Page 53 of Brutal
Brutal scowls at me. “You don’t need to be talking to May. She’s going to spoil all the progress we’ve made.” He glances at Chase. “She’ll be telling Mimi here to rebel just for the sake of rebelling.”
May rolls her eyes. “Oh, please,” she scoffs. “Like I really want to tell someone to get on your bad side.”
Brutal’s glare snaps to her. “Keep your bitch in line, Chase.”
Chase raises an eyebrow. “Really, Drake? It’s a party. You invited us. Chill out before I start agreeing with Hunter about your recent attitude.”
“My recent attitude?” Brutal asks, his voice starting to rise in volume, enough to where a few people glance in our direction. He lowers his voice. “The fuck is that supposed to mean, Chase? Jesus. I thought you were my friend, not one of Hunter’s sycophants.”
May shifts uncomfortably, getting up and putting a hand on Chase’s arm. She whispers something in his ear.
Chase nods and wraps his arm around her shoulders. “I am your friend. That’s why I said anything at all. But whatever. May and I are going to check out the pool.”
They walk off, with May giving me one last look over her shoulder. The entire exchange leaves a strange feeling in my gut.
What was Brutal like before, that his friends are concerned about him now?
Brutal glowers after them, snapping at me, “Stay put. And don’t go whining to anyone else.” Before I can respond that I wasn’t whining to anyone, he stalks off, heading straight for the array of liquor on the bar and leaving me behind.
I’m tempted to wander again anyway, but there isn’t really any place to go. There are so many people crowding around that soon I don’t see Brutal anymore. I toy with the idea of getting food and a drink, but before I move, a man and two women sit down near me.
“I can’t believe I’m in Drake Brutal’s home,” one of the women says, holding up her phone. “This is an exclusive party, y’all. Only the most important—and hottest—people of New Bristol got an invite.”
She pans her camera around, and frowns when it lands on me. I wave, and she puts the camera down.
“Sorry, didn’t see you there, babe.” She glances at her two companions, who shrug, then looks back at me. “So who are you? I don’t recognize you.”
I nod at her. “That’s fine. I don’t recognize you either.”
The woman sputters, and her female friend looks indignant on her behalf.
“Umm, she’s the Felicia Fenway,” the friend says.
I nod, as if I know who she is. “Of course. The Felicia. I guess I’m the Mimosa. No last name.”
The two women are clearly trying to figure out if I’m making fun of them, while the man is mostly just staring at my bare legs.
“What’s your social media account?” The Felicia asks, tapping on her phone again. “I have three hundred thousand followers. You?”
“Last time I checked, I had four followers,” I say earnestly, keeping my face completely straight while the two women look at me in disbelief.
“Four?” Felicia sneers at me. “What are you even doing here?”
It’s stupid to engage, especially since Brutal is in a bad mood. But I have to admit, I’ve always been annoyed by my peers who place all their value in social media.
My sister had been very into social media. I guess that got her more clients at Giulio Pavone’s clubs.
“I must be the hottest person in New Bristol,” I answer. “At least, Drake seems to think so. Since I’m his girlfriend.”
The man who’d been eyeing me jolts upright, staring at my face now that I’ve spoken, but his expression soon relaxes as he laughs. “You’re funny,” he says. “Mimosa, right? Why don’t we go over by the pool and get to know each other?”
The women don’t seem to think it’s funny at all. Felicia’s friend outright sneers at me. “Like Drake Brutal would ever date a no-style loser.”
I glance down at my dress, which isn’t my style in any sense of the word. The stylist had assured me it matched my skin and hair, and the makeup artist had gone out of her way to complete the dramatic look.
“You’ll have to take it up with Drake’s stylist, I guess. And him, since he approved the whole look.”
“Stop fucking lying about…” Felicia’s friend trails off and sits taller. We all turn to see what caught her attention: Drake coming back our way, glass of some alcoholic beverage in hand.