Checkmate

7| The undoing

That night, I dream of the party that led to my downfall. It was the last day of school, and everyone had planned to head down to the woods for a pre-spring break party, the kind I usually tried to avoid, but Chase was used to getting his way.

"One party isn't going to ruin your reputation, Rose," he said through a mouthful of fries. We were sitting in the courtyard, enjoying one of the rare few instances of sunshine in an otherwise drab small town. With my campaign book before me, I flicked through the last few requirements to meet before I could officially call myself a candidate.

Libby sat beside me, tapping away on her phone, but looked up to agree with her brother. "Yeah," she said teasingly, "future senior class presidents can party too."

I smiled, but the truth was, it wasn't that I was averse to partying; I couldn't handle the pressure. Parties had expectations to drink and let loose, which was hard to do when your mother was mayor. One wrong move, it wasn't just my reputation on the line, it was hers.

"I don't know, " I said, but the way Chase squeezed my hand gave me pause, "I guess an hour or two won't kill me."

Chase leaned closer before kissing my jaw. "If it does, I'll revive you."

As soon as I got home, I ate dinner, checked my checklist for the millionth time, finished the final touches on my slogan, and wracked my closet for something to wear. I settled on something simple: jeans and a black tank with my new Manolos. Libby and the others met me at seven, and despite my parents' grumbling, my dad drove us down to the woods while we laughed and chatted in the back.

"Be safe," he said once we got there, and he swiveled around in the driver's seat to look at me properly. There was a smile on his face, but something about the worry in his eyes unnerved me. "Be sensible."

"Always," I said.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Matthews," Libby said. She took my hand, and the four of us climbed out of the car and headed toward the crowd.

My eyes fell on Chase straight away, leaning against a tree with a red solo cup in his hand. He looked as handsome as always, his hair slightly styled in that Abercrombie way and his skin a sunkissed bronze. My heart pulsed. Even though, up until then, I'd felt hesitant, the sight of him eased my nerves.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," I said and walked over to Chase.

As soon as he saw me, he grinned and pulled me into his arms, giving me a full-on kiss. I flinched a little, not one for public displays of affection, but clearly, he'd forgotten. "I half expected you to chicken out," he said.

"Hey," I said, "I'm a girl of my word."

But he was barely even listening. With his arm around my shoulder, he talked with Adam and Tristan about basketball practice while I tried to feign interest. It wasn't the first time I'd felt excluded in their conversations, but maybe that was my fault. It wasn't like I knew anything about basketball, so most of the time, I just stayed silent and tried to keep up.

At one point, while Adam and Tristan argued about tactics, Tristan's gaze fell to my cleavage. Chase noticed, too, leaning in my ear so only I could hear. "Put your jacket on."

"It's too warm for a jacket," I said, but his ice-cold stare cajoled me into action, undoing the sweatshirt around my waist before slipping it on.

Just then, Libby and the others came to join us, handing me a red solo cup. I held the cup tightly and took a small sip, desperate for the distraction.

"Okay, okay," Georgia said, " let's play a game of Never Have I Ever."

"I'll go first," Libby said. She held the cup up to her lips in preparation and gave Tristan a flirty look. "Never have I ever made out with my best friend's sister."