Tempting Darkness [17+] ✔

Chapter 13

       "Uh, sure. A bunch of kids from high school used to throw parties on Thursdays."

       I was never much of a partier—I was never much of anything really. Ever since I turned sixteen all my free time was spent working various part-time jobs so I could afford to live on my own when I became legal. That all changed when the Markos took me in. I still worked a part-time job on the weekends, but they insisted I should be a kid for my last two years of high school. I was worried about not making enough money, until then their parents admitted they were actually putting some away for me for college. No one ever cared liked that.

       Then when they died and Adriel made me stay, my whole perspective changed. He didn't want me working while I was in school at all, which was why I didn't try to get one here. Dri was convinced he made enough to keep the three of us comfortable, and even if he couldn't, his parents left them with a shit ton of money.

       "Have you ever been to a college Thursday party?" River's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I flicked my gaze towards his.

       "No."

       "Honey, they are awesome. All the drinking, smoking, loose inhibitions. It's a great, great time." He sighed dreamily and Siena rolled her eyes.

       "She might not like parties, skank." The goth spat at her best friend. That was something I noticed pretty quickly with these two. They might have been 'best friends' but they were the meanest people to each other. Even meaner than I was to Dri! And I call that man all kinds of things.

       "Why are you calling me the skank?" He raised a pale brown and leaned forward against the table. "I'm not the one who fucked some rando' last night."

       My eyes widened and I looked over at Siena whose cheeks had flushed a bright pink. "Well, look at you miss anti-social." I teased and nudged her softly in the shoulder, so she knew I was joking.

       "He wasn't completely random." She spoke calmly enough, but her creepy, bright gray eyes sent River a narrowed glare. "We've been talking for a while. And don't act like you aren't king of one-night stands." She took her spoon out of her on-the-go oatmeal and jabbed it at her friend.

       "Never said I wasn't." He stuck his tongue out before leaning back causally in his seat with a smug smile. Men. No matter their sexual orientation, they were all the same.

       "Pig." Siena echoed my thoughts with a look of pure disgust.

       "Anyway..." River rolled his hazel eyes before turning that bright smile back on me. "What do you say, Lark? It's the first real week of school, there's for sure going to be dozens of parties."

       "In the dorms?"

       "Only if you're a grungy-freshmen." He laughed, like that was the funniest joke in the world.

       "We are freshmen, moron." Siena snapped and reached up to chuck her used napkin at River's face. He dodged it effortlessly.

       "Yes, but we're not grungy, Si. That's the difference. I got the hook-up babe, don't you worry." He nodded excitedly, his eyes flashing like we shared some deep secret. "All the upper classmen party in the apartments off campus. That's where we're headed tonight!"

       I let a laugh escape and shook my head as he passed his beaming smile between Siena and I. "Thanks for the offer, but I have to be home by four today to look after Raffie." Despite what happened between us, I wasn't going to risk Dri's wrath at being late again. No way.