Max notices Jace the same time that I do and she turns around to look at me then back at Jace. She tenses immediately. Jace's face holds a mischievous smile and it gives me the creeps.
"Didn't think I'd see you two here, since you couldn't make it to the docks and all." He says to Max when we reach the top of the stairs.
"Yea, we were just coming here.." Max begins.
"Oh, I get why you were coming here." Jace smiles and pats Max on her shoulder.
I cringe as his brown eyes move to me.
"It's definitely a pleasure to see you again Charli." He says coolly.
I glance at Max but she is too focused on Jace to notice.
"Yea, you too." I manage to say.
"Good thing you didn't come to the docks anyway, cops came and broke up our party so we moved it here." He informs us. That means his slimy friends Max spoke of earlier are here somewhere.
I wish we would have just stayed at my dorm. By the look in Max's eyes I can tell she wishes the same.
"That sucks man." Max says to him and continues to walk down the hall.
"You two should come down and have a drink with us." Jace says, grabbing Max's arm.
"She doesn't drink." Max huffs. Annoyance clear in her voice.
"Oh, well you should still come have some fun. I insist." He says to Max. Max's annoyance seems to encourage Jace even more.
Max looks at me and I try silently say "No!!!" But she nods at Jace. What the hell?
"I'll come down in a minute, let me get her.. settled in." Max mumbles and pulls me by my wrist to her room before Jace can say anything.
Max unlocks her door and hurries me inside.
"I don't want to go down there." I tell her as she sits my bag down.
"You're not."
"You are?" I ask her.
"Yea, just for a minute. I won't be long." She rubs the back of her neck with her hand.
"Why didn't you just tell him no?" I ask. Max seems to be very intimated by Jace for someone who claims they aren't afraid of him.
"I already told you, he is hard to say no to." She says.
"Does he have something over you or something?"
"What?" Max's face flushes. "No.. he is just a dick. And I don't want any trouble. Especially not around you." She says and steps forward to me.
"I won't be down there long but I know him and if I don't go have a drink with him he will come back up here and I don't want him anywhere near you." She says and kisses me on the cheek.
''Okay." I sigh.
"I need you to stay in here though."
"Okay." I repeat. I don't want to go down there anyway. I hate these parties and I don't want to see Molly if she is here. Now I don't want her to go down there either.
"I mean it. Okay?" She demands in a soft voice.
"I said okay. Just don't leave me up here alone for long." I plea.
"I won't. We should go sign that paperwork tomorrow for the apartment. Right after you get done at Vance. I don't want to worry about this kind of shit again."
"Okay, I can meet you there." I suggest. I don't want to have to deal with these parties and my small dorm anymore, making the reminder of how young we are flash in my mind like a neon sign.
"Alright, I will be back soon. Lock the door when I go out and don't open it again, I have a key." She swiftly kisses my lips and turns for the door.
"Geez, you act like someone is going to murder me." I laugh.
She doesn't return the laugh before she walks out of the room. I roll my eyes but lock the door anyway, the last thing I want to deal with is drunk people roaming in here looking for a bathroom. I know Max is about people being in her room.
I turn her television on hoping to drown out some of the noise from downstairs but I keep thinking about what is going on down there. Why is Max so intimated by Jace and why is Jace such a creep? Are they playing their usual immature game of truth or dare again? What if Max is dared to kiss Molly? What if she is sitting on her lap like before? I hate the jealousy that I feel toward her, it drives me insane. I know Max has slept with and fooled around with many different girls, Addison included, but Molly just gets under my skin. Maybe it is because I know she doesn't like me and she tries to shove her fling with Max down my throat.
And you caught her straddling max with her tongue down her throat the first time I met her, my subconscious reminds me. I know I should stay put and keep the door locked but my feet have other plans and before I know it, I am taking the steps two at a time to find M.
When I reach the bottom of the stairs I spot Molly's hideous pink hair and barely there outfit. Much to my relief, Max isn't anywhere to be found.
"Well..well..well.." A voice from behind me says. I turn to see Jace standing less than a foot from me.
"Max said you weren't feeling well, she's always lying that one." He smiles and pulls a lighter out of his pocket. He flicks the top with his thumb, igniting the flame and brings it to the hem of his jean vest to burn off some of the fringe.
"I wasn't. I am feeling better now." I decide to keep Max's lie going.
"So quickly?" He laughs, obviously amused.
The room feels much smaller now and the crowds seems larger. I nod and survey the room, desperate to find Max.
"Come, I want you to meet some of my friends." His voice never fails to send a shiver down my spine.
"Uhmm.. I think I should find Max." I stutter.
"Aww, come on. Max is over there with them anyway." He says and moves to put his arm over my shoulder. I take a step to pretend that I didn't notice his gesture.
"Okay." I give in. I consider going back upstairs so Max doesn't know I came down in the first place but I get the feeling Jace will follow me or tell Max. Most likely both.
I follow him through the crowd and he leads me outside to the backyard. It is dark but lit by a few porch lights. I start to feel nervous about following Jace into the dark yard until my eyes met Max's. Her eyes widen with surprise then anger and she moves to stand up but then sits back down.
"Look who I found wandering around all by herself." Jace says and gestures to me.
"I see that." Max mumbles. She is pissed.
I stand in front of the small circle of unrecognizable faces sitting around what looks like a fire pit made from large rocks.
"Come here." Max says and scoots over so there is room for me on the rock that she is sitting on.
I take a seat and Max gives me a look that says if there weren't people around us she would be screaming at me. Jace leans over and says something into the ear of a guy with a ripped up white shirt and black hair.