Gold (All that Glitters #2)(25)

“Fuck!” Andrew yelled. “Who is it? I’ll f*cking kill him.”

“Get over yourself. This was supposed to be fun, Andrew, and now, you’re making a scene. It’s not fun anymore.”

Andrew angrily shook his head and threw his arms out in frustration. “Sorry, I misunderstood. Enjoy your f*cking night.”

He stormed off, leaving her in the middle of the dance floor. All eyes were on her, and she felt their judgment from all sides. Fuck, I’m so over this. She needed another drink to stop thinking about her self-sabotage.

She made it back to the bar. Trihn was still with Neal talking to Maya. Both girls had concern in their eyes when Bryna returned.

“Another martini, Maya,” Bryna said.

“Maybe you should slow down.” Trihn lightly touched Bryna’s arm. “What happened out there?”

“Pay attention,” Bryna snapped. “Andrew and I aren’t together.”

“There you are, Bri!” Stacia cried. “I saw that shit on the dance floor. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I have no feelings for Andrew. I’m never going to have feelings for anyone ever again.”

“But he has feelings for you,” Trihn said. “It was kind of a bitch move to make out with someone else instead of just breaking up with him.”

“We’re not dating though!” Bryna rolled her eyes. A bitch move. Great. “Isn’t that what everyone expects from me anyway? How is this any different?”

She was letting the alcohol and anger get the best of her, and she didn’t even care. It was like every bit of emotion she had bottled up in the past eight months came rushing back to her all at once. She couldn’t control it. She just rode the emotions like a train barreling off the tracks.

“We’re trying to help,” Trihn said. “You’re kind of self-destructing.”

Bryna shrugged unapologetically. “This is who I am. I’m the queen bitch. I accept my crown and title. Take it, or leave it. I’ve never pretended to be anyone else, and I never will.”

She walked back to the dance floor to try to find someone else to buy her another drink. She had made a circuit on the floor when a hand on her shoulder stopped her in place.

“That was an interesting show.”

Ugh! Pace.

“Fuck off. I have no reason to be around you, and I might turn homicidal if you remain in my presence.”

“Oh, sis, you’re such a sweet talker,” he crooned.

Bryna reared back and slapped him clear across the face. His head jerked to the side. The sound ricocheted through the room. Her hand tingled from where she had hit him, and he roughly grabbed her wrist before she could walk away.

Pace bore down upon her as he laughed at the exchange. Despite that, she saw the unbridled anger in his eyes. He was furious with what had happened, and he looked like he was ready to take it out on her.

“Let me go!” she yelled.

“I don’t think I will.”

“Get the f*ck off my campus, away from my friends and family, and out of my f*cking life, you sick, twisted pervert!” she spat. She wobbled from the alcohol, and she knew her words hadn’t come out completely right. But she didn’t care.

“Okay,” Pace agreed.

Bryna warily looked at him. Even drunk and sloppy, she knew that wasn’t the right response. “Okay? Just like that?”

Pace gave her an once-over. “I’ll leave and I won’t come to LV State.”

“What’s the catch?”

He smiled. “It’s really simple. I only want one thing.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And what’s that?”

“You. For one night.”

“Oh my God,” she cried, shaking her head. “Are you demented?”

He pulled her in really close, and she recoiled.

“We’re not related, as you keep telling everyone, and anyway, I know you want me. Can’t you feel all the sexual tension?” He ran his hand along her jaw.

She slapped it away. “There’s no tension between us. Zero!”

“Let me have your body tonight, and then you can go back to doing whatever you want.”

“Fucking you is quite possibly the last thing I want to do in this lifetime. I’m drunk, Pace, not a completely different person, and I would need to be someone else to even consider something that repulsive.”

“And I thought you wanted LV State to yourself.”

“And I thought you claimed not to want me. I always knew that was a f*cking lie. You want me and my life and my family. You’ll never get that. You’ll never have me! Stay the f*ck away from me.” She yanked her hand out of his grasp and stumbled backward.

She got lost in the crowd, letting the sea of people direct her movements. She was more furious than ever. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she pushed them back. She needed to drink more and forget all this shit. She wanted to black out and wake up tomorrow to find her picture-perfect life was all back in order, not lying on the floor in a scattered mess.

The angrier she got, the more the memories flooded her conscious. She remembered the devastating weeks after Jude had walked out of her life. As hard as her exterior was, she had turned into a zombie after he wrecked her. He’d entered her life, full of love, passion, and complete understanding. Then, several months later, after she had lost everything but her immense love for him, he had torn her apart. Even though she had still been the queen bee at school during the last few months, in her despair, nothing else had ever really mattered to her.