“Come on, you have to come,” Hadley whines down the phone.
“No way. I’d rather douse myself in gasoline and set myself alight than spend the night pretending to cheer on the team.”
“You could always come and cheer on your friend. You know, the girl who has to pretend she actually wants to be a Seahawk cheerleader.” Her voice is full of sadness, and I feel like a total bitch.
“I’m sorry, Hads, but I can’t—“
“Cole Jagger is going to be there, which means there’s every chance Ace will be too.”
Just hearing his name makes my stomach dip.
We spent an amazing day together, and then he completely ghosted me. No, that doesn’t accurately describe what he did to me. He hit me right where it hurt most.
Michaela.
I still can’t quite believe he did that, especially after what I told him about her.
Foolish girl.
I let myself fall for the bad boy’s charm, ignoring all the warning signs. Ace Jagger is everything people whisper about him.
Cold.
Cruel.
And a complete asshole.
“He is the last person I want to see at the pep rally.”
“I’m not saying you have to try and talk to the guy, but you could use the opportunity to show him that you don’t care.”
The problem, though, is that I do care.
I thought we were the same. I thought he saw me.
Turns out, he just saw me as a bit of fun. Something to pass the time. Hell, he was probably just using me to say a giant ‘fuck you’ to his uncle.
Dejection burns through me.
“Bexley will be there,” Hadley continues. “I bet he’ll be more than willing to lift your spirits.” I can practically hear her smirk down the phone. “And you know it’ll drive Michaela crazy if you show up and steal his attention.”
“I doubt that,” I say, knowing that my step-sister has her eyes on another guy.
A plan unfolds in my head. It’s not the best idea I’ve ever had, but what was it Ace said? Live a little.
Maybe it’s time I start doing just that. Screw Michaela and her stuck-up cheer friends. Screw Bexley and his entitled ways.
Screw Ace and his games.
“I’m in,” I say, feeling a sliver of excitement snake through me.
“Oh no,” Hadley sounds concerned. “What are you planning?”
“Who, me?” I reply sweetly. “Nothing.”
“Remi, I didn’t mean…” She stops herself, letting out a resigned sigh. Hadley knows me well enough than to try and talk me out of anything. Only, before now, it’s always been her trying to talk me out of hiding out at lunch or avoiding extra-curricular activities.
But she’s right. It’s senior year. I don’t want to graduate and regret being the girl who let everyone walk right over her.
“Just don’t do anything too crazy tonight, okay?”
“I can’t make any promises,” I reply, and she chuckles.
“I’m going to regret ever saying anything, aren’t I?”
My lips curve into a devious smile as I whisper, “We’ll see.”
The football field is a sea of blue and white as I weave through the crowd. Kids stare at me; girls sneering and guys checking me out. I’m not usually on the end of their appraisal, but tonight I came dressed to impress. The black denim mini skirt hugs my hips and skims my ass, and the Seahawk tank I dug out of the bottom of the wardrobe is two sizes too small, but it makes my boobs look great and shows off a sliver of my toned stomach. I’ve gathered my long curls into two bunches that flow down my shoulders, and the pristine white sneakers I’m wearing give me that prep school look the boys of Sterling Bay seem to love so much.
Someone wolf whistles, and I glance over my shoulder. “Looking good, Tanner,” a guy from class calls, his eyes roaming down my body.
Fickle jerk.
I flash him the fakest smile I can muster and continue moving deeper into the crowd. The cheer team is already on the field, whipping up a frenzy, but there’s no sign of the football team yet. I’ve just found a seat in the bleachers when Hadley spots me. Her eyes widen as she approaches me. “Holy shit, girl, you look…”
“Thanks,” I smirk. “Thought I’d better make the effort, you know? Go Seahawks.” I punch the air.
She chuckles, but her smile quickly melts away. Hadley leans in, whispering, “Are you drunk?”
“What, no!” She gives me a pointed look. “Okay, so I may have had one or two of Mom’s wine coolers before I left the house.”
“Remi.” Disappointment etches into her expression.
“I needed some Dutch courage to leave the house dressed like this.”
Her brows crinkle. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I have to go do my thing.” She flicks her head to the field, and, surprise surprise, Michaela is glaring right at us.
“You should go. I’ll see you after. Besides,” I slide my arm through the guy’s sitting next to me, “my new friend here will keep me company.”
“I will?” he chokes out.
“Is that going to be a problem?” I flash him a smile. I recognize him from a couple of my classes last year but can’t remember his name. It’s clear he’s the booksmart type. He’s wearing a button down shirt, dress pants and a sweater vest. The poor guy looks as out of place here as I feel.
