"You dragged us down!"
"Worth it," I say, slicking my hair back.
Around us, the backyard erupts — cheers, whistles, people yelling "DO IT AGAIN!" like this is peak entertainment.
And apparently it is, because one idiot jumps in, then another, then suddenly half the party is cannonballing into the pool like lemmings on spring break.
Chaos. Pure, stupid, perfect chaos.
Exactly how Pond parties are supposed to be.
I haul myself out of the pool, water streaming off me as the whole backyard roars. My clothes cling to me, heavy as hell, and I shake my head, laughing because I cannot believe those idiots actually got me that good.
I strip off my soaked shirt, twisting it in my hands until water pours out like I just wrung out a fucking sponge. I rake a hand through my dripping hair and start walking toward the dorm to grab a towel—and that's when a petite body suddenly steps right into my path.
"Heeere's a towel for you, Zach..."
Her voice drops into some kind of breathy purr that makes me blink in confusion.
I look up.
Unfamiliar face.
Red bikini.
And she isveryclearly arching her back to make her boobs front-and-center like she's offering them as a peace treaty. I flinch back a whole step because Jesus Christ, she's practically weaponizing them.
"No, thanks," I say immediately, trying to sidestep.
She sidesteps with me.
"So you're Zach Westbrook, right?" she asks, twirling a strand of hair like she's in a shampoo commercial. "I'm Maya. I, um... don't usually do this, but—"
I don't even let her finish. "Look, Maya... I'm sure you're nice, but I'm taken. Very taken. Hopelessly. Pathetically. Devotedly taken. So if you don't mind—can you please move so I can go?"
I gesture vaguely toward the dorm.
In my head, she nods, apologizes, and scurries away.
Reality?
She justsmirks.
Her arms cross under her chest—which somehow pushes her boobs up even more. I jerk my eyes upward so hard I'm surprised my neck doesn't snap.
"Really?" she says, cocking her hip. "Because I don't see your girlfriend anywhere."
My jaw ticks.
She leans in, voice dropping. "If I had a boyfriend as hot as you, I wouldn't leave you unattended. Someone might steal you away..."
She drags her eyes down my torso, slow as hell. "Finders keepers, right?"
I inhale sharply, ready to shut this down with nuclear force—but a voice behind her cuts through the air like a blade dipped in honey and venom.
"Why don't you turn around," Caroline says, "and meet the girlfriend."
My head snaps up.
