Senior Standoff | RETIRED VERSION

Season 3 - Episode 5 | NOT REVISED

Avoiding Ky wasn't easy. When we were unfortunate enough to be home at the same time, we did our best to ignore each other. Shoot the occasional glare. It was the worst during dinner, when we had to sit across the table. Mom and Dad hated it.

"How's your boyfriend?" Ky asked rudely one night.

"How's your whore?" I spat back.

I got yelled at for that one. And since then, we kept our mouths shut unless necessary. Yet, no matter the kind of rift it was putting in our family, neither of us was ready to forgive each other. Ky hated me for spilling the truth, and I wanted, almost needed, to know what other dirty secrets he was hiding.

The silent treatment was getting old but comfortable by the first event of the new year. The only positive it had brought was rocketing Asher and I into the top three with people so focused on the new and intense rivalry between us and the exes. But I would have much rather gotten there without the drama.

First Friday of the New Year, and we were back in James's living room. With a live feed going for the school to watch, it was almost like we had half the school sitting here watching us. Especially since we were playing old party games like "Never Have I Ever" and "Two Truths and a Lie". It was a recipe for airing dirty laundry, which some people now very clearly had.

Asher sat me down on his lap. I glanced around the circle. This was how we were presenting ourselves tonight. To everyone here. To everyone watching online.

The first game, Two Truths and a Lie, was moving smoothly. The teams were staying in the game, able to fool everyone with their lies. Up until Scarlet and Ben. I watched them, gnawing my lip, catching the look Scarlet was giving Ky.

"Our two truths and one lie are..." Scarlet paused, looking around the room and then at Ben. Her lips curled into an innocent smile only she was capable of pulling off. "Ben has only ever had sex with Hailey, I've never been drunk, or Ky Faust gets high every day in the bathroom at school."

I choked on my breath.

"I thought the truths and lies were supposed to be about yourself!" Ky snapped.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Scarlet said. She gave Ky a pointed look. "I know that Ky gets high every day in the bathroom at school."

No one had forgotten the way Scarlet got alcohol poisoning around Thanksgiving. The decision that it was their lie was unanimous, making them the first team out of the game. But, based on the sinful curl of Scarlet's lips, it seemed perfectly worth it. As she and Ben proudly paraded out of the circle, she crouched in front of Ky and said, "Fun tip for the future: if you're going to let someone know all of your dirty little secrets, think twice before stabbing them in the back."

She took Ben's hand and led him out of the room.

I looked over towards Asher. We were up

"All right, let's do this," Asher said, holding my waist. "Let's see. Aspen and I decided to officially start dating, she and I both know Ky is a total asshole who cheated on his girlfriend, or Aspen somehow managed to pull me into this senseless bullshit, but I'm kind of glad she did."

"Aren't you supposed to come up with a lie?" someone asked, followed by a sweep of laughter. Ky glared, subtly flipping the middle finger in our direction. I sucked in a deep breath. After being thrown under the bus twice, there wasn't a chance he wouldn't be just as petty.

At least we managed to stay in the game when, after just a little debate, most everyone agreed the lie was that Asher was glad he was playing.

My eyes were anywhere but on Ky until it was his turn. He began normally enough.