Black Widow

Snitches End Up in Ditches

Jade's POV

"Why the sudden interest in this party?" Liz asked.

"No reason," I replied casually, looking out the passenger window.

She pulled into what barely qualified as a parking lot. It was more of a sandy field packed with trucks, beat-up cars and groups of people already spilling out toward the lake.

"Did I tell you you're acting weird?"

I rolled my eyes. "Only a couple hundred times."

"Good." She unfastened her seatbelt and turned toward me. "That's because you are."

I finally looked at her. "I'm just getting familiar with the scenery."

Liz's lip twitched upwards. "Yeah, well, you have a strange way of showing it."

Her gaze lingered on me for another couple of seconds, like she was trying to catch me admitting to something I had no intention of admitting to, before she finally opened the door and stepped out.

I shrugged and followed.

We made our way toward the lake, taking in the scene as we went. Music carried across the water, people were already drinking around the backs of their trucks, and groups of freshmen had scattered themselves along the shore as though they'd been there for hours.

A few guys made very little effort to hide the way their eyes followed us.

Parties like this were mostly an excuse to see people in swimsuits, and nothing anyone said was ever going to convince me otherwise.

Mine was still hidden underneath an off-white linen shirt with a few buttons undone, paired with denim shorts that showed off most of my legs. I preferred leaving something to the imagination. Last time I checked, dessert wasn't supposed to come before the appetizers.

Before leaving the house, I'd tied my hair into a loose bun and put on a little mascara, but that was about as much effort as I was willing to make. Heavy makeup at a lake party seemed slightly excessive, even for me.

Liz and I left our bags beneath a wide tree close to the water. We'd packed towels and a few other things in case we decided to swim, although judging by the amount of alcohol already circulating, I wasn't sure how responsible that decision would turn out to be.

It didn't take long for Liz to spot the guy she'd been flirting with at the frat party. She kept stealing little glances in his direction while pretending she wasn't.

"Go," I told her.

She looked at me hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine."

Liz still didn't move. "Yo—"

"Go," I repeated, this time with enough impatience for her to take the hint.

She smiled. "I won't be long."

I watched her disappear into the crowd before turning my attention back toward the party. There wasn't much point in standing there by myself, so I scanned the shore for something—or someone—worth doing.

Maybe if I was lucky, I'd find a certain someone.

Apparently I was.

A familiar head of light brown hair caught my eye not too far from the lake. Jesse was talking to a brunette whose back was turned to me, and from where I stood, she seemed pretty invested in whatever he was saying.

I watched them for a second longer than necessary.

Maybe he had more game than I'd given him credit for.