Chapter 11 #2
We both grab a cup and beer from the keg, hanging back in the kitchen while even more people shove their way into the already-crowded townhouse. Elias and Dax play beer pong; neither of them notice me, and if they do, they certainly don't acknowledge me.
They don't seem too concerned with hunting my stalker, either.
A couple of girls walk in, and Kira waves them over; apparently, they also live in our building and have become fast friends of hers.
I guess it shouldn't surprise me she's made so many friends so quickly…
but I am a little jealous. I sip my beer, zoning out their conversation, my eyes settling on Dax, who places his hand on the small of another girl's back before leaning over and whispering something into her ear.
She swats at him, both of them laughing, and I accidentally make eye contact with him as she walks off.
Good. Let it hurt. End it.
"You don't look like you're having very much fun," Nolan says, leaning against the cabinets beside me.
I jump. "Jesus, Nolan."
"I've been watching you drink for hours, and you're still this fucking jumpy? Get any more text messages?"
"No, nothing today. And you don't look like you're having any fun, either. I don't think I've ever seen you look like you're having fun, actually."
"Well, that's not entirely true, is it?"
Blood rushes to my face. Maybe he did know I could see him.
And then he smiles—he actually fucking smiles…at me.
My cheeks are on fire.
I deflect. "There's no way you like parties. You aren't exactly friendly; you hate being touched."
As attractive as he is, there's no way he goes to parties like this one without people trying to crawl all over him. It has to be exhausting.
"Mmm, that's not exactly true. I like them, just not in the way you'd think. And there is one place I don't mind being touched."
Ignoring the last bit, I gesture to Kira, now on the other side of the room with a beer bong in her mouth. "Still think it's her?"
"Definitely not," he says, watching her for a few seconds before adding, "She doesn't really seem like your type."
I cock an eyebrow. "I'll have you know that I'm actually a very fun girl when the three of you aren't around, sucking the life out of me."
"I don't like her. She's too peppy."
"Really? I don't know; it's kind of nice to be around someone whose spirit hasn't been ground into pulp by the rest of the world yet."
"It'll get to her, eventually. I'm going to get some air. You want to come?"
"…In the backyard?"
"That's a no, then?"
"Yeah."
He shrugs and walks off. "Let me know if you get any more texts."
Great. I guess he's on babysitting duty.
I huff, bringing my cup to my lips before noticing it's empty.
"Saige!" Kira stands on the sofa with the beer bong in her hand. "It's your turn—get over here."
Well, I did tell Nolan that I was a fun girl…and I'm out of beer.
I make my way over to them, grabbing the end of the hose, but before I bring it to my mouth, someone stops me.
"Saige Ripley? No way. Does Elias know you're here?"
Oliver Jenkins and a few others from Elias's high school crew stand to my left.
I guess I let my guard down; I wasn't paying close enough attention and hadn't noticed any of them, but I do now.
Rhys is with him—he played hockey with Elias and Dax—and two other girls whose names I'm too drunk to come up with, but whose faces I definitely recognize.
What happened with Sasha earlier lulled me into a false sense of security. I should have known if he invited her, there would be others, too.
"Ew, she's going to put her mouth on the beer bong!" one of the girls says.
"You girls are lucky we got here in time," Oliver says. "Saige has a highly contagious case of herpes. You don't want her or her dirty mouth anywhere near you."
Tears prick the backs of my eyes. And to make things worse, when I look back at Kira, she pulls the beer bong away from me.
She's worried it might be true. And we've been sharing drinks all evening.
"I don't have herpes," I say weakly, averting my gaze.
"You better get out of here, Saige," the blonde one says. "I'm going to tell Elias you're here, and he'll make you leave."
"Or he'll let me do it," the first girl says. "He let me and Dax throw you out of your own house on his birthday. What do you think is going to happen when he finds out you're here?"
"Oh, that was hilarious! He locked her out in the rain all night."
"I know, right? I heard she slept on the floor of the garage."
"Hey, Elias!" Rhys yells over the music. "Did you know your fucking stepsister is over here?"
His eyes meet mine. I hate that alcohol turns me into an angry crier. And I'm angry. I'm so fucking angry, I can't hold it in anymore. Thick tears roll down my cheeks, and he gets to see it.
I really hate that he gets to see it.
"Oh, my god, she's crying!" one of the girls says before they all laugh. I shove my way through the crowd until Dax steps in front of me.
