Surviving the Aces (#Wattys2018)

Meet Bryson

The next morning was filled with grumpy cats and biting dogs. Something my father used to say.

Though I didn't drink, everyone else did, which made it hard for me to pull them out of bed. Ash was the worst one. He'd poured all his sorrows into drowning glass after glass. After glass.

Now he was moaning and groaning about his head.

We slowly finished cleaning the dining room and kitchen. Bailey and Diego hadn't returned last night but I imagined the house had to be cleaned before their arrival. In exchange for a party, the maids and butlers had the day off and the party throwers had to clean the house.

After about two hours, I collapsed on the couch next to Bryson.

"Sick party." He complimented.

"Yeah." I replied not really paying attention.

"I'm going to practice belly dancing for my next dance routine." He informed me, a little too happily for a boy who was going to belly dance.

I gave him a strange look, but shook my head smiling. "Good luck with that, though I'm sure you won't need to learn it." I was being genuine, from what I heard, he was a great dancer.

"When I open my dance studio, I need to know every type of dance." He said; I smiled at his ambition.

Christian and Spencer were upstairs packing their bags to get back their schools. Kenneth was taking yet another shower to relieve his headache. Ash was sleeping in my bed, Quintin was playing some video games, and Jace was...in my face.

"Can I speak to you?" He asked, his eyebrows were knit together as if he worried I would say no.

I raised my own eyebrows, wondering why on Earth he would want to talk to me. He couldn't exactly make fun of my party since it had been a total success.

"Alone?" He clarified.

"Bryson's the only one here." I pointed out.

Jace sighed. "I'm sorry for being a jerk." He finally said.

I smirked. "Apology accepted. But I promised Ash he could give you a piece of his mind."

Jace rolled his eyes. "He's not really your boyfriend is he? That looked like a first kiss to me."

Bryson snorted. "I'm leaving." He said, though nobody was listening to him anymore.

I looked down at my fingers, playing with the nail polish. "No." I mumbled.

"Then why'd you kiss him?" He asked, sitting next to me and giving me a curious look.

I shrugged. "To prove you wrong." I sounded pathetic, even to my own ears.

"Yeah but did it have a positive effect?" I couldn't believe I was actually having a real conversation with Jace. I felt sort of like I was dreaming with his intense gaze on me.

I shook my head, closing my eyes so that the tears wouldn't fall. "I don't like him back...and I'm afraid that if he finds out, he'll hate me."

"Well, just put it this way. He won't hate you as much as I do." Jace said smirking.

I rolled my eyes. "That'll help me sleep better."

"Unless I wake you up again." He joked, and I was grateful for the playful turn in conversation.

"Do it and see if you'll get out of your room the next time." I retorted, shoving his arm.

"It won't be funny the second time." He replied, giving me a stern look, though it didn't last as his face broke into an actual smile. It was the first time he'd genuinely smiled at me since our first encounter in his room, though he'd been laughing at me that time.