I ran my gaze down Hayley’s body once more, wondering for a brief second if Eric was right the other day when he said she and I were playing a game—and she was winning.
Because from where I was standing, she was winning.
The black top she was wearing was tight and molded to her skin. It hit just above her hips, showing a sliver of soft skin from her stomach. The jeans she had on were glued to her legs and ass, and I had to fight the urge to groan when she turned around to open the door. The ends of her dark hair tumbled down her back, and when she glanced up at me, the lights of Piper’s car showcased the planes of her face. I lost my footing. She was wearing makeup for the first time since coming to English Prep, and the only thing it did was enhance her silent beauty. The red lipstick she wore had me tightening my stomach.
“Go fucking change, Hayley. Every guy is going to be following your every fucking move.”
Her lips turned upward. “You wanted me at the party. Deal with it.” Then, she slid into Piper’s passenger seat, and I felt my entire world get rocked.
Fuck me, she was winning.
The party was in full swing when we pulled up. Eric hopped out of the backseat like there was a fire under his ass. I knew he was headed to the keg immediately. Eric was a good friend, always had my back, but he had his own issues that he needed to deal with—alcohol being one of them.
Ollie and I waited for Piper and Hayley near the back of my car, and once they descended from her BMW, they headed straight for us. Hayley crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip. “So, what exactly is the plan? You wanted us here, so we’re here. Do we have a curfew? Can we leave when we want?” She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
I was certain she meant for the question to be rhetorical, but I answered anyway, just to make her mad. “You can leave when we leave.”
Hayley sneered. “I was kidding. We will leave when we want to leave. You are not our babysitter.”
I raised my eyebrows, calling out over my shoulder as I walked up to the cabin. “Says the girl who gets threatened, almost kidnapped, and tries to hurt an intruder with a fucking umbrella.” I swung around and faced her blanched face. “Face it. You feel safer when you’re around me.”
Her eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a firm line. I tried to keep myself from gazing down her body, but I failed in the end.
I ground my teeth together. Something was off between us tonight. We no longer hated each other—we hated that we felt something for one another. Something deeper, intimate. She didn’t want to admit it, and I desperately wanted her to. It was like a cat-and-mouse chase.
Time to turn the court around and start winning this fucking game.
As soon as I was inside the cabin with Ollie, Piper, and Hayley trailing me, everyone yelled my name in unison. I played a good game tonight, despite my mind wandering to Hayley every five seconds.
“Bro, bro, bro,” Ben yelled as soon as I was within earshot. “If it weren’t for you, we would have totally fucking blown the game tonight.”
Ollie punched his arm, a cup already in his hand. “Fuck off, I was the one that ran the ball.”
Ben nodded. “I know, I know. But I have no fuckin’ clue what we’re going to do next year when this fucker goes off to college.” He nudged my bicep as I leaned over for my own cup.
I didn’t usually drink much at these parties—or ever—but tonight, with Hayley looking like she did, I needed something to take the edge off. Otherwise, I’d end up pinning her against a wall and kissing her senseless with everyone as my audience.
There was a warning voice in the back of my head telling me to tread lightly when it came to Hayley. And for that, I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was due to the loss in my life. I had lost my mom, and I had also lost Hayley at one point, too. Not to mention, my father was gone most of the time, so loss didn’t come lightly to me, and Hayley felt just out of reach. If I did finally catch her, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold onto her.
There were threats at every corner—literally and figuratively.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
I knew that everyone’s eyes were on Hayley. Hayley and I weren’t friendly at school. To the naked eye, we didn’t pay each other any attention. But to the trained eye, anyone could see that we both snuck glances at each other every few minutes. I was hyperaware of her—and she of me.
Ben continued his questioning after throwing back his cup. “And who is she with? They both look fucking fine as he—”
I glared at him. “Don’t finish that sentence. She’s off limits.”
“Who is?” another fuckwad asked. What is his name? Jared? Jeremy? Whatever. It didn’t matter. He was an underclassman, and I wasn’t even sure who invited him.
“Both.” I leveled him with a stare.
Eric, with his smug smile, piped up. “Well, we all know why Hayley is off limits. But why Piper?”
“Because I said so,” Ollie interjected before I could answer.
I chugged my beer, the malty flavor coating my tongue. “Leave ‘em alone,” I said once more before spinning around and laying my eyes on Kayla. I knew where Hayley was before I even looked at her. The entire room gravitated around her. Like she was the sun and we were the planets. She radiated in the room, drew unwanted attention to herself, and I knew it was the very last thing she wanted.