Page 6 of Lies and Other Drugs

“Maybe. Why? Can’t handle seeing me?” I asked with a scowl. Nathaniel looked me up and down as if internalizing my question and trying to think of a way to answer. I never trusted people that had to think about what they were going to say before saying it. The world would be a lot more honest if people just spit out what they were thinking when they were thinking it.

“I don’t mind looking at you, if that’s what you're asking. Now that you’re not wearing that spy-getup, I see that you actually look nothing like William.” I felt his eyes linger on my chest, and a flush filled my cheeks. He was using his stupid sexy voice to fluster me. I wondered if he was used to leaning on his attractiveness to get what he wanted. I kept my breathing even while scratching my arm. “You have the same eyes though,” he added in a husky whisper. “Light brown with golden specks.”

I took another sip of my drink, and Youngblood grabbed the cup from me, mimicking my move from last night. He positioned his lips exactly where my red lipstick stain was and took a drink. This was a dance of power. He could try to intimidate and distract me, but he wouldn’t win. You can’t intimidate a fearless person.

“Your brother hated this charity event,” Nathaniel said in a softer tone. “If I’m being honest, I hate it, too. We’re supposed to smile big for the camera while letting a girl use us.”

That surprised me. “You’re telling me that you don’t like having your gigantic ego stroked while women literally fight over you?” I asked in disbelief. Nathaniel seemed like the type to get off on that sort of thing.

“I’m saying that the person I want to kiss isn’t here, and that the idea of kissing someone else is nauseating.” Youngblood adjusted his cufflink with a scattered frown. I swallowed, mentally calculating how much money I still had left over from Liam that I hadn’t touched. If it made him sick, then I’d be damn sure to bid. It wasn’t my initial reason for coming here, but it sure as hell was now.

“Why even host this? Your daddy’s in oil. Could probably write a check easily enough and be done with it,” I said. The Youngbloods were filthy rich and owned most of the offshore oil rigs. They were in the business of power—literally. The lights in this ballroom were on because of the energy they owned. The bus I took here was fueled by their gas. Hell, even the vibrator Mrs. Mulberry used was powered by one of the many energy companies the Youngbloods owned.

“People like an opportunity to look charitable,” he replied with a frown. “You gonna tell me why you’re here?” he asked, changing the subject. I took a moment to take in his tailored suit, dark eyes, and deep-set frown.

“You already know.”

“Actually, no, I don’t. William told me you were big in the art scene. He said you’d be a famous painter one day.”

Tears started to well up in my eyes as he spoke, and I got annoyed with myself for letting him see me flustered. William always supported my dreams. Even on the days I doubted myself, he never did. “You don’t have to be here, Tav,” he whispered, and I flinched at William’s special nickname for me.

“I bet you’d like that.” I spotted Samuel on the other side of the room, chatting up a woman with black hair down to her waist. I used him as my focal point, taking in every detail of his suit and tousled hair until thoughts of my brother left my brain. Noah called it an “avoidance tactic,” I called it survival.

“At first, I thought you were nothing but trouble. But I could actually like having you around. I’d hoped to meet you one day. Just...not like this.”

Nothing about my meeting with Nathaniel was going as planned. I’d always assumed he was a bully or someone caught up with the elitist mindset of the university. He seemed to know too much about William and me to be a casual observer. “How did you and William know each other?” I asked.

All the softness from his expression disappeared from his face as he stared across the room. “I knew him about as much as everyone else did. We were in the same frat,” was his blunt response. He could try to fool me all he wanted, but I was smarter than I looked. William meant something to Nathaniel. Even if it was just a quiet sense of responsibility. “Look, what happened is a tragedy, and if you need to be here to work through whatever fucked up grief you have, then fine. But don’t think it’ll make any difference. William is dead.”

Nathaniel stormed off as the announcer took the stage, and I took a moment to compose myself. I was the one meant to throw him off his game, not the other way around. I waited as the crowd settled. The emcee of the night was a younger guy wearing the Pike letters proudly on his coat pocket. Like the rest of them, he seemed eager to be the center of attention.

“As you all know, we’ve decided to change the beneficiary for our charity. A year ago, one of our own was struggling with substance abuse and passed away in the Pike house.”

