It had been nearly impossible for the three of us to conspireandkeep it from Brock. But tonight was the night. It was do or die. In this case, it could be literally.
The thought increased the trepidation I already felt.
I was a nervous mess. I’d have to be an idiot not to be. If anything went wrong, one little mistake or something we overlooked, I could be in deep dog shit. It was a risk I was willing to take because the alternative wasn’t something I could live with. Each day under the same roof as Carter put me in danger, especially since he was feeling a helleva lot better.
He’d been talking about Grayson’s party all week and couldn’t wait to get rip roaring drunk. It had been too long since he’d had some fun. No one missed one of Grayson’s parties, not even if these were the guys who had beat the crap out of him almost six weeks ago.
It was a testament to just how fucking stupid Carter really was. He wasn’t coming alone and he was definitely there to fuck shit up, so he’d told multiple people. Carter wasn’t good at keeping his vile lips shut.
Music played from one of the other rooms. I scanned the sea of people, looking for Brock, but he was nowhere to be found. That was good, right? I didn’t want him to foil the plan, but somehow I felt more nervous without him here. I smeared my hands down my jeans, wiping away the sweat.
“You ready for this?” Grayson asked, handing me a drink. Cranberry juice, just like we discussed.
I nodded. “Promise you won’t lose sight of me?”
Grayson clutched a drink in his hand, his eyes sharp as he took in the crowd. “And risk Brock killing me? Not happening.”
I wouldn’t say Grayson and I were friends, but we were on neutral territory tonight. We shared a common goal. This time when I was in his house, I noticed details that hadn’t before, like the black-and-white canvas pictures of Grayson and Kenna. It was a strange feeling, staring at a girl who resembled me. I could see the similarities, but at the same time, I thought we looked nothing alike.
My fingers clung to the plastic cup, half afraid it would slip through my fingers. I pulled my eyes from the pictures and looked up at Grayson. “What if he doesn’t try anything?”
“He will,” he assured with more confidence than I felt.
A heavy sigh came off my chest.
The party tonight seemed livelier. There were definitely more people than there had been at the end of summer. Perhaps it had something to do with Halloween, which was just a week away. Everyone seemed amped up and ready to go wild.
As more kids from the Academy filtered in, I noticed a group had dressed up, wearing black masks and reaper cloaks. I assumed they were Public kids crashing. Maybe I should have worn a mask or dressed up. I stared down at my jeans and white shirt.
Someone snuck up behind me and lifted me in the air like I weighed ten pounds, and I went stiff in their arms until I heard their voice. “You ready to get fucked-up, JJ?” Micah more or less hollered in my ear. He had taken to calling me JJ over the last few weeks.
My ears rang as I demanded, “Put me down.”
He chuckled, spinning us around. “Not until you swear to do a shot with me.”
That was not on tonight’s agenda, but Micah didn’t know that. Only Grayson and Mads did. “If I refuse, do you plan on carrying me around all night?” I asked when he stopped spinning. Luckily, I somehow managed to keep the drink in my hand from spilling.
Micah set me down on my feet, the ground swaying for a moment, but he was right there, steadying me with a hand on my waist. “Absolutely.” He grinned, flashing those hazardous dimples at me.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re impossible. Grayson, give me a damn shot.” It was important that we keep up the façade of things being normal. This was a party. We could let no one suspect that this was actually a trap.
Grayson scowled at Micah. “Don’t you have some girl to screw?”
Micah turned those light blue eyes to me, slinging an arm around my shoulder. “You think Brock would mind?”
I snorted. “As if I’d sleep with you,” I said, pushing away his arm.
Grayson knew just how to distract Micah. He was no longer thinking about that shot but who he was going to be bang tonight. No matter how cute Micah was, that girl wasn’t going to be me.
Grayson punched him in the arm. “Dumb question, but it’s your funeral, man. Besides, I’m on babysitting duties tonight, and that doesn’t involve me watching you have sex with Josie. Where is Brock?”
Micah shrugged as a group of girls walked by giggling. “Dunno. Haven’t seen him yet.”
“Haven’t seen who?” Mads asked, suddenly appearing between Micah and me. She was dressed in all back, her hair pulled into a high ponytail on the crown of her head. The faint traces of smoke clung to her clothes, masked by the fresh application of her perfume.
“Brock. Have you seen him?” I asked, chewing on the bottom of my lip.
Mads shook her head. “I just got here. What’s up with the masks?” she asked, eyes narrowed on two guys who strolled past headed for the kitchen.