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  Stacia laughed. “Good to know, but that’s never happening.”

  “Never say never,” Bryna said with a wink. “Now, let’s find you something hot to wear to that party tonight. You know cheer sluts flock to star quarterbacks, dangling their cheap pussy as bait.”

  “I’ve heard that before.” Stacia rolled her eyes.

  “We need you to look like expensive, hard-to-get pussy. Gets them every time.”

  “FUCK, HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU INVITE?” Stacia asked Pace in the kitchen as she watched their condo fill up to the brim and spill out into the backyard.

  Pace shrugged, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Everyone and their friends.”

  Stacia huffed and prayed she could get through the night without having to kick too many overly enthusiastic drunks out of her bedroom. Pace’s hand skimmed the side of the very hot black dress Bryna had insisted on purchasing for her earlier that afternoon.

  “There’s not going to be enough room,” Stacia insisted.

  His hand moved lower to her hip, and she tensed.

  He leaned closer to her, and in full view of the rest of the party, he fingered the hem of the ultra minidress. “I could send them all home.”

  She didn’t dare look up at him. She didn’t trust herself. “And ruin your back-to-school party as the starting QB?”

  “I can think of much better things to do.” He trailed his finger from her outer thigh all the way to her inner thigh.

  She jumped and moved away from him. “Funny. I can’t.”

  His pupils were dilated as he looked at her, but it was the only indication that she had gotten to him at all. “I don’t believe that.”

  “Just keep the place from falling apart. Okay, roomie?” she asked, putting more distance between them.

  He gritted his teeth and fisted his hand at his side. “All right, Pink. Whatever you want.”

  Stacia was saved from his penetrating stare and the expectations lingering there when her phone dinged. She grabbed it off the table and saw Whitney had messaged her.

  Not sure if this is the right place. There are a million people here. But I’m outside, and I feel ridiculous.

  You’re at the right place. Be there in a minute!

  Stacia weaved through the rapidly increasing crowd, waving at people she recognized as she went, and then burst out the front door. The front yard was swarming with people. Stacia was pretty certain that they were going to get the cops called on them. They lived in a nice neighborhood and not everyone here was a college student. She couldn’t see this being acceptable all night. But, for now, she just ignored it. Pace would deal with it when the time came.

  She found Whitney standing uncomfortably on the sidewalk, holding her stomach with both arms and glancing around like this was the last place she wanted to be. To her credit, she had changed out of her regular ensemble and into a short skirt and tight red top.

  Stacia waved at her. “Hey! Come on,” she called.

  Whitney’s eyes widened. “You look awesome!”

  “You, too.”

  “You sure? I had to borrow this from my roommate. I don’t really go out like this.”

  “Yes, you look great. Come inside. Let’s get you a drink.”

  Stacia grabbed her hand and pulled her across the yard and into the house. They entered the packed kitchen and went out to the backyard. A few kegs were set up in the back with lines snaking toward them while the majority of the party hung around the pool or ended up actually in the pool. Stacia hopped right up to the front of the line and winked at the football player manning the station.

  “Hey, S,” he said with a grin.

  “Get a drink for me and my girl here, Whitney, will you?” She fluttered her eyelashes and put on her flirty smile.

  “Anything for Pace’s girl.”

  Stacia huffed out a breath and was about to correct him but just shook her head. It was best not to engage the redshirt freshman. He handed over two beers to Stacia, and she passed one to Whitney.

  “Who is Pace?” Whitney asked at once.

  “My…roommate,” she told her.

  “Your roommate is a guy?” she asked with wide eyes. “My parents would kill me.”

  “Tell me about it.” She was thanking Derek for the fact that their father didn’t know.

  “And you’re his…girl?”

  “It’s a long story.” Stacia took a sip of the beer and tried not to gag.

  She would have preferred something fruity, but with the number of people here, Pace had mostly stuck to beer. There was also hunch punch, but she hardly trusted it not to be deadly potent.

  “You live an interesting life,” Whitney said. She scanned the crowd. “It looks like an entire football team is here.”

  “Well…they are.”

