The Original Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 0.50)

Normally—I was either having sex or fighting with these people. Okay, there was only one person here that I was doing the first. But the second…this is why I am uncomfortable.

I wasn’t under attack. And I didn’t know how to handle it.

Jasmine had retracted her claws long ago. And Sasha…either she’d given up or she was just waiting for a better place for another go.

Remember when Stephanie was my biggest headache in this town? Jeez. And her, I’d handled by making up a lie that she hooked up with Devon. Funny how my lie turned to be half-truth. He had hooked up, just not with her.

And Stephanie had fallen, fallen, to the point where she wasn’t even a blip on the social radar anymore.

And Mandy? Mandy had zeroed in on her, knowing full well that I’d lied to her. But she’d done it nonetheless.

Wow. It just hit me how much Mandy had changed with this whole Jasmine/Devon thing. She didn’t have the old spark in her anymore. But then again, seeing her grinning at whatever Carter had just whispered in her ear, I saw her glance a moment later to Devon. And I saw the hurt that flashed in her depths.

Yeah. My sister was hurting.

And for once, there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t go on the attack. I couldn’t blackmail anyone. I couldn’t break in somewhere and steal all their files, full of little ugly secrets. This—this I needed to sit back. And just let Mandy figure it out for herself.

Not my ammo in life.

“Taryn.” I came back to reality, realizing Bryce had spoken my name—and it looked like he’d done it a few times.

“Sorry.” I grinned ruefully. “What were you saying?”

“I was asking if you wanted to take a shot with us.” He flashed a cocky grin my way.

What the fuck?

“Sure.” I shrugged, turning in my place with Grant and Bryce, one on each side of me.

Tray set out the four glasses and filled each one. One by one, we tipped our heads back and slammed the shots.

Tray filled ‘em again.

This night might get interesting.

After the third—whoa—Jasmine, Amber, and Sasha had wandered over.

Tray set out some shots for them.

Devon was standing behind Jasmine uncertainly.

Seeing his jaw tighten, I realized he’d been watching Mandy and Carter in the pool. When Mandy let out a shriek of laughter, Devon grabbed Jasmine by the back of her arm.

Bryce nudged me. “We’re waiting.”

A fourth shot sat before me. Full and waiting.

I tipped it back and watched as Jasmine was listening to whatever Devon was whispering in her ear. I saw the smug look that came on her face and I saw that her hand reached behind him and entwined with his.

Shit.

This night was already getting interesting.

I begged out of the next round of shots. Sasha and Amber were finishing off their—third?—I think.

“Taryn, you aren’t done, are you?” Bryce taunted, watching me coolly. He looked smug. Narrowing my eyes, I took another long look at him and saw him wink at Tray. What the fuck?

What the hell was going on in his head?