Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Some random guys join us, and Halston leans into the chest of one of them, putting on a show for Sullivan. When I try to spot his reaction, I catch eyes with Jess, and I’m surprised to see him glaring at me. Hard. I feel my brows scrunch together, confused by his reaction, but I shake it off. The friend of the guy Halston’s dancing with moves closer to me, curling his free hand around the small of my back.
“Nooope.” I laugh, sliding out of his grasp. He’s cute, but I’m not in the mood to be groped by a drunken frat boy tonight. Or ever. He’s persistent, though, and before I know it, he slides in behind me, plastering his front to my back. I can feel his excitement through his jeans and I whirl on him, shoving his shoulders with both hands. The drink in his right hand sloshes over the rim, splashing his shirt with beer.
“The fuck?” he slurs angrily, holding his arms out, looking down at his torso to assess the damage.
“No means no.” I smirk. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jesse standing behind him, off to the side. His arms are crossed, jaw clenched. Did he see the whole thing play out?
“Whatever, you’re fucking ugly anyway.” Someone laughs, and then Halston is next to me, grabbing my arm in silent support. He weighs his options, knowing he has an audience now. “Bitch,” he mutters, turning to leave. As soon as his back is to me, he comes face to face with Jesse who cocks a fist back before sending it straight into his face. Drunk Guy falls backwards into me and takes me down, thanks to the floor that’s slick with alcohol.
To my horror, the music stops, and the lights turn on. Drunk Guy cups his nose, blood running between his fingers and down his wrist. “What the hell, Shep?!”
Jesse lunges toward him, grabbing him by his collar with both fists and throwing him off of me before landing another punch. Sullivan appears, pulling Jesse from Drunk Guy.
“Jesus!” Halston yells, pulling me up from the sticky floor. My skirt and legs are wet, and I lost a boot somewhere.
“You’re out!” Sullivan shouts, pointing to the door.
“I didn’t do shit—” Drunk Guy starts, but Jesse goes for him again, and Drunk Guy flinches, thinking better of arguing, and heads for the door.
Everyone’s eyes are on me now, filled with everything ranging from pity to curiosity. I hear mumblings of who is she? What just happened? Are they together? I feel my cheeks heat, hating the unwanted attention.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Jesse shouts, turning in a circle. “It’s a party. Start fucking partying.”
The music starts back up, the lights are cut, and thankfully, everyone goes about their business when they realize the drama is over. Jesse runs a hand through the hair that’s fallen onto his forehead before bending at the waist to pluck my boot out of the crowd. When he extends his arm in offering, I snatch the boot from his grasp before shoving my foot into it, turning to leave without a word.
Jesse is hot on my heels. Once I make it to the porch, away from prying eyes, I spin around to face him. “I didn’t need your help,” I snap. I’ve dealt with way worse. If I can handle handsy guys at bars and concert venues, I can easily handle a sloppy schoolboy.
“Don’t flatter yourself. That wasn’t for you,” he says.
“Oh, really? You just decided to pick a fight for the fun of it?”
“I, uh, I’m just gonna…” Halston trails off, wiggling a manicured nail toward the party before slipping back inside.
“That’s exactly it. I was spoiling for a fight. An opportunity presented itself, so I took it.”
I take him in, contemplating my next words. He seems different. His hair is longer than it was a few weeks ago. Unkempt. But it’s beyond his appearance. Something inside has changed, too. I just don’t know him well enough to know what that something is.
“Next time you’re looking for trouble, leave me out of it.”
* * *
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU looking at?” I ask the freshman taking money at the door who witnessed Allie telling me off. He quickly averts his eyes, moving to stand at the edge of the porch at the top of the stairs.
I feel like a fucking tool watching Allison’s back as she walks away from me. What I said was mostly true. I have been spoiling for a fight, but I do a damn good job of internalizing my shit. Until it comes to her, apparently.
The minute Daniels laid his hands on her, I knew there’d be trouble. Girls like Allison aren’t here to get laid. I knew by her body language that day in her dorm that casual sex wasn’t something she made a habit of. I stood back and watched as she pushed him away, letting her handle it. She’s not my problem. Not my girl. She reminds me of Lo, the way she carries herself. The way she uses sarcasm as a shield. And when Daniels called her ugly and a bitch to boot, I didn’t think. I just swung.