“What did you hear?”
“That he pushes you around and cheats on you,” he said with a growl. “That’s not true, right?”
“No. He’s never hurt me.” I scoffed, disappointment in his tone as he continued.
“But he cheats on you, right?”
I didn’t reply, leaning forward to turn the stereo up to avoid answering. He respected my wish to end the conversation, both him and Jett leaving me alone for the rest of the drive.
I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived, but I didn’t think Riley would straight up ignore me. She was way too moody, and there was no good reason for her to avoid me. If she didn’t want to talk about Ander, then I wasn’t going to push her, even if I wanted to.
Ryder raised an eyebrow as she breezed past us, letting out a low whistle. “Wow, she’s really got her grumpy pants on. C’mon, hang out with me and Emerson.” He dropped an arm around my shoulders and led me towards the kitchen with Jett behind us, finding Angel chugging a bottle of vodka as people cheered around her.
That girl could hold her liquor like nobody’s business.
We sat at the table and Ryder grabbed us a beer each, handing me one with a small smile. “Stay by me. If I need to bail, I’ll make sure you’re with Emerson.”
Jett snorted, but his voice was full of amusement. “What if I have to bail?”
“You’re with my sister. You don’t need to bail for pussy.”
“If she wants to get down and dirty, I’m leaving,” he replied with a grin. “And trust me. Your twin is one dirty little…”
Ryder gave him a shove, the pair of them bickering like an old married couple for ages while I silently sipped my beer and looked around at the party. My eyes landed on a group of people sitting in the living room, jealousy surging through me as I noticed Riley with her arm around some girl’s shoulders.
I guess it was just me she was avoiding.
After a few beers, I’d stewed on my mood long enough. I got to my feet, making Ryder frown. “Where are you going?”
“I can see Riley. I’m going to hang out with her whether she likes it or not.” I huffed, making him laugh.
“Put her in her place. She needs to learn she’s not the only person who makes the rules.”
I nodded, stumbling to my feet and trying to walk in a straight line across the room, knowing I was doing a terrible job at it. I never made a habit of getting drunk, so it was no surprise that I was such a lightweight.
I sat down where a bunch of people were sitting in a circle, Riley’s eyes flicking to me with a scowl. “What are you doing? We’re playing a game.”
“What’s the game?” I asked sweetly. “I want to play.”
“No, you don’t. It’s truth or dare,” she argued, making me shrug.
“Sounds fun.” I hated this game. It was just a way for people to get away with making people do stuff they didn’t want to do or for starting gossip. Stanley wouldn’t like me playing it either, but part of me hoped someone got dared to touch me. Payback for his cheating ass.
She rolled her eyes, but I sensed her worry as one of the other girls giggled and spoke to me brightly. “Okay, you can play. Truth or dare, Luna?”
These people weren’t my friends, and they’d only get me to do stuff that made me look stupid, but the beer was giving me liquid courage, so I smiled. “Dare.”
She glanced around the group for a minute before her eyes landed on me again. “I dare you to make out with Riley.”
Riley snorted, her voice tight. “That’s a dumb dare.”
“She doesn’t have to play,” the girl threw back, tilting her head at me. “So, you going to do it?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s just a kiss,” I said confidently, but inside, I was freaking out. I could’ve been dared to kiss anyone else and it wouldn’t have bothered me, but Riley? She loved me. This might hurt her. “She doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to though.”
Riley’s eyes hardened as she got to her feet, moving around to me and getting comfortable on the floor again. “You think a little kiss would bother me?”
“Considering you won’t even speak to me right now, a kiss might be pushing it,” I joked, not expecting her fingers to grab my throat and squeeze slightly as she stared into my eyes.