  Whitney stilled. “This is the LV State football team?”

  “Yeah. Did I not mention it?” Stacia asked, her eyes widening as she looked away from Whitney. Of course she hadn’t mentioned it because Whitney was already freaked about the party. Stacia wanted to show her a good time, not make her more nervous.

  “No…you didn’t. And Pace…” Whitney said, putting the pieces together. “Pace Larson?”

  At that, Pace walked out the back door, revealing himself to the crowd. An uproar came from the party, and to Stacia’s dismay, a slew of cheerleaders followed in his wake.

  “Oh my God,” Whitney said between breaths. “You live with the starting quarterback. You’re friends with Bryna Turner. This is…an alternate reality or something, right? There’s no way I would get invited to this kind of party.”

  “Hey, calm down. So, I was a cheerleader, and I live with Pace, but this is just like any other party,” Stacia encouraged. “Try to have a good time.”

  “A good time. Right. Okay. Cool.”

  While she was trying to calm Whitney down, her eyes were stuck on the group of cheerleaders trailing Pace like a pack of sick puppies. Christ, was I that annoying? Probably not with Pace but maybe Marshall…and definitely Blaine. Fuck.

  Then, her eyes landed on one cheerleader in particular, and anger lanced through her.

  “Excuse me for a minute. I found someone who wasn’t invited,” Stacia said to Whitney.

  “How would you even know with all these people?”

  But Stacia was already rushing toward the cheerleaders and completely ignoring Whitney’s comment.

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Madison?” Stacia asked, stopping directly in front of her ex-best friend.

  “S,” she said coolly. The sniveling girl from the beach who had begged for Stacia to take her back was gone. She was full mean girl with the other cheerleaders now.

  “I asked you a question.”

  “I was invited,” Madison said. “As were you, it seems.”

  “I wasn’t invited. I live here,” Stacia told her.

  “You live here?” Madison asked with raised eyebrows. “After all the shit you gave me about Pace?”

  “And it was fucking warranted.”

  “Whoa there, Stacia,” Lindsay, the cheer captain said, coming up behind them and putting her hand out. “No need for a catfight.”

  “You’re right,” Stacia agreed. “There won’t be a need as soon as Madison leaves.”

  Lindsay laughed the fake-bitch laugh she had been using since freshman year. “Not a chance. She’s with us. And since I don’t see your head bitch or any of Bri’s other little minions, it seems you’re a bit outnumbered, dollface.”

  Stacia glared daggers at Lindsay but hated to admit that she was right. Without Bryna at the very least, Stacia was outnumbered. And she might live here, but it wasn’t her place. She could tell them to leave, but without Pace, they weren’t going to listen.

  “You lost this one, S. I’d back off. Now,” Lindsay said, “don’t make us humiliate you. Little Madison here has spilled a whole lot of dirt on you that I bet you wouldn’t want revealed.”

  Stacia’s eyes snapped to Ma
dison, and she had the decency to look ashamed.

  “That’s right. We know all about you. So, I’d just run along now.” Lindsay fluttered her fingers, and all the other cheerleaders laughed.

  Stacia swallowed and tried to draw on some of Bryna’s strength, but none was there. She was tapped out. This was not her arena. She had always been bullied by the mean girl. It was only when she’d found Bryna that it had changed at all. She took a step back, afraid to deal with this a second longer but more afraid to run.

  Then, she felt a steadying hand on her arm.

  “This conversation seems to be very serious,” Bryna said, appearing at her side.

  Trihn, Maya, Eric, and Drayton all walked into the backyard with her.

  “Bri,” Lindsay said between gritted teeth.

  “Lindsay,” Bryna said cordially. She arched an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you showed your face here.” Bryna’s look moved to Madison. “You, especially.”

  “Bri,” Madison said in the smallest voice. “Um…excuse me.”

  Lindsay latched on to Madison’s arm. “Don’t you dare leave.”

  “Let me give you a tip, Lindsay,” Bryna said, stepping closer to her. “Learn the value of friendship before you end up as completely alone and empty as you are on the inside.”

