“I fucking knew the goody-two-shoes thing was all an act,” she sneered. “You walk around with your nose stuck up in the air, lording it over the rest of us, but when it comes down to it, you’re not above slumming it on a Saturday night.”

It wasn’t so much that I wouldn’t stand up for myself, although I was naturally non-confrontational. It was just that I was stunned. I barely knew this girl, and yet it seemed like she hated me. It never occurred to me in all those months of trying to keep my head down that she’d see me this way. Not so long ago, I would have stared at the floor and made my escape, as apologetically and as unobtrusively as I could. It didn’t matter what I said now, though. I was in her territory, and she was pissed.

“I’m not slumming it,” I told her quietly but with dignity. “I’m here with friends.”

“What friends, bitch? From where I’m standing, the little princess looks all alone.”

“Then I suggest you open your eyes, bitch, ‘cause her friends are right here.”

I looked around in surprise to see Nikki, as fierce as ever and shooting daggers at Katrina. Behind Nikki stood Ben, Albie, Ryan, and Nikki’s roommate, Lauren. I was stunned, but there was no way that I was going to let Katrina see. You see, hyenas were essentially pack animals. They bonded together with other scavengers and did the best they could to pick off the easiest prey. But when they were separated from their pack, they became cowardly, especially when confronted. Katrina was definitely a hyena, and as my pack grew bigger, her courage began to crumble.

“Whatever,” she sneered and knocked me aggressively as she shoved past me. I couldn’t even bring myself to be bothered about it as I turned to greet my friends.

“What are you doing here?” I asked in surprise.

“THANK HOTTIE MCTOTTIE!” Nikki grinned.

“Huh?” I grunted, confused.

“He knew you didn’t feel comfortable about going out tonight, and he thought it might cheer you up to see us here.”

I looked across the bar to find him ambling cockily toward me, leaving a trail of damp knickers in his wake.

“Look at your face,” he told me. “You’ve got the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.”

“How? I mean how did you even know who they were, and how to get a hold of them?” I asked, in stunned amazement.

“It wasn’t hard, Em. A couple of the guys from the party knew Nikki and gave me her number. I called her from the gym and invited her and a few of your friends out.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from grinning any wider. Could this guy be any sweeter? He handed out drinks to everyone, and I looked around at my two very different groups of friends.

Albie and Mac seemed to have struck up a conversation, but Ben, Ryan, and Lauren stood around awkwardly, clearly out of their element. Well, at least now I wouldn’t be the only one.

“Are you sure you’re okay with them being here?” I asked warily. He smiled back then manoeuvred me so that I was standing in front of him. As we looked out over the club, he leaned down to speak to me, and I felt his breath warm against my ear.

“I wouldn’t have invited them if I wasn’t. Having them here helps you relax a bit, so it’s all good. As long as that kid keeps his hands off you tonight so I don’t need to fuck him up.” He nodded over toward Albie, and I couldn’t believe that he was still bothered about him looking after me at the party. I rolled my eyes and felt him chuckle behind me.

“I know you’re rolling your eyes at me, but I’m serious.”

Kieran ambled over without the slut. “Hey guys. Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friends, Em?”

At no point whilst saying this did he take his eyes off Nikki. If Ryan wasn’t careful, he’d have some competition. Most of the guys from the gym had wandered over to us, so I introduced them all.

“I’m thinking shots for the birthday boy. Anyone up for it?” Tommy piped up, rubbing his hands together mischievously. Tommy was determined to get poor Mac trashed, but he went along with everything in that laidback, mildly amused manner of his.

“I’m in,” Nikki volunteered. Ryan groaned, knowing what kind of night he was in for if Nikki was starting on the shots this early. Nearly all of the guys agreed to join in except for O’Connell, and nobody dared call him out over it. If O’Connell said that he wasn’t doing something, you didn’t argue. I have no doubt that all the boys at the gym respected what he was trying to do.

“Don’t worry, peaches. Tonight I PROMISE to look after you,” Nikki reassured me.

“Really!” I answered, with a raised eyebrow and more than a pinch of scepticism. Last time we partied, she hadn’t even managed to stay in the same room as me.

“Why does she need looking after?” Kieran asked.

“She’d never had an alcoholic drink until the last party we went to, and I’m pretty sure she’s never drunk anything other than beer before.”

Honestly! There really wasn’t any point in my being part of this conversation, when they talked about me as though I wasn’t there.

“Holy shit, Em! Is she fucking with me?”

“I’m serious. Tell him, Em!” Nikki retorted.

I rolled my eyes again at the pair of them. Was my abstinence really that much of a big deal? O’Connell chuckled as though he wasn’t surprised but found the floorshow amusing.

“Em, drink as much or as little as you like. Just let your hair down and have fun. I’ve got your back.”

“Hell, yeah, she’s having fun!” Tommy piped up, having returned from the bar. He passed the shot to me and handed the rest to everyone except O’Connell.

“If you’re gonna drink it, don’t smell it or sip it, just knock it back in one,” O’Connell advised.

Nodding, I watched as Tommy held up his shot glass in a toast.

“To Mac. May I never be as old as you look. Happy Birthday, brother.”

I lifted my shot glass to clink against everyone else’s, then put it to my lips, and as O’Connell recommended, knocked it back in one. I coughed fiercely as the sting hit the back of my throat, and my eyes watered.

“Holy shit! That’s like drinking lighter fluid,” I gasped between coughs. The whole group burst out laughing and even O’Connell struggled not to join them.