She pointed to the right before wandering away to join a group of girls standing by the staircase.
“See what I mean about her?” Erin grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Her IQ is in the negatives.”
“She looked kind of high to me. Maybe that’s why she seems so vacant all the time,” I replied, craning my neck to look for Jax. I spotted him on the other side of the room, where two kegs had been set up alongside a table of snacks—chips, salsa, guacamole, and mini hot dogs.
His eyes lingered on me for a moment, slowly traveling up and down my body. Then he cut through the crowd, heading straight toward me. “You came,” he said, reaching out to take the coat from my arms.
“Yeah.” I raised my brows. “No forceful abduction necessary this time.”
He laughed. “Want a beer?”
“Sure.”
“Get one for me too, please,” Erin added.
I followed Jax over to the keg. “Aren’t you worried the teachers will walk in and find us all here like this?” I asked, anxiously looking around the crowded room as he filled three red cups.
“They don’t give a shit. They always use these trips to have their own parties in their own chalets,” he replied. “As long as no one dies, it’s all good.”
“Well, I’ll try not to kill you, then.”
“Cheers to that,” he said, jokingly pressed the side of his cup to mine.
We headed back to Erin to hand over her drink. Before we could begin another conversation, Harlow called out from the center of the room. “Listen up, guys!” she said, clapping her hands together. “I totally feel like channeling my inner middle schooler and playing a game of Never Have I Ever. Who wants to join?”
Erin nudged me. “Let’s do it.”
I bit my bottom lip and looked over at Jax. “Are you going to play too?”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
A group of us gathered on the far side of the living area, arranging ourselves in a circle. I stiffened when I saw Cerina walk up to us, but thankfully she sat on the opposite side.
“Okay, you all know how to play, right?” Harlow asked. “Someone says something, and you drink if you’ve done it before.”
We all nodded and murmured our assent.
“All right, I’ll start,” Harlow went on. “Never have I ever… stolen something!”
A couple of people in the circle giggled and sipped at their drinks.
“I’ll go next,” Cerina said in an imperious tone. “Never have I ever… seduced someone’s father and sent him to prison.”
As she spoke, she stared right at me, lips curved in a malicious smile.
“Shut the fuck up, Cerina,” Jax growled, eyes narrowing in her direction.
“Yeah, quit being such a bitch,” another guy added. “It’s getting old.”
Cerina let out an injured sniff and looked to Bobbi and Harlow for support. Bobbi looked down at the carpet with a blank expression, and Harlow rolled her eyes before leaning over and offering me her strawberry vape pen. I gave her a grateful smile and shook my head.
Cerina’s eyes flared with fury. She got up and stalked away from the circle, muttering something about ‘fake friends’ and ‘stupid bitches’.
Jax looked over at me, forehead lined with concern. “You okay?” he mouthed.
I nodded.
“My turn!” a blonde girl called out. “Never have I ever fantasized about someone I really,reallyhave no business thinking about.”