Page 59 of Jolt's Vengeance

But the rational part of my brain—the part that remembers I made a promise—won't let me give in so easily.

"I can't," I say finally, opening my eyes to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry, Jolt, but I just can't. I said I’d be here with him, so I need to see the night through."

For a moment, disappointment flashes across his face. Then his cocky grin is back in place. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he says with a shrug. "But mark my words, sweetheart. I know his type. He’s gonna fuck up and you’re gonna run as far as you can away from him."

With that, he turns and strides back into the party, leaving me breathless and conflicted on the porch.

I stay outside for a few more minutes, trying to compose myself before facing Trevor and the others again.

When I finally make my way back inside, I spot one of my other sorority sisters, Leah, by the keg.

She takes one look at my face and frowns.

"Hey, you okay?" she asks, concern evident in her voice.

I force a smile. "Yeah, just needed some air for a bit. It's pretty crowded in here."

Leah nods, but I can tell she doesn’t really believe what I’m saying. "Want to head back to the house? We could have a girls' night in. I think Sienna’s back there, too."

The offer is tempting, but I shake my head. "Nah, I'm already here. Might as well try to have some fun, right?"

As if on cue, Trevor appears at my side, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "There you are, babe! I was starting to think you'd ditched me."

I resist the urge to shrug off his arm, reminding myself why I came here in the first place.

Leah grabs my arm, pulling me aside before Trevor can drag me any further.

Her eyes flick between me and Trevor, concern etched on her face.

"Aggie, you don't have to do this," she whispers urgently. "Just ditch him. You clearly don't want to be here."

I sigh, running a hand through my bleached blonde hair.

"I should give him a chance," I mutter, though the words feel hollow even to my own ears. "He's not a bad guy, just..."

Leah interjects, raising an eyebrow."Boring? Judgy? An asshole?"

I can't help but chuckle. "Aye, that's one way to put it. I really don't like him all that much, if I'm being honest."

Trevor's voice cuts through the noise of the party. "Aggie! Come on, some of the guys are playing beer pong and I know we can beat ‘em!"

Leah’s grip tightens. "Seriously, just bail. You don't owe him anything."

For a moment, I'm tempted.

The thought of spending the evening pretending to be interested in Trevor's frat stories makes me want to run for the hills.

But then I think of my mum, of how she always taught me to be kind, even when it's hard.

This could have been a one off thing, and I’m hoping that it was.

I really am.

"I can't," I say, squeezing Leah’s hand before letting go. "I promised I'd be here. I'm trying to be a decent person tonight, yeah?"

"Being decent doesn't mean torturing yourself," Leah argues.

She knows how stubborn I can be.

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