If the atmosphere had been light a moment ago when James was laughing at me, now he was glaring at me.
“Never seek me out again, do you understand me, princess?” he snarled.
“You’re the one who seeks me out,” I retorted.
“What a piece of work,” remarked the guy next to James, when I’d already turned around. “That’s the typical girl who’ll make you struggle before getting into bed with you.”
“I don’t want shit from her,” spat James in a rage.
“So if she’s not your girlfriend, and you don’t like her—”
“What?”
“Can I shoot my shot? She’s sexy. Maybe she’s that aggressive in bed too.”
“Go ahead. Go anywhere near her, and I’ll bite your balls off.”
I pretended not to hear any of this and walked to the kitchen. Will was leaning on the dining room table, drinking, while his charcoal-gray eyes were glued to Ari, who sat all alone on the other side of the living room looking like someone had just died.
“Is it normal that she’s alone like this?” I asked, seeing her worried.
“No. Not usually,” Will grumbled. “Maybe you should talk to her.”
I took Will’s suggestion and went up to her.
“Are you okay?”
Ari looked up from her empty cup to where Amelia was laughing and joking with Blaze and another guy nearby.
“You’re the first person to ask me that since Brian and I broke up,” she whispered, making space on the easy-chair arm for me.
“Did you clear things up with Amelia?”
I always saw them together at school, but Amelia had the typical passive-aggressive behavior; even though she couldn’t stand you, she came near you just to make hateful jabs.
“Yeah, but deep down she still hates me for making her brother suffer.”
“Understandable. But if you didn’t feel like being with him, it was for the best, wasn’t it?”
“I care about him, but we’re incompatible. I don’t understand why she can’t accept that.”
“Give her time.”
Ari had made mistakes, but Amelia didn’t have a say in Ari’s relationship with Brian. Especially when she didn’t love him anymore.
Ari’s gaze intensified when Poppy appeared in front of us.
Was Poppy mad? No way.
“Ari, you’re a damn manipulator.”
Oh no, the full moon had hit the party too.
Ari looked around like she couldn’t believe Poppy was talking to her that way.
“What’s going on?” I interrupted.
“You judged me, you made me think I was shameless when I was with James at Will’s party. And like an idiot, I listened to you and felt guilty. But you didn’t say that because you cared about me, you said it because you were jealous!”
