Playing His Game

Chapter Thirty-One | Till The Next Goodbye

Thirty-One:

I wouldn't admit it if anyone asked, but it actually felt good to walk through the double doors of Will's lavish house.

The hum of people all around me, the music already traveling to my ears from across the foyer, my friends tugging on my arms excitedly; it all was a breath of fresh air from the solidarity I'd been forced to endure in the confines of my bedroom.

After a week of lounging around in nothing but sweats and yoga pants, my tight blue jeans were feeling vaguely uncomfortable. I'd easily given in when Lauren had tossed them at me, though, because I suppose it wouldn't have been socially acceptable to show up at the party donning fuzzy pajama pants.

Once I'd shed my hoodie for a stretchy purple shirt and dusted some light makeup over my face, I looked somewhat human again. Carly had tried to insist on curling my hair, but one warning look let her know I wasn't up for that just quite yet. She'd relented, but still looked bitter as I'd left my hair in its natural state.

I was also in a remarkably good mood because I'd gotten to drive my car for the first time. Experiencing the surround sound and smooth leather interior made me wonder why I'd waited two weeks to test it out.

Lily all but ran into Will's arms when he came into view, his hands coming to rest on the back of her hips as they met.

Lauren and Carly gave each other knowing looks while I chose to look away, instead leading the way as the three of us neared the large living room.

We ended up detouring and going to the kitchen instead, where Tyler and Jake were standing, seemingly just finished a drinking contest, judging by the crowd of people and array of empty cups surrounding them.

"Hey, babe," Tyler greeted Lauren excitedly, leaning down to quickly cup her cheek and kiss her.

I stared at my feet; it seemed like happy couples were all around me on this fine New Year's Eve.

They broke apart and Tyler noticed me, halfway grinning as he looked me up and down. "And look who finally decided to grace us with her appearance!"

Lauren elbowed him in the stomach, making him wince in pain. "Leave her alone."

Carly wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Hey, little miss rebel here has been grounded for the past week, if you hadn't heard."

Tyler laughed loudly, clearly already buzzed. "Sneaking out? You are a rebel!"

I shook my head, laughing a little. "No! I just got ungrounded, actually."

Jake raised an eyebrow, tuning into our conversation after dismissing some girl he'd been talking to. "Aren't you eighteen now? Grounding shouldn't even be a thing."

I shrugged. "Well, it was technically my first grounding, like, ever. It's probably the last, too."

Carly snickered, her hand coming up to teasingly pinch my cheek. "Aww, you little angel."

I shoved her hand away. "Shush."

After a few more minutes most of our group dispersed, leaving me and Carly to move to the living room.

We collapsed onto one of the large sofas. Carly sipped at the mixed drink she held in one hand, her eyes wandering around the room. "I swear, some of these girls are insane with their little mini-dresses. It's fucking winter!"

I looked up to where she was studying a group of Juniors across the room. They were huddled together, wearing scarily tight dresses that were centimeters away from revealing their asses.