Believe In Us (Servite Academy #3)

Chapter 27

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

JADE

“ Y ou fucking called him!” I shout, turning to Roman who leans back against the couch with his legs crossed and resting atop the coffee table.

His expression however is unreadable. “You really think I’d call him . Come on sis I know it’s been a while but you still know me better than anyone. Why would I call the fucker who’s trying to get in my little sister's pants?” Roman asks, amusement now noticeable in his tone. I glare at him with all my fury as I hear Liam clear his throat and Bass growl in anger behind me.

“First of all Wolfe, I’m not trying to get in anyone’s pants, I’ve taken up permanent residence in hers,” Bass groans, making me turn abruptly and direct my glare at him, “And second of all...”

“I called him,” Liam blurts out, interrupting Sebastian. Shock riddles my body as I slowly inch toward Liam, who watches me with a sincerely apologetic smile. “I’m sorry Jade, I didn’t know what to expect bringing you to see your brother, and then you guys started talking about murder and some outlaw creeps, it sounded dangerous. I sure as hell don’t think Bass here has the best intentions when it comes to you, but I trust him more than I do your sketchy brother.”

Bass chuckles as he stares at Liam, “Have to give you some credit Quarterback, you aren’t all brawn and no brains after all.”

Ignoring him, I keep my gaze on my so-called friend, “Liam, why would you...”

Sebastian reaches out and grabs me by my elbow, tugging me back toward him. “It doesn’t matter Jade, he did, I’m here, and now we are leaving.” Roman immediately stands, practically jumping over the coffee table and grabbing me by my other arm.

“Get your hands off of my sister Silver,” Roman groans, stepping closer to him, but Bass is quick to meet him, towering over my brother’s measly six-foot stature.

“Back off Wolfe, she is nothing of yours. She stopped being your sister the moment you left her. You abandoned her and left her on her own.” Bass’s hold on me tightens as I try and fail to wriggle out of his grasp.

“I’ve apologized to Jade for that, and now it’s up to her to decide if she forgives me or not, but she can’t do that if she has you trying to control her. I know firsthand what you and your father are capable of and how toxic this world can be for people like us,” Roman scoffs, sounding more serious than I’ve ever heard him.

Bass laughs once again, “Yeah and I know the shit you are capable of too Roman, don’t try to act all innocent now. She sees exactly the kind of man her beloved brother has become and trust me it’s no one she wants to be a part of her life.”

“Enough both of you, I’m so fucking sick and tired of everyone telling me what I should or shouldn’t do, who I should or shouldn’t forgive, how I should or shouldn’t feel,” I’m practically trembling in rage, hurt that everyone around me continues to try and control me and tell me what I should be doing with my life. “Roman,” I murmur, looking up at my brother. “I’m not staying any longer. I got what I came for, and I have a shit load of things I need to work out before I let you back into my life. Five years is a long time,” I turn to Sebastian, “And you, I’m not fucking stupid, you are nothing to me, so don’t treat me like I’m your fucking property. I’m leaving, but it won’t be because you said so and it sure as hell won’t be with you.”

“I’ll drive you back Jade,” Liam says, and I can’t deal with that right now either.

“No, I trusted you Liam and you went behind my back knowing well enough I wanted to do this without Sebastian finding out. It’s why I went to you because I thought you’d understand.”

The hurt in his eyes almost makes me take it all back, but I’m too much of a bitch to back down now. “Jade I’m sorry, I really thought...”

“I know Liam, you thought you were doing the right thing, but one thing you have to understand, I don’t trust easily. Blame the men in my life, or lack thereof steady role models, but bottom line is I have major trust issues. Don’t ever take my trust in you for granted again or you won’t be a part of my life. I can’t afford any more let downs.” I turn away but turn to look at him before exiting. “A word of advice Liam, when Sebastian Silver is concerned, there is no right.”

I stalk out the door, surely with all three of them on my tail, but I don’t look back to check. I make it down the hall, up to where I remember Drake’s apartment is, when suddenly the door to room 212 opens and out walk Kai, Drake, and Jaxon.

