Chapter 139: The New Year's Eve Pre-Game Chaos

Theo's POV

My house had never been this loud and filled with people from school. I love my privacy so much that I didn't bother to throw these parties. Music shook the walls, and the front door had not even stopped opening. Every few seconds, people I have never seen walked in carrying drinks, snacks, or fireworks.

Milo had somehow helped in organising it. He convinced people that I throw the wildest New Year party to get them to show up, while Reed acted like he owned the place, waving people inside and shouting over the bass.

The heavy bass was literally shaking the glass window. The floorboards vibrated right through my socks. Milo was actively dragging people from the cold porch into the hallway, forcing red cups into their hands. Near the kitchen counter, Reed stood acting like a fake host, calling out to every girl who walked through the door.

I stood by the stairs, pretending to smile and nod when people greeted me. But I was not really there. My eyes never left the front entrance. Everyone called it a New Year’s Eve party; I called it my last chance.

Katty’s words from the sponsor dinner had not left my head. I wasn't here to celebrate. I was here because tonight, one way or another, the truth was going to come out.

Within an hour, the living room was completely packed. The boys arrived in winter jackets, shaking the snow off their shoulders. The girls arrived laughing, instantly dropping their bags and coats by the staircase. The air smelled like cheap body spray, cold winter wind, and hot pizza.

In the kitchen, a group of sophomores were screaming and filming TikToks by the counter. Other people crowded around boxes of food and cans of soda.

Daphne and Cassian arrived separately. Daphne walked in with her chin held high, wearing a dark dress. Cassian followed a few minutes later with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He didn't seem to care about Daphne talking to other guys. His eyes were fixed on Silas and Barrett the exact second they arrived.

A few minutes later, Kieran walked in. I watched him instantly look through the crowd, his face tense.

He spotted Landon near the television. "Is Asher here?" I heard him ask over the music.

Right on cue, Asher walked through the front door, pulling off his wool beanie.

Their eyes met across the smoky, crowded room. It was a tiny moment, but it was enough to make my chest tighten.

Milo refused to let people just stand around. He started organizing games immediately to get the energy moving. He set up red plastic cups for Cup Pong and Flip Cup across the long dining table. The room filled with loud cheering and shouting as people started playing.

When those games ended, Milo forced everyone into the living room for a massive round of Charades. Everyone laughed as people tried to act out random movie titles, jumping around and making ridiculous faces.

Cassian unexpectedly won one game by guessing a difficult word in three seconds flat.

Reed instantly pointed a finger at him, laughing as he accused him of cheating. That just made the rest of the room laugh harder. For a few minutes, the heavy weight in my chest actually lifted, and it felt like a normal holiday night.

"Let's play One Night Werewolf!" someone suggested from the couch, dumping the game cards onto the coffee table.

Everyone gathered around in a huge circle on the rug, sitting close together, shoulder to shoulder. We dealt the cards in secret. The game started, and the casual accusations immediately began to mirror the real story hanging over our heads.

"Someone here is hiding something," Milo said, pointing his finger around the circle with a laugh.

"You're pretending to be innocent," Landon joked to Reed. "But you're definitely the beast."

"No way, you switched sides," Reed shot back.

Katty didn't waste any time. She purposedly aimed her finger straight across the circle at Asher.

"He's lying," Katty said. "Look at his face, he is definitely a werewolf. You're protecting the werewolf, aren't you?"

Everyone laughed, treating it like a regular part of the game. But I noticed Asher went completely quiet. His shoulders went stiff.

Kieran defended him immediately, his voice cutting through the noise. "He's a villager, Katty. Leave him alone."

Cassian didn't vote at all. His eyes were tracking Silas, who was visibly enjoying the accusations, a cruel smile on his face. Near the back, Daphne made a sarcastic comment about people who can't take a joke, trying to glue herself up to Reed just to make Cassian watch.

"Truth or Dare time," Milo announced, spinning an empty soda bottle on the floorboards.

The game started fast with funny dares and embarrassing moments. One sophomore was dared to text their crush right then and there, making everyone scream as he typed out the message.

Milo was dared to sing a pop song, and he did it terribly, off-key, until people threw sofa pillows at his head.

Then the bottle landed on Daphne. She chose dare, her eyes flashing.

