Game Over, Pretty Boy. ♕ || STGOPB

♕ Chapter Four ♕ - Take a walk, Shaky.

Riley's POV

We arrived at Nia's place just after 8 PM. The party was already in full swing, with music pulsing through the walls and the hum of conversations blending together. The four of us walked inside, and Nia greeted us almost immediately with her signature bubbly energy.

"Riley! Maya! Farkle! Milo!" Nia beamed as she hugged each of us. "I'm so glad you made it!"

Maya grinned. "Wouldn't miss it."

Nia's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she waved her hand toward the crowd. "It's crazy in here, right? Everyone from school showed up!" She paused, glancing around as if searching for someone, but quickly returned her attention to us. "Anyway, make yourselves comfortable, grab a drink. I want to introduce you to my boyfriend later. He's here somewhere."

"Boyfriend?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow with a teasing smirk.

Nia laughed. "Yeah, I know, I've been keeping him a secret. But you'll get to meet him soon! I'll be right back. Just gotta find him." She flashed us a quick smile before disappearing into the sea of people.

We stood in the middle of the room, waiting. The atmosphere was a bit overwhelming—the music was loud, and people were everywhere. I noticed Milo rubbing his arm, shifting his weight nervously. His usual composed demeanor was starting to crack under the pressure of the crowded room.

I placed my hand on his shoulder, leaning in to speak over the noise. "Hey, you okay?"

Milo glanced at me, managing a tight smile. "Yeah, just... a lot of people."

"If it gets too much, let me know, and we can leave," I said gently, squeezing his shoulder for reassurance.

Maya, sensing Milo's anxiety, grinned and decided to lighten the mood. "Just try not to get lost in the crowd, Milo. And definitely don't piss off any of these big guys with your science talk. I'm not bailing you out if they get annoyed."

Farkle chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, stick with us."

Milo rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm pretty sure they'd be enlightened by my wisdom, unlike Maya here."

Maya opened her mouth to fire back a sharp retort when Nia suddenly reappeared, dragging someone behind her.

"Guys!" she called out over the noise. "This is my boyfriend, Zay!"

At the mention of his name, my stomach dropped. Zay? No, it couldn't be.

But then Zay Babineaux stepped forward, his face lighting up in recognition the second he saw us. I felt my heart skip a beat, the air around me growing thinner.

Zay's wide grin faltered slightly when he realized who he was looking at, but he quickly recovered, pushing through the awkwardness with that same friendly charm. "Oh man, it's been a long time!" he exclaimed, pulling Farkle into a bear hug.

He moved on to Maya next, who hugged him back with a smile. And then, finally, he reached me. I tensed as he wrapped his arms around me, the hug lasting just a little longer than it should. There was an apology in it—just like Billy had done before—but this was different. It wasn't just about the past. Zay was also silently apologizing for what I was about to go through.

He pulled back, his eyes holding mine for a moment longer than necessary. He started to say something, but before he could finish, Nia interrupted, looking between us all in confusion.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

Zay chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, we all went to high school together. Small world, huh?" His expression shifted as he pointed at Milo with a confused smile. "But, uh... I don't know you, man."