“Whoa, whoa slow down there miss,” Kai says, reaching an arm out to halt me. I quickly look up to face him and the surprised look on his face proves he wasn’t expecting to see me here. “Jade, what the fuck are you doing here and running like a crazy woman.”

Before I can answer, Roman and Bass simultaneously shout my name urging the others to direct their gazes to the men charging toward us down the hall.

“Oh shit,” Kai mutters, clearly understanding the dilemma .

“Yeah, oh shit is right,” I sneer, stopping and facing my brother and oblivious baby daddy. “I tried to say it nicely but you obviously are fucking stupid. Fuck off Sebastian!” I shout, standing with my arms crossed over my chest. His glare travels down to the cleavage surely showing from under my unbuttoned uniform blouse. Men are so pathetically predictable.

“You won’t come with me, you won’t go with the quarterback, and I sure as fuck won’t let you go with him,” he says, pointing back at Roman, “How do you plan on getting back?”

“We’ll take her,” Drake says, stepping further out of the apartment. Sebastian glares toward Drake but Dragon meets his eyes head on with one just as equally fierce, until Beck appears behind us with Liam. Drake’s expression turns slightly wary as he turns toward Beck who now watches him with an unreadable gaze. This is way too much fucking alpha male testosterone for me, I need to find an escape route ASAP.

“Actually,” I say, reaching out to grab Drake’s shoulder. “It’s Spring Break, do you mind if I stay here with you Dragon?”

“Absolutely not,” Sebastian shouts, at the same time Drake, Kai, and Jax all shout, “Hell yeah.”

“Of course you can stay here Jade,” Drake says, turning away from the guys. “The apartment has three bedrooms but the guys can share one, and you’ll have your own.” Kai and Jax grunt in disapproval but Drake gives them a knowing glare, “We did it for years at the foster house, we can do it for a week.”

The guys nod in agreement but if the growling coming from behind me is any indication, Sebastian doesn’t approve. “I won’t let you stay here with them, you don’t want to go back to the girl’s house fine, then you’ll come with me. I’ll cancel my trip and you can stay at the beach house,” Sebastian says, his tone now less lethal.

“Sebastian you can’t,” Beck utters, stepping closer to us. “You’re already walked out, we have to go back. I’m sure that Dragon and his boys will take good care of Jade, make sure she stays safe and out of trouble, after all they’re her family.”

“Exactly, and don’t you forget it Horsemen,” Kai groans. “They’re both our family, always will be.” It’s the first time I hear Kai, well, all three of the guys for that matter, talk about Scar as if things are back to the way they were before we came to Servite Academy, but then again I’ve been out of the loop for a while.

“Fuck,” Sebastian groans, closing the space between us as he tucks a loose strand of sweat coated hair behind my ear. The gesture is tender and completely unlike him, especially in front of an audience, but I can’t stop my heart from fluttering as he does. Talk about being fucking bipolar. “Please, stay away from Kane, he’s more dangerous than you can imagine. I’ll explain things as soon as I come back, just please wait for me.”

I nod my head, unable to answer with words. His attention leaves me and is once again back on the guys. “You make sure she doesn’t leave your sight and if she does you call me the instant it happens.”

“We love Jade like a sister Bass, but we’re not her keepers. We tried that with Scar and look where it got us,” Drake says, stealing another glance in their direction, “What I can assure you is we won’t ever let anything happen to her.”

“So you want us to drive you to go get your things?” Drake asks as he sets a beer down in front of me. I stare at the bottle immediately smelling the horrible stench that now makes me gag. Why did I ask to stay here? I won’t be able to hide my situation if I’m around a bunch of guys who love to eat, drink, and smoke when I can’t drink, smoke, or keep anything down. I need a buffer and I know the perfect one.

“Actually, I was hoping I could call Stella and she could bring me some things, mainly just my clothes, makeup, and other women's necessities, maybe she could even stay here too?” I ask, in my most pleasing tone of voice as I watch their faces immediately stiffen.

