Shaw pulled up in front of the house, and I glanced around. The place was gigantic, more a mansion than an actual house.
It was the first time I’d been to Remington’s house, but from what he told me as we’d gotten to know each other the last few months, it was just him and his grandfather living there. And an arsenal of staff too, from what my friend told me with a roll of his clear blue eyes when he’d invited me to his Black Friday party the week before.
I knew he was loaded. Everyone at our school was in some shape or form. But this house screamed billionaire status.
Every light in the house was on, it seemed. And I couldn’t wrap my mind around how big the sound system had to be for the entire house to shake with the bass like it was. The vibrations were so intense, I could feel them just sitting in the car.
Shaw turned her head, looking at all the cars already parked in the long driveway on the private property. We’d had to go through two different gates, both manned by several guards, before driving another mile to get to the house. The cars that lined the driveway made Shaw’s look sadly underrated, and she whistled appreciatively.
“Remington has been holding out on us, girl,” she said with a grin.
“Something tells me there aren’t many of our fellow students here. I don’t recognize any of these vehicles.” I pulled down the sun visor so I could use the mirror to check my makeup. I’d asked Shaw to make me sexy, and she hadn’t let me down. I barely looked like myself, and I was once again awestruck at all the makeup tricks she’d learned from being a model.
After touching up my lip gloss, I scrunched up my nose at my reflection. Usually, I thought I looked more girl next door, but tonight, I’d wanted to be a sexy vixen. With the skirt I was wearing and the top barely covering my boobs that were being pushed toward my throat by the push-up bra I’d been saving for forever, I had to admit I looked the part.
If Luca could have seen me, I was sure he would have been unable to keep his hands to himself. When he saw the pictures I was going to put on my social media for his benefit, I hoped they brought him to his knees.
I’d never thought of myself as vindictive, but after having my heart torn from my chest by the one guy who was supposed to cherish it, I realized I was no longer the same person. I didn’t know if I liked this new Violet, but for now, she was in charge.
Grabbing my phone, I ignored the hundred-plus texts from Luca and turned on my camera. Pulling Shaw close, I took a few selfies of us and posted one to my Instagram. I wanted Luca to know I wasn’t at home crying my eyes out like I’d done the night before.
I was moving on.
“Okay, I totally need to get in there. This music is kick-ass, and I’m dying of thirst right now.” Shaw started to open her door, but she paused and turned back to face me. “Are we drinking or not?”
“We’re drinking,” I told her. “Remington told me when he invited us that we are more than welcome to stay the night if we get trashed. And I plan on getting fucking wasted.”
Her brows lifted. “Two shots and you’ll be down for the count. You have no tolerance.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure it will be a hangover I’ll never forget.”
“What about the parentals? Your mom might be in another country right now, but Uncle Shane and my parents aren’t just going to let us spend the night at some guy’s house. We’ll get grounded again for sure.”
I grinned down at my phone when I saw how many likes I’d already gotten on my new picture. “It will be worth it,” I murmured softly and opened my door. “Let’s worry about them later. Tonight, we’re going to have fun.”
She sighed dramatically. “Okay. But if I don’t see the light of day for another month, I’m going to get whiny and bitch about it every day.”
“I consider myself fairly warned,” I said with a laugh as we linked arms and walked up the st
eps to the front door.
I wasn’t sure anyone would hear us if we rang the doorbell, but I didn’t feel right just walking into the house. But as soon as we reached the door, it swung inward and Remington stood there with a welcoming smile on his handsome face.
“Finally,” he said, pushing an unopened beer into each of our hands. Lowering his head, he looked into my eyes. “Do not take any drinks I don’t get for you. These assholes are already wasted, and I don’t trust any of them.”
“Do you even know these people?” Shaw asked as she uncapped her beer and tilted it back. She wasn’t kidding about being thirsty because she drained half the bottle in one gulp.
“Some. I didn’t invite any of them. The old fuck did. Wanting me to ‘socialize’ with people in my own economic bracket, or so he said on his way out the door earlier. You two are the only ones I actually invited.” He sighed, then seemed to do a double take. His eyes skimmed over me from head to toe, and I saw something flash in his gaze that I’d been seeing more and more of lately. “Holy fucking shit,” he groaned. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“No?” I said it as a question, grinning up at him.
Muttering something to himself I couldn’t hear, he took my beer from me and opened it. Tossing the top aside, he tipped it back and downed the entire bottle. When he lowered it, I pouted up at him. “I was thirsty.”
“I’ll get you another,” he promised. Grasping my hand, he linked our fingers together and pulled me into the house.
A laugh bubbled out of me, and I had to admit it felt good. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually laughed, but I’d noticed in the months since breaking up with Luca that the only time I ever came close was with Remington.
He led me through a crowd that made any party I’d ever been to before seem like a toddler’s birthday party in comparison. No one looked even remotely familiar to me, and I knew a hell of a lot of celebrities and their kids. It didn’t surprise me that some of them recognized Shaw, however. Her face was everywhere, worldwide, so they would have to have been living under a rock not to know who she was.