Chapter 20: Alyssa

"Welcome home, bitch," Mia shouts, attempting to be heard over the pulsing beat of techno as we clink our shots of Fireball and toss them back. The smooth liquor slides down my throat, warming me from the inside out.

"Holy shit, that's terrible!" my bestie sputters, coughing as tears gather in her dark eyes. "No more shots. I'm tapping out."

Undeterred by the pronouncement, I laugh and order another round. I'm nowhere near done. Everywhere I look, there are friends who have shown up to help celebrate my return to Wesley. I'll admit that while packing up my bags and preparing to leave London, part of me considered extending my student visa for another year, but in the end, I decided the best thing I could do was come home, finish out my degree, and graduate on time. Maybe, if I still feel the same way in the spring, I'll return.

And then there's Jack. Even though I'd taken everything at a glacial pace where he was concerned, it had just started to heat up between us. I'm not su