“Tell me you’re not bailing on Friday.”

Cole slams his locker shut like it’s personal, eyebrows raised, eyes locked on me like he already knows I’m going to say yes.

I shift the weight of my backpack and lean against the lockers. “I didn’t even know there was a Friday thing to bail on.”

He grins. “Now you do. Preston’s throwing a party—big one. His band’s playing.”

“Preston?” I frown. “The guy with the piercings and the hair that looks like it lost a fight?”

“That’s the one. He’s cool. Drummer. Anyway, it’s his band’s first real set in a while. You in?”

I should probably ask where it is or what kind of crowd is going, but I don’t. It’s not like I haven’t been to a hundred of these already. Backyard, music, cheap drinks, someone probably trying to set a couch on fire for no reason. The usual.

“I’m in,” I say, without missing a beat.

Cole bumps his shoulder into mine as we walk. “Knew you would be. You need to get out. Let loose a little before playoffs eat your soul.”

I laugh. “Please. My soul was gone at summer two-a-days.”

“You got Hailey coming?”

“Probably,” I say, though I haven’t asked her yet. “She likes parties. She’ll be down.”

Cole nods like the world’s back in order. “Good. Just be ready. This one’s gonna be loud.”

“Loud’s fine,” I say, slinging my backpack higher. “It’s just a party.”

Just a party.

At least, that’s what I thought