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Evan’s eyes dropped to my mouth. “It was worth it,” he said, with a smirk that sent my stomach into a freefall.
“And now?”
“Now, you go back to your friends, and I’ll see you in class.”
“Class, right.” Now, I was staring at his mouth, need pulsating through me.
“Becca.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah?” I blinked.
“You’re staring.”
Breaking out of my Evan trance, I shirked him off and huffed. “I’m going. You, stay here. We wouldn’t want people totalk.”
His laughter followed me out of the closet as I slipped into the empty hallway, wondering what the hell I was getting myself into.
CHAPTER22
“You want?”
“What is it?” I eyed the bottle in Scarlett’s hand, and she smirked.
“Does it matter?”
“No.” I took it, unscrewed the cap, and swallowed a mouthful. Fire exploded in my throat, causing my eyes to water. “Holy shit, that’s strong.”
“Momma’s finest,” she replied casually, but I saw the flicker of sadness in her eyes.
“Hey, everything okay?” I urged, but in typical Scarlett fashion, she waved me off. “Peachy with a side of keen.”
“I love your outfit.” Lilly slipped her arm through mine and leaned in close.
“Thanks. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it.” My style was somewhere between Scarlett’s edgy look and what I liked to call the new Becca.
“You look so freaking cute. Oh, there are the guys.”
I followed Lilly’s gaze. Jay, Malachi, and Vin were waiting just outside the house. They strolled over to us, and Vin’s gaze raked over me as he approached.
“Looking good, ladies,” he drawled, and Scarlett huffed, brushing past him and continuing on up to the house. “Becca.” He slung his arm over my shoulder, and I choked out, “Hey, Vin,” uncomfortable with his forwardness.
“Always so cold,” he joked. “If only you'd give us a chance, you’d see what you’re missing out on.” His voice was always the same—light and playful—but it didn’t stop my skin from crawling. I just didn’t feel anything for him. And truth be told, I didn’t like him touching me, not after the rumor Kendall started.
“What’s that? A bad case of herpes?” Jay howled, and I stifled a laugh.
“Fucker,” Vin mumbled under his breath, guiding us to the house. Music poured out of the open door, and I ducked out of his grip, entering the house ahead of them. They had all warned me that Kendall would probably be here tonight, but I refused to stay home. I had a plan: only drink from my own bottle and stick to one of the guys at all times. Evan wouldn’t be here, so it wasn’t like I could rely on him to swoop in and save me, not tonight. I still wasn’t completely sold with the whole seeing him in secret plan. Aside from it being torture—being unable to touch him or kiss him every time he was close—I didn’t like keeping it from my friends.
“Here you go, straight from the cooler. Opened it myself.” Scarlett pushed a beer into my hand, and I thanked her, taking a long pull. “Easy, tiger.” She laughed. “Let’s try and see the night through, yeah?”
I flashed her a wry smile and shrugged my shoulders. She didn’t need to worry about me. But my resolve was fleeting as I felt eyes on me. Kendall and her friends had walked into the room. Anger flashed across her face as they trained their gazes on us. On me.
“Just ignore them. You knew she'd be here,” Scarlett whispered, and I nodded, lips pressed into a flat line. That was exactly what I intended to do—ignore them and drink until I forgot she was there.
* * *
“Water. I need water.”I leaned back against the counter, my skin glistening from dancing in the overcrowded living room.
Scarlett laughed, handing me a bottle of water. “Beer. I need beer,” she added.
