Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(28)

“How do you know Neal? You’re a little out of place,” the girl said, still behind Trihn.

“It really doesn’t matter. I just need to see Neal, and then I have somewhere else to be.”

“He’s probably in the kitchen with the keg.”

Trihn startled. “Keg?”

Maybe she was at the wrong house. Neal had never been to a kegger in his life that she hadn’t forced him to attend. There was no way that he had a keg in his house.

Trihn pushed her way into the kitchen, and there he was, exactly as she remembered him…except not.

There was definitely a keg in his kitchen. He had a red Solo cup in his hand, and beer pong was set up on a table. She blinked to try to clear the image, but it didn’t go away.

Neal finally noticed her standing there, and a slow smile spread on his face. He held his arms wide and laughed. “Well, look who we have here.”

“I just came for my sketchbook. Didn’t realize this would be a bad time,” she said softly. She was having a hard time mixing the Neal she had known with this reality before her.

“It’s not a bad time. This is a perfect time. Come have a drink, Trihn. This is right up your alley,” Neal teased, gesturing to the keg.

“You’re Trihn?” the girl with blue hair asked from behind her.

Oh, great. My reputation preceded me. “Neal, the sketchbook?”

“Too good for our party?” Neal asked.

He strolled over to her, and she knew that walk. He was wasted. And when Neal got drunk, he either got arrogant or mean. It was worse when he was both. Tonight was not her lucky night.

“You broke up with me. I just want to get my stuff and get out of your life. So, can we hurry this up?” she asked.

She tried to keep her voice even and level, but by the way he was looking at her, she knew that she had failed.

“Is that what you really want?”

Neal ran his knuckles down her cheek, and she flinched away from him.

“Stop. Why are you doing this?” she whispered.

He had ended things. He had stomped on her heart. He was the one who was supposed to be cold and distant. She didn’t want him to touch her…yet her heart betrayed her. His touch was comforting and easy. She had stayed with him all that time because everything about him was familiar. But she couldn’t do this tug-of-war.

“What do you think? That I want you back?” he asked, taking a hit to his ego with her rejection.

She knew it tipped him over the edge from arrogant into mean.

“Kicking you to the curb was the best day of my life.”

“Fine,” she said. She would not cry. Her heart was pitter-pattering around in her chest, and she had to breathe in and out through her mouth to control it. But she would not leak one tear. “Can I have my f*cking sketchbook now?”

“Yeah, let’s get it.”

The girl grabbed his arm as he passed and said something into his ear.

“Just stay here, Blu,” Neal said, brushing her off.

Blu’s eyes found Trihn, and she knew somehow that they were together. It pinched her insides that he had moved on this quickly. And it piqued the deep, dark curiosity within her that wanted to know if Blu had been at his house the day of their breakup, if she was the reason this had all come crashing down.

Trihn passed Blu and couldn’t help looking her over, wondering what Blu had that she didn’t. When their eyes locked, it was like looking into a mirror, and Trihn realized that this girl was probably wondering the same thing. It made Trihn even sadder about the situation.

She hurried back through the house and to Neal’s bedroom. He opened the door, and a couple was making out on his bed.

“Get the f*ck out,” he said.

The two looked at them in a haze of lust before realizing who it was, and then they disappeared. Neal let her enter first. He closed the door behind her, drowning out some of the music. Trihn tried not to look around. There were too many memories here, and she didn’t want to spiral out of control.

Neal entered his closet and came back out a second later with the sketchbook in his hand. He extended it to her, but when she reached for it, he yanked it back really quick.

“Real funny,” she said, holding her hand out.

“What are you going to give me for it?”

“What do you mean?” she asked warily. “It’s my notebook. I just want it back.”

“Come on, Trihn. You and I both know that you’re just using this as an excuse to get back with me.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Um…no. It’s really not. As far as I’m concerned, you cheated on me and then kicked me to the curb. I thought you made your point pretty clear.” When he didn’t deny it, she rolled her eyes and felt her heart harden. “So, that’s how it was then? Blu, I’m assuming?”

Neal shrugged, nonchalant, and changed the subject. “What do you need another sketchbook for? You have a million at your house. You only need this to try to get with me. Well, I’m here. Have your way with me,” he said.

He laughed and cocked his head to the side, as if in invitation. But she saw through his bravado. He was drunk and rambling. Some thought you could hear the truth when people were intoxicated, but she sure hoped this wasn’t the truth out of his mouth.

“I need that notebook because it has a dress in it I’m designing for school. That’s it. No ulterior motive.”