strangers to have you and Jay here.” I give her a brief nod, and then push past her. She doesn’t call after me.

I watch Sol laughing as I cross the patio and force myself to shake off my irritation. He looks good like this, carefree and happy.

Then I see Jay taking a joint from my brother and the whole scene makes a lot more sense.

“Hello, boys,” I say when I reach their table.

“Cecelia!” Sol shouts, his face lighting up. “You’re here!!”

“Yup,” I tell him, trying not to laugh. “What have you been up to?”

“Um.” He looks to Jay, a panicked expression on his face. “Nothing?”

I stifle a laugh and turn my attention to my brother, who’s looking sheepish.

“About that,” Silas said. “I may have accidentally gotten your boyfriend high.”

“Accidentally, huh?”

“Oh my God.” Vega appears at my side, Violet and Santana behind her. “Have you guys seriously been smoking this whole time?”

“Dude!” Jay hisses at Silas. “Not cool to tattle.”