Page 94 of The Kiss Of Death
“I appreciate the gesture, Dad, but I want to stay. I made a promise to Mom—”
“And I almost lost you both because of that damn opera in the first place! I don’t understand why you care so much about it. It destroyed our lives!”
“I can’t let them win and take away the dream Mom and I shared!” I screamed. “I’m not leaving.”
Plus, it wasn’t just about the opera. I was making new friends. I apparently even had a boyfriend. I was taking control of my life, discovering who I was and what I was made of. I was free of my gilded cage.
Dad took a deep breath, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s your life to waste, after all. I know we promised to come to the Parents’ Open Day in a week, but I have an affair I need to take care of.”
A part of me felt relieved at the prospect of him not being around.I’ve hidden so many things from him.
“Oh, is everything okay?” I crossed my fingers behind my back. “It’s a shame, but I understand. We’ll see each other at Christmas.”
“Yes, yes, it’s just a new weapons export contract, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Dad replied, his tone slightly uneasy. Something seemed off. “Well, we’ll leave you to get back to your studies.”
“Love you guys.” I waved at the screen, and we ended the call.
I shifted my focus, applying bold satin mulberry lipstick, a shade my dad would disapprove of, and allowing my hair to cascade freely. I gathered a few strands from the crown of my head, securing them with a ribbon in the same color.
I then went to find Yasmine, who was busy getting dressed in the bathroom. I knocked on the door and called out, “You ready? Let’s go to this party.”
“This is their idea of a small party?” Yasmine’s voice cut through the echoing thud of phonk beats reverberating off the stone walls.
Students from all four houses mingled in the underground ancient dungeons of the Tacticians, a.k.a. their chess club headquarters. A spider-shaped chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a purple glow over the room.
Navigating through the crowd, we felt like two lost mice finding themselves in the heart of a bustling jungle. As for Sylas, he was already talking to a group of students the moment he arrived—extroverted people were a whole different species.
“You, at a party?” Tara’s sneer halted our steps as she downed her drink in one swift motion.
“Yes, and don’t ever think of giving me a morality lesson.” Yas crossed her arms.
Her sister chuckled darkly, handing Yas the empty cup, then leaned back, swaying to the music. “Good for you. I’m done being the family’s disappointment because I’m the eldest sister. Screw you.” Her gaze then shifted to me. “If you’re looking for Levi, he’s right there.”
I followed Tara’s pointed finger, and my gaze landed on a couple of tables and chairs crafted from dark wood and iron, nestled in a cozy corner under an arch. Levi was engaged in a chess game with Cillian, drawing the attention of thesurrounding crowd, who watched their strategic battle unfold on the couches or from behind.
A crowd mostly made of women. It wasn’t surprising. They both exuded an air of princely aristocracy. Cillian sported a dress shirt rolled up to his forearms, paired with glasses. Meanwhile, Levi remained true to his character, resembling a modern-day dark prince with his leather jacket over his preppy cable-knit sweater. My heart raced. That damn jealousy again.
He had a thing with Tara, but what about the others? He had left his phone in my dorm all day, so naturally, with Yas’s encouragement, I did what seemed like the more mature thing to do: I snooped through his phone. Better to be prepared than sorry—that was Grandma’s mantra.
But I found nothing compromising. He was a ghost online, rarely responding to messages, and when he did, he replied with no more than a sentence, devoid of emoji. His camera roll was used by his friend Kay, who took most of the pictures in them. His notes were terrifying, though, from lines of codes to my name written all over again for many lines on many different dates.
“I’ve never seen Tara drunk,” Yasmine half screamed, half whispered in my ear. “It’s scary.”
Tara stumbled on her high heels, then burst into laughter. “Oh, you still didn’t have sex, did you? You’ll never satisfy him. Levi is a sadist. FYI, he needs a lot to get horny, from watching a threesome to—”
“Okay, that’s it! I’m taking her back to her dorm.” Yasmine wrapped an arm around her sister. “Let’s go, Tara.”
Tara scrunched up her nose at Yas, inspecting her split ends. “Your hair looks like a mess.”
Yas mouthed a sorry, and I whispered back, wishing her good luck. That was how I found myself, alone, navigating through the crowd as they danced to the pulsating tech beats. The musicassaulted my ears, each thud stabbing at my heart. I didn’t want to appear needy and immediately rush to Levi’s side. I was still taken aback by Tara’s words.Sadist. Watching. Threesome. You’ll never satisfy him.
“Isn’t it, Snow White dearest?” Kay appeared out of nowhere, his sharky smirk accentuated by the neon glow of the purple bomber jacket he wore with a loose-fitting hoodie. He gestured with his hand, the flash of his silver rings catching the light. “I don’t see what Levi sees in you, frankly. You don’t look fun.”
“Well, I don’t see what Sylas sees in you,” I quipped back.
“Now I see it.” Kay chuckled before casually throwing an arm around me. “Come play with us; we’re one player short.”
“S-sure,” I stammered as he guided me toward the beer pong game, but it wasn’t like any normal game. This one had a chess game going on the side. You could tell Tacticians hosted this party.