“Hah no, the last thing we need is Little Silver dragging her feet around here pining for any tiny bit of attention from Kai,” Jax scoffs mockingly, but it pisses me off. Stella is my friend, one of the realest and best I have, and no one gets to insult her.

“Fuck off Jaxon,” Kai says, interrupting him and beating me to the punch. “She’s not pining for me, we’re friends and she knows that,” he adds, anxiously chugging his beer. Well that’s not exactly defending her but whatever.

“What Jax meant to say is I don’t think we have the space Jade,” Drake states apologetically, “I mean the guys are already bunking together in a smaller bedroom to accommodate you, which I mean we are okay with but...”

“Please Drake, it’s just that I’m sure Scar’s spending the week with Ace at the beach house, she’s always there, and I’m not sure leaving Stella alone with Ruby for a week is safe.”

“Wow man she said please,” Jaxon utters, feigning shock. “Actually now that I think about it, that's perfect, bring Little Silver here, that gives Ruby and I plenty of privacy. I think Jake is staying at the dorms all week so I get to spend it at the girls house with my babe.”

“I thought Ruby kicked your sorry ass to the curb Wylde?” Kai asks, but clearly Jax is not a fan of his inquiry.

Jax moves his hips in a gyrating motion, bringing one hand out to spank the air in front of him, “That’s what she thinks, but my sexy little fire breathing dragon can’t get rid of me that easily, nor does she want to. Nobody knows her body quite like me.”

Drake snarls beside us making Jax step back with his hands raised in resignation. “I won’t even acknowledge that,” he says, as Jax and him turn toward Kai who sits on the couch blankly staring at the baseball game on the television, “As for Stella it’s fine with me Jade but the vote has to be unanimous, it’s a tradition we’re keeping even here in the apartment.”

The guys have always done everything together, ever since before we met them at the foster house. They have a code of sorts they created, any decision that affects the three of them, no matter how big or small, they all have to agree. I guess everything but relationships, because Drake sure as fuck doesn’t approve of Jax fucking his twin sister.

A few moments of silence go by before anyone gives me an answer, making me terribly frustrated. Finally Kai runs a hand through his unruly hair and speaks, “Fine, we’ll let Little Silver stay,” Kai mutters, resigned to the fact he’s outnumbered. “But she’s your responsibility Jade, I’m not suddenly going to stop bringing chicks around because she’s staying here and her little virgin eyes never seen a fucking orgy.”

“Ugh you pig,” I snap back at him, but understand Kai’s reluctance to have Stella around. Especially since it’s so obvious she’s harboring a massive crush on him, but I need her here and just this once I might need to be selfish to ensure my secret is safe. “I’ll handle her, you won’t even know we’re here.”

Technically I showed up to the guys apartment on Thursday and Spring break wasn’t official until after school on Friday but given everything that occurred I decided to ditch the last day and the guys were quick to join me making it a whole event. Pizza, burgers, fries, wings, beer, well for them, I managed to hide my gin and tonics in my insulated tumbler, dodging any questions about my reluctance to drink, but Stella’s coming over tonight along with my overnight bag for the week, so hopefully she’ll be a welcome distraction. I admit, Stella was strictly against spending a whole week with the guys in their new apartment, but I made it blatantly clear I needed her here with me. Lucky for me, Stella is loyal to the core.

I haven’t shared much with her about my relationship with her cousin but I have a fairly good feeling she knows more than she lets on. I mean, Bass and I aren’t exactly inconspicuous, especially in recent weeks.

However, this week is going to be all about my very own version of R and R. Restart and Reprogram. According to the doctor I went to see last week, I’m about three months along so that gives me about three months before I start showing, if not less. I wasn’t able to get through the whole appointment but the nurse was pretty informative when I first got there. Thank goodness for Sarah who was able to remember everything they said because after my panic attack it was pretty hard to remember the rest of the appointment. I need to figure out what I’m going to do before that happens. Just the thought of walking around with a belly hanging before me makes me nauseous. The good thing is we have two months left of high school here at the academy, which means I can keep things on the down low until then.

Hopefully soon after, I’ll be on the first bus out of this wretched town and off to, well hopefully by then I know where I’m going. I’m sure Stella would leave with me, wherever I decided to go, and although that is incredibly selfish of me, I might just have to take the chance.

