"This was a bad idea."
"What?" Ava yells over the deafening music flowing through the party.
We've found ourselves huddled against one of the two-story-high walls in this gigantic modern home. For such an open floor plan, it feels extremely claustrophobic. People dressed in costumes bump and grind against each other or those just trying to pass by. Drinks are flowing, every surface covered, and sticky with alcohol. It's probably the biggest party this year and all I can think about is what happened between Derek and Jace yesterday.
I haven't seen either of them so far, but that doesn't stop my stomach from twisting into a million teeny-tiny knots.
Nursing my drink, I glance at my sexy Little Red Riding Hood costume and speak up "This was a bad idea!"
Ava pauses her bouncing infused dance moves to look back at me like I've grown a second head. "Why?"
"People are staring!"
It's true. Almost every guy that walks past us has taken the time to give us appreciative looks, their eyes feasting on our costumes. Ava's loving the attention, while I'm wondering why the hell I let her convince me to wear this thing.
Because you were hoping someone would notice.
Brushing off my inner tauntings, I take a sip of my drink and cringe.
Ava's banned from getting drinks for the rest of the night.
"That's the point, Lex! Enjoy it!" Ava nudges me with her arm.
"What's the point?" Marcel asks, breaking through the crowd to reach us in his Clark Kent costume, complete with suit, tie, and a superman t-shirt peaking through the open buttoned white shirt.
Ignoring his question, Ava looks behind him. "Where's Caleb?"
"Said something about finding a bathroom."
She nods as worry lines crease her forehead and takes a long sip from her cup.
I'm about to ask her what's wrong when my phone vibrates in my bust.
Cassie: We're here! Front entrance.
Alexis: Stay there, I'll come get you.
"Hey, Cassie's here," I yell to A.
She continues to swing to the music and waves me off. "Go ahead, I'm gonna hang here."
Looking at Marcel, I shoot him a worried look before allowing my eyes to bounce to Ava. He reads me right away and nods. I feel better leaving to get Cassie knowing that Marcel will look after Ava and dive into the crowd.
It takes me a minute to push my way towards the front doors but when I get there, I can't see Cassie anywhere. My head whips around trying to find her when someone lightly taps me on the shoulder.
Turning, I come face to face with a girl dressed in a naughty angel costume. A black silk dress with a plunging neckline glides to the floor with two giant slits on both sides starting at the girl's hips. Her wavy raven hair nearly flows to her waist with black-feathered wings, matching mask around her baby blue eyes, and black halo. She looks like she could be a Victoria's Secret model honestly.
"Hey, Lex," the girl greets, her dark red lips smiling wide.
Wait...
"Cassie?"
She holds up a finger to her mouth, biting back another smile.
"Holy shit!" I step back and look at her costume again. "Are you trying to get murdered by your cousins tonight?"
Cassie's smile turns mischievous. "You didn't even know it was me, how will they?"
She has a point. The wig looks real as fuck, hiding her platinum locks underneath and the mask helps as well. The one give-away would be her eyes, but she could avoid that as long she avoids the guys.
"Oh, and tonight, the name's Raven," she says before looking around. "Have you seen Thing One and Thing Two yet?"
I shake my head, scanning the crowd like her. "No, not yet. But I'm sure they'll be here."
"Raven!" A girl dressed as a sexy devil screeches over the crowd, walking our way with two red cups in her hand. She hands one to Cassie. "Drink, bitch!"
Rolling her eyes, Cassie complies and takes a large gulp from the cup.
The she-devil looks at me from around Cassie and gives me a head to toe sweep, her nose wrinkling before looking away.
Okay, damn.
"Lex, this is my friend Hazel," Cassie points to the bitchy she-devil. "Haze, Lexi."
Hazel gives me a fake smile. "Nice to meet you."
"You too." I smile back, dropping the act as she looks the other way with a flip of her shoulder-length brown hair.
I hate girls like this. It's the exact reason why I have more guy-friends than girl-friends.
"I'm gonna go dance," Hazel informs us before walking off.
Cassie nods at her friend's back. "Okay!"
I'm about to ask Cass if she wants to meet up with Ava and Marcel when a raucous comes charging through the front door. Looking over, my stomach drops to the alcohol-soaked floor. Walking in is none-other than Jace, Kade, Wilder, Travis, and Josie. A few girls are with them, dressed in costumes that show more skin than a bathing suit.
Cassie quickly turns in the other direction, just before Jace's eyes are drawn to me like a magnet. He pauses, eyes sweeping over my costume-clad body as they darken with desire.
Guess I should thank Ava for the costume idea after all.
Chewing on my lip, I try to keep my eyes on his face but fail horribly, caving in to the sight presented in front of me. Jace is dressed as a soldier; loose fitted camo pants with a matching hat, black boots, and no shirt. In fact, the only thing on his torso is a set of dog tags hanging around his neck, drawing attention to his pecs as they swing back and forth.
Fuck me.