The announcer paused then gestured behind him for dramatic effect. A white curtain was pulled to the side, revealing a large screen with a photo of my brother. I shut my eyes, unwilling to see him like that. I knew the picture well. It was the one shared on all the news stations. It was framed at his memorial service, and Liam even went so far as to have it put on his gravestone, forever immortalized as a member of Pike. His eyes were vacant in that photo. His hair trimmed a little shorter than I’d liked. My brother’s lips were twisted into a forced smile as he wore those fancy Greek letters on his red and black jacket.

If I had any choice, I would have picked the photo of him I snapped the day before he left for college. We went to the lake to spend the day together. We gossiped, reminisced, and promised to one day be neighbors so our kids could run around and have a similar relationship. I managed to snap a photo of him sitting at the docks, sticking his toes in the water.

The announcer kept speaking, making my blood boil with anger. “This year, we’ve decided to start the William Wilson Memorial Fund. Every penny raised tonight will go towards substance abuse prevention programs in his honor. We know that William loved this auction, and are pleased to be able to use this to memorialize him at Blackwood University.”

I scoffed. He hated these auctions. He hated this school. I shuddered at the thought of them using his name to boost their own egos.

Music started playing, and a procession of men wearing black and red jackets filtered on stage. I scanned them, noting where Samuel was. He looked proud standing between his frat brothers, happy to be up there. Nathaniel stood beside him, averting his gaze from the crowd but smiling politely. Even though I didn't know him well, I knew that it wasn't a genuine expression. His stiff back, slumped shoulders, and shifty eyes hinted that he was wildly uncomfortable in the center of attention.

It was almost like Samuel was purposefully trying to garner the attention of everyone to hide Nathaniel behind his personality. I caught small, genuine smiles of reassurance between them that only someone knowing to look for it would notice.

Around me, women filtered towards the stage, feasting their eyes upon the men like they were God’s treat just for them. The auction started with recruits, and it was a joke to see how low the bidding could start off at. A particularly lanky freshman—probably a legacy—stood there for ten minutes while two women bid pennies for him. I felt sorry but didn't want to bid either. I was saving all my money for the grand finale.

Gradually, the bids became higher. When Samuel stood on stage, his eyes connected with mine, and he threw me an apologetic smirk. I thought back to our meeting earlier today and shrugged. Samuel represented the institution that covered up my brother's death, but I didn't think he was a bad guy. I just didn't have time for flirty smiles and eyes that seemed to look deep into my soul. If I were to let him in, tear back my layers, he wouldn’t like what he found. I only trusted alcoholics and the elderly with my secrets.

About ten girls bid for him, starting with a hundred dollars and quickly working their way up. I bit my lip when they went into the thousands. These were girls who had their father's credit card and an excuse to spend money. The bidding topped out at four thousand dollars, and I watched in shock as the girl went up there to claim her kiss. One kiss and bragging rights for four thousand dollars, what a steal.

She was pretty. Bright blue eyes and long blond hair. She was curvy in all the right places, but Samuel still seemed just as politely interested in her as he was in this party. He played his part well. Very aware of all the eyes on him. The moment the bell rang, indicating that it was time to start, he wrapped his arms around her and devoured her whole. He threaded his hands in her long blond hair, and I blushed at the moans coming from her mouth.

The crowd cheered when their time was up, but Samuel made sure to linger as long as possible before pulling away. She had wobbly steps, so he guided her off the stage and back into the crowd. And as he walked by me, he gave me a wink and brushed his fingers against mine.

You could tell who was more important based on the excitement of the crowd. And when Nathaniel stood in the center of the stage, it was as if the importance of the evening hit a crescendo. Every woman in that ballroom was at full attention, staring at him. This was about to be a bloodbath.

The moment the announcer started the bidding, three women spoke at once. Each of them for different amounts, the highest being eight hundred. I watched Nathaniel for his reaction, and my lip lifted in satisfaction when I noticed his eye twitch in discomfort. The bidding quickly moved to the thousands, barely passing the five thousand mark before I decided to enter. "Eight thousand!” I yelled.

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