A light knocking sound against the door of the guy's apartment, startling us all. Jax and I have taken up the entirety of the coffee table, packing it with boxes upon boxes of food and are comfortably sitting cross legged on the floor before it.

“I got it!” Jaxon shouts, as he jumps up and races toward the front door. “Well hello there Stella,” he answers teasingly, opening the door and revealing an anxious Stella standing on the other side. She’s changed out of her school uniform wearing a light pink pleated skirt with a cream-colored knit sweater and matching knee-high stockings. On her feet, of course, are a pair of wedged, closed-toed pumps, which give me the inkling she’s dressed to impress. Her strawberry blond hair is twirled in loose curls framing her face, pulled back with a dusty rose-colored headband almost matching the shade of her darker roots, giving her complexion a rosier than usual tint, as a light blush creeps over her.

Stella is one of those girls who is always effortlessly beautiful, classy, and chic. She has this aura about her that makes you feel calm when she’s near you. Maybe it’s her innocence, maybe it’s her gentility, or maybe it’s just the fact that given everything she’s dealt with, all the loss, grief, guilt, she remains so positive and bright. We’re freakishly similar, she and I, both parentless, both guilty, both alone, yet I’ve allowed my darkness to consume me and turn me into this volatile, quick fused, and utterly unemotional robot while she’s remained herself. However Stella’s also someone who wears the mandated school uniform as a fashion staple and not just forced attire, so I guess we’re not all that similar.

“Hi Jaxon,” Stella replies, as he motions for her to step inside the apartment, “Ruby said to tell you she’s waiting for you, on her bed in nothing but,” she nervously looks down, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Well check your phone. She asked me to text her when I arrived so you should be…”

She’s interrupted by Jax’s phone ringing loudly. “Holy fuck,” Jax yells, biting his fisted hand as he opens the incoming text message. He cradles his hands around Stella's face kissing her multiple times on each cheek and forehead. “Merci beauté,” he mutters in between smooches. Then he’s gone, out the door, slamming it closed behind him.

Stella’s gaze searches the room and a smile creeps over her when she sees me, but just as fast as it came it instantly turns into a frown. That’s when I know he’s come out of the room. I look back and sure enough Kai is standing in the kitchen grabbing another beer before coming over to sit on the couch beside me. He doesn’t acknowledge Stella’s arrival, simply directs his attention to the delicious pineapple and pepperoni pizza in front of me. I smack his hand away as he tries to sneak one of my slices.

“What the hell,” Kai yells, as I scowl at him.

“The pineapple pepperoni is mine, you ordered bacon jalapeno, so hands off.” I grab a slice of my pizza bringing it to my lips as I take a bite of the salty, delicious, cheese coated goodness. It smells absolutely delectable. It’s never been an argument, PINEAPPLE BELONGS ON PIZZA! “Stella, want a slice?” I ask, patting the couch cushion on the floor beside me.

She slowly struts to where I sit, gawking at the amount of food splayed out on the coffee table, which is surely enough to feed an army. Or a pregnant chick and three guys with the munchies and super high metabolisms.

“Why the fuck does she get to have one and not me?” Kai groans, grabbing a slice of his pizza and a few hot wings. He licks the flaming lime hot sauce off his fingers and I swear I hear a moan escape from Stella’s lips.

Sure enough when I turn to her she is staring with her mouth wide open, a darker pink flush spreading across her cheeks. “The fact that you have to ask, clearly shows you don’t deserve a slice,” I say, glaring at him and not bothering to explain further. “Stella?”

“Yeah I’ll take a slice,” she says, sitting beside me and reaching over to grab a slice and a few hot wings, but at the same time Kai leans forward and places a hand on her wrist. I hear her gasp as she stares blankly at him unaware of what he’s doing, or why he’s touching her.

“Not so fast doll face,” he mutters in a hushed, breathy tone, calling her by a pet name I’ve never heard before, “Jade doesn’t share her pineapple pizza, I don’t share my hot wings.”