The rest of the guys are showing off too, Wild as a jester, Kade as a fireman, and Travis as an Egyptian king. All of them shirtless as well, drawing attention from every girl within eyeshot. One girl tries to approach Kade only to be cut off by Josie, dressed as Jessica Rabit. I have to give her points for it, her red hair goes so well with the costume. But the look on her face as she stands in front of Kade's admirer shouts, 'don't make me take off these purple gloves.'
I don't blame Josie. Seeing so many girls eyeing Jace like he's a piece of fucking candy sends fire running through my veins. The grip on my drink tightens, nearly spilling its contents. I have to look away. I'm gonna lose my mind from watching the other girls fucking Jace with their eyes or from the way he's ignoring all of it to watch me.
Kade's fan finally gives up and walks away, Jo looks over her shoulder to see an amused smirk on his face. Rolling her eye's she huffs and walks my way, stopping once she spots me, blocking mine and Jace's views of each other.
"Lexi!"
"Hey, Jo." I smile as she rushes over to hug me.
Over her shoulder, I catch a glimpse of Jace shooting me one last fleeting look before he walks away. My stomach sinks again but this time it feels worse.
Jo pulls away and looks at my costume. "Sexy!"
"Thanks, you too Ms. Rabbit."
I glance beside me as Cassie turns back around with the disappearance of her cousins.
"Uh...Josie, this is Raven." I try to introduce the two.
I don't understand how a group so tight doesn't know each other's closest relatives, but I remember Wilder mentioning once that he had never met Cass. Hopefully the same goes for Josie.
Josie looks at Cassie and there's no sign of recognition in her eyes. "Hi!"
"Hey," Cass smiles, appearing slightly relieved. "Love your costume."
"You too." Jo winks before grabbing my hand. "Now please, show me to the drinks before I go strangle Kade. He's already irritating the shit out of me tonight."
The three of us grab some drinks from the kitchen. I make sure to switch out the strong crap Ava got me earlier for something lighter. The idea of throwing up at the end of the night does not sound appealing.
We talk and laugh for a little while before Cassie or should I say, Raven, suggests moving things to the dance floor. When we reach the living room, I look around for Ava and Marcel but don't see them anywhere. Shrugging to myself, I figure I'll stumble upon them eventually and dance with Jo and Cass on the makeshift dance floor.
At some point, I turn around and see that Cassie has wandered off and is now dancing with...
Oh no.
A familiar jester is molded to her backside. Cassie has her hand reaching up behind her, wrapped around his neck as the two of them move as one.
If Jace saw this, and new Cassie was Cassie, this would not be good. Wilder's like his brother but I don't think that would stop Jace from going caveman on him.
"Worried?" Josie asks, dancing beside me.
I still and look at her, my eyebrows pinched in confusion.
Jo grins. "Yeah, I know who she is, and don't worry. I won't say anything."
"Uh...h-how..." I fumble over my words. "I thought...Wild said he doesn't know her."
"He doesn't."
"Then how do you?"
"Wilder and Jace are best friends but Wild's only been around for the last two years. Cassie's been away at boarding school most of that time. When she comes around, Kade and Jace keep her away from...the group. But I've known them since we were kids. Before they got all crazy protective. I know the Williams family better than my own flesh and blood."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Josie glances at the dancing duo. "Because she deserves to have some fun."
This entire thing blows my mind. If Jace and Kade consider Wilder and Travis as family then how could they not trust them around her? If anything, they should trust them more than anyone.
As if reading my mind, Josie adds. "They think if they let Cassie into their circle then we'll all corrupt her."
I look over at the way Cassie grinds her ass against Wild's crotch. "Pretty sure she already is."
"Agreed!" Josie laughs. "But you can't tell them that. They only see what they want."
Shaking my head, I laugh. The whole situation is ridiculous but at least Cassie is having a good time. Wilder too from the looks of things. As the two of them start to move more like they're fucking than dancing, I turn around, giving them privacy from my eyes if nothing else. Josie does the same, the two of us continuing to dance and laugh.
I'm just about finished my second drink, feeling the effects of the alcohol just a little. I really don't wanna get smashed tonight, so I set my empty cup down and feel someone crowd my backside as I straighten up, their arm possessively wrapping around me.
At first, I think-maybe even hope-that it's Jace. But when I look down at the hand resting on my stomach, I notice the lack of ink.
"What the hell?" I spin around to find Derek pressed against me with hooded eyes. "Derek?"
"Hey." His voice is soft, his eyes cast with guilt.
I take a step back, putting some space between us. "What do you want?"
He tilts his head to the side, thinking over his next words while also showing off the giant bruise on his jaw. The skin's swollen, a nasty shade of purple clashing with his usual tan complexion.
"I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday." Derek takes a deep breath. "I was a fucking asshole and I'm so sorry for freaking out like that."
He sounds genuine but it's hard not to imagine the rage in his eyes as he was shouting at me. I spent the night running what happened over and over again in my head. After that and a big bowl of ice cream, I started to understand why Jace did what he did. But I can also get why Derek would be so pissed too.
"I'm sorry too."
A hopeful smile peeks his lips.
I hold up my hand to keep him from jumping to conclusions, again. "And even though I'm not with Jace, or am choosing him over you in any way, I still don't think we should continue whatever it is we've been doing."
