I hadn't planned on spending the night wedged between a glass of blackcurrant juice and a conversation with the scariest person in the room, but here I was.
"So," Emma gave me a beady-eyed once-over, and I nearly keeled over at the menacing glint in her gaze. "What do you think of Maya?"
I hesitated. What the hell was I supposed to say here? "Uh... she's very pretty. Very nice," I offered, awkward as hell. She arched an eyebrow sharp enough to cut glass, curved like a question just begging to be asked.
"Emma, don't do this to me."
"Do what?" Her expression turned misleadingly gullible, though the narrowing of her eyes told me she was very much on guard for her friend.
"Oh, go away," I scowled, downing a sip of my blackcurrant juice before stalking across the room to my least favourite person here.
Guess who? Hint: he looked identical to my new favourite person.
"I've never met your sister before," I said.
"And why do you think that is?" Carlos replied.
"You don't want your ego to be damaged when she decides she prefers me to you?" I clasped a hand to my chest, staggering with Oscar-worthy despair. Really, I should just get my prize now.
"Not in a million years is she even going to like you, let alone find you better than me," he sneered, eyes softening as they caught on Maya.
"A humble pair, aren't we?"
"Always."
"I never noticed, your hair colour happens to be a shade lighter than caramel," I stated. The word hung in the air and Maya turned around, nose wrinkling slightly as she spotted Carlos and I. I admired the way her body swayed as she excused herself from Dave and made her way over to us.
"What happened to hating each other's guts?" She asked with mock suspicion. The corner of my mouth lifted as I dove for the irresistible opportunity of teasing them.
"Oh, that's just our alias, isn't it, baby?" I wrapped my arm over his shoulder, enjoying his awkward squirming. "No, me and my sweetie-poo here are really the bestest of friends, right Carly-Warly?" I cooed in my sickliest voice.
"Careful, or people might start thinking you braid each other's hair at sleepovers," Maya added with a grin sharp enough to make Carlos glare.
"Should we play a game?" She raised her voice so everyone could hear. "I vote Charades."
"Yes! Let's do this, I'm literally the best at Charades," Tyler grinned.
"You can go first then, babe," Emma agreed.
Minutes later, we were staring at him as his arm waved around in front of his nose and he stomped around the room making honking noises.
"Is he having a seizure?" I whispered to Dave. He shrugged, just as confused as the rest of us.
"OH! I KNOW!" Celeste squealed. "You're an elephant, right?"
"How the hell did you get that?" Isaak gawked at her.
"It was obvious," she retreated into herself. "Wasn't it?"
I was still trying to work out how she managed to get elephant when Maya leapt up, eyes filled with blue fire, narrowing in challenge.
She didn't hesitate—just mimed striking a match, fanning an invisible flame, and clutching at her throat like she was choking on smoke. A couple of people shouted random guesses—"Dragon!" "Campfire!"—until Celeste shot her hand up with all the confidence in the world.
VOUS LISEZ
Unguarded
Roman d'amour"Tell me to stop," he said softly, "and I will." But we both knew I wouldn't. *** Maya Stone has three rules: support her best friend, focus on her studies, and never, ever fall for her twin brother's roommate/frenemy. But when Carlos's biggest riva...
