Chapter 19: Partystorm
Aveline’s POV
Milo Hayes threw parties like he was personally trying to get expelled. The second Theo dragged me through the front doors of the Hayes mansion, bass-heavy music nearly ruptured my lungs. Lights flashed across crowded rooms packed with Crestwood students dancing badly and screaming over each other like alcohol had erased all survival instincts. Someone was standing on a table. Another person was filming it.
Excellent.
“This,” Theo announced proudly over the music, “is why rich people shouldn’t be left unsupervised.”
I adjusted the sleeves of Asher’s hoodie uncomfortably. “How many people are here?”
Theo looked around once. “Too many.”
The party swallowed us almost instantly. Girls danced in the living room while hockey players shouted over beer pong in the kitchen. Somebody had apparently turned the staircase into a race track using laundry baskets and zero common sense.
Milo appeared out of nowhere carrying two drinks and chaos in human form. “Carter!” he yelled dramatically. “The crypt keeper arrives!”
“I regret coming already.”
“You say that now.” He shoved a drink toward me. “But in two hours you’ll either be emotionally damaged or committing crimes.”
“I don’t drink.”
Milo gasped in horror. “What kind of tragic little Victorian child are you?”
Theo snorted beside me.
Then Milo suddenly froze mid-laugh. “Oh,” he whispered slowly. “This just got interesting.”
I frowned immediately. “What?”
He pointed behind me. I turned And instantly regretted it. Kieran Hampton stood near the staircase in a blue hoodie and dark jeans, surrounded by people without actually paying attention to any of them. A girl touched his arm while talking and he barely noticed because his eyes landed on me immediately.
Theo noticed too and sighed dramatically. “Oh no.”
“What?”
“You two are doing the eye thing again.”
“We do not have an eye thing.”
“You absolutely have an eye thing.”
Before I could argue further, Kieran started walking toward us.
“Hampton,” Theo greeted flatly.
“Mercer.”
The tension between them still lingered from the rink fight and neither looked particularly interested in pretending otherwise. Then Kieran looked directly at me again. “You came.”
I crossed my arms automatically. “Why do you sound surprised?”
“You hate being around crowds.”
“I hate being around you specifically.”
Milo burst out laughing so hard he nearly spilt his drink. Kieran smirked slightly Unfortunately, Milo suddenly clapped loudly. “GAME TIME!”
The room erupted instantly.
Apparently, Milo had decided arm wrestling was tonight’s entertainment. Hockey players gathered around the massive dining table while students screamed encouragement like this was some kind of illegal underground fight club.
Landon beat three people in a row.
Theo lost dramatically to a volleyball player and accused her of cheating. Then Milo pointed directly at me. “Carter. Your turn.”
“I’m good.”
The idiots immediately started chanting my name like deranged sports fans.
Theo laughed beside me. “You’re doomed.”
Kieran leaned casually against the table watching me carefully.
“Fine,” I muttered.
The room cheered. Milo dropped into the chair across from me immediately looking far too confident. “Ready to lose?”
“You literally eat crayons for entertainment.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
We locked hands And immediately I realised something terrible.
Milo was ridiculously strong.
“Why are your arms built like construction equipment?”
“Hockey, baby.” Someone started counting down.
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
Milo slammed my hand into the table in under four seconds. The room exploded laughing.
I stared at him in betrayal. “That was humiliating.”
“That,” Milo corrected proudly, “was art.”
Then his grin turned wicked. “Oh right. Loser punishment.” My soul left my body instantly.
“No.”
“Oh yes.”
Milo pretended to think deeply for several seconds before snapping his fingers dramatically. “You have to go into the woods behind the pool house and stay there alone for ten minutes.”
I blinked slowly. “That’s it?”
“There might be coyotes.”
“This is Connecticut.”
“Rich coyotes then.”
The room laughed again. Unfortunately, everyone forced me toward the back doors anyway because apparently betrayal was tonight’s theme. Traitors. The woods behind the Hayes property weren’t exactly dangerous. Just dark, cold, and isolated.
I shoved my hands deeper into my jeans pockets while walking through the trees, muttering threats against Milo Hayes and his future descendants.
Leaves crunched behind me suddenly. I turned sharply Kieran stood there. “You stalking me now?”
“Theo said you’d probably get lost.”
“I have survival instincts.”
“You walked into the woods because Milo told you to.”
The silence afterwards felt softer than usual. Moonlight filtered through the trees while distant music echoed faintly from the house.
Kieran leaned against a tree nearby. “You okay?”
The question caught me off guard completely. “What?”
“You’ve seemed… different lately.” My pulse skipped dangerously.
“Like you give a fuck,” I said quietly.
His expression changed instantly. “You keep saying that.” Kieran looked down briefly before laughing once without humour. “You know what’s messed up?”
“What?”
“I can’t figure you out anymore.”
That meant I was surviving. He rubbed the back of his neck slowly. “You used to avoid everybody.”
“And now?”
“Now you look at people like you’re waiting for them to disappoint you.” The words hit far too accurately.
I looked away first because he wasn’t supposed to notice things like that. Kieran’s voice softened unexpectedly. “Who hurt you?”
My chest tightened dangerously. You did. Maybe.
I swallowed hard. “Wrong question.”
“Then give me the right one.” I looked at him carefully then...
Moonlight softened the sharp edges of his face, making him look less like Crestwood’s untouchable golden boy and more human.
That felt unfair. “You ask a lot of questions for someone hiding things.”
His expression stilled immediately. Kieran stepped closer slowly. “What if I said I’m trying to protect you?”
I almost laughed. “From what?”
“People.” The answer sounded genuineThat was the problem because genuine things were harder to hate.
The wind shifted cold around us but neither of us moved and suddenly the distance between us felt too small again.
Kieran looked down at my mouth before catching himself. My heartbeat betrayed me immediately. He exhaled slowly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
His eyes locked onto mine, serious now. “That night at the party..."
Panic hit me immediately. I stepped backwards quickly. “No.”
Kieran blinked. “What?”
“We’re not talking about that.”
“Ash..”
“No.”
My voice came out sharper than intended as fear crawled beneath my skin because if we talked about the kiss, then I’d have to hear him explaining himself in long sentences
Kieran stared at me quietly for a long moment. Then said softly:
“It messed me up.”
My breath caught instantly.
Oh.
Oh no.