Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 98992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Not sure how to continue to decline without being the prude others think I am, I toss my hands in surrender and follow Linus a few feet over to where a tray of bright red Jell-O shots are waiting. Figuring one won’t make me wasted yet will be enough to get everyone off my case, I take it from our host, cheers with him, and down it, surprised at the smoothness of it.
I’ve never been a big drinker.
Not a huge fan of the taste of alcohol.
The little drink Ry and I had together, he’d always mix it with something I already liked drinking and just enough so that I could say I was drinking without actually drinking.
Nothing like these.
These which Linus informs me are made with the smoothest vodka he could find.
Linus offers me another shot, this time insisting we cheers to how much better I am than Bambi as a person.
The next set is to how annoying she is.
After that, it’s how much funnier I am.
Smarter.
Sexier.
Six shots in ten minutes is a bit much, but I can barely feel them.
More importantly?
They help wash the taste left behind during our verbal slap fight.
Carmen wisely slips me away from Linus who I promise to see later and guides us around the party, me saying hi to people and thanking them for their compliments, her seeking out her target that evidently hasn’t arrived yet.
Both her audible and inaudible frustrations lead her to tugging on my arm. “Come on, girl. I wanna go out and smoke.”
Feeling like the fresh air might do me some good – or sober me up because that was a lot of alcohol – I simply nod.
We’re almost out the front door when Blaze swoops in out of nowhere to grab my arm. “There you are, ma.”
“Here I am.”
“Let’s go dance and shit.”
“No,” Carmen declines on my behalf. “She’s gonna hang outside with me while I smoke.”
“Can’t you smoke alone?”
“Can’t you dance alone?”
“I wanna dance with my girl.”
I immediately scrunch my face, although I’m not sure if I’m more disgusted by the vodka burp or his words.
“If you wanted to dance with her, you wouldn’t have spent the last thirty minutes jerking yourself off with your friends in front of anyone who would listen about how talented you all are. If you really wanted to dance with her, you might’ve dismissed yourself from whatever Save the Last Dance moment you were reliving and found her earlier. So, if you’ll excuse us,” Carmen sarcastically smirks, “we – and by we I mean me – are gonna go smoke.”
She leads me away by the hand but not before I get a good look at the sad expression on Blaze’s face.
I know Carmen has a point.
This is literally first time I’ve seen him in more than passing since we arrived.
But like is that my fault?
Why do I have to feel guilty about it?
And why don’t I?
Out in the circular driveaway, Carmen scares away some freshman that are occupying the sitting space on the fountain she wants and comfortably claims the territory the instant they scurry elsewhere.
For some reason, the combination of the cool air and the bass music leaking from the mansion seem to be making me wanna move.
Sway my hips.
Grind against…Ry…but since I can’t then someone else?
I guess…Blaze?
Ugh.
I want another drink in my system before that shit.
Swiveling my head around to the rap song I recognize has my eyes catching an unexpected view of Ry in one of the upstairs window’s.
It’s just his profile, but geez, even that is so fucking sexy.
“Look,” I casually point, “there’s Collins.”
Carmen follows my finger. “Ugh. Asshole.”
That I still love.
“Oh!” Her voice grows so much enthusiasm that it transports my stare back to hers. “He fucking does coke now.”
“Does coke…like is still doing it or has done coke…,” which he told me about prior to telling me he wouldn’t anymore, “like tried it once or twice.”
“Does.”
Okay, well, that’s a very fucking present tense statement.
“Apparently,” she lights her cigarette, “they both do.”
He told me he wouldn’t anymore after what happened a few weeks ago.
He wouldn’t lie to me.
It’s probably just a rumor.
Just another bullshit round of gossip to keep his fucking “bad boy” reputation intact.
“Heard that shit in chem lab.” She takes a hard drag before adding, “Also heard about a little X orgy he had with her and her two clones last Friday night.”
“Orgy?” Shock lifts my eyebrows. “Did you say orgy?!”
“Yeah, that’s the next number up from a threesome.”
Continued disbelief has me quietly croaking, “God, I swear it’s like he’s two different people…”
“Like cool pot smoking Collins – who I can appreciate his appreciation of Blue Dream – or stupid, clearly has drug problems Collins who almost slit his own wrists during an acid trip on Tuesday?”
“Wait, wh-”
“And since we’re bringing up shit like weed, you do know that Blaze still blazes, right?”