Unbroken Rules (Rules 3)

“I’m guessing that means it’s too late to cancel?” I throw myself right next to Haze on the couch and pick my phone out of my pocket. Allie sent me a text thirty minutes ago.

Allie: BE THERE SOON. JUST NEED TO GET THE BOOZE. GET READY BISHH!

I heave a chuckle and notice Haze reading over my shoulder.

“Definitely too late to cancel,” he says with a grin.

As soon as I told her I was moving out, Allie insisted that we order our weight in food, drink our worries away, and watch a bunch of horror movies to celebrate me getting my own place. I slap a smile on my face to trick my mind into positive thinking. I’ve read somewhere that smiling, even if it’s forced, convinces your brain of genuine happiness. Fake it ’til you make it.

“What are we watching?” Kendrick asks, joining Haze and me on the couch while Will sits at the kitchen table by himself. Kendrick doesn’t seem to notice how miserable his best friend is, staring at his phone like a sad puppy dog, and it breaks my heart in five. Turning the TV on, Kendrick begins scrolling through Netflix.

There’s a quadruple knock on the door the next second.

“I got it.” I smack a kiss to Haze’s cheek and get up. “Kendrick, get your dirty-ass shoes off the couch or I’ll rip off your balls and make you swallow them,” I say as I pass him.

Kendrick’s eyes grow and he pulls his feet down, quickly kicking his shoes off. Haze scoffs, earning a death stare from my cousin.

“Coming!” I call, reaching for the handle and opening the door with a smil…

There goes my smile.

Crap. Why did she bring him?

“I’ve got the goods,” Allie squeals, a bottle of champagne in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other. She comes in for a hug that I welcome, but all I can think about is Caleb’s persistent gaze piercing into the side of my head

Al, I love you, but why?

Why wouldn’t she invite him, Winter? She doesn’t know.

I’ve been ignoring his texts since we went out to celebrate my return. It’s one thing to say things are back to normal and another to actually act like it. H

e says he’s fine and ready to put it all behind us, but part of me doesn’t believe him. I thought keeping my distance was for the best.

But now, he’s here, on my doorstep, staring at me.

Yay, awkward moments!

“Welcome to my crib.” I crack a nervous laugh and step aside. Allie walks in, gaping at the apartment and commenting on everything she sees. I know I can’t ignore him for much longer. He’s right there.

“Hey.” He smiles, but it’s unsure, hesitant. He feels the tension. How could he not?

“Hey, Caleb.” I avoid his gaze, but that doesn’t stop him from yanking me into a hug that I struggle to return. I glance over Caleb’s shoulder, only to see a clenched-jaw Haze glaring at us. Allie is already halfway to the bedrooms by the time I break the hug, leaving me with the guy I thought would never talk to me again.

One thing’s for sure: this is going to be one hell of a night.

Emphasis on hell.

8

Never Have I Ever

Have you ever noticed how the people closest to you often put you in the worst situations? Like when you had a crush in high school and your best friend made it her pleasure to ruin your life every time he passed you in the halls by saying something like “Hey, here’s your husband” or pushing you in his way and screaming “Get some”?

Allison Gardner is that friend. Always has been. And when she brings her champagne glass to her red lips, chuckles, and slurs, “Let’s play Never Have I Ever,” I find myself wishing I could be anywhere else but here.

Haze’s been making dagger eyes at Caleb since he walked in. He hates him and isn’t bothering to hide it. Not that my brother’s comment helped in the matter. The tension is crushing me like a pile of bricks. I keep waiting for the ball to drop, for Caleb to tell Haze what I couldn’t and ruin the night.

Empty glasses of champagne are scattered across the living room table. We’ve been drinking for over two hours. Safe to say we’re a bit tipsy. I thought alcohol would take the edge off. I was wrong. Now I’m paranoid and dizzy.