Page 67 of A Little Jaded
I clear my throat. “Answer the question.”
“About what?”
“Are you mad at me?” I repeat.
“Why’d you call me Stormie?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Her eyes fall to my mouth. “Of course, it doesn’t.” She shakes her head, looking up at me again. “And, no, I’m not mad.”
“You sure?” I push.
With a quick nod, she answers, “Positive,” then dips beneath my arm and sways toward an already full circle of people sitting on the floor.
Well, I guess that’s it, then.
“You guys ready?” she asks once she reaches the group.
This should be interesting.
Squeezing between one of my teammates and a guy from one of my classes sophomore year, Raine sits cross-legged on the ground. When one of them grins at her, I clear my throat. His head swivels toward me. Without a word, he stands and moves to a different circle, leaving me space beside the girlwho’s even more confusing than Finley, and that’s saying something.
Speaking of which, where the hell is my sister? I search the crowded room but come up empty. Nic, one of my teammates, reaches for the bottle in the center of the circle. After a flick of his wrist, it spins round and round, landing on a girl named Courtney. She crawls toward him, gives him a quick peck, then moves back to her spot as the guy to Nic’s left reaches for the bottle and takes a turn. When it lands on another of my teammates, they both laugh, taking shots from one of the lowerclassmen walking around with trays of different liquors. Each has a designated area to keep an eye on. Their jobs are to pass out drinks and to be available in case anyone needs anything. You know, like a shot of alcohol to keep from kissing someone they aren’t interested in. It's a necessity during a game likeSpin the Bottlewhere anyone’s invited.
Ellie, one of the sorority girls, spins the bottle next. When it lands on Nic, he grins and moves to the middle of the circle, meeting her halfway. Smirking, she reaches up and taps her finger against her cheek. With a laugh, he kisses it and glances at the guy to Ellie’s right.
“Your turn, man.”
The guy spins, and when it lands on Ellie again, a blush hits her cheeks, and her smile widens.
“Hey, baby,” he says as his mouth descends on hers. This time, the kiss isn’t a quick peck. With her hands in his hair and his arms wrapped around her waist, they kneel in the center of the circle, going at it like it's their last day on Earth. My phone buzzes, distracting me, and I pull it out of my front pocket.
Reeves
Drake just showed up with two guys and three girls. Keep an eye out, but don’t make anything obvious. Remember, you don’t care about him. You care about having a good time with your new girl.
“I take it they like each other?” Raine interrupts.
I slip my phone back into my pocket and shift closer to her on the ground. “They’ve been going out for a few months.” Letting my mouth skate across the shell of her ear, I add, “Dickless just showed up.” Her muscles tense, but she doesn’t pull away from me. “I won’t let him touch you. But I need you to play along with whatever happens, all right?”
With a slow nod, she turns to watch the show again and leans back on her hands.
“All right, wrap it up. Let someone else have a turn,” Nic orders as Griffin slips into the space beside Ellie’s boyfriend, rubbing his hands against his jeans. Part of me wishes he was still keeping an eye on Finley like I asked, but I bite my tongue. If I had to guess, Reeves gave him a heads-up about Drake’s appearance, and he’s here as backup. Smart. Even if it does leave my little sister vulnerable. Fuck, sometimes I really wish there were multiples of me. It’d make my life a hell of a lot easier.
“Looks like I found where the party is,” Griff jokes.
Ellie’s lips break apart from her boyfriend’s, and they make their way back to their spots on the ground.
“Your turn, Griff,” I announce.
My best friend shifts forward and spins the bottle. Around and around it goes until it stops on the girl beside me. I swear the air in the room charges, and a stone falls in my gut as I wait. For what, I’m not sure. The punch of rage beneath my sternum is unexpected, so I dig my fingers into my thighs.
What the hell do I do now?
Head cocked, Griffin looks between me and Raine, a silent question in his eyes. I open my mouth to call one of the freshmen forward but bite my tongue at the last second as Raine scoots toward him without even casting me a glance.
What. The.Fuck?