Page 16

North

The party was still in full swing, a pulsating beast of sound and energy, but I barely heard it. The bass from the speakers thumped in time with the pounding in my skull. Laughter, cheers, the clinking of bottles—it all blurred into static noise, distant, and unreal.

Victor clapped me on the back, grinning like he’d just fucking won a championship. “You pulled it off, man. Did you see her face? Fucking priceless.”

I downed another shot, the burn of alcohol doing nothing to erase the taste of bile in my throat. My chest felt tight, my jaw clenched so hard it ached. I forced a smirk because that’s what I was supposed to do, right? Play along. Pretend.

“Yeah,” I muttered, my voice hollow. “Priceless.”

But all I saw when I closed my eyes was Quinn’s face. The moment the realization hit her. The tears, the way her lips trembled, the way she turned and ran.

The way I let her.

My stomach twisted, and I threw back another drink as if I could drown the image before it swallowed me whole. Someone passed me a beer, and I took it without thinking. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I ignored it. Then it buzzed again. And again.

Fucking persistent.

Finally, I yanked it out, my grip tight around the damn thing like it was the problem. Evie’s name lit up the screen—along with Summer’s. I swiped, answering without thinking.

“What?” I snapped.

Summer’s voice was shaky, laced with something that made my stomach twist even tighter. Guilt. “You guys went too far, North. You went too fucking far—”

I cut her off, my anger boiling over. “What do you want me to do about it, Summer? She’ll survive.”

The line went dead, and I barely had time to breathe before the rage took over. I threw my phone across the room. It shattered against the wall, the pieces falling in slow motion, scattering across the floor like debris from an explosion.

Silence.

For a moment, the entire room went still before someone let out a low whistle. Victor laughed, shaking his head. “Damn, North. Didn’t know she’d get under your skin like that.”

His voice was casual, but there was an edge to it. A test. He was waiting to see if I’d snap. I met his gaze, my hands curling into fists.

“Shut the fuck up, Victor.”

Another voice chimed in—Derek, his smirk lazy, amused. “What’s the big deal? She was just a game, right? Your little slut.”

Something in me snapped. I didn’t think—just moved.

My fist connected with his jaw, the impact sharp and satisfying. Derek stumbled back, caught off guard, but he recovered fast, shoving me hard. The room lurched, bodies pressing in, but I didn’t care. He swung, his fist cracking against my cheekbone, sending me sprawling onto the floor.

The pain barely registered. I deserved worse.

Someone tried to pull Derek back, but I was already pushing up, lunging again, the rage a wildfire in my veins. His next hit landed harder, and everything tilted, the world dimming, slipping away beneath me.

Good. Let him hit me. Let him knock me out. Maybe I’d wake up and forget her face.

***

The next morning, my skull felt like it was splitting open, the sharp ache radiating down my spine. My jaw throbbed, my ribs sore from where Derek had gotten a lucky shot.

I groaned, rubbing my face, wincing when my fingers grazed the bruises forming there.

Voices filtered through the haze of my pounding head.

Summer and Victor. Arguing.

Fuck, I was still at their place.

“You didn’t think?” Victor’s voice was sharp, cutting through the dull roar of my headache. “You were part of it, Summer. You don’t get to feel bad now.”

“I didn’t know it would go that far!” Summer’s voice cracked, and fuck, that just pissed me off more.

I pushed myself up, the movement slow, dragging. “If you’re feeling guilty, Summer, maybe don’t cry so loudly. It’s fucking annoying.”

She turned, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red-rimmed and furious. “Don’t you dare act like this doesn’t bother you, North. You’re just as guilty as the rest of us.”

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound grating, hollow. “Guilty? Sure. But you don’t get to sit on your fucking high horse, crying about it now. You knew exactly what you were doing. Don’t act like you’re better than me.”

Her lips trembled, her hands balling into fists, but before she could say another word, Victor stepped between us. Protective. Defensive.

“That’s enough, North.”

I stared at him, but he held my gaze, unwavering.

The room went silent, tension thick enough to suffocate.

I pushed to my feet, ignoring the way my body screamed at me to sit the fuck down. I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the table, pouring myself a drink despite the way Victor’s jaw tightened. “You’re all upset because it wasn’t fun anymore, huh? Because it wasn’t just a game?”

No one answered.

I laughed again, but it tasted like ash. “Grow up. You can’t feel bad about what you helped make happen.”

Summer turned on her heel and stormed out, her sobs echoing down the hallway. Victor watched her go, his expression unreadable before shaking his head.

“You’re a mess, North.”

I smirked, but it felt wrong. Forced. “Yeah? Tell me something I don’t know.”

I sank onto the couch, the whiskey burning its way down my throat as I took another long swig. The bottle was half-empty already, but it wasn’t enough. Not even close.

The morning light seeped through the curtains, too bright, too exposing. I reached down, picking up the shattered pieces of my phone, and turning them over in my hands. The cracked screen reflected back at me, fractured and broken.

Just like everything else.

Her face flashed in my mind again, those hazel eyes wide, filled with something that looked too much like trust before it shattered into betrayal.

I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. So what if she was crying? So what if she hated me now?

It didn’t matter.

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling, willing myself to believe it.

But the guilt gnawed at me, relentless, and no matter how much I drank, I couldn’t make it stop.

I swallowed another mouthful of whiskey, closing my eyes.

Maybe I never would.