Chapter 70 HARPER
Getting the hall had been surprisingly the easy part—perks of having a father who owned an event venue as a side hustle and felt guilty enough about never being around to hand me the keys without questions. Sam’s friends had volunteered to help the moment I said I’d gotten the place, and they took the ‘invite a few people’ suggestion a little too literally.
What had turned out to be the real challenge was enjoying my own party. A few friends from Sam’s group had become a crowd, and a crowd had become a herd of strangers. I ended up inviting Mark and told him to bring a few people too. He arrived with everyone in our friend circle—basically half our class. But somehow, word still hadn’t reached Tyler.
I tried not to look disappointed. I tried to look like I was having fun with my ‘boyfriend,’ but even the alcohol—mixed with Mark staying glued to my side, trying so hard to keep me laughing—didn’t drown out the thoughts of Tyler. Eventually, when Mark turned to greet someone, I’d hidden behind his shoulder and sent Tyler a quick text, hoping he’d come.
Now he was standing right in front of me, close but still feeling far at the same time, making something inside my chest fold in on itself. I heard myself talking, probably spilling everything I’d been bottling up, but all I could think about was how his lips would feel on mine. Maybe it would actually mean something. Maybe it would feel like something—unlike the empty, mostly lust-driven kisses I had with Mark.
God. That probably counted as cheating. But I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I leaned in, the softness in Tyler’s eyes telling me he wanted the same thing, when the door swung open.
“Harper?”
We froze.
Mark stood in the doorway, confusion tightening into something darker. His eyes flicked from me to Tyler, then back.
“What’s going on?”
My heart lurched. I forced my expression loose and foggy, acting like I was past drowsy and had no clue where I even was.
“I was looking for you,” I slurred, wobbling as I staggered toward him and looped my arms around his waist. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“She’s way too drunk,” Tyler said, his voice rough. “Found her out here alone. I think you should take her home.”
My arms tightened around Mark, a sharp pang twisting deep inside me. It didn't matter that Tyler was just backing up my lie—it still felt like he’d slipped out of my reach the second I reached for him.
“Baby, you good?” Mark asked softly, cupping my cheeks.
I blinked back tears. He was too good. Too patient. Too sweet. So why didn’t my heart react to him? Why didn’t my skin burn beneath his touch the way it did for Tyler when he wasn't even touching me?
I pressed my face into his chest, hiding the miserable ache in my lungs.
“Yeah,” I murmured. “Sleepy… but don’t wanna go.”
Mark chuckled, running a warm hand down my back. “Shouldn’t have let you take those shots. Thanks for looking after her, man.”
“Anytime,” Tyler muttered. And maybe it was just me, but he said it like the word cut him open.
Before I could sneak a glance at him, Mark’s arm slipped under my knees, lifting me effortlessly. “Let’s get you home, babe.”
I mumbled something incoherent, my eyes darting past his shoulder. Tyler was still there, watching me. We locked eyes. And he didn’t look away—just stared, searching for something I didn’t even understand myself.
The second Mark turned, breaking the connection, my heart tripped like someone had yanked out a wire. I kicked my legs out, refusing to let him walk.
“I don’t… I don’t wanna go home,” I slurred, locking my legs.
“But you’re drunk, babe,” Mark said gently.
I shook my head against his chest, forcing myself out of his arms. My head swam as I straightened, and Mark’s hand shot out to steady me just as I caught Tyler’s worried expression when I swayed. That tiny crease between his brows… God, it shouldn’t have meant as much as it did.
Mark tried again. “Come on, baby. I’ll stay with you. We can—”
“You’ll spend the night?” I whispered, close to his ear, but my eyes stayed on Tyler, wanting to see his reaction. “Can I sleep in nothing but your jacket like last time? Makes cuddling more fun.”
Every word twisted something inside Tyler—his fist clenched, his jaw ticking so hard I thought it might crack. Mark stayed oblivious, thumb brushing soothing circles on my back.
“Whatever you want, baby.”
That was the breaking point. Tyler tore his eyes from mine and pushed past Mark, shoving through the doorway into the chaotic lights of the party.
The flash of anger on his face was a punch to my ribs—satisfying, and sickening all at once. I knew I was wrong. I knew I was playing with fire. But God, I didn’t know how to stop.
I slipped from Mark’s arms. He caught me instantly, steadying me as I stumbled.
“Babe?” he said gently, worry creeping in. “You sure you’re okay?”
I swallowed, forcing myself to focus on him. “Do you think a relationship should be fifty-fifty?”
A faint smile tugged at his lips. “I don’t think it ever is.”
I frowned. “Are you drunk too?”
He chuckled softly, though his eyes were serious. “People don’t feel the same way at the same time. Someone always ends up caring more. Doesn’t mean the other person doesn’t love them. It’s why relationships are work—effort, compromise, listening. Choosing to grow together.”
His words hit hard.
Maybe that was exactly what was missing. Maybe it wasn’t that Mark was wrong for me… maybe it was that I wasn’t even trying.
Before I could respond, a loud crash echoed from inside the hall, the music cutting out instantly. People gasped. Mark threw an arm around me protectively and guided me toward the noise.
A sharp grunt tore through the crowd, followed by a cluster of shouts. We pushed through just in time to see Peter and Jax dragging Tyler off Nathan.
“Get the fuck off me!” Tyler snarled, nose bleeding, a fresh cut splitting his lip as he struggled against his friends with one arm. “Say it again. Touch her and fucking see what happens.”
“Fuck you, you half-ass benched center,” Nathan spat, his eye swollen, blood streaming down his cheek. His teammates rallied behind him, hurling insults at Tyler.
Matt—the one I’d thought to be the calmest of Sam's friends—grabbed a bottle and flung it toward Tyler. Mark moved first, blocking him just in time. The glass exploded against his forearm.
Then everything snapped.
The hall erupted.
And what was supposed to be my first perfect senior party turned into a full-on hockey brawl between two rival teams.