Chapter 20
Jasmine's POV
"Oh come on, what are you saying? So you're really not going to attend Brent and Ash's birthday party tonight? They literally gave you a card." Nadia yelled and I had to remove my phone from my ears so that she would not make me go deaf. Switching the call to video, I dropped it on my bed.
"And I received flowers and gifts from unknown people today. So what?" I asked my best friend as I slumped on my bed beside my phone, my eyes on the door as if I was waiting for Hardin to barge in.
He hadn't done anything since that night where he had left to argue with his father and had returned to sit beside my bed. I was beginning to wonder why instead of celebrating, I was worried about the fact that he had not threatened me in a while or tried to touch me.
Did he have any new pranks up his sleeve and was just waiting for the right time or had the arrival of his aunt made him take a break from tormenting me?
After that disaster of a dinner where Lisa had all but revealed indirectly what she thought of my mother's marriage to her brother in law which was about three nights ago, I had not once seen Hardin by chance in the house.
At school? I did see him because he was back like he had never left, his presence more than enough for all of his worshippers to fawn over him but I had seen him staring at me more than once.
And I knew that he had seen everything that had been going on in the past couple of days and how I was suddenly popular and treated like I wasn't a piece of furniture as I was used to.
Nadia had been more worried about ensuring that the flowers and chocolates that I got were put to good use and even though I had tried to figure out who had sent me those gifts, I had given up the chase, deciding to accept my fate. But the reason why Nadia called me still remained and when I picked up by phone, I saw that she was no longer by the phone but busy ransacking her closet as she threw clothes down on her bed, one after the other.
Turning around to look back at the phone, she raised a dress to her body and when I raised my brows, she shrugged.
"What do you think about this dress?"
"It's okay?"
"Yes! So I've got what I'm wearing to the party and I'm going to be at your house in about an hour and we are going to get you something to wear."
"But..." Before I could complain, she ended the call and I just stared at my phone in shock.
Shaking my head, I headed downstairs to prepare for dinner and paused in the hallway when Lisa came out of her room.
"Oh, hello there. Heading downstairs?" She asked with a smile that I would have believed was genuine if she hadn't treated my mother like shit, all the while wearing a smile on her face.
I nodded, turning around to continue down the stairs when she called my name again.
When I turned to face her, she was standing closer than ever, then she inhaled, raising her eyebrows in question.
"You don't have the scent."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't smell like a werewolf. Why not?" She looked genuinely confused and then as if she finally realized, her lips curved in a smile.
"You haven't shifted yet, have you?"
I bit the inside of my cheek, my chest hurting because I hated that she had identified my weakness. It was a sore topic for me.
I was about to answer when Nadia came rushing up the stairs. My eyes widened in surprise as she reached where I stood and she paused to look at Lisa.
"Woah, you look just like Hardin's mum." Turning to look at me, she mouthed 'you were right' and I replied back with an eye roll.
"I'm his aunt. And you are?" She said gently and Nadia accepted the hand that Lisa had stretched out to her.
"Nadia, Jazz's best friend. I'm sorry but we have a place to be at. Can I take her with me?" She asked and when Lisa nodded, Nadia pulled me back to my room and shut the door.
"Holy shit, she looks like his mother so much."
"I told you. Now what are you doing here? How did you get here so fast? You said an hour."
"I know but then again, why should I dress up at home when we can get dressed again and oh, I saw your mum downstairs and told her that we were going out and she has given us her blessings."
Of course, she had. Nadia was the only friend she knew I had and she would have been overjoyed to hear that I was going outside to mingle with other people instead of being a hermit that always hid in her room.
"So, I asked around and I heard that Hardin isn't coming. If that's why you're skeptical about attending, then you need to get your ass up and find something to wear and no, I don't want to hear about it. We are going to have fun. Werewolves don't stay drunk for very long so I drove here and will be driving us back. All you need to do is show up."
When I didn't stand up from the bed, just staring at her, she rolled her eyes and went into my wardrobe.
"Play me some music, bitch. Here is too quiet." She said as she ransacked my clothes causing me to grumble as I connected her phone to my speaker. After which I watched as she swayed her hips while throwing clothes at me.
"Aha! I have found the one."
Nadia brought out a black mini dress that fit my body like a glove and threw it at my face.
"I'm the one that bought you that, right?"
"Yes. Along with all of the other dresses that should have been a shirt instead."
Walking up to sit beside me, she took my hand in hers.
"Come on, Jazz. Who knows what we'll be doing in a couple of years from now. I'm sure having fun will not be a big part of them. And you're popular now. People like you and want to hang out with you. How about you give them a chance? Let loose a little."
And that was how I found myself in front of Brent and Ash's mansion, wearing a black dress that brought out all of my curves.
"I swear, if I wasn't as straight as a pole, I would bend you over and fuck you. Look at that ass, friend!" Nadia said, slapping my ass as we walked into the party while I rolled my eyes even though a shy smile was playing on my lips.
Holding the jacket that I had forced Nadia to allow me to carry in my hand, I entered the house that was already filled with people, the music loud enough that it would be difficult to actually have a conversation without shouting. I swallowed nervously as people greeted me and cheered as I passed by them, with Nadia behind me.
"Glad you could make it. And you look hot, goddamn." Brent said and before I could respond, he took my hand and led me upstairs to where I realized was less noisy and there was a long couch of most of the popular kids in school playing a game.
Nadia was behind me and all eyes were on me as I followed Brent to where he was sitting and sat behind him, Nadia sitting beside me.
"Oh my God, I love your dress, where did you get it?" Ash asked and when I looked at Nadia, my friend squeezed my hand and told her.
"Cool. Your friend is cool. What's your name?" Another girl asked Nadia and I looked around, relaxing when I realized that Nadia was right. Hardin wasn't here.
A part of me wondered where he was or what he was doing since all of his friends were here, including Alex and Sandro, and the former was looking at me curiously and typing away on his phone.
"Nadia." She answered, with the sound of her voice making me to realized that the game they were playing was truth and dare.
"Truth or Dare, Jasmine." One of the girls asked and I looked at her in surprise, before looking at Nadia who nodded.
Feeling bold or maybe it was because of the glasses that Brent had kept giving me, I said,
"Dare."
There was a chorus of oohs and aahs and the girl who had asked, smiled.
"I dare you to kiss anyone of these guys here."
My eyes widened in surprise at the realization of how foolish I had been by choosing dare, while Brent took my hand.
"How about I volunteer?" He said with a smirk. I was about to reply when someone entered the room and all eyes moved to him.
Hardin.
His eyes narrowed on Brent's hands on me and without saying a word, he walked up to me and pulled me to my feet.
"Oh come on man, you're taking the step sister protective shit a little too far." Brent said as he rose and Hardin's growl was scary enough that everyone in the room recoiled in shock.
"You're coming with me. Now!" He growled at me and dragged me away from their gathering upstairs to a room.
Shutting the door, he turned around and looked at me.
And before I could speak, he grabbed me by the back of my neck and slammed his lips against mine.