A wide-eyed Stella looks back my way not understanding if Kai’s being serious or just fucking around. I’m afraid I’m not sure what game he’s playing either. Fucking asshole. I knew he didn’t want her staying here but I never thought he’d be purposefully taunting her.

“You can have some of mine,” Drake says, in his deep raspy voice as he joins us in the living room wearing nothing but black jeans hung low on his hips. “Well if you like a little bit of extra spice,” he adds, in a flirtatious tone and with one of his taunting winks. Immediately a dark red flush takes over as Stella nervously plays with the pleats of her skirt. Someone is definitely flustered.

I mean how could she not be, Dragon is standing here half naked looking like the Demi-God of all tattooed, damaged, bad boys. Drake is incredibly hot. I’ve always thought Drake to be the perfect morph between Harry Styles and the terrifyingly sexy Bill Skarsgard. It sounds crazy I know, but it fucking works. Those two perfect jawlines, jet black hair slightly long at the moment, cat-like green eyes, and a smolder that would make any girl, or woman, fall to their knees. Combine his sex appeal with the fact that at least 80 percent of his body is covered in tattoos, the man is a wet dream come to life.

Don’t even get me started on Kai, who in his own wicked way is a definite panty-melter. If I had to morph any two celebrity hunks to make the gorgeous disguise of “the boy next door” that is my best friend, it would definitely have to be Sebastian Stan and the gorgeous specimen who played Christian Grey. They’re both untucking-fairly gorgeous. Only I know all the shit that’s wrong in their heads which makes the appeal that much less intriguing.

Even then I have my own damaged God to worship, the perfect, flawless, jaw dropping, breath stealing, blinding fucking beautiful Sebastian, who of course is coincidentally the perfect combination of my two celebrity crushes, Zac Efron, and the incomparably sexy Henry Cavill.

Why Drake chose this precise moment to flirt with my sweet, innocent friend is blatantly obvious, well to everyone except Kai and Stella. Kai made it clear to the two of us yesterday that he won’t be treading carefully around Stella. He knows she has a major crush on him but he insists he can’t go there. I think this is just Drake having a bit of fun and showing Kai that as much as he claims to be uninterested, he won't be okay with his best friend making a pass at her.

“Thanks Damon, I actually love spicy food, the spicier the better I always say,” Stella mumbles, obviously nervous.

Kai just scoffs, falling back against the sofa cushion with a loud thump. Drake’s obviously struck a nerve, particularly one that connects his cock to his murderous glare.

“So Silver, no island getaway or fashion runway trip planned this year?” Drake asks, trying to make small talk.

“Not for me, I’ve never been big on extravagant vacations, I prefer a cabin in the woods or a cottage on the beach, and seeing as the cabin was blown to bits, I’m afraid I was just going to stay on campus.”

“What about your uncle's house? Don’t you usually live there when you're not in school?” he continues to ask.

Stella’s face suddenly pales at the mention of her uncle. “I used to, like most parents, my uncle Stephan and aunt Eliza are never home, usually on business trips, on vacation, or renting to their many businesses. The house is huge, and lonely, and frankly a bit scary. I haven’t spent time there in a while, well since you guys showed up and even before that I’d just spent the weekend in the dorms.” I notice Stella slightly uneasy as she speaks about the topic. I’ll have to ask her about that when we’re alone, but I can’t imagine she’s fine, given the kind of man that he is. He gives me sketchy as fuck vibes.

“Isn’t that boring for a Princess like you? No galas, or parties, or fancy balls,” Kai mocks, munching on a hot wing and licking his fingers tauntingly. I can see Stella’s eyes trailing his fingers as they move in and out of his mouth.

“Way to be a total dick Malachi,” I sneer, throwing a French fry at his head. He dodges it but it still falls on his lap. Dammit what a waste of a deliciously fried potato.

“It’s okay Jade,” Stella says, apologizing for Kai’s rudeness. I hate that she does that, not just with him but with everyone, especially with Kinsley and her bitchy friends. She’s always apologizing for others' behaviors and making justifications for their rudeness and blatant meanness. “I don’t enjoy any of that like my classmates. I’m pretty low maintenance and I've never really fit in so there’s the whole loner thing. It's kind of hard to attend balls and parties when no one wants you around.”