Derek's face tightly pinches together, making his bruised jaw more prominent. "Why?"
"'Cause I don't know how I feel right now. I don't even know what the hell I'm doing anymore and I don't wanna string you along." Without thinking, I reach up and softly run my fingers over his jaw. "You deserve better than that."
He closes his eyes at my touch. When I pull away they open with the small hint of hurt. "Can we at least be friends still? I don't wanna lose you from my life, Lex."
I'm not sure what 'friends' means anymore. Like me, Caleb, and Marcel kind of friends? Or like mine and Jace's friendship? Which honestly is starting to feel less and less like friends every day.
"We can try." I shrug, not sure what else to say.
Folding his lips in, Derek nods a couple times. "Well, in that case, can this friend get you another drink?"
I raise an unsure eyebrow at him.
Derek's hands fly out in front of him as he steps back. "I just noticed your cup was empty, that's the only reason I'm offering." He straightens his posture and pretends to be smug. "If it weren't for that I wouldn't bother." His smile slips, his fake attitude crashing and burning.
His playful smile makes me laugh and nod. "Okay, sure."
Feeling grateful for how well he's taking this, I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. His hold lingers, making me realize that maybe hugging should stay off the table for a while.
Letting go, Derek beams. "Alright, I'll be back in a second."
He walks off, and as soon as he's gone my skin tingles like someone's staring at me hard. I look around, having a difficult time seeing through the thick ocean of bodies.
"Over there," Josie taps me on the shoulder and nods to the side, keeping her eyes trained in the opposite direction.
Looking over, I spot Jace leaning against the back wall with his foot propped up, arms crossed, and a beer in his hand. His face is hidden by his army cap but I can feel his eyes on me. The sight sends flutters through my stomach right up until a petite brunette dressed in a bikini style referee costume approaches him. Even through the smokey haze and dim lights, I can tell it's the same girl from the carnival that was dragging him around. The 'stage five clinger.'
The girl gets close to him and I almost feel sorry for her, expecting him to send her away, but my gut twists as he does the exact opposite. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulls her closer.
I think I'm gonna be sick.
She gets on her tiptoes, pushing her tits against his chest as she whispers in his ear. The whole time I can feel his penetrating gaze on me, taunting me while the girl trails her hand down his abs, reaching for his belt like it's her own personal handle.
So much for 'complete psycho'. Of course, she's gonna throw her self at him when he makes it so easy.
I can't take my eyes off them despite the voice in my head yelling for me to walk away. Even Josie calling to me, trying to get my attention doesn't work. She sounds so far away while Jace and his girl feel like they're right in my face.
My stomach rolls harder as the girl's mouth latches onto Jace's neck. He doesn't move to pull her closer and show her attention, but he also doesn't stop her.
"Lex...Lexi."
A tap on my shoulder makes me jump out of my skin and snaps me from the nauseating PDA. I turn around to look at Derek as he holds a drink out to me.
"You alright?" His voice sounds concerned.
Looking at the ground, I nod my head. My throat's too tight for me to speak.
"You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you sure?" Derek presses.
I feel a small hand rub my back and hear Josie beside me. "Lex, do you need some fresh air, hon? You look green."
I am green.
Swallowing my emotions, I nod again and lock eyes with the sweet redhead. Jo's eyes look at me with a sad understanding, like a mother who's just seen her child's heart get stomped on.
"Y-yeah. I could use some fresh air."
"I'll go with you," Derek offers, but I quickly shake my head.
"No, I need to go alone. I'll be back in a minute."
I don't take the chance to look at him or Josie, already knowing what I'll see if I do; worry and pity. Neither looks I can take right now, not without completely falling apart.
Pushing my way to the back door, I dart past Jace and his hookup with my eyes down and slip out the back door. My feet carry me off the porch, past the small bonfire with a few people willing to risk the chilly air, and halfway to the corner of the house before I hear his voice call my name.
Don't look back. Don't look back.
I turn to make my escape along the side of the house, hoping the darkness will hide my movements. If I can just get to the front yard, I can get to my car and get the hell out of here. I've been right from the start tonight. This was a bad idea.
"Alexis, fucking stop!" Jace barks, the sound of his footfalls getting closer.
I'm fucked. There's no getting away. The thought almost brings tears to my eyes.
Even if I run, I'll more than likely trip in my heels and fall on my face. Then I can add embarrassment to the whirlpool of emotions drowning me, eating me alive.
Just what I need.
💋____________________________________💋
Sorry for the late update. I know I promised to post yesterday but things have been busy with the new school year starting. Anyway, to make up for it, it's gonna be a double update tonight! (In other words, I overwrote again and had to split what was supposed to be one chapter into two.)
Now, please, what are your thoughts about this chapter? What do you think of Cassie's disguise, or that dance with Wilder😲? What about Derek? Think he's gonna stay so accepting? And most importantly, what the hell is going on with Jace and that chick? What do you think will happen next?
Let me know what you think in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!
No teaser for chapter 19 since I'm gonna post it right now!