Page 80 of SNOB

“Let’s say goodnight to your problems,” Gray says. He holds out a rolled-up hundred-dollar bill, tilting his head to the mirrored tray on the bar. “You look like you need it.”

Staring at the tray makes my breath still. I’ve seen people do this in the movies. Hell, on the block. But I’ve never touched it.

My dad’s voice rings in my head.

Remember who you are and what you're capable of. Drugs will only dim your light and cloud your judgment. You're better than that.

Mac dimmed my light. Not drugs. So fuck it.

“First time?” Gray asks. He laughs when I nod. “Paradise is the best place to experiment. It’s clean. Straight off the boat to Ryung. If you want some life back in you after that video, I would highly recommend. But, no pressure.”

Whipping my hair over my shoulder, I take the bill. Gray’s hand falls to my back and it helps to know he’s there.

Let’s do this.

Lining the bill with the line of white powder, I take a long sniff.

“Uh, Ember? That line was mine,” Gray says, but I’m too distracted by my nose burning as the powder tickles my throat. “You alright, Rookie?”

My shoulders fall when nothing changes. “Yeah, I feel… ” Then the world tilts. A rush flows through me, one that reminds me of the feeling Mac gives. My heartbeat quickens, the space around me becoming clearer.

“Don’t worry,” Gray says with a chuckle. “I’m right here with you.” He says what I need to hear. The thing I wish was coming from Mac.

He’s too busy throwing you under the bus.

Gray’s hand comes to mine and I grip it. The music returning to the party feels more intense. The beat flows through my body, a smile pushing at my face. And for a moment, Mac’s antics feel easy to handle. This party feels easy to handle. And since I’m here, why not reap the benefits?

Gray matches my smile when I turn to him. “How is it?”

“What else you got, Whitney?”

“Em-ber! Em-ber! Em-ber!”

Gray chants my name, getting the guests around us to chant with him and … okay I’m not sure how I got here. But it doesn’t matter.

I'm fucking alive.

A bottle of whiskey sits in one hand, a joint in the other. Standing at the edge of the pool, a small crowd stands around us, party guests back on my side.

As for Gray? He never left.

“I dare you,” he says, standing next to me with the bottle of gin I had earlier. Ignoring Gerri’s glare is easy when the rest of the crowd looks at me for their entertainment. So I do just that. Entertain. “Bet you won’t.”

“I would,” I respond as I stare at my reflection in the water. My hair’s down from the ponytail it was in before, my fiery coils on display. It’s as fiery as I feel inside.

Gray’s voice comes closer. “Even with Mac watching?”

My head pops up, hearing his name.

Then it happens.

The thing I was waiting for all night.

Mac stands under a white wicker arch, the colourful floral arrangement framing him. It’s a contrast to his all-black attire. Black slacks and a collared shirt. But the way he always looks effortlessly put together makes him fit in. Just like I do right now. He crosses his arms and I can feel the heat of his glare from here.

“Tell you what.” Taking Gray’s hand, I lean towards him, Chet Faker’s “Gold” playing over the speakers. “If I go, you go.”

Gray doesn’t hesitate, shrugging his shirt off his shoulders. He reveals those sickening muscles and this time, I let my eyes wander. It’s fair that whistles come from the crowd, his tan highlighting his abs and pecs.

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