Chapter 103 Chapter One Hundred And Three
Lena’s POV
The girl with the braids flashed me a bright smile as she pulled me through the crowd.
“I’m Shae, by the way!” she shouted over the music. “Come on, you have to meet my friends!”
She led me through the glass doors to the pool area. The bass was even louder out here, vibrating through the deck.
The pool glowed in shifting colours, blue to pink to purple, and was packed with people in various states of sobriety and… undress.
My stomach clenched at the sight of the water and I took a step back.
“Look who I found!” Shae announced to a group lounging on deck chairs. “It’s the girl from TeaSpiller!”
A guy with dark curly hair and a lazy smile looked up from his phone. “Are you serious? You mean the one who’s supposedly two-timing Jace Dawson and that other football guy? Jesus Christ, she looks even better in person.”
“She already has a boyfriend, Artem,” Shae said, swatting his arm. “Back off.”
“Just making an observation.” Artem held up his hands innocently. “Why don’t you come over here and make another paparazzi photo with me?” He asked me with a wink.
“I said cut it out! Can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable?” Shae laughed.
Another girl patted the empty lounge chair beside her. “Sit! Take a load off. You want a drink? There’s a full bar inside.”
“I’m good standing, thanks.” I took another careful step away from the pool’s edge, my heels clicking on the wet tile.
This was… nice. Weird, but nice.
The last party I’d been to, actually the only party I’d ever been to, had ended with me being shoved into a pool and nearly drowning. With Jace pulling me out while his friends laughed.
But these people were being welcoming. They were friendly and they were including me too, like I belonged here.
It was so disorienting. Is this what happened to everyone when they lost weight? I wondered.
“You sure you don’t want to sit?” Shae pressed. “Or we could go for a swim! The pool’s heated.”
“No!” I blurted out. “I mean—no, thank you. I’m not really a swimmer.”
I scanned the crowd again, looking for Noah’s dark hair, his leather jacket. Where had he gone?
A girl in a tiny pink bikini emerged from the pool, water streaming off her skin as she flipped her hair dramatically.
She was gorgeous, like something straight out of Baywatch, with gold-tanned skin and long legs and a killer smile.
“Don’t hold it against her, Artem,” she said, wringing out the water from her hair. “She’s young and hot. I say have some fun while you can. What’s life without a nice body count?”
My face went hot with embarrassment. “Um, no, actually it’s not like that—”
Someone thrust a red solo cup at me. I shook my head, waving it off.
“I’m not—I don’t drink, but thank you—”
“Relax, it’s just Coke.” The bikini girl laughed, pushing wet hair out of her face. “Though between you and me, Brandon definitely spiked it with something. I’m Diane, by the way.”
She stuck out her hand and I shook it automatically.
“Diane…” The name tickled something in my memory. Come to think of it, her face also seemed a little familiar, “Do I know you from—”
“Allison’s my sister,” she said casually, as though it was no big deal. “Just flew in from San Diego for spring break. Thought I’d crash her party.”
My blood went cold with terror.
“Allison?” I repeated faintly. “Allison Whitmore? This is her party?”
“Whose party did you think it was?” Shae laughed. “It’s literally at her family’s beach house.”
Oh God. When Noah said it earlier I thought maybe it was some kind of weird joke. But now that someone else was saying it…
I spun around, scanning the crowd with mounting panic. How had I not realized? Only one person in town had the connections and social influence to ever have this kind of popular crowd together in one huge party, and it was Allison.
“Hey, are you okay?” Diane touched my arm. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I need to… I have to find Noah…”
I started to walk away, so maybe I could find him and we could leave before this went horribly wrong.
All the lights in the room went off, plunging everyone into darkness and the music cut off abruptly.
Confused murmurs had just started to ripple through the beach house, when suddenly a bright white spotlight snapped on at the top of the grand staircase.
And there she was.
Allison, Queen of Westbrook.
She stood at the top of the stairs in a white bodycon dress so tight it looked painted on, her blonde hair falling in perfect waves down her waist.
She looked like a goddess, untouchable and perfect and flawless, so much so that I felt familiar feelings of insecurity and envy rise in the pit of my stomach.
“WESTBROOK!” Her voice carried over the silent crowd. “Are you having fun?”
The entire house erupted in cheers.
“As you already know, I’m your host, Allison. Glad to see such a big turnout for my party!”
The lights came back on, everyone went back to partying and Allison beamed, happily soaking in the attention and cheering like a flower in the sunlight.
She started walking down the stairs majestically, one hand trailing along the railing, while everyone watched.
I looked around desperately for Noah, or at this point anyone at all who could get me out of here, small beads of sweat already on my forehead.
There was no way she didn’t still have a grudge about me for kissing Jace, or no… looking like I kissed Jace, and I’d already had more than enough drama for one day.
What if she recognized me as Lena? I wondered, nervously picking at my fingers. Then she would take her revenge on me for some other sin, like having the audacity to join her cheer team instead of just giving up like she wanted.
“Noah, where are you?” I whispered. “I want to go home.”