“Oh, that’s right.” She pins me with her feline gaze. “You were with Landon.”
Yesterday, we went to pick up the last book on the summer reading list, and when we bumped into Audrey and a few other BMA students, Landon practically sprouted wings. They weren’t aware he was in town, but it became apparent pretty fast they all knew each other. Yet he couldn’t get away from them fast enough. He muttered an excuse that we had somewhere to be, except that wasn’t true, and as soon as we got back to my house, he ditched me too.
“Do you know where he is?” I ask Audrey.
Her eyes flick over me in that dismissive way she’s mastered, but her face never wavers. “I’m not sure. But if I had to guess, he’s probably balls deep in some annoying fan girl right about now. God, it’s like they have no self-respect, lining up to take their turns with him. Pathetic, much?”
A nerf dart sails between us, and someone crashes into her from behind, thrusting her forward. I’m grateful for the momentary interruption, so she can’t bear witness to the anguish on my face.
I don’t care what’s he’s doing.
“God, you fucking halfwit.” Audrey shoves the drunken girl away from her, knocking the interloper back onto her ass. She primps her hair and turns her attention back to me. “I swear some people just can’t hang.”
“Right.” I clear my throat and try not to look at the girl who’s crawling away on the floor.
I want to leave. I should leave.
“You should stay a while,” Audrey says. “I never see you at any of these bashes.”
“I just came to say hi to Landon.” I sound like one of those pathetic girls she was just talking about.
Her eyes flash with interest. “Let me help you find him then.”
When my gaze darts around the room, I agree that’s probably a good idea. It’s crazy in here, and even though I’m familiar with the house, it feels brand new in the current state. Audrey grabs my hand and drags me toward the staircase, but we don’t make it far before someone else interrupts us. I recognize the other two guys who were trailing Audrey yesterday. They stood out because they happen to attend Black Mountain’s biggest rival, Maple Grove. Normally, bringing anyone from MGA across enemy lines might be considered a criminal offense, but since Gavin and Wyatt aren’t on the football team, I guess nobody really cares.
“Can I interest anyone in a screwdriver?” Wyatt holds up a tray with individual boxes of orange juice, red Solo cups, and mini vodka bottles. He’s wearing a tee shirt with a tuxedo printed on it and a goofy smile to match.
“Morons.” Audrey snickers and then pouts. “Can you make mine?”
Wyatt mixes up her drink, and I stand there awkwardly for a second before deciding to do the same. I’m not much of a drinker. On occasion, my mom lets me have a glass of wine at the dinner table. But I’ve never been drunk. This is what people do at parties, I guess, so whatever. I dump the orange juice and vodka into a red cup and swirl it around.
Gavin nudges me with his elbow after I take my first sip. “They call it a screwdriver for a reason. I think they named it after Landon. He likes to screw anything that moves.”
Audrey smirks at my wincing face. It shouldn’t surprise me that she can see right through me. Girls like her have a way of sniffing out the weaknesses in others, and if she were a breed, she’d be a bloodhound. Right now, I have two choices. Walk out of here like an idiot and prove I don’t belong here or show her that I’m not as easily ruffled as she wants to believe. Audrey loves to push everyone else around, and if I walk away now, she wins by default.
I tip the cup to my lips again, forcing it between my teeth as I suck down enough of the liquid to give me what I hope is courage.
“Good girl.” Wyatt pats me on the head condescendingly.
“Let’s check the bedrooms upstairs,” Audrey suggests.
With that sage advice, the four of us wade through the mass of people gathered around the stairs. Getting to the second level is no easy feat with the throng of bodies to navigate, and my head is already swimming from the alcohol. I’m pretty sure chugging that drink like I just did wasn’t the brightest thing I’ve ever done.
On the second landing, things are even wilder, if that’s humanly possible. A game of Twister in the middle of the hallway has stirred up a heated debate over the rules between two girls in their tiny scraps of swimwear. And beyond that, there’s an actual slip and slide with water and suds. The floor is soaked, and all I can think about is how Landon’s mom will probably murder him when she sees this place.
My vision narrows to a pinpoint as I weave through more bodies, nearly slipping on the wet floor more than once. I’m already nauseous, wishing I’d eaten something before I came here when I hear the crowd chanting a name that only became familiar to me about ten minutes ago. It’s the hot teen vampire Landon played on Blood River Legacy.
Killian. Killian. Killian.
Audrey pushes her way through the human wall into a second sitting area, forcing the crowd to part just for us. And there he is. Six feet of pure, beautiful male. He’s draped onto the sofa, his chocolatey brown hair artfully messy as though he’s been running his fingers through it. He does that a lot when he’s frustrated, I’ve noticed. I wanted to run my fingers through it too. I wanted to crawl into his soul and stare into those steely gray eyes and touch the hard lines on his face until they softened.
My heart is beating fast and loud, the way it always does when I’m near him. It doesn’t matter how many times I see him; he still takes my breath away. And I really do get it now. I understand why everyone’s so obsessed with him. Nobody else in this world is this interesting to look at.
He quietly observes the people around him with a dark and intense expression. Everyone’s fighting over his attention so that’s probably why he hasn’t noticed me. Not that it matters. Because why would he?
Two girls on either side of him hold tubes of lipstick in their hands. They’ve drawn arrows on their face toward their mouths, and more on their chests leading to their shirts. They look like drunken gremlins who got into their mother’s makeup, but it’s a game I’ve heard about many times over the last year. Truth or Grope.
I don’t want to see how this plays out, but I can’t look away. Is Landon going to participate? Is this what he does at these parties?