“Thanks,” I shoot back, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t need a reminder. You never let me forget.”
She pushes her hands onto her hips, a defiant smirk on her lips. “I could help you get her back, you know. All you have to do is hold up our end of the deal until the end of the school year.”
Harper steps closer, as though she’s about to touch me, and I take a few steps back. I hate how she makes it a point to run her nails along my skin every time we speak. I hate her, but I can’t turn my back either. She’s like heroin, cancerous to my body, hard to kick, and controls my life.
“I’m not bailing on our deal, so can you quit playing games? I’d like to enjoy the party. Without you.” I stress the last part.
She gives me the evil eye, typical Harper move. “Fine, but you had better come find me later.”
I snort in an attempt to stifle my laughter. “Fine. Whatever. Just go dance or something, and leave me alone.”
“Don’t be an asshole.” Harper points a long, bony finger at me and presses it into my chest.
I manage to choke back my laughter as I straighten my stance. Harper beams with excitement, taking my silence as acceptance, and without another word, she stomps off. Her sisters follow behind, shaking their asses to the music as they pass me.
Harper adds a complication to the Tori equation I don’t need. It has been a long time since my last challenge. No one ever challenged me the way Tori does. But what the fuck do I do with Harper?
After I fill two Solo cups with beer, I make my way back into the living room. Tori latches onto me and shoots a dirty look in my direction that tells me what I need to know without asking. She hates me. I have zero chance of getting her back. But I am not giving up on her.
“Wanna dance?” I ask, offering Tori the extra beer in my hand.
Her lips curl upward as if the thought of dancing with me makes her want to vomit. She takes the cup from my hand and pounds most of the liquid in one sip. As she walks away from me, I grab hold of her hip. She looks over her shoulder at me and closes her eyes.
Electricity skates across my skin. Just one touch. That’s all it ever took with Tori. But, at this point, she hates me so much that I doubt she can enjoy being around me. Tori doesn’t fight me when I pull her into my chest, my muscles rippling against her back. Resisting me must be harder than she’d thought.
“Dance with me, Queenie,” I say, my breath warming her earlobe.
She clenches her teeth. “You’re not allowed to call me that anymore, Bash. I hate that name, always did. It’s stupid. You’re such an idiot.”
In on
e fluid motion, I spin her around to face me. She has nowhere to run with the group of people surrounding us.
She searches the crowd as if looking for someone when her best friend is standing right next to her. I reach down to stroke her jaw with my finger to get her attention. Her beautiful blue eyes are even more amazing up close, wide and bright in the dark room.
“I hate you!” She yells over a speaker behind us.
My arrogant smile turns into a slight frown.
“I know,” I say against her ear, brushing my lips against her skin once more on purpose. “But I want to make it up to you. Let me explain. You never gave me a chance.”
She chugs down the rest of her beer. “We have nothing to talk about, Bash. You’re a jerk, and we broke up two years ago. You are the one who ruined our relationship. Not me. So, if this is some ego trip, leave me out of it. I’m not the girl who got away. I’m the girl you threw to the side for something better. And I will never forget that. I will never forgive you. You’re disgusting. Why don’t you go back to whoever you were screwing before I showed up? I’m sure there’s a girl already waiting in your bed for you.”
Tori shakes her head at me before she forces her way through the crowd. What had happened between us was a misunderstanding. If only she’d given me more than a minute to explain myself before storming off. We go through the same thing every time I attempt to get within five feet of her. I hate losing.
In the kitchen, I find Tori and Harper throwing back shots of vodka, which cannot be a good thing. Watching as they alternate between beer and rum shooters, I wonder what kind of shit Harper will stir now that she has Tori in her sights. Harper has an agenda. She always has an ulterior motive, like a chess player moving around pieces on the board. And she always gets checkmate.
The bartender tips a shot glass to Harper’s lips and pours it into her mouth. She raises her hands above her head and yells something I can’t make out. I lean against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest, as I wait my turn.
Beyond drunk, Harper is leaning on Tori and unable to stand up. On nights when Harper gets this hammered, I get a reprieve from her games. Sometimes, I like her. Most of the time I hate her. Harper only cares about herself, and I’m just another person who has secrets she uses against them.
Dragging Tori by the hand, Harper leads her into the living room to dance. I follow behind them as they sift through the crowd. In some ways, I feel responsible for Tori. While she’s in this house, I have to make sure she’s okay. I owe her that much. I made a promise to her father a long time ago, and I intend to keep it.
Sweat pours off the girls, their skin glistening under the dim lights. They grind against each other, screaming and moving in unison. For once, Tori looks as though she’s having fun. Harper, too, which is weird. The two of them could be the scowl sisters with how little they smile.
Tori throws her arms in the air, swaying her hips back and forth to the music. They dance with each other, drawing attention from the men around them.
A guy I don’t recognize with reddish brown hair digs his fingers into Tori’s side, holding her close. She must be wasted because she leans her head on his shoulder, panting as though she’s trying to catch her breath.