The solemn tone of her voice makes us all slightly uncomfortable as we shift in our seats, “How those bitches were so cruel to you before we showed up is still appalling. Stella you are honestly perfect, like I’ve said, an honest to God fucking unicorn. You have not one judgmental bone in your body, you’re wicked smart, and genuinely kind, all wrapped in a stunningly beautiful package.”

“Jade’s right Stella, you’re the real deal.” Drake adds, placing a hand on her shoulder. The three of us turn to Kai awaiting his addition to the Stella compliment train.

However, he doesn’t speak. He just shoves a hot wing in his mouth, swallowing it down with a large gulp of his beer. Well this week won’t be awkward at all.

A party. All it took was twenty-four hours and my week away from reality turned into a god-awful nightmare. How this many people are crammed into this small space is beyond me. Yet here they are, all twenty or so of them. No one I really recognize other than the two bitches who are glaring in our direction.

Leighton Astor and Casey Danvers.

“Tell me again why we came out here to this chaos instead of staying hidden in the safety of the bedroom?” Stella asks as I raid the fridge for something non-alcoholic to drink .

“Because as comfortable as the bedroom is, there is no food and I’m starving.”

“We ate like two hours ago!” she blurts out, causing some couple who was making out on the kitchen counter to turn and stare at us. I give them my best what the fuck are you looking at glare and they’re quick to resume.

“So I get hungry when I drink,” I say, hoping to steer her off the topic before she becomes suspicious or figures something out.

“But you haven’t drunk anything,” she states, raising a brow in question.

“Well maybe my body’s just reacting to being at a party, it’s used to drinking and eating when there are this many people around.” What the fuck? That was honestly the stupidest excuse I could have come up with.

Stella shrugs her shoulders not further inquiring and I consider that a win. “Yes!” I shout, as I find a bottle of the most delicious apple juice known to mankind. The little apple shaped glass bottles are for one adorable, deliciously sweet, and so damn refreshing. I grab the bottle, twist off the cap, and chug it down in one drink.

Once finished I look back at Stella who eyes me questioningly, like I’m some crazy woman chugging a bottle of apple juice while standing in an open refrigerator. Oh wait.

“They’re delicious, Kai and I used to go down to the ninety-nine cent store every Friday and grab a couple. They were usually two for a dollar so we’d each get one with whatever allowance we had kept that week. It wasn’t much but it was an indulgent treat.”

Stella nods her head in understanding and the memory of what Kai and I would do brings me to question why they’re in the guys’ fridge. I search the room for him and immediately spot him in the far corner playing a game of beer pong with Casey hanging on his arm. It’s as if he feels me watching him when he looks up and his stoned eyes connect with mine. He nods, answering my unspoken question. He brought these here for me because he knows they’re my favorite .

I suddenly feel overly emotional as tears threaten to spill out of my eyes like a goddamn leaky faucet. Pull it together Jade. “Okay I’ll just grab a plate and some chips and donuts and we’ll head back to the confines of the bedroom,” I say, grabbing some paper plates, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, Lemon Lays, and a pack of Entenmann's Glazed Buttermilk Donuts. That should hold me up for the next hour or so. I’m not sure when I went from puking every damn thing that entered my mouth to devouring the grocery store lot in a matter of seconds. The perks of pregnancy.

We head to the hallway hoping to escape back into the bedroom but we don’t make it far before we’re ambushed. “Where are you two going?” Leighton asks, clearly not interested in our response but instead using it as an in to give one of her half assed insults.

“To go talk about how much we wish we were just like you Astor,” I mock, rolling my eyes and continuing to walk away.

“With all of that food?” Leigh asks, seemingly disgusted.

“I got the munchies,” I reply, shrugging my shoulders.

“Whatever, why don’t you guys stay and play a game of beer pong. Kai and Casey are the reigning champs, honestly couple goals,” Leigh sneers, and I hear Stella scoff behind me.

