“Don’t mind her. My dad made us bring her along. She’ll sit quietly by the pool. You won’t even know she’s here,” Nix explains as he shoves me toward the end of the pool.
I gladly follow his request and sit down on the chair far away from the rest of them. Pulling my legs up, I wrap my arms around my knees in hopes of preserving as much body heat as I can. It’s not particularly cold tonight, but it’s not warm either, and I’m barely wearing anything.
For a while, the party goes on, and everyone ignores my presence, which I am totally fine with. Bored, I watch the pool water move and count the tiles around the edge. I got to over one hundred when I catch someone walking in my direction from the corner of my eye.
“Here, drink this,” Nix holds a red Solo cup in front of my face.
I make no move to take it. “No, thank you.”
“Why do you have to make everything so difficult?”
“How am I being difficult just because I don’t want to drink? I didn’t ask you for this. I didn’t ask you for anything. You’re the one making everything difficult.”
“Suit yourself,” Nix growls and throws the cup to the ground like a toddler who doesn’t get his way. Its content spills over the deck, and ice cubes tumble into the water.
“God, you’re such a bitch. He only offered you a drink,” Deborah sneers from the other side of the pool. I ignore her, which doesn’t sit well with her. She is used to being the popular girl, and all the attention has to be on her all the time. Being ignored is the biggest insult to her. One she is not going to let go.
My heart sinks when I see Deborah walking in my direction. Not because of her but because of Piper, who is following her. I don’t want to talk to her. I don’t even want to see her. There’s too much bottled up inside of me.
Pushing up from the chair, I speed walk around the pool on the opposite side of them. Deborah lets out an angry huff and even tries to come after me, but her four-inch heels are no match for my bare feet.
She yells something after me about not being able to afford shoes. I ignore that part as well as I step into the house, closing the sliding door behind me.
The inside is eerily quiet. So much so that I contemplate going back outside. On the other hand, it is warmer inside, and no one will bother me… or so I thought.
I only take a few steps into the kitchen area when the door slides open behind me. I spin around and see Bradley has come in.
“You know, when girls go inside at a party, that usually means they want to get fucked,” Bradley says with a smirk. He walks into the house like he owns it, which makes me realize that he probably does.
Looking around for a way to escape, I spot a hallway with an open door, and the corner of a sink is visible from here. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I just had to go pee.” I make a beeline for the bathroom, fully intending to lock myself in until further notice. Unfortunately, I don’t get far before he snatches my arm, digging his meaty fingers into my skin, and tugs me toward one of the bedrooms.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you the bathroom,” he teases.
Digging my heels into the ground, I manage to twist my arm out of his hold. “Fuck off, Bradley. You’re a prick, and I’d never let you touch me.”
“Quit being so damn rude. I let you come to my party, so the least you can do is let me fuck you.”
Another insult is sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I never get to speak it because Colt’s voice cuts through the room.
“Get lost, Bradley. Find some other chick to bother. She is busy… with us.”
“You know what, Bradley? On second thought, I’ll hang out with you.” Anything will be better than spending another minute with Colt and Nix.
Nix shoots Bradley a warning glare, challenging him to go against him without ever saying a word. Like the scared little rodent he is, Bradley scurries away, leaving me alone with the two people I don’t want to see.
“Can we go home now?” I step toward the back door, but Nix moves over to block my way.
“We just got here. You should have taken that drink. Maybe that stick up your ass would loosen up a little.” He takes a few menacing steps toward me, and I automatically walk backward and hope to get away from him.
I realize too late that all I’m doing is walking farther away from the party and into the dark corner of the house.
Nix and Colt circle me like predators while I’m helplessly caught in their trap. My pulse spikes, and the knot in my throat grows heavy.
“You know we’ve been really nice to you today. We took you to a party. I made you a drink. I even followed you inside to make sure you were okay.”
“Well, aren’t you a saint?” I huff sarcastically, trying my best to downplay the fear festering in my gut.
“I really am. You should show some appreciation.” Nix smirks.