Page 19 of Guarded By Death

A small blond girl comes stumbling out of the kitchen. "I invited him!" She shouts, grabbing onto Pierce’s arm. Oh, he must have not known that this was Zack's party. I love that he can go wherever he wants, but I'm supposed to lock myself inside like a prisoner.

I can't help but glare at the drunken girl that's hanging on him. Jealousy seeping into me, I try to compose my face. I hope that I'm doing an okay job.

Pierce and his new girl walk over to the table. She’s so drunk she can barely stand. She leans on Pierce, but he pays her no attention which makes me laugh a little. She props herself up on the table.

"I don't think you can play," I say to her with my arms crossed. A little surprised by my tone. Why am I being so rude to someone I don't know?

"I can" -hiccup- "I can play." Her high-pitched voice is cut off when her hand quickly flies to her mouth, her porcelain skin turns a pale green.

"I think your girlfriend is about to throw up, Pierce." I state, shooting daggers at him.

He shakes his head, shrugging. "What? No, I just met her tonight," he says as she runs off to the bathroom, alone.

"Liv, let's get started. You can be on his team," Zack suggests, his voice is thick with irritation as he gestures towards an equally angry Pierce.

Zack arranges the cups on the sticky black tabletop. It's coated in a thin layer of beer and I know this is not sanitary. I look around the room for a towel before giving up and not wanting to look like an idiot trying to clean a table that's bound to get dirty again in a few minutes.

The game begins quickly, and no one is talking, I'm thankful for the loud music. I watch as Zack makes a cup and Pierce downs it. They keep doing this back and forth like it's a competition. I grab the ball from Zack's hand and try to make the middle cup, but miss. Zack is quick to replace my empty cans with new ones as I drink them faster than I should but the thick tension in this small living room is making me anxious. I see Pierce eying him disapprovingly as he pops the cold can open for me and I take a long sip.

We're down to the last cup when the annoying drunk girl finds her way back to Pierce's side. He rolls his eyes which makes me happy but irritated. Why keep the charade going? Just tell her to leave.

I decide to annoy him; I have more confidence to deal with Pierce when I'm buzzed. I grab Zack and twirl his hair a bit as I smile at him. Zack swiftly puts his hands around my waist pulling me closer. I know this isn’t very nice of me to do to him, but I don't care right now. I look over and see Liv's jaw drop a bit. Pierce has a deep scowl on his face as he takes two long strides and gently grabs me on the arm.

"Let's go," he demands.

"Hey man, chill. This is my house. You can go." Zack gestures to the door.

A challenging laugh escapes Pierce's lips as he looks from Zack then to me. "Scar, do you really want to do this now?" he asks.

I'm about to yell at him, but when I think about it for a minute, I shake my head. This is definitely not what I want to do. Pierce could destroy him with his pinky, I suspect. Besides, I have a burning desire to spend time with him. If he leaves, I don't know when I'll see him again. This alcohol is making me think funny things.

"Uhm, Zack. I'm gonna head out," I say quietly as I turn towards the door.

"Scarlett, you don't have to go with him. You can stay the night with me," he suggests as he grabs the arm Pierce isn't holding, I feel like I'm in a ridiculous match of tug-of-war.

Pierce stiffens at my side. "Thanks, but I think I've had a few too many beers," I admit as I try to pull my arm from him. Zack reluctantly drops my arm when a low growl escapes from Pierce’s chest. I look over at Liv who is still staring in shock.

"Want to come?" I nod my head towards the door and see a smile creep on her face.

"No. You two can go back to my place though." She winks as she throws me her keys. I feel a deep blush rising in my cheeks, I glance over to wave goodbye to Zack and he looks away with a scowl. I feel guilty for toying with him, but Pierce drives me insane.

Of course, Pierce's grin stretches all the way up to his perfect emerald eyes as he wraps his arm around my waist and leads me outside. I'm thankful for his strength as I begin to stumble on my feet, I drank too much.

We exit the house and he leads us towards the yard instead of the driveway. "Where’s your car?" I ask curiously.

A small laugh escapes him. "Why would I need one?"

Nerves rake through me. "You're not thinking of... teleporting us out of here, right?" I whisper. He bends over in laughter. It's cute seeing such a serious guy laugh like a kid.

"Teleport? Scar, you're cute,” he brings up his hand to brush a rogue strip of hair from my face. “Just trust me." He holds his hand out and I cross my arms, glaring at him with a scrunched face.

"Who was that girl?" I ask with irritation thick in my voice.

He chuckles a little. "Are you jealous?" He leans his head down as he takes one long step towards me.

"No," I lie.

"I came here for you. I knew I needed to get inside and have an alibi, so the first drunk girl I saw I talked to. Are you sure you aren't jealous?" he asks again, and I shake my head, not wanting to admit it.

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