COSMOS | Complete

CHAPTER 12: ASHER

"So, are you new?" Britney extends a red cup towards me. I eye it for a moment, then accept it. She smiles sweetly at me, grabbing her own. "Sparkling water," she explains. "Don't want to push the beginners too hard now, do we?"

I nod, moving away from the mini bar. She follows.

"I'm not new," I say, raising the cup cautiously to my lips. The stench is overwhelming, and I quickly lower my hand. "I've lived here my entire life." I don't mention that I've only been to several parties before, always bringing my own water bottle. Chloe dragged me to Chris's house from the mall, and I don't exactly keep a Dasani with me at all times.

"Really?" Britney wonders aloud, taking a sip. "You must know loads about Blakely, then."

I stifle another laugh. Every single girl in this town is the same – fawning over a jock with a heart no bigger than a pea, wearing the same skimpy outfits, ironing their locks to a crisp. They might as well be related.

I open my mouth to speak, but Britney pushes on. "You never finished my earlier question, by the way. How good is he in bed?"

"What, you haven't slept with him yet?" I joke, but my humor is squashed by her deathly glare. She sneers. "The best always come later."

Another snicker escapes my lips, and she stares at me, frowning. I can't help myself; the laughter comes in waves, and I cannot fathom the idiocy that this girl bestows – she's beautiful, and yet, her one goal in life is to sleep with Aaron Blakely.

Britney gnashes her teeth, her cup crackling as it dents. "Did I say something ...?" she trails off, having forgotten my name.

"Asher," I snort in response. "Hm ... I've never met someone with a worse memory than my own." Her cheeks flush, and her painted lips tighten. "Sorry, sorry." I seal my lips into a smile. "Kidding."

She stares at me, blue eyes frosty, but turns her lips up into a smirk. "You're hilarious," she declares with disdain. Her arm snakes through my own, locking to my limb. She begins tugging me back to her friends, who are currently passing the smoking piece of paper, eyes glazed.

"No, I think I'm going to check for-"

"Chloe?" She scoffs. "It's been half an hour, babe. I'm sure you'll have much more fun with us."

"I-"

"Oh, we won't force you to do anything you don't want to," she says sweetly. Her painted lashes flutter.

I glance around the party, Chloe nowhere to be seen. The house is packed with drunk strangers, the stench of alcohol, and roaming hands. I can't identify any of these people, much less ask for a ride.

"We'll have so much fun," I agree dryly, and a pearly smile graces Britney's face. She drags me down to sit beside her, and accepts the joint.

"Let's play truth or dare," proclaims one girl, and the others chorus an agreement. "Chicken out, and drink." Britney raises her smoke to proclaim that she's going first.

"Asher," she says, pivoting towards me. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," I decide.

Britney's question is sharp and quick, as if the idea had been planted in her mind all along. "Are you a virgin?"

I roll my eyes, but chicken out and take a sip. The liquid burns down my throat, and I wince. "What kind of sparkling water is this?"

Britney laughs. "New brand. What, have you not tried it?"

I shrug. "Guess not." Heidi doesn't invest in sparkling water.

Britney purses her lips, but looks at me expectantly. My turn. "Britney." She's the only one I can identify.