Page 50 of Theirs


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I sighed and folded my arms, wishing I hadn’t said I’d go to this stupid party. Gabe stared behind me like a love-struck puppy, and I knew my sister had arrived.

“I’ll look after Summer, don’t worry,” he murmured, his eyes locked onto her.

“It’s notfair. I want to dress up and go to parties,” Alice pouted, swinging her legs over the end of the sofa. Dad lifted his eyes to her.

“You’re fucking not going anywhere. You’re grounded forlife.”

“Mom said—”

“I don’t care what Mom said. Dad said no,never. End of. You’ll be like Rapunzel. Locked in a tower,” he warned as she stared back at him in horror.

“You’resomean to me. Summer gets away witheverything,” Alice complained as I nodded in agreement.

“Favoritism,” I chimed in, as Alice stuck her tongue out at Dad.

“Favoritism? You’ve all bled me dry. I’m surprised I have any hair left,” Dad scoffed.

It was the ongoing debate. Summer was the favorite. We were all next in line.

“You’reMom’s favorite,” Alice declared as Zane padded in, his green eyes crinkling in confusion.

“What?”

“I don’t have favorites.Go, I’m getting a headache. Be good!” Mom yelled over the arguing.

“I do, Caleb. Look after my favorite!” Dad joked before I flipped my middle finger up. He grinned at me. “Tell Jade I said—”

“Nope,” I replied, walking away.

The party was a twenty-minute cab ride away, and I sat in the front seat so Gabe and Summer could be together—I’m good like that.

The driver chatted about the state of the town, how the mayor was spending so much money on his campaign though the city’s streets were going to shit. I hated the potholes in the road and ended up swaying like a madman, trying to avoid them whenever I was driving.

People probably think I’m drunk.

Eventually, we arrived, and I tried to prepare myself for seeing Jade with JT, not something I found easy to do at all. But she was a big girl, and if that was her choice, so be it.

Summer strode in before us, and I noticed the looks she was getting from the older guys as Gabe glowered at them aggressively. I smiled, heading to the kitchen, searching for a drink. The music made the floor vibrate beneath my feet, and I finally located a beer. Glancing around the room, I wondered who lived here and if they knew their house was party central.

I sipped my beer with a sigh, wondering when I could leave without being questioned by Romeo & Juliet. The room was enormous, a DJ box set up in the corner where a gaggle of girls stood, flirting shamelessly with the DJ. Someone had pushed back sofas to create a makeshift dance floor, all the counters, and shelves bare of trinkets and ornaments. The chandelier above us dominated the room, and I wondered how long that would last before some idiot used it as a swing.

Weaving my way through the bodies and back into the kitchen, I found ice buckets strewn all over the floor, filled with all kinds of beers and wine. People sat on the granite surfaces in front of windows that lead out to a pool.

A pool?

I did a double-take as I walked outside through the open patio doors, seeing people fully-clothed in the water, playing drinking games.

A recipe for disaster if I’ve ever seen one.

The garden was bigger than the house if that was even possible. This had to be someone’s grandparents’ house or some shit. No one wasthisrich. The lawns were immaculate, and I cringed as some guy took a piss on the flowers. The air was cooler out here, and I spotted a bench towards the back where I could probably stay out of sight for a bit.

“Hey, want a drink?” drawled a southern accent as I turned to see an attractive redhead holding out a beer.

“I’m good,” I smiled, holding my bottle up. She wore a green dress with a slit up the leg, revealing a tanned, toned thigh. Her hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and I spotted a tattoo on her inner wrist. It was two thick black lines.

“Nice ink. What is it?” I asked curiously. I loved tattoos. I only had one on my forearm, the beginnings of a sleeve I envisioned.

She smiled, peering at her wrist as though seeing it for the first time.