Page 22 of The Fallen Ones

It was the perfect room where I’d hoped to take my Lily pad’s virginity.

Images of Lily in her lace underwear raced through my mind. Shaking my head, I stopped myself from thinking any further.

“I don’t need that anymore,” my voice shook. I was sure Dylan could hear the pain breaking it’s way through my voice.

“Sorry, man. I thought you’d still use it for your new mystery girl.”

“I heard the Rapture room is a good time,” I replied.

“That’s a room for multiple people.” Dylan’s eyes widened with a sudden realization. “Oh, shit, five tokens. I get it. Hell, sounds like you have one wild night planned.”

“Something like that.”

Dylan scrolled through his phone before looking down his list of rooms and attendees.

“The Rapture room is taken for the night, but if you were to offer more than this guy I can always make an exception.”

“What do you want, Dylan?”

“How about I get to ask Jessica on a date? I heard you two were kind of a thing. I was hoping she’s not your mystery girl.”

“Go for it,” I replied instantly. In fact he’d be doing me a favor. It would be a relief to have Jessica occupied with someone else. The bitch had been blowing up my phone for weeks.

“And free use of your lake house for a week of my choice?”

“Sure man, anything else while you’re at it? Want me on my knees sucking your dick too?” I laughed.

“I wouldn’t go that far, Adams,” he replied with a smirk. “I’m looking to get head, just not from you.”

I’d always wondered about Dylan’s sexuality though he’d never admit to liking anyone but girls. He reached into his black backpack and pulled out five tokens. Each were engraved with the Satan’s Hollow logo of the devil and his pitchfork on one side, and S.H 1904 on the other. Satan’s Hollow wasn’t something new. It had been around for generations. I wasn’t sure how long it had hosted masked parties for, but I sure was glad it did. This was my only chance to finally be with Lily.

Dylan handed me the tokens and shook my hand. The deal was set. We’d have the Rapture room for the night. Dylan would hand me the key inside, and I’d tell him what Lily would be wearing or show him a photo of Lily dressed ready to impress. I knew she’d share her Halloween outfit with Caleb. She always fucking did. Even our date nights involved Caleb’s opinion. I felt heat rise in my chest. I couldn’t deny to myself that I was jealous of their relationship, so jealous in fact that I’d once deleted his number from her cell and let her think it was a glitch. How I’d get through sharing her with Caleb I didn’t know. How I’dsurvive seeing Damien enjoy my girl was something I didn’t even want to think about right now either. I’d send myself insane.

I headedover to Damien’s. I hated this prick, but he’d insisted on meeting at his place. I just hoped it wasn’t some kind of sick trick to destroy me. What if it got back to Lily that Caleb and I had been spotted at Damien’s? What the fuck would I tell her? Not that it mattered since she probably already hated my guts anyway.

Once parked, I shot a quick text out to Caleb. Fuck all if I was walking in there alone.

Jace: Where are you?

Caleb: On my way

Jace: Hurry the fuck up.

Sighing,I waited for Caleb outside the massive steel gates that surrounded Damien’s place. Ten minutes passed and my mind slipped to reminiscing about how close Damien and I used to be. About how everything turned to shit and my best friend who was practically my brother became my enemy overnight. And not even through any fault of our own. It pained me to admit I missed our friendship sometimes. Damien had turned cold, ruthless, almost evil because of our parents. He’d slowly morphed into his father, Rick. I fucking hated that prick more than I hated anyone. When I started dating Lily and realizedshe’d found her mother’s body, cold, limp, lifeless, dead…because of Rick’s cheating, I hated him even more. There were times I’d even hated my own mother. She was part of the reason Lily no longer had a mom. I wondered if my mom knew, or if she even cared. I wasn’t close enough to her to ask, not that she’d ever discuss her cheating ways with anyone. She’d even refused to go to marriage counseling with my dad after the first few sessions went south.

“Jace!” Caleb knocked on my Range Rover window and pulled me back to the moment.

I gestured for him to climb in.

“What took you so long?” I asked in frustration but also relieved he’d interrupted my overthinking ass.

“I had to grab a few things for Lily,” he replied.

Why the fuck did I ask? Of course it’d be something to do with Lily.

I lowered my window and leaned over to the security box on the wall and punched in the pin numbers. To my surprise the old code I’d been so used to tapping in whenever I visited my best friend back then worked and the steel gates to Damien’s mansion opened.

I drove up the long driveway and parked underneath the shelter that housed the entrance to the Fletcher’s fleet of fancy sports cars.

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