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NINETEEN
ALLURA
15 YEARS OLD…
“Okay, pretty Allura, what’s wrong?” Reece moves up beside me and slips his arm around my back.
I’ve been standing in the corner of the room basically since Reece, Blaise, Ryder, and I arrived at this party. I’m usually not so reserved at these types of events, but the party is being thrown by one of Ryder’s college friends, so I don’t know anyone else but the guys.
“I don’t know anyone here!” I shout over the music to Reece. “It’s making me all twitchy.”
He smiles while softly laughing. “Twitchy, huh?”
“It’s a thing,” I assure him. “Like when you get anxious, and you feel all tense and … Whatever, I know you don’t get it because you’re a social little butterfly, but trust me, getting twitchy is a thing.”
He continues to smile at me as he pulls me closer. “You’re so damn cute.” He puts his lips up to my ear. “Come with me. I think I can help with your twitchiness.”
I doubt he can, but I follow him anyway as he steers me down a hallway and into a bedroom with low lighting and a massive bed. When he shuts the door, I breathe in the quietness.
“I do feel a little bit less twitchy,” I remark as I face him.
“That’s good, but that’s not why I brought you back here.” He stuffs his hand into his pocket and retrieves a small, silver box. “That was just so we can do this, and then go back to the party, all chilled and relaxed.” He opens the box.
Inside are a few pills and a joint.
“You want us to get high?” I ask, surprised.
Sure, I know the guys have gotten high, but they’re always all weird about letting me do drugs with them, bossing me around and telling me no. It’s annoying.
He hesitates then nods as he removes the joint from the box. “If you want to.”
I eye the pills in the box. “Why don’t we just take one of the pills? I mean, it seems easier than smoking something.”
He rubs his lips together. “As fun as that sounds, I don’t think I should be taking these pills with you … yet.”
“How come?”
“Because it might ruin our friendship.”
I’m so puzzled, but I don’t argue as he closes the box and slips it back into his pocket. He still has the joint in his hand and fishes out a lighter from his other pocket. Without saying a word, he puts the joint between his lips, lights up, takes a hit, and holds it in for a moment before exhaling it.
Smoke circles his face as he studies me. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’d never pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“I know that, Reece,” I reply likeduhthen pause. “Actually, that’s not true. You guys try to boss me around all the time.”
“Only with things that are meant to protect you.”
“If you say so. But seriously, the older I get, the more annoying it gets. I feel like I have three older brothers sometimes.”
He pulls a face. “I sure fucking hope you don’t see us as your brothers.”
“Well, no, but you act like you are—all of you do.” I pause. “Why does it even matter if I do see you guys as brothers?”
“Because,” is all he says. Then he reaches forward and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, startling me and making my stomach do this strange fluttering thing. His fingers linger in the strands momentarily before he withdraws and grins. “Well, here’s your free pass, if you want it. No bossing around. I’m just giving you an option.” He lifts the joint in front of him. “The only stipulation is that you don’t tell Ryder.”
I eye the joint, deliberating. “Why not?”
“Because he’ll kick my ass if he knows I let you get high at a party.” He sticks out his pinkie. “In fact, you have to pinkie swear that you won’t.”
