That moment in the gymnasium ruined me.

  My perspective of Jessica completely flipped. The annoying, loud, ditzy cheerleader vanished. Now, every time I looked at her, I saw dangerously high-definition details. I saw the faint consteltion of freckles bridging her nose. I memorized the tiny moles on her colrbone. I caught myself staring at the sharp indent of her dimples every time she ughed.

  Worse than that was the way she looked at me. When our eyes met across the courtyard now, the pyful banter was gone. Her green eyes were heavy, heavy and seductive, pulling me in. It felt like she was weaving a net right in front of me, daring me to step into a spell that would bind me to her forever.

  "So, Daeron. What about you?"

  Nicole’s voice snapped the invisible thread between me and Jessica.

  I blinked, my stoic mask slipping back into pce. "Yeah? About what?"

  "Uhh, really, dude?" Nicole rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "What is up with you? You're always spacing out tely."

  "We're talking about the big junior party this weekend, Daeron. You in or out?" Reggie asked, cutting to the chase.

  "Oh. Yeah, sure. I'm in."

  I gnced back at Jessica. She was resting her chin on her hand, a wicked, knowing smile pying on her lips. She knew exactly why I was distracted.

  Fuck, I thought, ripping my eyes away from her. Get it together, Tiger. You cannot betray your brother.

  "Uhh, actually... maybe I’ll skip the party this weekend, guys," Alvin said. His voice cracked slightly, his eyes glued to his half-eaten sandwich. "I want to... finish my game before the midterm study crunch begins."

  "Yo, what the hell, Al?" I frowned, nudging his shoulder. "Come on, buddy. Don’t bail on us."

  "...Nah, man. You guys just go enjoy it."

  I leaned in, throwing my arm around the back of his neck so only he could hear me. "Come on, man," I whispered fiercely. "This is a party. This is your perfect chance to get close to Jess in the dark."

  Alvin didn't look up. His shoulders were tense. "Seriously, man, I don’t really like loud parties," he whispered back, his tone unusually tight. "And don't you dare bail out just because I am. The girls will be pissed."

  "Shit, man. At least think about it?"

  "...Alright. But just go have fun without me."

  I let out a quiet sigh. The st five weeks of socializing had clearly drained his social battery. He was an indoor guy; being surrounded by cheerleaders every single day was probably exhausting him. It felt wrong to leave him behind, but I figured he just needed his sanctuary for a couple of days.

  "Alright, since Alvin is officially out, we need three more guys to bance the ratio," Nicole announced, taking charge of the logistics. "Amy is obviously going with Tyson. I’ll take Daeron as my pair. Reggie, what about you?"

  "I’ll invite Mike from chemistry," Reggie nodded.

  I sat there, completely indifferent to Nicole ciming me. It was just a party. It meant nothing to me.

  "And Faye?" Nicole turned to her. "Since Alvin bailed, who are you bringing?"

  "Umm. I don’t know yet." Faye looked down at her hands, her voice practically dripping with disappointment. She shot a sad, fleeting gnce at Alvin. "Maybe I’ll just ask my older brother to drive me?"

  "Okay, that works. You can just find a guy to dance with at the party anyway," Nicole said dismissively. "And Jess? Are you gon—"

  "I’ll invite someone from my css," Jessica snapped.

  She cut Nicole off so sharply that the whole table went quiet for a second. The seductive, pyful smile was entirely gone from Jessica's face. She was staring a hole into the side of Nicole's head, her jaw tight.

  "Oh... okay," Nicole blinked, slightly taken aback. "So it’s settled then. Let’s pre-game at my house. Seven sharp, guys."

  **

  Saturday night. I pulled up to Reggie’s house early.

  I had actually put effort into my look for once: a bck turtleneck, a fitted brown jacket, dark denim, and my heavy leather watch. When Reggie's mom, Jenny, opened the door, her eyes lit up.

  "Oh my, are you Mike?" Reggie’s mom asked enthusiastically.

  "No, ma’am. I’m Daeron, Reggie’s friend."

  "Oh, I thought you were her date! What a shame. Please, call me Jenny, sweetheart. Come on in."

  I sat in the living room, keeping Jenny company. She spent twenty minutes trying to figure out if I was single before the rest of the group finally started arriving.

  They all showed up at seven sharp. Faye walked in with her older brother, acting as her chaperone. And then, Jessica walked in.

  She wasn't alone. She was paired up with some loud, average-looking guy from her css named Jones. But I barely registered him. My brain short-circuited the second I looked at her. She was wearing a deep, wine-red dress that clung to her perfectly. The color made her pale skin and green eyes pop. I couldn't look away. Fuck. It was like gravity had shifted, and her presence was the only thing keeping me anchored to the floor.

  But she wasn't my date. Nicole was.

  Nicole stepped into my line of sight, wearing a navy backless dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. She caught my eyes scanning her, a wicked smile spreading across her lips.

  "You like the dress, Daeron?" she whispered, stepping into my personal space.

