My Stepbrother: secret possession

Cheetah Jacket

"If I remember correctly, aren't all senior parties cooler than the freshmen's?" Quinn asks, peering through the windscreen, just like the rest of us.

We are facing a decent-sized, roughly rectangular two-storey glass building, adorned with a touch of brick walls, in the middle of a well-maintained lawn. On the right side, there are two white garage doors similar to ours, and the building is consorted by two chimneys—one on the left side and the other at the far end. The second-floor long patio railing is made of transparent glass. Apart from the number of cars parked on both sides of the street, the house doesn't appear to be hosting a party at the moment, despite us being forty minutes late because of some gas issues. However, faint music can be heard emanating from within.

"You tell me," Lilith shrugs.

Letting out a small laugh that escapes her throat, Suri closes her eyes, trying to compose herself. "Please don't tell me we spent our day getting ready for a boring party."

"I'd be so disappointed in Tyron. I gave the guy more credit than this," Quinn remarks beside me.

"This dress is itching me," Lilith grumbles.

"Will you all stop yammering? Tyron isn't your typical local senior. This should be a modern senior party," Embry says, pushing the passenger door open.

Sighing, the rest of us scramble out of the car while the mighty redhead walks like the Khaleesi of all Summerlin or maybe even Las Vegas itself. The door opens before we can knock, and a blonde boy welcomes us with a warm smile.

The house is much noisier than we anticipated. Regular lighting has been replaced with multicoloured disco bulbs that transform the house into a club. The air carries an odd smell, and the confined space feels warm.

Many eyes turned towards us as we stood by the entrance. I'm not sure about the girls, but I know my knees can barely support me as we have gained the attention Embry desired. The music is actually loud, and I can already guess that the red cups contain the reason behind the peculiar smell filling the atmosphere.

Describing the interior design is challenging because of the crowded and dimly lit space, but I can tell that the Bertram family is financially well-off, and I hope none of their properties will be damaged. The kids around here seem wild and rough, something I have never witnessed before in my life.

Smirking, Embry turns to face us. With Lilith and me on the left, and Quinn and Suri on the right, since Embry is in the middle. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Just then, Tyron appears behind the mighty Embry with a grin. "Look who's here, Vegas' favourite girls." He playfully applauds, and I swear I see the girls blush simultaneously. They seemed to enjoy their reputation and would go to great lengths to maintain it. "Ava, you came." His smile widened, and I nodded slightly. "You look pretty..." his gaze never left me. And now I swear I caught Lilith grinning widely while Embry frowned. Either Tyron noticed or he realised that the four of us were also dressed up, so he quickly added, "You all look beautiful."

"I know, I'm wearing Chanel. Kim Kardashian wore this to last year's Met Gala," Embry brags, as if she's receiving an award and asked for the history of her outfit designer. The girls roll their eyes in sync, and I almost laugh at her behaviour.

"You should get yourself a drink. They're in the kitchen," he informs us, and disappears into the dancing room.

I open my mouth to ask the girls what we should do, but I find myself standing alone. With a nervous sigh, I ventured further into the airless house, pushing through the crowd and attracting typical high school glances—some admiring, some just teenagers being teenagers. Eventually, I spot the kitchen and head in that direction, until I accidentally bump into someone and spill their pink drink on their peach shirt and maroon jacket—a cheetah jacket, if I'm not mistaken.