Page 50 of I Hate You More

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, pulling Shane aside. More people seemed to be arriving every minute, and the party was escalating quickly. Dad would kill us if he found out we were having a party, and I really didn’t want to spend my senior year grounded—especially with the latest addition to our house.

Shane grinned down at me and threw an arm across my shoulders. “Are you kidding? This is the best idea we’ve ever had. Dad’s gone until Monday night. This might be our one chance to throw a party in high school.”

I found it interesting that suddenly the party wasouridea rather than his. Apparently, Shane would be making sure I got my fair share of the blame if Dad found out what we were doing.

I let out a sigh and looked across the room. People were already dancing on the kitchen counter, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock at night. I had a bad feeling things were going to get out of hand.

“Here.” Shane passed me the can of beer in his hand. “Drink this and loosen up a little. Have some fun.”

I stared down at the drink. I knew it was a bad idea, but the party was already in full swing, and there wasn’t much I could do about it. If I was going to be eternally grounded, I might as well enjoy my freedom while I had it.

“Fine,” I grumbled, taking a swig from the can. I scrunched my nose up as the bitter, yeasty taste hit my tongue. It was like a gross version of kombucha—and Ihatedkombucha. The tequila shots I’d had at Dizzy last weekend were definitely a better choice.

I lifted the can and pointed it at him as I continued. “But you better believe I will not forgive you if Dad finds out.”

“He won’t,” Shane said. “It’ll be our little secret.” He winked at me before disappearing into the crowd.

I let out another sigh before taking another sip of the beer. I was hoping the taste would get better the more I drank, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

I slowly started making my way through the crowded room, searching for my friends. I couldn’t see Tessa anywhere, but Mia had joined the group of people dancing on the kitchen counter. She was with some of the popular girls we never spoke to at school and looked like she was having fun.

I shook my head at the sight. It was like a couple of drinks and a bit of music had completely erased the social hierarchy. I had no doubt those girls would be back to ignoring us come Monday though.

“Do you really think you should be dancing on another table?” someone murmured in my ear.

I jumped and turned to find Chase standing right behind me—far too close to me for my liking.

“Does it look like I’m dancing on a table?”

“No, but you were considering joining your friend,” he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“And that’s a problem because…”

“It’s not a problem,” he quickly replied. “I’m just trying to watch out for you, as friends do.”

“Oh, so we’re friends now, are we?” I asked, trying not to smile. The idea was completely ridiculous, but I liked the sound of it far more than I should.

“Well, we’ve both agreed to put down our weapons, so I don’t see why not.”

I rolled my eyes. “I think there’s a slight difference between a cease-fire and friendship.”

“We’ve got to start somewhere,” he replied.

I tilted my head as I looked at him, surprised to find he actually seemed serious. When had we gone from unable to stomach being in the same room as each other to agreeing to a truce that might lead to friendship?

“When will the wonders of this house party cease?” I murmured, shaking my head. Chase frowned at my comment but didn’t get a chance to reply as Tessa appeared beside us.

“There you two are,” she said.

I took a quick step back so I wasn’t quite so close to Chase. He almost seemed disappointed as he turned to look at my friend.

“You were looking for us?” I asked.

“Obviously,” Tessa said with a laugh. “We’re starting a game, and we need more players.”

“I don’t play games,” Chase immediately replied. I begged to differ; he was the biggest player of us all.

“Well, you do now.” Tessa refused to take no for an answer, and she grabbed us by the wrists before dragging us up the stairs to Shane’s bedroom. I wasn’t sure what game she wanted to play, but given her insistence that we both get involved, I suspected it was something to do with the plan. She hadn’t run anything by me though, so I had no idea what she could be thinking.

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