Chapter 20 #2
Jade suddenly stands, giving me a smirk before marching over to the kitchen and right up to Sally.
I can’t hear what they are saying, but you can practically see the sweat drip down Sally’s face as Jade’s eager frame pushes Brandon out of the way.
Then, with a swift movement, Jade grabs onto Sally’s hand and pulls her off the counter and toward the living room. Brandon, like a lost puppy, follows after them, and now we are all sitting in a circle as Tyler brings a fresh bottle.
“Rules are simple,” Piper says. “We spin the bottle twice. The two people it lands on will then they go to one of numerous empty rooms and lock the door. Once seven—yeah, let’s go with seven—minutes pass, you come back. Or don’t.” With that, she wiggles her brow.
The game gets the full room’s attention. The circle fills out with more people I don’t know, but my eyes stay on Sally, who is directly in front of me.
And right next to me is Brandon. I’m really gonna punch this guy before the night is over.
Turns out he is a year below us, so he’s still in high school, but we literally graduated a month ago, so it’s weird to think about. Apparently, his mom runs a lot of the boards here in Alliance.
Tyler spins the bottle, and it lands on two people I don’t really know. I think we went to high school together, but I’ve just seen them at parties.
The bottle lands on a mutual friend, Kyle, and another boy. Kyle blushes as he remains unmoving, and the other guy laughs before lifting him up and over his shoulder.
“Have fun!” Casey yells after them before making kissing noises.
Everyone laughs, and honestly, this is pretty fun. The game goes for a few more rounds in between conversations. Piper and Ella are paired off as they waltz off to the basement, already laughing about something.
I love how the Reeds are slowly getting closer to my friends. Luckily, Casey never blamed Ella for the Jaxon situation.
I wish Sally would be a little more receptive to being a part of the group. When the girls brought her to the bash, she looked like a fish out of water.
Tyler and Jaxon go next.
“Hug me, brother!” They embrace and march off.
Then, the next round lands on Sally. Ice runs through my veins. There aren’t that many people left in the group.
At this point, I would rather the spin land on Jade than land on Brandon.
Sally taps her foot nervously before locking eyes with me. Something flashes through her eyes as she blushes and stares at the bottle.
I know she feels something. That reaction proves as much, but she’s not letting herself give in. I don’t know what’s holding her back, but I’m ready to fight whatever it is.
She spins the bottle, looking anywhere in the room besides directly in front of her. Right at me.
I watch the bottle intensely as it rounds a few loops and slows down.
The bottle lands right next to me, pointing at Brandon.
Eff my life.
I look at Sally, assuming she’ll feel relieved, but there’s nothing like that on her face. With her flushed cheeks, she lets out a sigh that sounds almost dissatisfied.
A hand pats my shoulder softly. Jade gives me a defeated look. She tried to set up a natural way for me to talk to Sally. I really can’t thank her enough for trying this hard.
Brandon gets up from his chair, and I restrain myself from grabbing him and pushing him back down to take his place.
Sally looks at me again, opening her mouth, but she closes it without a sound coming out.
They leave the room, and I stomp over to the kitchen, done with the game completely. I grab a beer out of the fridge but don’t have the strength to even open it.
“God, I hate stubborn people,” Jade says to no one before looking at me. “Sorry, Moore. I tried my best.”
Sally’s expression flashes in my mind again. Each time I’ve seen her, she’s looked at me with this longing expression, like I’m something she can’t have, but that’s bullshit. She can have me any way she wants, and at this point, I’m begging for it like a complete loser.
Eff it.
I walk out of the kitchen and down the hall, ignoring Jade as she calls after me. I’m not letting this go any further. As I round the corner, I find Sally and the asshole. My feet must sound like thunder as I march towards them because, Sally whips around with a gasp.
“Oliver—”
Her words trail off as I stare down at her. My chest rises and falls in beat with my heart pounding against my ribs. Just being this close to her makes me excited, almost to the point that I forget she was just about to spend seven minutes in a bathroom alone with another guy.
Brandon decides to be stupid, though, and announces his presence once again.
“You okay, dude?”
My eyes shoot daggers at him, and I see the guy visibly flinch. I take Sally’s hand, and with zero resistance, I push past Brandon and walk into the bathroom.
“Hey—” he starts, but I shut the door in his face and lock it.
“Oliver, what are you doing?” Sally asks, but she doesn’t take her hand away from mine.
“I know you weren’t going to come in here with him.”
That must snap her out of it because she straightens her back and turns completely toward me. My lips tug up because she looks breathtaking even when she’s frowning.
Sally’s chest rises and falls for a beat. “How do you know that?”
“You’re more turned on right now than you have been all night.” I lean down and whisper in her ear. “And I know it because of me.”
Her breath hitches, and a blush comes across her pale cheeks. It’s so easy to see what she’s feeling.
Sally doesn’t deny it at all. She just says, “Oliver, this isn’t a good idea.”
“Who said anything about good ideas?”