Page 43 of Jerk

Moving to the door, I try the handle for the thousandth time and… you've got to be fucking kidding me. It turns.

When I open the door, the chair is gone, silence filling the space.

“Hello?” No one answers as I move into the hallway. “Hellooo?”

Silence.

My chest lifts as I move into the living area. Then it tightens again.

I should’ve figured. It’s like the last time. That’s the thing with Ryung. He might not be as dramatic as Mac or as flashy as Gray, but like them, he leaves a trail of disaster. Red feathers, glasses and empty bottles litter the space. Some people even left pieces of their outfits between toppled furniture.

At least everyone’s gone. As a bonus, I don’t have class today. Staying at the lake house alone will be good. I’ll clean this up, go for a swim in the lake and lounge in the hot tub afterwards. I’ll follow that with a ten-step skincare process, and that should bring some relief.

Taking another deep breath, I commit to tackling this mess again. Once I'm done, I can return this place to the peaceful sanctuary it's meant to be.

First, I'm changing the vibe. Tapping on my phone, I connect to the built-in speakers. It won’t be as booming as Rye’s DJ, but it’ll do for getting this job done.

“Crown” by Billie Eilish plays as I close my eyes, letting myself get lost in the music. The smile creeping on my face fades to a cringe. This song usually makes me feel good, but right now it reminds me of this twisted, toxic game I’m playing.

Did I really try to make him jealous last night? Did I succeed?

The way he plowed into Vince says I did, and I fucking hate that I liked watching it. Vince would never pull a stunt like that when I was on top. Is this how he treats other girls on campus?

Kicking aside condom wrappers and someone’s leather thong, my mind drifts back to Krystal as I make my way to the kitchen. She looked like she had gotten into a fight or something. With her father? Is that where Rye went? To comfort her?

Are all the men in this town out of their goddamn minds?

The music stops. So do my feet.

Looking at my phone, I hit play, and the music resumes.

In a second, it stops again, my body stilling.

Footsteps come from behind me, my shoulders rising.

“Keep it down, Kitten.” I thought I was alone, but a low, rolling voice tells me I was wrong. “This is no way to treat your guest.”

SIXTEEN

RYE

“What are you still doing here?”

“I said, keep it down.” Bringing my finger to my lips, I hope she gets the picture, a pain drilling through my head.

That scowl hardens, Hannah looking, well, a mess. Her tangled hair looks like she fought a lion, and she didn’t bother to clean off her smudged mascara. Even the SBU t-shirt she wears has a hole at the collar. I’ve seen Hannah’s lipstick fade from getting a little rowdy, but this? This is different.

My stomach twists, last night’s impromptu bender catching up with the throb in my head.

“Hey, earth to psycho.” Hannah snaps in my face, each one ringing in my head. Her eyes drop to my fit. A fluffy white robe I found in one of the bathrooms. “What the hell are you wearing and why the hell are you still here?”

“Why are you so loud?” I wince, moving past her into the kitchen.

“You’re lucky I’m not louder after youlocked me in my room!” She shouts the last part, my head pulsing with each word.

“Will you shut up?” When I reach for one of the pans dangling from the ceiling, Hannah’s quick to grab it instead.

“Get out.”