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chapter ten / blood stained carpet
tw: sexual harassment, drug abuse
Kook house parties were not a protective habitat for species like Ilyshah Tūrei. She knew as much as she followed behind Spencer through the entryway, the bass of Highest In The Room drummed off the white walls and echoed through her ribcage. The thick, stifling air dripped with liquor, sweat mixed with clouds of pot, heavy cologne, and chlorine near choking her as her palms clung to the sticky countertop. Spencer wasted no time with his camera, determined to capture every moment as people posed before him.
When it was time to join the rest of the Kooks down the rabbit hole, they sucked on their lime wedges after downing a shot of tequila. Going off the deep end into a glass pool of mercuriality.
"To sobriety?" Spencer raised his glass, cracking a toothy grin as Ilyshah shook her head with a smile and clinked their glasses. One tequila shot, two vodka shots, four downed leaving a dull, burning sensation as the liquid slicked down her throat like it belonged there all along.
Sobriety. That all went to hell with Rafe Cameron's arrival, welcomed like King of the island. Ilyshah could read Spencer's intense gaze as it tore away from the small talk with two other people from the party, even when he came back to the hazy confines of their conversation—he wasn't all there. Not until Rafe snaked his arms over both their shoulders as her body uncontrollably stiffened under his touch.
"I'm wondering where the party is and it seems to be over here," he smirked devilishly, shaking Spencer more vigorously, "and fish without a mai tai in his hand?"
Spencer shrugged with a coy side smile. "I'll get to those, just wanted something stronger to start with," then snapped his head towards a group of people calling out to him for photos and excused himself.
On her list of people Ilyshah didn't want to be left alone with, Rafe Cameron took first place. Even being stuck talking to Kelce about how much he benched in the gym was preferable to the hostage of his darkened stare. First it was indifference when they met all those months ago at The Island Club until it soon melded into him becoming a stranger to her good graces.
She turned away from him to mix herself a vodka guava, her movements growing more languid as the liquor seeped into her system. "I'm enjoying myself just fine, thanks."
He audibly sighed, leaning his elbows on the counter beside her as he chewed on a strip of gum. "You know come to think of it, you and Spence are so alike."
"Oh yeah? How so?" She distractedly asked, avoiding eye contact with him as she focused on the ice cubes as she dropped them into her cup.
"Well you're both so quiet and shy you see," he drew in her attention as he straightened, "hard to get a word out of either of you sometimes."
