Page 3 of Withered

“I didn’t know a meanie was invited.” Kristy fires back with a smirk on her face.

Kristy and Olivia have a history. This rivalry goes back.

Olivia is the captain of the cheerleading squad, which makes her think she owns the place. She’s wearing a low-cut dress that exposes her cleavage and ends halfway up her mid-thigh, and her face is caked with makeup. I wouldn’t be surprised if she walked up wearing a bikini. That would be very Olivia of her.

Both Olivia and Kristy are popular at our school. Kristy is always nice to people, until provoked. Olivia doesn’t know the difference between attitude and arrogance. She has always been rude to me, and I don’t even know why. All in all, Kristy holds a better position.

Olivia huffs and walks away from us.

Kristy laughs, making me laugh too.

“Now remember.” Kristy starts, but I cut her off.

“I know the rules,” I shout over the deafening music.

She informed me of two rules during my first party, which I still remember.

Rule No. 1: Never take a drink from someone else.

Rule No. 2: Make your refill.

“Good.” She replies in my ear. “I’m going to get myself a drink. Want something?”

I shake my head and say, “I’m fine for now.”

With Kristy drinking, I’m the DD. So, no drinks for me.

She walks away. I wander around the place, smiling and talking to some friends, until a group of girls calls me.

“Girl, you look smoking hot,” Emily comments. She’s sweet, and we get along pretty well.

“Girls!” Ava, another girl from the group, slurs, “Let’s dance.” She drags us to the dance floor.

The dance floor is spacious, unlike at some parties where people are sandwiched against each other. Everyone is moving their bodies and swaying their hips to the music. We find a place for ourselves and start dancing, more like swaying our hips and throwing our hands in weird gestures. Kristy joins us shortly with a red cup in her hands. She finishes her drink in one big gulp and throws the cup in a random direction, thrashing in such a nice place.

The music abruptly stops, and people start groaning in displeasure. It doesn’t take long to cut their cries down, as silence falls over the place.

I turn back to find some people clearing the way for two males who stride in with such confidence and attitude that it shouts,“We own this place.”Their aura is so intense that no one can look away from them.

One of the boys in all black had his eyes meet mine for a split second before smirking at me. The other one, who is wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, takes the mic and says, “Hey guys, I’m Tyler Bradshaw. Thank you all for coming, and I hope we see more of each other. Make yourself comfortable, and if you need me, I’ll be around. Enjoy!” He is smiling and looking interested, while the other one looks equally bored.

As the music starts again, the boys disappear. People go back to enjoying themselves. I excuse myself after a few more minutes of dancing because I am a hot mess right now. Dancing has drained me, leaving me thirsty and sweating. My forehead is covered with sweat, and my dress’s long sleeves aren’t helping.

I wander around the house for a few minutes and finally find the kitchen. Thankfully, it is empty. I was drinking water when a voice startled me, causing me to almost drop the cup.

I turn to find Tyler standing in front of me. “So, you are Rose Evans?” His strong gaze is on me. Even with the music blasting loudly, I can hear him loud and clear. The walls must be soundproof or something.

“Yeah.” I nod, confused about how he knows me.

“You look great,” He takes a quick sweep of my figure. Thankfully, his friend is nowhere to be seen. Tyler seems a little friendlier than him.

“Thanks,” I reply, my cheeks heating up. I usually don’t get compliments, unless it’s about my grades.

He nods his head and takes a sip from his cup.

Curiosity gets the best of me, and I ask, “How do you know me?”

“You are Kristina’s best friend, aren’t you? And also the school’s top student. So that makes it easy.”

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