The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(51)

He maneuvered us around and half tangoed, half skipped into the center of the party.

We had barely taken ten steps when three other large guys decided to join us in the “fun.” They whooped and hollered around me, and we all danced—well, they danced, I stumbled—toward the fire.

I never imagined I would ever be in a center of a guy pile and be this miserable. This was as close to an orgy as I’d ever get. And I was beginning to think it was severely overrated.

“Let her go!”

Even though that was the same thing I had been telling them to do for several minutes, they listened to the commanding female voice and fell away from me. I straightened up with a sigh and a grateful smile for my savior, which instantly faded when I realized whom it was.

“Well, look who we have here. Little Ms. Perfect’s finally off her throne for the weekend.”

Lauren. Lauren and her curvy body clad in tight jeans and a white tank top, on display in all its glory. The bright-red bikini top shone through the thin fabric. How the heck was she not freezing? My shirt had sleeves and goose bumps were still popping up all over my arms. Maybe her snarkiness kept her warm. Like an internal mean girl heater.

Her auburn, curly hair was loosely braided to hang midway down her back. She managed to look innocent, sensual, ethereal, wild, and reserved all at the same time. I didn’t know how she managed to look like she could take over the world with one hand yet wouldn’t mind the occasional shoulder to lean on once in a while. But I could see why Evan used to date her. Any guy would jump to do her bidding. Guys were such idiots.

God, I hated her.

My head whipped back and forth as I searched for someone to save me. Anyone. Given the choice, I’d rather go back to the orgy. “Um, yeah. Great party.”

“You don’t belong here,” she said, hands on either side of her hips.

“Tell me about it.” I rolled my eyes before realizing I’d said it out loud. Lauren stared at me as though I were a water slug slithering up the shore to join the party. No, scratch that. The slug would have been more welcome than I was. “Uh, do you know where Evan is?”

The hardened expression on her face showed that she did know where he was, but that didn’t mean she was going to tell me. Not by the tight line her red lips formed.

Was this hostility because she didn’t think I belonged here or because she didn’t think I belonged with Evan? If you asked me, she never deserved him. She was clearly an A-rated bitch, while Evan was … well, Evan.

Either way, it didn’t look like I was going get past the bodyguard anytime soon. “You know what? Never mind, I’m gonna go.”

I had barely taken a few steps when her voice reached me. “Yeah, you better go back to your precious books. Best to leave Evan with people who really understand him.”

“What makes you think I don’t understand him?”

Lauren looked me up and down and sneered. Yes, sneered. Her left hand spread wide on her hip. “Do you really need to ask?”

That was it. I’d had enough of her smug ass. I crossed my arms and stood my ground. “On second thought, I think I’ll stay. I am Evan’s girlfriend. Why shouldn’t I hang out with his friends?”

Ouch. I knew I had hit a sore spot when her mouth fell open. She recovered pretty quickly and looked around at the people watching us as if we were a reality show. Like that would ever happen. I’d need another two cup sizes before a show about my life would ever have a chance of getting picked up.

A devilish look entered her piercing blue eyes, and my stomach sank in response. Oh no. I think I poked the bear. Stirred the hornets’ nest. Unleashed hell. “Fine, stay here. Come have fun with the rest of us.” Lauren reached into her pocket and pulled out a small white tube. She held it out to me. “Go on. Take it.”

It was a joint.

She had called my bluff. And now I didn’t know what to do. Crap. Crap. CRAP.

I rolled it around in my fingertips. It was so small and harmless looking. But I’d attended enough D.A.R.E. meetings to know how dangerous it could be. I still wore the antidrug T-shirts to bed. I still helped out at the yearly fundraisers. Heck, I even won the award for best essay in my district division just a few years ago. I knew all about the consequences.

But now all that seemed to fade into the background with everyone staring at me. All the arguments, all the facts. Poof! Gone.

“Taylor?”

We both whirled around, and there was Evan. His mussed hair stuck up in all directions. He was in a threadbare black T-shirt and khaki shorts that were covered with dark, wet splotches.

I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

His gaze jumped back and forth and finally landed on the joint in my hand. With a fierce scowl, Evan snatched it from me. “You know what? I don’t even want to know. Come on. Let’s go,” he muttered, sticking it in his back pocket.

We had only taken a few steps when Lauren grabbed his arm and pulled him back, inadvertently knocking me off balance, since his other arm was wrapped around my shoulders. “You’re just going to leave? Just like that?”

The simple question had a thousand other questions attached it.

He scanned the party for a long moment before he finally released me. Time froze and I stepped back, feeling dejected. He was going to go with her. Probably deciding this ruse had played through long enough. A wave of disappointment washed over me. Not because I liked him or anything. No, because I thought we had become friends.