  “You don’t know shit about me.”

  Bryna smiled a deadly smile. “I count my blessings for that.”

  Lindsay shrugged and rolled her eyes. “So dramatic. The team is so much better without you two.”

  “I’m sure,” Bryna said. “Come on, S. I think you’ve left Whitney alone long enough.”

  All the girls turned to look at who Bryna was talking about. Stacia’s cheeks heated when she realized what was happening. Pace was talking to Whitney very intently. Stacia had no clue what they were discussing, but Pace didn’t dole out affection without wanting something in return.

  “So, you’re not back together?” Lindsay asked.

  “No,” Stacia said, her mouth dry with the acknowledgment.

  “Then, he’s fair game, it seems.” Lindsay winked at Stacia, as if to say, Game on, and then strode straight toward Pace.

  “We were only a half hour late,” Bryna grumbled when Lindsay and her posse were out of earshot.

  “I know, I know. I probably shouldn’t have engaged them,” Stacia said.

  But her eyes were glued to Pace. Not only had he abandoned Whitney to Lindsay and her minions, but he seemed deeply interested in what Lindsay was saying to him. And the bitch had her hand on his chest. And he wasn’t stopping her.

  Stacia breathed in and out a couple of times, trying to rein in her anger. Anger she knew she had no right to feel. She was not with Pace. She had expressly said that she was not going to do this again. But it still fucking hurt that he’d go after another cheerleader right in front of her face.

  “Stop watching,” Bryna insisted.

  Stacia’s attention snapped back to Bryna.

  “You okay?” Trihn asked, coming onto Stacia’s other side.

  “I’m fine,” Stacia told her.

  “Why don’t we get out of here?” Trihn suggested. “Let’s go to Posse and dance the night away. You don’t need to be here.”

  “I said, I’m fine.”

  “But you’re not,” Maya said. “Don’t bullshit us. You’re not fine.”

  Stacia swallowed. “But I invited Whitney.”

  “She can come with,” Bryna offered. Bryna flagged Whitney down.

  “Um…hi, guys. What’s going on?” Whitney said.

  “We’re heading out of here. Did you want to come with us?” Bryna asked.

  “But the party just started. I don’t understand.” Whitney turned back to Stacia with a smile. “Your roommate is the best, by the way.”

  “I bet he is,” Stacia whispered.

  “He said the nicest things about you.”

  “He did?” she asked in confusion.

  “Yeah. With the way he talks about you, I am not surprised at all that you got into the major!” Whitney said with a grin.

  “Just another hour,” Stacia said to her friends.

  Bryna rolled her eyes. Trihn looked exasperated. Maya just laughed, as if she had known this was coming.

  “Come on. If I leave now, then Lindsay wins.”

  “Fine,” Bryna said. “But please tell me there is something other than beer.”

  Stacia laughed and dragged her friends back inside. She had stashed away some alcohol in her room, knowing that her friends weren’t going to drink like normal college students. They were top-shelf junkies, and even though Maya had given up bartending, she could still whip them up some awesome drinks with pretty limited supplies.

  One hour turned into two, and Stacia forgot to be upset about Pace’s actions. Whitney even loosened up and flirted with one of the football players—though the girls all suspected that she didn’t actually know she was flirting. When the guy grabbed her and started making out with her, she seemed more shocked than excited. And they couldn’t help but laugh at her naivety.

  Boomer showed up about halfway through the party with some shady-looking guys. Everyone seemed torn between hailing him as their potential hero or being wary of his antics. He was known for trouble. If something went down tonight, it would be bad for the team. But all Stacia saw was him drink a shit-ton of beer and generally harass a bunch of unsuspecting cheerleaders. Not the best behavior but certainly not worthy of his reputation.

  Stacia abandoned Whitney with her friends long enough to head back to her bedroom for another drink. She stumbled into the room to find a couple making out on her bed. “Get the fuck out.”

  The couple glanced at her and then scurried out, embarrassed. She hadn’t even seen who they were. She shut the door behind them and then moved over to her stash. As she was pouring herself a drink, the door opened.

