𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒 | SPINOFF

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

AVERY
RAVEN

I turned off my phone, silencing Marcella's calls as they stretched too long. Part of me ached to answer—she was probably worried that I hadn't come back. Jaxon had tried too, Liliana as well. But tonight, I wasn't answering anyone. Tonight, I was the worst version of myself, the girl who shut everyone out.

I was Avery Raven, and I was a terrible friend.

Astor's voice broke into my thoughts. "Come on, Avery, just a little smoke. No big deal." I leaned away, holding up a hand. "I'll drink, but I'm not smoking."

Makayla, his best friend, shot me a grin, urging me with a playful nudge. "Girl, it's only weed. It won't hurt anybody." She laughed lightly, her eyes sparkling as she looked between us.

In theory, I didn't mind Astor having a female best friend; I had guy friends too. But something about Makayla and Astor's closeness gnawed at me. It wasn't that she was just a friend—she looked at him in a way that made me uncomfortable, a gaze filled with adoration that lingered a bit too long. She said they'd been together before and were "just friends" now, but it always felt like there was more beneath the surface.

Astor leaned closer, his voice coaxing. "Do it for me, babe. We're all smoking; drinking is for kids."

My throat tightened. I was a kid. Fifteen years old, sitting in a circle of nineteen-year-olds who lived life at a pace that left me dizzy. When I was with Alessio and his friends, I felt protected, like they wouldn't let me go too far. But here, with Astor, it was different. Here, I was an outsider, a kid trying to keep up with a group that lived beyond me.

He handed me the joint, a thin roll of paper that somehow weighed down my hand like it was made of lead. The group's eyes fell on me, waiting, nudging. One of them was Damon's friend, Kaiden Capolla, and I caught him scowling at me from across the circle. He gave a small shake of his head, a silent warning. But I ignored it. The weight of their expectations pressed in, made me feel smaller, like I was shrinking under the judgment of the whole group. And so, feeling like I had no other choice, I took the joint from Astor's outstretched hand, bracing myself as I brought it to my lips.

My heart thudded in my chest. I didn't know how to smoke; I was a drinker, not a smoker. The pressure around me grew tighter, and I wondered if they saw through me—if they saw just how small and uncertain I felt, how out of place I truly was.

I brought the joint to my lips, trying to remember what I'd seen others do, but it felt foreign in my hands, like I was holding something I shouldn't. I inhaled a little, coughing immediately as the smoke filled my throat, rough and bitter. My eyes watered, and the laughter around me started as a low chuckle, then grew louder. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment, my hands shaking slightly.

Makayla laughed the loudest, nudging Astor. "Aw, little Avery can't handle a little smoke." She grinned, glancing at Astor to see if he was amused, and he was—just not in the way I'd hoped. His face held a smug smile, like this was all a joke to him.

I looked away, biting back the feeling of embarrassment that clawed at my chest. But before I could process it, someone else's hand reached out, pulling me gently but firmly to my feet.

Kaiden.

He didn't join in with their laughter; he just looked at me with those serious eyes, a frown deepening as he looked back at the group. "Come on, Avery," he said quietly, his hand still on my arm. "Let's go for a walk."

I hesitated, glancing at the others, who seemed too busy laughing to notice. Kaiden's grip tightened slightly, urging me. I nodded, feeling a strange sense of relief, like I was being pulled out of a bad dream. We walked into the trees, the cool night air soothing the sting of embarrassment that still burned my face. The laughter and loud voices faded behind us as we got deeper into the forest, until all I could hear were our footsteps and the faint rustling of leaves.