“We’re not a couple,” I hear Kai mumble before Casey shuts him up with a sloppy kiss. What the fuck? One thing would be him sticking his tongue down her throat at school but in his own house, with Stella standing a mere five feet away, that’s a low blow. Besides, he must be drunk out of his fucking mind, Kai doesn’t do PDA.

“I’ll pass,” I say, “I’ve already smoked a bunch and not in the mood to puke my guts out if I get cross-faded.” Leigh rolls her eyes in resignation, obviously irritated.

Just as I think we have an out, Drake steps forward staring straight at Stella, “What about you Little Silver, you up for a game?” he asks, a teasing smirk taking over and I’m afraid I don’t know what he’s playing at. I’ve seen Drake flirt, the sexy crooked smile, his hooded eyes staring intently into yours, and the protruding veins in his arms and he crosses them over his chess. He’s got this whole “mating ritual” that is sure to get him laid. I mean he was obsessed with my sister for years, I know what it looks like, and I’m not liking this at all.

A clueless Stella nervously runs her fingers over her hair tucking it behind her ear, “I um, I’m not very good,” she says, and I almost feel bad for her.

Casey scoffs, “Ugh obviously,” and that right there is what I was expecting. Stella mentioned to me once that Casey, Leighton, and her were the best of friends, that is until Kinsley and the queens deemed Stella an outcast. These petty princesses in palaces are worse than the ghetto chicks back home in the slums.

However, all that has changed now that we showed up and took Stella under our wing. The guys at school are starting to notice her more and the girls, well they’re not liking that very much. A beautiful, naive, virgin is one hundred percent more appealing than an overused skank that’s been passed around like a dirty locker room towel. In addition to all of that, Stella Silver is a good person with a heart of gold, and that’s all I see.

Drake moves in closer to us, placing his arm around Stella’s waist and pulling her into him. He lowers his mouth to her ear licking his lips tauntingly. “Well you're in luck sweet Stella because I’m pretty damn amazing. They’re only still standing because I have yet to have my turn, and I’m kind of in need of a partner? What do you say Stella?”

“She said no, she doesn’t know how. Let’s try not to embarrass the poor girl,” Kai utters, clearly not wanting Stella on his best friends team. Interesting. I can clearly see what the Dragon is up to now, and I’m starting to realize how dangerous this can be. One thing is making Kai jealous, another is playing with Stella’s feelings. This is definitely going to backfire.

“Actually,” Stella answers, stepping toward Drake and placing her hand in his now extended palm, “I guess if I’m going to learn it has to be from the best,” she murmurs, using her free hand to flick her hair over her shoulder, a move I’ve never seen before. Fuck, Stella is playing with fire, and if the murderous look in Kai’s eyes is any indication, she’s going to burn this house down.

We all move closer to the table where the beer pong tournament is set up, the whole crowd coming to settle around us. Red solo cups filled with water are set up in a triangular shape in rows of four, three, two, and one, on both sides. “Pick your poison Silver,” Drake says, opening the cooler full of hard seltzer’s and bottles of tequila, gin, vodka, and whiskey. On the table to the right there are the chasers and mixers, orange juice, cranberry, and soda water.

“Um, I guess tequila and orange juice. Isn’t beer pong supposed to be played with beer?” she asks, making the crowd erupt in laughter.

“Not in this house doll face,” Kai mocks, holding the bottle of tequila he has in his hand and taking a quick drink. Casey wiggles under his arm turning to face him with her mouth wide open. Kai then does something I swear leaves me with my mouth wide open. He spits the tequila he has yet to swallow in the bitches needy mouth. With a devious chuckle, he lifts his head looking Stella straight in the eye. “The big kids drink hard liquor. Still think you can hang?”

Stella shrinks down, a wave of embarrassment hitting her as the fuckers around us laugh even louder at Kai’s sarcasm. Though the unlikely white knight comes to the rescue. Dragon brings a cup full of tequila with a splash of OJ I saw him pour, and hands it to Stella. He leans in and places a small kiss on the outer corner of her lip, “Don’t worry sweetheart, this big guy is gonna take care of you.”

