Best Served Fake

twenty-one // stage one

I grinned at him, and I saw Jack Heath, Tommy's best friend, glaring at us from behind Kai's shoulder. My smile shifted into something more savage, and I twined my arms tighter around Kai's neck. Jack's expression was slightly pained; he'd never much liked Kai either. Tommy and Jack were clean-cut, wealthy, future CEO types, who didn't have much time for kids from "the wrong side of the tracks", as Jack put it.

As if I could wipe away their hateful comments with the force of my own genuine friendship, I ploughed my hands through his hair and laughed at his cheeky grin. "I can't believe you would suggest such a thing, Delaney. How dare you try to corrupt a good woman with your loose morals? You are a strumpet!"

"I'd like to be," he said, letting those fingers flit upward slightly. "Unfortunately, my good woman is committed to her chastity. But I'm excellent at persevering."

I slapped his hand playfully, and trailed one finger down his chest with a flirtatious smirk. I knew we were commanding attention, could feel the eyes on me, but whatever was passing between me and Kai Delaney was not even half as fake as I'd intended. There was not a single person in the room who would think we were just friends; there was not a single person in the room who would believe that everything between us was fake.

Even I didn't.

You can have fun, Madi's voice whispered to me. It doesn't have to mean anything.

But I still stepped back slightly, and Kai nodded with understanding, before bending down to yell in my ear over the noise. "Come with me? I want to find Will and the others."

I nodded in agreement, and Kai grabbed my hand to lead me through the crowd. If we'd garnered interest from our classmates at school, it was nothing compared to the eyes that followed us now. Alcohol had loosened their sense of propriety, and shameless gawking was no longer too rude. Besides, hanging out at school was one thing; walking into a party on Kai Delaney's arm usually meant one of two things. You were hooking up with him, or you were about to.

I grabbed Kai's shoulder and pulled him down to my level, forcing him to stoop practically to his knees. I brought my lips to his ear. "Do you know where they are?"

Kai pulled out his phone, showing me a series of messages from his group chat with the boys.

Jameson: wr somewhere. thers pplf an treees.

Sebastian: Jamie is fucked to the moon.

Jameson: i wish. fan only hpe.

Will: We're out in some sort of courtyard, if you go out of the back door through the living room

Will: Also, Isabelle is here

I raised an eyebrow at Kai. "How much did Jamie drink?"

Kai shook his head. "Too much. He does that, sometimes."

There seemed to be leagues in Kai's sometimes, and I wondered if Jameson wasn't perhaps as happy-go-lucky as he always seemed to be. I didn't press the issue, both because it was too loud, but also because Kai didn't seem inclined to discuss the matter.

Instead, I grabbed his hand and dragged him through the living room. I'd been to Rebecca's house enough times when I was dating Tommy to know the layout. Kai's height was remarkably useful for pushing through crowds, although I was pushed around like a pinball. The oppressive push of dancing students exuded heat, and despite my diminutive amount of clothing, I was still too hot. Loud music thumped, the beat reverberating through my chest, and I had to hold onto Kai's hand tightly to avoid being swept away by hands and greetings and people trying to draw us in for conversation.

I smiled and made polite excuses; I'd rather talk to Jamie and Seb and Will than make conversation with classmates who wanted details on my relationship with Kai that did not exist. I would avoid having to fabricate details for as long as possible.