Unwritten Rules (Rules 1)

Or, in this case, who he wants.

“Winter—”

I cut him off, grabbing my books and shutting my locker. “I have to get to class. I’ll let you two talk.”

The bell rings seconds later. I try and soothe the twinge of discomfort taking over me. Now that I think about it, a party might be just what I need.

“SHE DID NOT SAY THAT?” KASSIDY slurs, her fingers white-knuckled around the glass bottle she’s holding.

Morgan chortles. “Yes. She did. I swear.”

I can’t even count how many times Kass has spilled beer on herself so far tonight. Bright side is she’s wearing a bathing suit.

I look down to my outfit. I wasn’t sure how to dress, since pool parties aren’t exactly a common thing in Canada, so I opted for a simple tank top and shorts. I’m wearing my bathing suit under it but highly doubt that I’ll go for a swim tonight. I think someone threw up in the pool already. Or is it the hot tub? I’m not sure.

Everywhere I look there are girls wearing very small pieces of fabric they call bathing suits, with red cups in their hands, and teenagers making out or grinding on each other.

Morgan decided to tag along and is currently drinking alcohol for the first time. Her tolerance is pretty much nonexistent, which makes it all the more hilarious.

Alex, Will, and Blake fell off the face of the earth almost as soon as we walked into Natasha’s modern house. They said they’d keep their phones close if I needed anything, but something tells me that if they have to choose between my call and the open bar’s call, the choice won’t be hard.

“Kass, Luke’s staring at you.” Morgan giggles, taking another sip she’ll probably regret tomorrow.

I turn around, scrutinizing my surroundings for Luke Jenson, a basketball player from school. I spot him, drinking out of red cup and staring at Kass like she’s the only girl in the room. Luke’s actually a decent guy. He hangs out with the varsity team, which automatically means that he’s friends with some douchebags, but overall, he’s a nice kid. He’s pretty cute, too.

“He’s totally checking you out,” I confirm, but Kass doesn’t seem too excited about it.

She exhales. “He asked me out two days ago.”

“What’d you say?”

“No.”

Morgan is scandalized. “What? Why?”

I stop listening, my eyes roaming the room. I haven’t seen him anywhere, and we’ve been here for almost three hours. Might have something to do with what happened in the hall.

I finish my drink in one gulp. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

Natasha’s house is slightly smaller than Bianca’s, making it even harder to circulate around the house freely. When I spot a ridiculously long line of people, I assume that’s where the bathroom is. But what I also know is, there is no way that this big-ass house only has one.

Too bad the geniuses in line haven’t figured that out yet.

I go up to the third floor and sigh in relief. The party’s still going strong downstairs, but as I predicted, the only people interested in coming here are the wasted couples looking for a hookup spot. Four doors surround me. I have no choice but to open them all until I find what I’m looking for. I mentally prepare myself to see drunk couples making out and eating each other’s faces off.

At door number three, I begin to lose hope. I take a hesitant step toward the last door and reach for the handle with an unsteady hand.

What I see behind it leaves me speechless.

It doesn’t matter how prepared I thought I was, I certainly wasn’t ready for this. Their eyes land on me immediately. I make eye contact with Haze but quickly look away. I can’t imagine what they must be thinking right now. I probably look like an idiot, standing in the doorway with my mouth agape.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Bianca seems pissed. Her eyes are bloodshot. But this time, it has nothing to do with illegal substances.

She’s holding back tears.

Haze’s standing tall in front of her.

“Winter,” he says, a bit surprised.