  “Get out,” she called again.

  “Hey, baby. I got something stronger than that if you in,” Boomer said, sidling up behind her.

  “What are you talking about?” Stacia asked. She added some cranberry to the large pour of vodka, and when she turned to look at him, she found cocaine held out in front of her face. “Holy shit!” Stacia stumbled back and poured half of her drink onto the white carpeted floor. “What are you doing with cocaine?”

  “It’s the good stuff. Come on. I know you down for a line.”

  Then, without further ado, he started cutting a line on her nightstand.

  “You cannot do cocaine!” she yelled at him. “You have to play next weekend. If you get drug-tested and you fail with cocaine in your system, forget missing a few games; you’re out! Don’t be an idiot.”

  Before he could put his head down toward the substance, she swept her hand over the cocaine. The powder spread everywhere, landing in the carpet, on the bed, and on their clothes. Boomer sprang up and threw Stacia back against her bookshelf. Her head and body slammed back against the wood, and she yelled out.

  “What the fuck you think you’re doing, bitch? Do you know how much that cost?” Boomer yelled in her face.

  “Your fucking career!” she shot back. “You’re welcome!”

  Then, he backhanded her. She hadn’t seen it coming. His hand cracked against her cheek, and she saw stars. Her hand flew to her cheek to protect herself, but it was too late. Her entire face stung. Her eyes watered. Her mouth was open wide.

  “Don’t fucking touch my shit when I’m offering you the goods,” Boomer spat in her face before striding out of the room, as if nothing had happened.

  And, to everyone else at the party in that moment…nothing else had happened.

  STACIA STUMBLED OUT OF HER ROOM in a dizzy haze. Her drink was forgotten on the floor where she had dropped it. Her room was a disaster. Her heart was hammering. She couldn’t even process what had just happened.

  No man had ever laid a finger on her in violence in her life. Not once. This was…unthinkable.

  Boomer was missing by the time sh
e made it out to the backyard. His shady friends were gone, too. Bryna and the girls were hanging out in their own circle and hadn’t yet noticed her shaken return. A part of her didn’t want them to see her like this, but she couldn’t keep it from them. Boomer deserved to pay for what he’d done.

  She signaled Bryna, who’d finally looked up and noticed her.

  Bryna wandered over. “Finally time to go to Posse? This party blows,” Bryna said. Then, she stopped and got a good look at Stacia. “What happened? Why is your face red?”

  The fresh tears welled up in her eyes. “Can we go?”

  Bryna’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Is everything all right?”

  “Not really,” she admitted. “I’m going to go find Pace.”

  “Wait…Stacia?” Bryna called, reaching for her arm. “What’s wrong?”

  “Just…can I stay with you tonight?”

  Bryna nodded. “Of course. I’ll get the girls. We’ll go.” She left Stacia’s side to round up their friends.

  Stacia walked back inside. She grabbed the first person she knew. “Hey, have you seen Pace?”

  The guy shook his head and kept walking.

  She asked a couple of more people without getting a good answer. Just as she was about to give up and leave with the girls, Pace and Lindsay staggered out of his bedroom. Lindsay was giggling like a schoolgirl and wiping at her mouth. Pace was smiling contentedly, as if he’d just had the best blow job of his life…if not more.

  Stacia froze at the sight. It was like a second slap in the face. They might have agreed that they could date other people and bring them home, but Stacia had never actually envisioned this moment. She’d never thought that he’d be so callous, especially with someone like Lindsay, who was only using him.

  She closed her eyes and tried not to cry. With a deep breath, she finally met Pace’s eyes and heard Lindsay giggle once more.

  “Whoops,” she whispered, as if Stacia wasn’t supposed to hear or see them together. A fact both of them knew was blatantly false.

  Stacia didn’t say anything. She had no words after what she’d just endured in addition to walking in on something like this. She just turned and left the apartment.

  Eric had pulled his Jeep around, and Stacia piled in without another word. Her heart was in her throat. Her stomach was doing somersaults. And she couldn’t decide which hurt more—her face or her heart.