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“It was a freestyle,” Dean defended.

The game dissolved into splashing, arguing, and several failed attempts to dunk one another.

By the time we finally climbed out of the pool, the sky had officially gone dark.

Almost everyone had left. Those remaining lingered around the fire pit, wrapped in towels and picking at the leftovers from dinner.

Lexi and the boys headed over to join.

I threw my clothes back on over my swimsuit, not caring that they’d be damp, and followed after them.

Rove fell into step beside me, just finishing pulling his shirt over his head.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “Actually, I did.”

At some point, I'd stopped worrying about whether I belonged or who I was trying to impress.

I'd actually been able to forget about everything for a minute and just enjoy myself.

Some part of me knew it was because he'd been there.

We both came to a stop a few paces from the fire circle.

Lexi and the boys had already settled in. There were only two seats left. Rove and I took the remaining chairs, but they were so close together that if either of us shifted, our knees brushed.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I got situated.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, trying not to think about how close he was.

I got so caught up pretending I wasn't aware of him that when someone said my name, I jumped.

“Scarlet, did you hear me?”

I looked up, and my eyes met Sloane’s across the fire. I hadn’t realized she was there. I don’t know why I assumed she’d left earlier. But the relaxation in my body dissipated, and I was suddenly hyper-alert again.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked how your qualifier went,” Sloane repeated.

The entire circle seemed to go quiet.

I wasn't expecting her to bring up my qualifier in front of everyone, and suddenly it felt like I was back at that stupid party a few weeks ago when she'd singled me out during Truth or Dare.

My jaw tightened.

I held her gaze anyway.

I wasn't going to let her intimidate me here, too.

“I qualified,” I said simply.

Sloane's eyebrows lifted.

For a split second, she looked genuinely surprised.

“Wow.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “That's great.”