Page 34

CHAPTER 34

ARIELLA

T he floor beneath my feet vibrated as I stood on the old wooden front porch of the frat house. My gaze dropped to give myself one more glance before I went in. I wasn't typically the type of girl who took hours to get ready. In fact, it usually took me ten minutes to throw on a pair of jeans or skirt, a tank top or sweatshirt, shoes, and lip gloss, but tonight was different. If all eyes were going to be on me, then I was going to give them something to look at.

And—

It may also have had a little to do with Zaiden.

I ran my hand over my short skirt, continuing up to my bare, tanned stomach. I tugged slightly on the small white crop top, which was held together in the middle by a tiny string, creating an alluring gap that accentuated my cleavage.

My phone buzzed, and I reached into my back pocket, pulling it out.

Mila: Where are you?

I smiled at my phone.

Ariella: Walking in now.

Twisting the doorknob, I shoved open the door and walked through the entrance into the darkened house.

Mila: We are in the kitchen. Meet us there.

Bodies pressed in from all sides as I shouldered through the crowd. Cologne mixed with spilled beer and sweat, the air thick enough to taste. Red solo cups bobbed above heads, silhouettes swaying to the music in the blue-black darkness. In this press of strangers, I was just another shadow.

I stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, smiling when I spotted Mila and Journey.

"Holy shit," Journey said, her eyes scanning me up and down. "You look fucking hot."

"Who did you get dressed up for?" Mila teased as I stopped on the opposite end of the kitchen island.

"Myself." I bounced my eyebrows as I reached across the counter and grabbed one of the lined-up solo cups in front of the bottle of clear 1800 tequila. I needed to feel the burn. I threw back the cup and winced as the hot liquid slid down my throat.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Journey scowled, snatching the cup out of my hand. She tipped it towards her, staring into it. "Do you not remember what happened the last time you took red solo cup shots?"

I shook my head, a grin spreading across my face. "Must have been a good time."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so much fun, Zaiden carried you out of the party."

I reached for another cup filled with a different liquor. "Well, that's a chance I'm willing to take." If I was going to deal with Zaiden being part of my friend group tonight, I needed all the alcohol.

"Anyways," Mila said. "So I talked to my brother?—"

"We should probably wait for Zaiden," I cut her off. "Otherwise, you're going to have to repeat yourself."

"I don't think he's going to make it," Mila said. "I have a few hockey players in my Eco class, and I overheard them say that their coach called a mandatory meeting tonight."

"Yeah," Journey agreed. "And I ran into Sterling this afternoon, and he said a couple of players got caught doing shit they weren't supposed to, and he thought the team would be doing suicide drills until their legs bled."

"Ew," I scowled.

"I think they'll pass out after that kind of torture," Mila added.

I should have been excited he wasn't going to be there, but a small part of me was disappointed. "Okay, well, I can tell him when I get home."

"My brother said they found her phone in her car, and that was how they contacted her family, but he has no idea what happened to it. He wasn't sure if it left with Kacie or was bagged as evidence."

I blew out an exasperated sigh. "Well, at least we know she did have it, but there's no way now to figure out where it went."

"We could try getting into her iCloud," Journey suggested.

My gaze held hers. "That's a great fucking idea." I wasn't sure why I hadn't thought about that yet. "We can meet early tomorrow morning. I'll bring my laptop and see if we can get into it. I'll let Zaiden know. He might know her password."

"Hey," a deep voice shouted from the doorway. "It's game time, ladies."

My lip curled into a snarl. "This is why I don't come to frat parties."

"Oh, come on," Journey laughed, strolling around the counter. "It will be fun."

"Making out with a stranger while he tries to stick his hand down your pants is not fun."

Mila and Journey both laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Live a little," Mila chuckled. "Unless it's true and you do actually belong to Zaiden."

She'd just said the one thing that ensured I played all the games, kissed all the boys, and pushed myself far past my comfort zone to prove Zaiden Knight didn't own me. "I'm in."