“I… uh, no… sure, whatever.” His friends all snicker, teasing him, but then the music booms over the PA system, drowning them out. The cheer team breaks formation and starts tumbling and flipping across the field. I scan the crowd, wondering whether Hadley is right about Ace coming to support his brother. I can’t imagine him being here, with the prep school masses.
But then I spot him, standing over by the edge of the bleachers, in the cover of the shadows. He notices me and his eyes narrow dangerously, sending a violent shiver rolling through me. He looks pissed.
Good, that makes two of us.
Inhaling a long drag on his cigarette, he exhales a tendril of smoke, never once taking his eyes off me. I break the spell, forcing myself to look at the cheer team. I don’t know what game Ace is playing, or what changed after the day we spent together, but I’m done being his toy.
Tonight, I’ll give him a taste of his own medicine.
Hadley blows off the cheer team after the pep rally and we ride together to the party… with none other than Cole and Conner.
“I can’t believe my little brother is a fucking Seahawk.” Conner leans over and grabs Cole’s shoulder.
“I thought you were twins,” Hadley says.
“We are, but I’m the eldest.”
“By two fucking minutes,” Cole grumbles. He doesn’t seem very pleased to have made the team. I thought Hayden was going to combust when Coach Miller announced Cole as first string running back. He’s held that spot for the last two years, and it’s a definite blow to his cred.
“You need to take the next right,” Hadley says. “Lylah lives in that house over there.” She points to the house in the distance. There are already kids everywhere, cars lining the street and a bonfire flickering high into the sky.
“Holy shit, she lives here,” Conner breathes as he tries to find a parking spot.
“It’s probably the best house in the whole town.” Hadley isn’t wrong. The Donovans own a premium piece of Sterling Bay real estate, a big Art Deco style house overlooking the ocean, complete with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, and its own private access to the beach.
But tonight, it’s party central.
Conner pulls out a blunt and lights it up. “You girls want in?”
I decline, but my jaw falls open when Hadley takes it. “What?” she says with a dismissive shrug. “It helps to relax me.”
“Hell yeah.” Conner winks at her.
“Cole, you in?”
“I can’t, Coach makes us take drug tests.”
“Fuck, for real?” Cole nods and Conner howls with laughter. “More for me then.”
Cole flips him off, pulling out a bottle of vodka from somewhere. “Doesn’t mean I can’t get shitfaced though.”
They pass the bottle back and forth, until eventually Cole twists his body around and offers it to Hadley. “I’m good.” she says, taking another drag of the blunt.
“Remi?”
I stare at the bottle. The buzz I felt earlier is long gone, and now I’m about to venture into enemy territory. Snagging the bottle from him, I down the rest of the contents.
“Holy shit, Princess,” Conner says. “You’re supposed to savor it.”
“Whatever.” I shoulder the car door and climb out. Hadley and the guys follow suit, and before I can change my mind, we take off toward the party.
“Hey,” Hadley loops her arm through mine, “are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She pulls my arm, letting the guys go on ahead. “Remi, it’s me. You don’t need to put up those walls of yours. Talk to me.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to live.” I want to forget.
“So this isn’t about getting back at Michaela and making Ace jealous?”
“It was your idea,” I hiss.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. I just wanted you to come tonight.”
“I guess you should have thought of that before you planted the seed.”
She lets out an exasperated breath, defeat clouding her eyes. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Too late for that.
The party is already in full swing when we reach the house. People file in and out, carrying red Solo cups, their bodies swaying to the mellow beat. We’ve already lost Conner and Cole, but it hardly surprises me.
“Holy shit.” Hadley grabs my arm and I glance back at her, frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel so buzzed.” She laughs, her eyes cloudy and hooded. “You don’t think Conner laced the blunt?”
“You need some water.”
“Nah, I need some snaaaacks.”
Jesus. I roll my eyes, grabbing her hand and pulling her further into the house. We’re bumped and jostled as we make it inside. I’ve been here before, but not since we were all middle graders. The kitchen is a big open space with a huge island in the middle. It’s been set up as the bar for the night, chock full of liquor bottles, ice buckets, and trays of snacks.
“Eat,” I instruct Hadley as she dives for the bowl of chips. Leaving her to it, I make myself a mixer drink. The vodka is already burning through my veins, taking the edge off. But when I spot Ace through the open patio doors, Michaela hanging off him like a cheap throw, my body tingles with jealousy. He sees me, his piercing eyes locking right on mine as he takes a long pull on the beer bottle in his hand.
I want to know what he’s thinking, because if the way his hard gaze moves over my body is anything to go by, he wants me.