Reed smirkingly dared her to pick her crush and show everyone her favorite sex position through a dance.

Daphne didn't even hesitate. She went all in. She grabbed Reed by his shirt and danced with him in an intense, dirty way right in the center of the room.

The circle went wild. People were screaming and banging their cups against the floor. But Cassian crashed out completely.

He stood up, knocked his cup over, and left the game without saying a single word.

People laughed awkwardly as he walked away, and someone whispered, "Uh oh."

Daphne pretended not to care, tossing her hair back, but I realized the party was starting to crack.

Katty watched Cassian leave the circle, a cruel look in her eyes. She rigged the next turn, pointing the bottle directly between Kieran and Asher.

"I dare you two to kiss," Katty said.

The room exploded. A few guys started chanting their names, and Milo laughed too loudly, waving his hands. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

The chant built fast. More people joined in until the whole room was stamping their feet. Asher looked completely trapped, his eyes wide as he stared at the floor.

Kieran's face turned to absolute stone.

"No," Kieran said firmly. He cut off the noise before Asher could even answer.

The room went quiet for one second too long. That silence was pure gold, heavy and full of unspoken questions.

The tension didn't stop there. Silas had brought a few Rackers players with him, and they started trash-talking our loss near the kitchen door.

"Crestwood knows how to party," one Racker player mocked, leaning against the counter. "But you guys can't win a simple game on the ice when it matters."

The Crestwood players reacted instantly, stepping forward with tight jaws. Silas just smiled from the corner instead of calming things down, enjoying the friction.

Small shoves turned into another heavy shove against the drywall. Cassian stepped in, using his physical size to separate the two guys arguing before a fist could fly. Kieran stepped straight between both groups, his frame blocking the Rackers from hurting anyone.

The shouting was getting out of hand. I finally had enough of the chaos inside my own house. I stepped onto a dining chair and yelled over the music.

"Enough!" I shouted. "If you destroy anything here, you guys are paying for it!"

Everyone calmed down at the threat, and a few guys laughed, breaking the heavy air.

To clear the bad mood, Milo suddenly threw open the back deck doors. "Snowball fight! Right now!"

The suggestion broke the lock on the room instantly. Everyone rushed out onto the wide, snow-covered lawn, laughing and yelling. What started as a small joke turned into a massive, messy, emotional battle.

Cassian launched a heavy block of snow straight at Reed's chest. Reed screamed, diving behind a picnic table for cover. Within seconds, everyone was joining in, chasing each other through the thick white powder.

Girls were screaming as the guys threw giant handfuls of snow. Groups formed to target the Rackers players until they were running for the trees.

For ten minutes, the entire party became a beautiful, chaotic blur of flying snow, heavy breathing, and loud, genuine laughter. It was one last breath of pure fun before everything completely fell apart

"Ten minutes to midnight!" Milo screamed from the porch, pointing at the clock.

The music stopped, and everyone gathered back toward the large glass windows and the deck. Phones were out, people were climbing onto the couches to see, and the snow outside was already glowing from the neighbor's lights. Milo started shouting the countdown, his voice echoing off the ceiling.

"11… 10… 9…"

The whole room screamed the numbers together. On the count of zero, the sky outside lit up with bright flashes of green and gold.

Fireworks began booming over the neighborhood, creating an absolute chaos of light and sound. People started hugging, couples kissing, and everyone rushed outside onto the snow-covered deck to watch the beautiful show.

I stood in the empty living room, looking directly at Asher.

"We're missing the last box of fireworks," I said loudly.

He turned around to look at me.

"Can you help me get them?" I asked. "They're upstairs." Asher hesitated, his feet staying glued.

Katty immediately stepped in from the deck, her girls right behind her. "He's only asking for help carrying fireworks, Asher."

Asher still did not move, his eyes darting toward the deck where Kieran was talking to Landon.

Katty let out a sharp smile. "Or do you need Kieran's permission first?"

Her girls laughed loudly. Asher's pride kicked in hard, his face tightening.

"Fine," Asher said.

He followed me away from the noise. I walked up the stairs, and he followed close behind.

I unlocked the bedroom door. Asher walked in, looking around the quiet space.

He frowned. "Where are the fireworks?"

I quietly closed the door behind him.

Click.