I followed them out of the kitchen and into the dark living area. My gaze lifted to the tall, thin man standing on the coffee table.

"Game one," he shouted. "Meet me at midnight." I rolled my eyes. These were games made up so the guy who wouldn't normally get the girl stood a chance. "Everyone pulls a ticket out of the hat. Each ticket has a time and location somewhere inside the house on it. Every room has one ticket in the pink hat and one in the blue hat. Ladies, you'll pull from the pink hat and guys from the blue. Make sure you make it to your location before your time because it gets pretty dark once the lights go out."

"What does he mean, the lights go out?" I whispered, and a wave of panic settled in my gut.

"I think he means it will be dark," Journey whispered.

"Fuck."

"It will be fun," Mila added.

"Yeah, so much fun." I groaned, and it probably would have been fun if I hadn't been scared of the dark. Actually, who was I kidding? I had no interest in kissing some random boy. Not in the light or the dark, but I was in it now.

"This game is first come, first served, and we'll play again for those who don't get to play the first round."

"What do we do in the dark?"

Oh, come on… I hated stupid questions. All eyes turned to me. Fuck, I'd said it out loud. Might as well finish my thought. "If you don't know what to do in the dark, then you should go home; it's past your bedtime."

A roar of laughter echoed through the large room.

"Why don't you pick first?" My eyes followed him as he jumped off the table and strolled toward me, as the crowd parted for him. I really wanted to say no and go home, but maybe this was what was needed to show Zaiden he didn't own me. Or it could be what gets the mystery man killed. It was a chance I was willing to take for freedom.

He held out the pink hat, and I reached in and pulled out a ticket. I closed my fist around the small paper and forced a smile as my gaze met his. "Midnight is in twenty minutes."

Pursing my lips, I nodded, ignoring the chill racing down my spine. "Thanks."

Mila and Journey pulled next before he disappeared into the crowd.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate games?"

They both laughed again. "Yeah, a few times."

"I'm going to get a drink." I was going to need a lot more alcohol to kiss a stranger.

The floor beneath my feet vibrated as I stood on the old wooden front porch of the frat house. My gaze dropped to give myself one more glance before I went in. I wasn't typically the type of girl who took hours to get ready. In fact, it usually took me ten minutes to throw on a pair of jeans or skirt, a tank top or sweatshirt, shoes, and lip gloss, but tonight was different. If all eyes were going to be on me, then I was going to give them something to look at.

And—

It may also have had a little to do with Zaiden.

I ran my hand over my short skirt, continuing up to my bare, tanned stomach. I tugged slightly on the small white crop top, which was held together in the middle by a tiny string, creating an alluring gap that accentuated my cleavage.

My phone buzzed, and I reached into my back pocket, pulling it out.

Mila: Where are you?

I smiled at my phone.

Ariella: Walking in now.

Twisting the doorknob, I shoved open the door and walked through the entrance into the darkened house.

Mila: We are in the kitchen. Meet us there.

Bodies pressed in from all sides as I shouldered through the crowd. Cologne mixed with spilled beer and sweat, the air thick enough to taste. Red solo cups bobbed above heads, silhouettes swaying to the music in the blue-black darkness. In this press of strangers, I was just another shadow.

I stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, smiling when I spotted Mila and Journey.

"Holy shit," Journey said, her eyes scanning me up and down. "You look fucking hot."

"Who did you get dressed up for?" Mila teased as I stopped on the opposite end of the kitchen island.

"Myself." I bounced my eyebrows as I reached across the counter and grabbed one of the lined-up solo cups in front of the bottle of clear 1800 tequila. I needed to feel the burn. I threw back the cup and winced as the hot liquid slid down my throat.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Journey scowled, snatching the cup out of my hand. She tipped it towards her, staring into it. "Do you not remember what happened the last time you took red solo cup shots?"

I shook my head, a grin spreading across my face. "Must have been a good time."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so much fun, Zaiden carried you out of the party."

