Elite (Empire High, #2)(86)
I didn’t see Kennedy anywhere. It seemed darker in here than before. The music was louder. The students rowdier. If the dancing was an indicator, it wasn’t just Matt and Kennedy drinking the spiked punch. I looked over at the bar.
Matt was downing another glass of punch. He slammed it down on the bar as we made eye contact. I was surprised the glass didn’t shatter.
And then he started to make his way over here.
Shit. I couldn’t talk to him right now. Not after what I’d done with James. Not after that conversation with Felix. I needed a second to breathe. The kiss with James meant nothing. But Felix didn’t mean nothing to me. I’d always really liked him.
Matt was taller than a lot of the other students, and I could see him clearly beelining right for me. He was only a few seconds away. And I had no idea what to say to him. I had no idea if I could trust him. James had seemed pretty adamant that Matt was a liar. And I’d had my fair share of Matt’s lies to add to the list.
Rob stepped in front of me. “Wanna dance?” His lip was cut from the fight. And he’d lost his bowtie somewhere. It was probably trampled on the floor.
“Um…” It was tempting, just to give me a few minutes before I had to talk to Matt. But the last thing I wanted to do was give anyone else the wrong idea. I’d kissed James. Fallen for Matt. Mr. Pruitt apparently wanted me to be with Mason. The last thing I needed was another Untouchable on my radar.
It was like Rob could see my hesitancy. So he made the decision for me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his chest without waiting for a response. “Trust me, Sanders,” he said. “You don’t want to talk to Matt right now. He’s kind of an angry drunk.”
So he’d seen Matt coming over here too. Rob’s words slowly registered in my brain. Matt was an angry drunk? I tried to see him over Rob’s shoulder, but Matt had disappeared somewhere. I’d seen Matt angry. But I’d never seen it directed at me. “So you’re rescuing me from an awkward conversation?”
“No. I’m trying to get on his nerves because he’s an asshole.”
“Rob…”
“He is. I know it. And you know it too. What are you doing wasting your time with him?”
I shook my head. “How could you say that? Even with everything that’s happened, he’s one of your best friends. I don’t get why you basically just turned homecoming into a fighting ring.”
“We were best friends. Past tense.”
“So punching him in the face was your solution?”
“No.” Rob looked at me like I just wasn’t getting it. “He punched James in the face. Twice. I was defending my brother.”
James asked for it. He was itching for a fight. But I kept my mouth shut. “You don’t know the whole story.”
“I know enough.”
“Are you really not going to hear Matt out?” I asked. Not that I could really judge. I’d pushed that conversation with Matt off all week.
Rob lifted his chin a little. “Brothers before bros.”
“Is that really a thing?”
He pulled me a little closer. “I didn’t realize it had to be a thing. But yeah, it is. Matt crossed a line.”
“Friends are supposed to forgive friends.”
Rob smiled. “That’s why I’ve forgiven you for dating a Caldwell.”
I laughed. “Rob, you and I aren’t really friends.”
He put one of his hands on his chest. “Sanders, I don’t just go around giving nicknames to anyone.”
“That’s hardly a nickname. It’s my last name.”
“Rumor has it that it’s actually not your last name anymore.”
I pressed my lips together.
“But I promise I won’t start calling you Pruitt instead.” He put his hand back on my waist.
“I appreciate that.” I tried to peer over his shoulder again, this time looking for Kennedy. “Have you seen Kennedy? I really need to go see if she’s okay.”
“Yeah, I saw her at the punch bowl a few minutes ago.”
Damn it. “I should probably…”
“You still owe me a favor you know,” Rob said.
“Hmm?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he was referring to.
A smile spread over his face. “Don’t play dumb with me, Sanders. You screamed my name, remember?”
“As you locked me in Matt’s room. Yeah, I remember. But you tricked me. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Actually, you do.”
“I swear to God, Rob, if you ask me for a kiss I’m going to lose my mind.”
He laughed. “Sanders, I don’t need to win a bet to kiss you. If I wanted a kiss from you, I’d just take it. And then you’d beg me for another.”
I laughed. “No.”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
“Definitely not.”
He laughed again. “You’re the one who immediately thought I’d ask for a kiss. Clearly you were the one thinking about it.”
“I most certainly was not.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Sanders. But since you don’t want a kiss…I was thinking…” his voice trailed off. He stared down at me like he was deciding how to torture me.