Chapter 5

Maddie

After showering to get Alec off me, I dried my hair and grabbed an overnight bag for Vera’s house. I couldn’t believe that I had stupidly fallen for Alec Wolfe’s charm. Out of all the jocks that were here tonight, it had to be him.

I balled my hand into a tight fist and stood at my door, taking a deep breath.

Come on, Maddie. We don’t even need to look around the party, just slip out the side door.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and for a moment I thought it was that weird threatening number again but Vera’s name popped up on the screen in our group chat with Piper, the third friend in our little nerdy group who I met last year during the Math Olympics that our school hosted.

Vera: If you’re both staying over, one of you will prob have to sleep on the couch.

Piper: Ugh, I don’t know if I will be able to make it. My dad is being annoying.

Vera: What happened?

Piper: Something about Poison and the mob? Maybe someone died or something. I don’t know. He ran out of the house in a rush, almost forgot his gun and badge here too. Anyway, he told me that if I left, he’d have my ass later so…

Vera: 😧

Vera: Are you still coming over, Maddie?

Peering up at the door once more, I typed back.

Me: Yeah, I’m leaving now.

Vera: Mhm…

Me: What?

Vera: You said that an hour ago. Get distracted 😉

For a mere moment, my lips curled into a smile. But then I wiped the grin off my face—because I couldn’t get distracted by some chiseled abs and a heartbreaker’s smile. Alec Wolfe was a dickhead, and I was standing by that.

Me: No, I was showering.

Vera: Showering in cum?

I bit my lip to stifle a giggle.

Me: Get your mind off those smutty stories of yours. I’ll be over in fifteen. Want anything from Cumby’s while I’m out?

Vera: Gatorade pls <3

Me: Blaise wear you out? Need to replenish with some electrolytes?

Vera: 😠😠😠

Vera: Hate you. Bye.

My phone buzzed again, but this time Vera texted me in our private chat.

Vera: And a Hostess cupcake from Cumby’s pls pls pls <3 I will love you forever!

Me: Only if you tell me how it was with Blaise tonight 😉

Vera: …

Vera: Deal! Get me two.

Once I finally deposited the phone into my pocket for good this time, I grasped the doorknob and flung the door open. I was on a mission to ignore anyone and everyone tonight, because I did not want to see Alec getting handsy with Sandra again.

I would hurl… something at them probably.

Keeping my head down, I hurried down the stairs and pushed through the sweaty jocks. Because I was a damn masochist, I scanned the crowd for Alec and Sandra and growled when I couldn’t find them. That’s what I got for fucking someone who wasn’t mine. Stupid, jealousy.

When I arrived at the door, I scanned the crowd once more. No sign of either of them.

Teeth gritting together, I stomped out of the house and through the grass to my car that I parked on the street after the game because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get down the driveway with everyone and their sisters at this party tonight.

Alec and Sandra were probably sleeping together in one of the spare rooms upstairs or fucking in the pool.

“Hey!” someone shouted from the front porch.

I twirled around, heart racing at the thought of it being Alec, but found my brother instead. “What?”

“Where are you going?”

“To Vera’s.”

Holding a red solo cup in his hand, he arched a brow. “To Vera’s?”

“Yes, to Vera’s house,” I repeated.

Ever since Spencer, Oliver had acted like nothing but an overprotective parent to me. He always had to know where I was going, who was going to be there, and if I would be safe. And Oliver didn’t technically love that Vera lived in the slums.

“Oliver!” a girl shouted, stumbling onto the porch and grabbing his free hand. “Come on.”

“Text me when you get there,” he said to me, letting the girl tug him back inside.

After blowing out a breath, I continued to my car and slipped into the driver’s seat. I sat in silence for a few moments, then glanced out at the house, wishing that Alec would stumble out front alone to get some air.

Hell, I knew that I needed air after what happened.

But the longer I waited, the more my hopes fell.

His car still sat in the driveway, and he was still inside getting drunker by the second and probably letting Sandra suck him off in the bathrooms or something… Maybe I should’ve done that? Not that I had ever really given a blowjob before.

Spencer and I had… gone far, but we had never done that.

I would’ve probably fucked it up so much that he would’ve had to know that it was me.

Maddie Weber, and not Stupid Sandra.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them away and started the car. I didn’t care about what Alec was doing right now. I drove down the street toward the slums. I didn’t care at all. I stopped at the stop sign at the end of my road and glanced into my rearview mirror. Not at all.