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I should have left within the first twenty minutes, right after I heard the first loud declaration that a drunk teen would be joining the next Hide and Seek game.
People cheered around him, stocked him up on alcohol, and he was shuffling around, words slurring, a mere half an hour later. I was sure that by that time he’d probably be passed out in one of the rooms.
Definitelynotsomeone who would make it through, even as a Seeker.
I hated watching them. Hated that they cheered as people swore their lives away for the measly chance at winning big. Most people didn’t. Most people are delivered, body bags zipped up and bloodied to be dropped on their parents’ porch in the wee hours of the morning.
But no matter how disgusting I found it, I stayed. I stayed because, just like them, I hoped for the slim chance that I too would win big.
My prize that night came wrapped in a loose-fitting dress. One that showed just enough of her curves to make my mouth water. Her hair had been placed up in a messy ponytail, dark makeup covering her eyes. She paired it with stockings that caused my entire body to heat.
She carried a drink with her, careful not to let it get hit by the various moving bodies, and she pushed through the crowd.
She must have felt my eyes because they darted around right before finding exactly where I was.
In that moment, pure panic filled me. I didn’t want to scare her off. All I wanted was to go up to her and pull her into my arms.
She had broken up with Dylan after the crash. Something he complained to me relentlessly about. Something that made the shimmering prize at the end of the tunnel seem that much more attainable.
To my surprise, she headed straight toward me. I stood up, clearing my throat and smoothing down my wrinkled T-shirt.
“Congrats,” she said, her voice just barely audible over the pumping bass that filled the house.
“What?” I asked slightly louder, not at all missing what she was saying but trying to do anything to get her closer to me.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, causing the tension in my shoulders to subside, only to make my body freeze when she took a step closer, invading my space and leaning up to whisper in my ear.
I leaned down slightly to make it easier for her.
“Congratulations,Kohl,” she said, then pulled away to give me a smile that didn’t quite match her eyes.
“Congrats to you as well,” I said, hitting her plastic cup with my glass bottle. “I know we’re both ready to get out of there and move on to the next biggest thing. Have you finalized your schedule yet?”
Her smile dropped.
“I still have time,” she said, her eyes falling to my chest. “After my dad’s crash, I’ve had some time to think about what I want in life.”
“Like breaking up with Dylan?” I asked, raising my brow at her. It was an attempt to lighten the mood, but it didn’t stop the feeling of dread that had accumulated in my stomach.
I didn’t like how her face had hardened when she uttered those words.
Her eyes searched mine. “Yes,” she said pointedly. “Actually, that’s a big part of the reason I came here.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Because of Dylan?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes.
“To say goodbye,” she said. Before I could register her words, she stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across mine. I was almost too shocked to move, but boy did I scream at my limbs to fucking dosomething.
I wrapped my arms around her, careful not to spill anything on her, and deepened the kiss.
My mind told me to stop. Told me that I should give her space. That I should let her grieve. That the person who was here kissing me was not doing this because she wantedmebut because she needed a release.
Butfuckdid I want to be her release.
She clings to me, and our tongues slid across each other. Her hand tangled in my hair and pulled me close so she could pull my bottom lip into her mouth and sucked—
I gasped as liquid splashed all over my right shoulder. Vic and I pulled away, her cup not empty and the contents all over my shirt.
