Page 13 of Make Me Lie (Rich Demons of Darkwood 1)

"He said he'd put me on the list," Jenna said before stopping in her tracks. "I just realized he never asked for my name!"

"Oh, that's too bad. Let's just go back to the room. I don't really want to be rejected in front of this many people," I said, trying to sound upset even though I was inwardly cheering at the chance of a reprieve.

"We're going into that party," Jenna said determinedly, latching onto my arm so tightly I would need to check for blood. Jenna...was a little scary.

She marched us up to where the two guys were checking their list. I watched as they sent away two guys whose cologne I could smell from five feet away from them.

Jenna marched us to the doors, no chance of failure in her steps. She had started fluttering her eyelashes and swaying her hips when we were still a ways out. I thought she looked a little possessed moving her eyelashes like that, but the two frat boys were tracking us like we were their next meal, so I guess it was working.

"How are you fine ladies doing tonight?" the one on the left asked, pointedly looking down the front of my dress. I resisted the urge to deck him with a right hook. I was doing this for Jenna. I could be chill.

All bets were off, though, if he did more than look.

"Good now, honey," Jenna cooed as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger. I studied the movement closely, trying to memorize what it looked like to actually be good at flirting...just in case I got the chance. Although, I was still unsure if Jenna was good at flirting or if the fact that she was wearing what resembled a napkin as a shirt was the thing doing the job. Whatever it was, the guy holding the clipboard looked like he was drooling.

A guy who must have been one of his frat brothers walked by, and that seemed to snap him out of the trance he'd been under. Looking a bit flustered, he pretended to look through the list on his clipboard before belatedly realizing that he didn't know our names. A flush hit his cheeks before he cleared his throat and asked Jenna for her name.

"Jenna Parker," she announced confidently, even though her hand was shaking against my skin as she continued to hold onto me. She was making me nervous just being in the same vicinity as her.

The guy glanced at his sheet and frowned as he began to go through the names.

It was clear pretty quickly that Jenna was in fact not on the list.

"I'm not seeing you on this," he said, clearly disappointed that he had to tell his new crush she hadn't made the cut. Cissy threw a frantic glare behind us to where a growing crowd of impatient co-eds were lined up waiting to get in.

"Let's just go," I whispered to Jenna anxiously. It felt like a million eyes were on me. Even with my new face, it was too much attention.

"What about Aurora Hart?" Jenna blurted out, panicked.

The guy nodded and went back to his list. Mr. Pervert who had been checking out my rack this whole time elbowed the guy once he realized there were at least fifty people in line behind us.

"Aurora Hart," Clipboard Guy muttered as he ran through the list.

Please don't be on it, please don't be on it, I chanted in my head.

"Oh hey, you're right here," he exclaimed, pointing to the list like we could somehow see my name through the back of the clipboard. He blushed again when he saw us looking at him.

"Go right in, ladies."

"I'll see you later?" Jenna flirted as she pulled me reluctantly towards the door, and the guy nodded his head fervently like he was a puppy.

"Thank fuck you were on that list, Aurora!" Jenna exclaimed as we walked through the front entryway and were immediately assaulted with the scent of sweat and booze. "Stellan must have put you on there. You are totally holding out on me about what happened in the cafeteria!"

Jenna led Cissy and me to an impressive bar set up in the back of the enormous room that was ten feet deep with people trying to get a drink.

"Well?" she pouted while we waited in line, trying to avoid getting alcohol splashed on us as people pushed by to head to other parts of the house after getting their drink.

I shifted uncomfortably, staring at the scratched wooden floor beneath us. "It wasn't in the cafeteria. He's in one of my classes apparently and needed notes. I didn't think he'd even remember my name."

Liar. The word pulsed in my brain as it did anytime I lied...which was frequently.

Jenna nodded, evidently believing me. Cissy popped up next to us, somehow carrying three drinks full of what looked like fruit punch. I had no idea how she'd waded through the line, but I took the drink gratefully, swallowing down a big gulp of liquid courage as quickly as I could.

Fuck, it tasted like pure alcohol with a dash of fruit juice.

I took another big sip just for good measure.

Cissy giggled, holding her drink above her and sloshing some to the floor like somehow, she'd managed to get plastered in the two point five seconds that had passed since she'd gotten her drink.

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