The game is down to the last single cup on both sides. As expected Stella isn’t particularly good, but she’s gotten better the more she drinks which usually tends to happen. Drake’s obviously done most of the work and lucky for her he doesn’t miss a shot. The tension in the room is sky high, not a single sound coming from the audience that watches intently. It’s Stella against Casey. Casey shoots and misses making everyone watching gasp loudly. Now it’s Stella’s turn. It comes down to one last shot. She needs to make it, if she doesn’t Kai will surely make the next shot and the game will be over. She needs to win, we all need her to win.

Kai stands to the side, his gaze never once leaving Stella as she reaches for the ball. Drake moves behind her, placing his hands on her waist making her flinch at the contact. He leans into her, whispering something we can’t hear in her ear, but whatever it is makes a sultry smile appear on her face. Beside me Kai sits up straighter, the grip on his cup incredibly tight. These two are playing him well. Drake steps back giving her enough room to shoot her shot. And she does, straight down the line, the ball spinning along the rim before dunking into the cup.

They won. Stella and Drake fucking won.

The crowd erupts in hoots and hollers, everyone chanting out Stella’s name. Drake wraps his tattooed arms around her, consuming her in an all-enveloping hug. He picks her up, spinning her around before setting her back down on her feet and kissing her softly on the lips. It’s just a small peck, I don’t think anyone saw but I did, and I know for a fact Kai did too. Drake releases his hold on her waist and moves to stand at the front of the table with his arm still draped around her shoulders. Kai and Casey move to stand against the wall, both with equally furious scowls.

This is going to be interesting. I’m about to walk over to Kai when Stella sneaks out from under Dragon's wing, excusing herself to use the restroom. That’s what happens when you chug a bunch of alcohol really quick. Her absence gives me an in and instead I drag my feet to where Drake is.

“Reigning champ huh?” I sass, hitting him lightly on his arm.

“That’s what they say,” he murmurs, high fiving some dude that walks up to us .

“So that could have ended badly?” I add, raising a brow in question.

His gaze turns to me, dark, haunting, and completely vacant. Well that explains his ballsiness, the fucker is high as a kite and the red glossiness of his eyes is a telltale sign. “Harmless Jade, you know that, I’m harmless,” he teases with a wide grin.

I shake my head laughing at his playfulness, “The problem is I know just how dangerous you can be, Dragon,” but he doesn’t say a word. He just shrugs his shoulders, walking away just as Stella reappears, with an equally drunken gaze.

“Holy shit I’ve never peed that much in like my whole life!” she squeals, as laughter erupts from the both of us.

“That’s what happens when you break your seal. You’ll be peeing every ten minutes now for the next couple hours.” Her eyes bug out at my remark and I can’t help but laugh even harder. “It’s a joke Stella, relax.”

She lets out a loud sigh, “Okay well with you I never know Jade.” She turns back to the new group that’s now taken over her spot at the beer pong table. “Looks like Drake gave up our spot as reigning champs, oh well it was fun while it lasted. Oh my god!” she cries out quickly turning and grabbing me by the shoulders leaning into whisper, “Did you see Casey’s face, ugh she is such a bitch. She’s like my Kinsley, you know like you hate the bitch for always being around at the worst possible times hanging around your man.”

I raise a brow quizzically at her wondering if she realizes what she said or if it’s the alcohol talking. I’m fairly sure it’s the tequila.

“Yeah I guess you’re right Kai doesn’t even know I exist, I mean did you see how pissed off he looked.”

“I’m sure that had to do more with the fact that you were on Drake's team, in Drake's arms, and his lips were cozying up to yours.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right,” she sighs, stealing a glance to where Kai now sits sulking and pouting .

“So, what’s with the flirting Stella?” I ask, tilting my head up toward Drake. “I mean he’s obviously wasted, but you, you were sober when you started to play along.”

A flush appears over her cheeks as she shyly looks down at her fingers fiddling together. “Oh it’s nothing, just, I mean if Kai plans on having some fun with Ginger Bimbo Barbie, why can’t I?”