Sarah shook her head, already feeling an unreasonable knot in her throat. He could just be sorry he hadn’t called all day, but then why hadn’t he? “It’s a text from Angel,” she whispered.

Valerie’s expression eased up, and she looked worried too. “What did he say?”

“That he’s so sorry and to call him,” Sarah said, already heading towards the door because she had a bad feeling this was a call she didn’t want to make in front of Valerie or Monica.

“Sorry about what?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah mouthed the words as she walked out the door with the phone already at her ear.

“What did you do?” she asked the moment she heard his voice.

“Nothing,” he said immediately. “Well, aside from going to that stupid party. But I had no idea it was Dana’s party, and then some idiots started fighting and security was called.”

He explained about the coach keeping them after the game today and running them until half the team was throwing up then about how both he and Alex had forgotten their phones in the room because they’d gotten up late and had to run downstairs. Her heart and nerves calmed with every word he spoke, but still one annoying fact remained. “Why’d you go out in the first place? I thought you said you were going to call it an early night, and why didn’t you call or at least text me last night? Did you forget your phone then too?”

She heard him exhale loudly. “Look, babe, I’m not gonna blame anyone else. I thought about it all night last night and all day today. In hindsight, I could’ve walked back to our hotel if I’d had thought of it then. It wouldn’t have gotten me out of the hell the coach put us through today because even the guys who weren’t there last night are paying for our f**k up. But at least I wouldn’t have had to worry about what you were thinking all day.” He inhaled and Sarah could hear it in his voice. He was sincerely mad at himself. “I’m sorry, baby. I really am. We were all in one hotel shuttle, and some of the guys decided they wanted to stop by this party they heard about. I swear to you I had no idea Dana was gonna be there. I spent no time alone with her at all.”

Sarah smiled as her heart began to swell. Her heart never had accepted even for a moment that he’d betray her. “I was so worried,” she whispered.

“I know it looks bad, and I haven’t even had a chance to see all the shit people have been posting today. But I heard about it on the bus from some of the other guys checking their phones. I heard it even made the paper, but you know me, Sarah. I hope you didn’t spend the entire day worrying and looking through all the posts. I’d never do anything to risk losing you. Ever.”

The lump in her throat was suddenly replaced with a feeling of dread. Now it was her turn to come clean about where she was and how long she’d be there. No matter how nicely she’d try to describe this place, it was a meat market, and she knew Angel knew it. It was a place where people her age went there for two major reasons: to party like crazy and to hopefully get lucky. No two ways about it. He’d never been there on one of these weekends, but Alex and plenty of his friends had, and he knew all about it.

“I was mostly worried something might’ve happened to you. It’s so rare, especially under circumstances like this, for me not to hear from you all day, and,” she added because he still hadn’t explained that part, “because, regardless of what happened today, I didn’t hear from you last night either. That’s what bothered me the most.”

“I know,” he said a bit defeated. “I f**ked up.”

“What?” she gripped the phone, not liking how that sounded at all.

“I mean. I didn’t wanna call you from the party; it was too noisy. I thought we’d be out of there early because it’s what we all agreed on and I could call you once I was back in my room, but then the fighting started. The cops kept us there until they could get a hold of the coach, and then the coach had to get the driver of the bus up. It was just one huge clusterfuck, and when I finally got back to the room, it was too late. With the time difference, I would’ve been calling you like at three in the morning.”

Biting her lip, she tried to think of how best to just come out with what she had to say. She was quiet for too long, so he spoke up again.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No,” she said quickly.

“Good because—”

“I’m in Havasu,” she blurted out. “I didn’t want to sit around and think about this all day. It was already starting to drive me crazy and—”

“You’re in Havasu?” His voice lost a bit of its sweetness. “With who?”

“With Valerie and her friend Monica,” she said, squeezing her eyes closed. “But I don’t want you to think that—”

“That you’re there because you were pissed at me?”

“Yes, because I’m not,” she said with conviction. “I needed the distraction, Angel. If I’d been home all day today, I would’ve gone insane, waiting to hear from you.”

“So how long will you be there?”

“Until Monday,” she said.

He didn’t respond to that. Sarah wasn’t sure now which was worse: to have spent all day tomorrow wondering why she still hadn’t heard from him or to spend it the way she knew she’d be spending it now. He knew she was out there, walking around in her bikini amidst a sea of ogling guys like the ones she’d seen sizing her up tonight. On the way back to the hotel tonight, Valerie and Monica were already talking about trying to get invited onto one of those party boats. How else would they get invited if not by prancing around in their itty bitty bikinis and fluttering their lashes? Even if Valerie didn’t post any of the photos of Sarah, if Angel saw any of the ones of Valerie partying it up with the guys on those boats tomorrow, he’d know Sarah wasn’t too far away.