So why did you push me away?
Michaela spots me and sneers, making a scene of standing up and grinding herself all over Ace. He lets his hand run up her thigh and disappear underneath her ridiculously short cheer skirt. I suck in a harsh breath. She barely takes the thing off, preferring to spend her life dressed like Cheer Barbie. It brings her too much power and status.
I want to rip the thing off and tear it to shreds, but first, I want Ace’s hands off her body.
Fuck.
Why is he doing this?
Downing my drink, I pour another. I shouldn’t have come tonight. I’m playing right into his hands. For some reason, he wants me to be jealous. It’s right there in his icy gaze as he watches me while I watch Michaela writhe above him.
“She might as well piss all over him,” Hadley says over my shoulder.
“Feeling better?” I ask her, and she nods around a lazy smile.
“Much. Let’s dance.” Before I can protest, she drags me outside to where the girls are dancing. There’s a DJ set up in the corner, lights bouncing off the surface of the pool and disappearing into the night sky.
Oh, how rich kids party.
I’m about to tell Hadley this is a bad idea when a hand hooks me around the waist, dragging me against a hard chest. “I hoped you’d come,” Bexley slurs in my ear. He’s buzzed, the faint scent of scotch on his breath. Like father, like son, I think to myself.
“You’re drunk,” I reply, twisting my face to his. He grins down at me.
“Maybe, a little. Me and the guys did shots after the pep rally. It’s a team thing.”
I roll my eyes. I couldn’t care less about the team.
“Don’t be that way, Remi Bear.” The use of his childhood nickname for me has my chest constricting.
“Don’t call me that.”
His hand curves up my stomach, anchoring my body to his. “You used to love it when I called you that.”
“We were twelve,” I whisper.
“Yeah, and I thought I was going to grow up and marry you.”
Tears prick my eyes, but I won’t cry. I’ll never shed another tear over Bexley Danforth and his sweet lies.
“We’re not those people anymore, Bex.” I don’t bother to disguise my sadness.
“You’re right, we’re not.” His hand moves up, hovering precariously near the curve of my breast. People are watching. I can feel the weight of their stares. Bexley Danforth is the most popular guy in school… and I’m the girl who no longer belongs here.
A wave of emotion hits me, and I know I’m two seconds away from crying or making a break for it. But the buzz of the liquor gives me the strength to start swaying in Bexley’s arms. I look away from him, landing my glassy gaze on Ace and Michaela. Her lips part, betrayal burning in her heavily made up eyes. She’s wanted Bexley for as long as I can remember. But he’s never wanted her for anything more than a casual hook-up.
I keep my eyes fixed on the two of them as I roll and pop my hips against Bexley’s crotch. He’s rock hard, making no effort to hide how much he wants me as he grinds his cock against my ass. Desire snakes through me. I don’t want Bexley, but he’s holding me with such possession it reminds me of a certain tattooed asshole who is now watching me with pure hatred in his eyes.
Good, I hope it hurts as much as you hurt me.
Bexley lips land on my neck, but I don’t stop him. I can’t. I want Ace to feel every bit of jealousy, hurt, and dejection I felt. He sucks and licks my skin, making my traitorous body shiver.
“Fuck, Rem, do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this? I want you so fucking much.” His hands grip my hips a little.
“Okay, ease up,” I say.
“No way, baby. I’ve waited too damn long.” He starts moving, pulling me away from the crowd until we’re secreted away in the shadows. Spinning me around, he pushes me up against the wall and cages me, his hands either side of my head.
“What the fuck, Bexley?” I hiss. “We were just dancing.” My heart crashes violently behind my ribcage. I wanted to make Ace jealous. I didn’t want… this.
“Nah, baby. You want me, I know you do.” My eyes dart around him wildly. The liquor in my blood is in full effect now, making me feel a little unsteady, and everything starts spinning.
“Let’s go back and dance,” I say, forcing a smile.
“So I’m supposed to believe you don’t want this?” He grabs my hand and shoves it to his cock. “Because I sure as fuck want you. I can’t wait to be deep inside you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Fear takes hold as I realize what a stupid mistake I made, thinking I could play with fire. Bexley Danforth doesn’t take no for an answer. Eventually he always collects what he thinks he’s owed.
And right now, his sights are set firmly on me.
Fuck.
“Bexley, you’re drunk, and so am I.” I press my hands against his chest, trying to leverage enough space to slip around him. “Let’s go back to the party.”
His hand clamps around my arm and he lowers his face to mine, forcing me flat against the wall. “I don’t think so, Rem,” he says in a low voice. “We have unfinished business.”