  I leaned down, the scent of her strong perfume hitting me. "Yeah. You look amazing, Nicole."

  She didn't hesitate. She pressed her lips right next to my ear. "You like my ass? You can grab it. In fact, if you want to have some real fun, we can just slip out the back door in an hour."

  My blood ran hot. It had been five weeks of pying the celibate wingman for Alvin, five weeks of Jessica teasing me relentlessly. My libido was a coiled spring. But even as Nicole pressed against me, my eyes flicked across the foyer.

  Jessica was staring dead at us. The pyful, ditzy cheerleader was gone. Her eyes were dark, shooting absolute, venomous daggers at me and Nicole.

  **

  The house was packed. The bass vibrated through the floorboards.

  Before I could grab a drink, Nicole dragged me into the center of the living room. She didn't just dance; she performed. She turned her back to me, grinding her hips in a slow, hypnotic rhythm against my jeans. Instinct took over. My hands dropped to her waist, anchoring her against me.

  "Mmph," Nicole moaned softly, throwing her arms around my neck and tilting her head back to look at me upside down. "Fuck, Daeron. We've been here ten minutes and you're already making me crazy."

  My breathing hitched. She turned around, pressing her chest against mine, her lips trailing wet kisses down the side of my neck. Her hand slid down my torso, boldly tracing the line of my abs before dipping dangerously low. I jolted.

  "Fuck," she breathed against my ear. "You're packed down there, too. I want you to completely wreck me tonight."

  My hands slid down the slick fabric of her dress, gripping her hips. My fingers brushed bare skin. "Are you going commando right now?" I whispered, my voice rough.

  "Mm-hm. Just for you."

  The rational part of my brain shut off. I grabbed her chin, tilting her head up, fully intending to devour her right there in the living room.

  A hand cmped onto my wrist like a vice.

  "Hey! Down, boy!" Reggie was gring at us, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Save the public indecency for ter. Everyone is waiting at the table. We’re doing a toast."

  Fuck. The cold water hit. I blinked, stepping back from Nicole. Reggie was right. I was losing my mind.

  I guided Nicole back to the kitchen isnd, her arm threaded tightly through mine.

  "Shit, bro! Absolute respect!" Jones shouted over the music, pointing his red cup at me. "Barely in the door and you've already got her ready to strip!"

  I stared at Jones, my face deadpan. The guy was obnoxious. Nicole just smirked, entirely unbothered by the crude comment.

  The Rumor.

  We circled up around the kitchen isnd. I found myself talking to Tyson, Amy's date. He was a gym rat, so we traded workout routines to pass the time. Eventually, Jones leaned across the counter, interrupting us.

  "Yo, seriously dude," Jones asked, his eyes wide. "How did you seduce Nicole like that? What's the secret?"

  "I don't know," I said, my voice completely ft. "Maybe because I showed her a trick."

  Jones and Tyson both leaned in closer. "Tell me."

  "Duh. I’m joking, man. I just stood there."

  They both groaned in disappointment.

  "Brah, I don't get it," Jones compined, looking across the room at Jessica. "Jessica is like a brick wall. She won't even let me put my hand on her waist."

  "Well, yeah. She’s top-tier, man. Half the varsity team wants her," Tyson said.

  "You wanna swap dates or what?" Jones joked, nudging Tyson.

  "Fuck no," Tyson ughed. "Besides, I don’t think Jessica is on the market. I heard a rumor she’s actually dating Sean."

  "Who the fuck is Sean?" Jones frowned.

  "Ace point guard for the rival high school. The guy is a machine," Tyson said, nodding with genuine respect. "Massive dude. Dunked right over Cole st season and didn't even trash talk afterward. You gotta respect him, but it definitely means Jessica is way out of our league."

  "Shit. That Sean?"

  I took a slow sip of my drink, my eyes sliding over the rim of the cup to find Jessica. She was standing near the fridge, pretending to talk to Amy, but her eyes were darting toward our group. She was eavesdropping.

  Sean. A rival basketball pyer? If she had a boyfriend at another school, why was she practically living at Alvin's house on the weekends? Why did she almost kiss me in the gym hallway? I filed the name away, assuming it was just another stupid high school rumor.

  "So, Daeron," Jones said, eager to change the subject. "Did you really put Herald in the hospital?"

  "Huh? Is he your friend?" I asked calmly.

  "Fuck no, I hate that guy."

  "I heard you blind-sided him, bro. True?" Tyson asked.

  "If you consider walking up to a guy's face and looking him in the eye a surprise attack, then yeah. It was a complete ambush."

  Tyson burst out ughing. "Shit, man! Sometimes you talk like a mafia enforcer, but you look like you belong in a boyband."

  "Fuck you, Tyson," I smirked.

  The group dispersed a few minutes ter to do drinking games. I was standing by the counter, watching the crowd, when a familiar vanil scent washed over me.

  Hot breath brushed against my ear.

  "Come with me," Jessica whispered.