“You sure?”
“Yeah, thanks,” I confirmed.
“Okay. I’ll be back.”
William stood up, then turned back to me before walking away. He looked at my mouth and then pecked me on the lips.
“I’m really happy you’re here tonight.”
That sentence made me see stars. My first kiss was so much better than I could’ve ever imagined. I never thought I’d feel like that with someone I’d just met. I sensed James’s magnetic stare. If William was kindness incarnate, then James was violence. It wasn’t just physical. The way he stared at me was brutal. As if he wanted to tear away everyone’s masks, inhibitions, and souls. He was in the pool, but he wore his usual arrogant, insolent expression, as if life was a constant struggle for him.
His behavior made me shiver, but my body quivered unexpectedly with arousal and annoyance when he glared at me.
When I was around Will, the sensations were soft and even, but with James they were rough and violent.
James kept staring at me even as he dunked his head in the water.
What kind of sick game was this? He must’ve been drunk.
I was nervously kicking the tip of my Vans against the porch swing leg when a shadow loomed in front of me.
James bent toward one of the candles that Will had arranged on the ground in our little quiet corner and turned on a vape pen.
I didn’t look at him; I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. I wasn’t going to let him ruin my night.
He laughed, making my blood boil.
“In case you didn’t notice, I’m ignoring you, Hunter.”
“Oh, yeah. I can see how you’re ignoring me.” He blew a cloud of smoke at me.
“What mood are you in today?” I egged him on, daring to look defiantly at his wet chest, which was adorned with little drops of water.
“I’m in a mood that will end badly if you don’t shut up,” he declared, crossing his arms.
“You wouldn’t have the guts.”
I looked up at him fiercely, holding his gaze.
“You don’t know shit, June White.”
I shuddered, but I tried not to show it. The scent of chlorine mingled with his cologne made my head spin. “Do you think you scare me? Are you really that tough that you have to get drunk and get into fights with everyone?”
He laughed again between puffs of smoke, and his lips curved into a malicious smile without losing their fullness.
“Did you dismember bunnies and eat battery acid for breakfast, Hunter?”
He glared at me. “Shut up, and don’t talk to me again.”
“I’m not scared of meatheads like you.” I provoked him, remembering William’s words.
Even though there was another version—Amelia, Poppy, and Ari’s version. Who was I supposed to believe?
“Is that so, White?”
James straightened his back and broadened his shoulders to challenge me.
“Come on, I wanna see it for myself,” I prodded, standing up.
