Page 22 of Rebel Romeo

“Those are the rules,” Addison snapped. “That cup is on her side. It’s hers to drink.”

“Would you back the fuck off?” I sniped back at her.

But Katherine wasn’t having any of it. She snatched the cup out of Nate’s hands and drank the last of her beer, cringing. “Oh God,” she groaned. “Why does beer taste so bad? At least the tequila loses its bite after a while, but beer? Blech.” With the game officially over, she slammed the empty cup down. “There. Happy?”

Addison folded her arms and shrugged. “Kind of, yeah.”

Stepping back from the table, Kate stumbled, the skirt she wore twisting around her hips slightly. Immediately, Nate and I were both at her side, catching her. She slapped us off of her, shoving me away. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re drunk. Drunk and a really sore loser.” I caught her once more around the waist as she swayed between me and Nate.

“I’m falling because of these stupid heels, not because I’m sloppy drunk.”

Despite her protests, she wasn’t fighting me as I slid my arms around her. If anything, she sighed, leaning more into my side than Nate’s. I dipped my nose into her hair and inhaled that sweet scent of roses that I’d missed so damn much.

Addison came stomping over in her platform fuck me heels and too short skirt and cropped halter top. “I think Nate’s got her, Holden.”

I looked over at Nate, but even he looked a little green. He’d had at least three more shots of tequila than I did during the course of that game. I lifted my brow at him. “Are you okay?” I asked him.

He might not be a freshman, but he didn’t have the tolerance I’d built up during the years either.

“N-not really,” he said. “I think I need a bathroom.”

He spun around and took off down the hall as Addison pressed herself against me. “Let go of the freshman, Holden,” she threatened.

With Addison slinking her body against mine, it gave Katherine the chance to shimmy away from me. She stomped off toward the front door, phone and keys in hand.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered and took off after her, yanking her keys and phone from her grip.

“Hey!”

“Where are you going?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m calling an Uber!”

“Like hell you are.”

I’d listened to my fair share of true crime and there was no way I was letting Katherine get into a car with a stranger while tipsy.

I opened her text thread and fired off a quick message to Jill that I had Kate and was taking her back to the dorms. Before I could finish the text though, Kate was already storming past the rest of the party goers and out the front door.

“Kate, stop! Would you fucking stop already?”I ran after her as she stomped off in the direction of her dorm, which admittedly was only a few blocks away. But still, it was after midnight and she was drunk. Not exactly the safest conditions for walking around downtown.

“Why do you care?” She looked over her shoulder, throwing the words at me like stones. “You want me, then you don’t want me, then you want me again, then you show up here with Addison?—”

“I’m not here with Addison!”

“Coulda fooled me! With her stupid crop top and big boobs and?—”

“You’re one to talk! You came with Nate. To my fucking game.” Her eyes widened, a quick panic swirling in the blue of her irises. She spun away from me and continued walking away. The noise of the party was well behind us. “Nuh-uh! You’re not walking away from this one. Because don’t think I don’t know you did that on purpose, showing up to my game. Sitting up in those bleachers snuggling and sharing your fucking popcorn, crossing and uncrossing your legs in that short skirt you’re wearing?—”

“I wasn’t flirting with Nate! I have to keep shifting my stupid legs because these stupid fluffing panties you bought me are so uncomfortable.”

I skidded to a stop and my throat went dry, the ember of jealousy that had been simmering in my gut flamed like a pint of gasoline had been thrown on it. “You wore the pearl panties I bought you tonight?” My voice came out so low, it was nearly a growl. “You wore them for him?”

It wasn’t often my confidence wavered like this. I fucking hated it. Hated that she could make me feel this way.

She stopped walking, whipping around to face me again, only this time, her face was horror stricken. Wide eyes were panicked. “I didn’t wear them for him.”

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