The Burning Rose

06 | Dared To Kiss

"And that said girlfriend is you," Scarlet added, her eyes twinkling with relief. "Seeing your reaction right now, I guess it's all just false rumors?"

"Of course," I nodded. "Gray and I just met."

She chuckled lightly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I'm just shocked to finally meet you after hearing all those rumors all day. I'm Scarlet Lowell."

"You have such a pretty name," I said shyly. "How did those rumors start, anyway?"

"Gray threatened a group of seniors when he heard them talking about you in a rather disgusting way."

I nodded vaguely, my thoughts a total mess as I wondered why he would even bother doing such a thing. I was completely capable of handling myself.

Victoria reached across the counter to grab an empty cup and thoughtfully scanned the drinks. Scarlet followed, taking two cups and handing one to me.

"No, it's alright," I declined politely. "I don't wanna drink yet."

"No problem," she said.

Victoria and Scarlet filled their cups halfway with vodka, then added sprite and a wedge of lime before taking a swig. I watched in amusement as they refilled their drinks and repeated the action two more times.

"Follow me!" Victoria exclaimed.

Scarlet hollered, "It's time to party, ladies and gentlemen!"

We walked out of the kitchen and into a large living room cleared of most furniture, leaving a few couches, bean bags, and tables. The walls were creamy white, the floors polished concrete, and the large windows overlooked the crowded pool and garden. The living room was filled with students dancing and grinding on each other as the DJ at the corner hit them with some solid bass.

"Hey, guys!" Victoria greeted enthusiastically.

Scarlet made her way to the couch while I remained standing behind Victoria, not daring to sneak a peek at her small group of friends. I knew Jordan, Gray, and Liam would be here since Victoria mentioned it three times on the way.

"Who's the friend behind?" one of them asked.

Victoria grabbed my arm and pulled me to her side. I sucked in a breath in a cowardly response, crossing my fingers behind my back as my pulse quickened.

"This is Summer, my new roommate," Victoria said with burgeoning excitement.

I offered them a small wave. "Hey."

"Be nice to her, or I'll bite all your heads off," she threatened, removing her arm around me as she moved to sit beside Liam.

I almost reached out to grab her but quickly stopped, scolding myself internally and reminding my introverted side that I was a grown-ass woman and not a toddler.

Meeting new people shouldn't be a problem for me since I used to be a social butterfly before finding out that my late mother was dying of cancer. It was shameless of me to continue using that excuse as eight months had already passed, and deciding to come to this school was already a leap of faith.

"Howdy, Summer," Liam greeted with a cheeky grin.

"Howdy," I choked out, almost cringing at the sound of my voice.

"Summer, it's good to see you!" Jordan grinned at me, tapping the space to his left. "Come and sit here."

Focusing on the cluttered floor, I made my way to his side.

"Summer, huh?" asked a handsome brunette-haired boy with dark eyes and a tanned complexion. He was seated on the couch at the other end of the coffee table with Liam and Victoria, holding a bottle in one hand. I couldn't make out what it was, but I knew it was alcohol.