"Nuh-uh," he says. "Where are you going?"
He places a hand on either side of my face, wiping away my tears with his thumbs while looking down at me through thick dark lashes.
"I just want to go to bed."
"You're tougher than that, Ripley. You're a killer, for fuck's sake."
"Jesus, Dax…don't say that." I quickly look around to see if anyone may have overheard, but even if they did, they would never take it seriously.
"And you know what? I am tougher than that.
I just don't want to be tough at a fucking house party.
It's tiring, and I'm over it. It's not like I even want to be here in the first place. "
"That hurts."
"Oh, please. You don't have to act like you care; that's not what this is. In fact, I'd prefer if you didn't."
"Don't be like that, Saige." Dax presses his lips to mine, but I don't kiss him back. "Am I wearing your lipstick again?" he asks, smiling.
I shake my head. "I don't—"
"Hey, Saige!"
Elias. Fuck.
I turn around, and Dax throws his arm around me, pulling me into his side.
"They're fucking leaving. Is there anyone else here you want to leave?" he shouts.
"Um…I don't think so."
He turns back to Oliver and his crew. "Get the fuck out."
The crowd parts, and the four of them make their way toward the front door. I steel my spine, preparing for another showdown, but I don't get one. They keep their eyes down until they leave, and once the door closes, Elias cuts the music while climbing onto the staircase.
"Can I get everyone's attention for a minute?
!" he shouts. "See that girl right there in the plaid skirt with Dax?
Unless you live in this house, don't fuck with her and don't fucking touch her—in any way.
Hell, don't even look at her. She's off fucking limits for you, and everyone else on this campus. Don't piss me off. Got it?"
There's something of a mumble of agreement from the room before Elias turns the music up again, rejoining the party without even looking at me.
"Told you we were a team," Dax says, running his hand over my backside. "See how much your big brother loves you?"
"Don't call him that," I say, but it comes out weaker than usual. Because I'm a little confused—and worried—about the context of Elias's little warning.
Because he just claimed me…publicly…for all three of them. And if Elias is the same person here as he was back home—no one will ever go near me again.
No one will want me. No one will touch me.
He just made my cage a little smaller.
"Do you need anything, Saige?" Dax asks.
You, I think. I need you to stay close to me. And I need to turn it off. I can do that.
"No," I say instead.
"Okay." He kisses me again. "I'm going to go find Nolan…and then I want to take you to bed."
He walks off without waiting for an answer.
"Saige, I'm so sorry," Kira says. "I froze up; I was just so shocked. I should have said something."
I'm not entirely sure that's what happened—that's not how it looked from where I stood, but I decide not to call her out on it. "Yeah, so, I hate Elias because he and his friends relentlessly bullied me in our small town for two years. I just didn't expect it to follow me into adulthood."
"It seems like he's sorry, though," she says.
"He's not sorry; he's up to something." And if he's willing to pretend to be nice to me in public, I'm terrified to find out what it is.
"Hey…Saige."
I turn and find myself face-to-face with Blythe. "Are you okay? Your eye looks a lot better."
"Oh…yeah. Once I got all the dirt and gravel out of it, it wasn't that bad. She saw me fall in the street," I add for a confused Kira.
"You've really had the first week from hell," Kira says.
I laugh a little. "You have no fucking idea."
"Are you with Dax, then?" Blythe asks.
"No, not really."
"Are you with Nolan, too?"
"What? No…why would you think that?"
"You know they share women, right?" Blythe asks.
"What do you mean?"
But I'm pretty sure I know exactly what she means. And she would probably know—she's clearly been hanging around them for a while.
"It's true," the girl at Blythe's side says. "There's this girl I used to hang out with—she's spending the semester abroad—but over the summer, she told me this story about how she was hooking up with Dax, and he brought Nolan in, too."
"Bullshit," Kira says. "The creepy guy who doesn't like to be touched?"
"Yep. She said he kept his clothes on the entire time, and Dax told her she wasn't allowed to touch him at all. Neither of them talked to her again afterward."
"Yeah, I heard the same thing from another friend of mine. I just thought I should let you know…in case you didn't," Blythe says. "I mean, to each their own, but if it were me, I would want someone to tell me. I'm sure you've probably known him for a while, but…Dax isn't exactly the nicest guy."
That's pretty rich coming from a girl who's sleeping with Elias. I narrow my eyes a little before fixing my face.