I reached for another cup filled with a different liquor. "Well, that's a chance I'm willing to take." If I was going to deal with Zaiden being part of my friend group tonight, I needed all the alcohol.

"Anyways," Mila said. "So I talked to my brother?—"

"We should probably wait for Zaiden," I cut her off. "Otherwise, you're going to have to repeat yourself."

"I don't think he's going to make it," Mila said. "I have a few hockey players in my Eco class, and I overheard them say that their coach called a mandatory meeting tonight."

"Yeah," Journey agreed. "And I ran into Sterling this afternoon, and he said a couple of players got caught doing shit they weren't supposed to, and he thought the team would be doing suicide drills until their legs bled."

"Ew," I scowled.

"I think they'll pass out after that kind of torture," Mila added.

I should have been excited he wasn't going to be there, but a small part of me was disappointed. "Okay, well, I can tell him when I get home."

"My brother said they found her phone in her car, and that was how they contacted her family, but he has no idea what happened to it. He wasn't sure if it left with Kacie or was bagged as evidence."

I blew out an exasperated sigh. "Well, at least we know she did have it, but there's no way now to figure out where it went."

"We could try getting into her iCloud," Journey suggested.

My gaze held hers. "That's a great fucking idea." I wasn't sure why I hadn't thought about that yet. "We can meet early tomorrow morning. I'll bring my laptop and see if we can get into it. I'll let Zaiden know. He might know her password."

"Hey," a deep voice shouted from the doorway. "It's game time, ladies."

My lip curled into a snarl. "This is why I don't come to frat parties."

"Oh, come on," Journey laughed, strolling around the counter. "It will be fun."

"Making out with a stranger while he tries to stick his hand down your pants is not fun."

Mila and Journey both laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Live a little," Mila chuckled. "Unless it's true and you do actually belong to Zaiden."

She'd just said the one thing that ensured I played all the games, kissed all the boys, and pushed myself far past my comfort zone to prove Zaiden Knight didn't own me. "I'm in."

I followed them out of the kitchen and into the dark living area. My gaze lifted to the tall, thin man standing on the coffee table.

"Game one," he shouted. "Meet me at midnight." I rolled my eyes. These were games made up so the guy who wouldn't normally get the girl stood a chance. "Everyone pulls a ticket out of the hat. Each ticket has a time and location somewhere inside the house on it. Every room has one ticket in the pink hat and one in the blue hat. Ladies, you'll pull from the pink hat and guys from the blue. Make sure you make it to your location before your time because it gets pretty dark once the lights go out."

"What does he mean, the lights go out?" I whispered, and a wave of panic settled in my gut.

"I think he means it will be dark," Journey whispered.

"Fuck."

"It will be fun," Mila added.

"Yeah, so much fun." I groaned, and it probably would have been fun if I hadn't been scared of the dark. Actually, who was I kidding? I had no interest in kissing some random boy. Not in the light or the dark, but I was in it now.

"This game is first come, first served, and we'll play again for those who don't get to play the first round."

"What do we do in the dark?"

Oh, come on… I hated stupid questions. All eyes turned to me. Fuck, I'd said it out loud. Might as well finish my thought. "If you don't know what to do in the dark, then you should go home; it's past your bedtime."

A roar of laughter echoed through the large room.

"Why don't you pick first?" My eyes followed him as he jumped off the table and strolled toward me, as the crowd parted for him. I really wanted to say no and go home, but maybe this was what was needed to show Zaiden he didn't own me. Or it could be what gets the mystery man killed. It was a chance I was willing to take for freedom.

He held out the pink hat, and I reached in and pulled out a ticket. I closed my fist around the small paper and forced a smile as my gaze met his. "Midnight is in twenty minutes."

Pursing my lips, I nodded, ignoring the chill racing down my spine. "Thanks."

Mila and Journey pulled next before he disappeared into the crowd.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate games?"

They both laughed again. "Yeah, a few times."

"I'm going to get a drink." I was going to need a lot more alcohol to kiss a stranger.