Defying Destiny (Afterword Academy #3) - Katie May Page 0,61

English professor and pictures got out, he never showed his face there again. Auston was a gym rat and was acquired by a modeling agency.

He was just going to have his first photo shoot when it happened.

I don’t even remember who the party was for, but it was my idea to go. It was taking place out at a cabin in the middle of the woods. Acres of land where we could party as hard as we wanted, where we knew the cops wouldn’t show up. Where we could smoke weed freely, play cornhole, and watch hot girls in tiny bikinis swim in an in-ground pool.

It was tiki themed, and I had gotten my brothers and me all matching floral shirts of different colors. It had been so long since we’d done something together, that I insisted we all go.

Brax was down, Preston was unsure, and Auston was insistent that he stay sober and would drive since his first photo session was the following morning.

The night was warm, with temps in the high seventies. Stars dotted the sky, the air even smelling fresher so far away from the city. Since it was Auston’s car, he was in charge of the music. He played a mix CD filled with Eminem, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Lil John.

The subwoofers in the back of his Jeep Grand Cherokee bumped, vibrating our asses. We rapped all the words we knew with the windows down, warm breeze flitting through our hair. Even Preston joined in, no doubt mumbling the wrong words, but enjoying himself all the same.

Cars were few and far between on the old dirt roads, and soon, the darkness gave way to the lights of the party. Our own music was drowned out by the DJ playing “Yeah” by Usher.

Auston parked, and we got out, grabbing our cooler filled with cases of beer from the trunk, before stalking through the freshly cut grass to the back of the property where the party was jumping.

The cabin was small, maybe two or three bedrooms and a single working bathroom, but none of that mattered because outside was where it was happening.

A tiki bar was set up beside the pool, lit with string lights made from tiki masks. Torches surrounded the property, keeping the bugs away and the party lit.

Hot girls were getting drunker by the minute, the prospect of getting laid in the forefront of our minds. Well…maybe not Preston’s.

Anyway…

Auston, the lady killer, was immediately surrounded by a flock of women vying for his attention. Brax left and went to the bar, getting us drinks. Preston practically clung to my side like a scared little boy. I knew I’d be having to look out for him, but I didn’t mind. I’d done it for most of our lives already.

Preston and I camped out on some lounge chairs by the pool, basking in the attention that we always got as identical siblings. Even with my hair dyed blond and Auston’s even lighter, the four of us were unmistakably identical.

“Are you guys twins?” a drunk girl asked sloppily, her drink sloshing all over her hands.

“You take this one,” I said with a laugh to Preston, bringing the neck of the beer bottle to my lips.

Preston’s face heated, and he gazed fearfully at the girl who was smiling drunkenly, cheeks rosy from the alcohol, mascara running down her cheeks from an unplanned dip in the pool.

“Yes, well. Kind of,” he finally managed to respond. “Umm. Actually, we are—”

“Triplets!” the girl shrieked when Braxton joined us.

He didn’t pay her much attention, literally sitting in front of us with his back pressed to her, blocking her view as he handed out the drinks. “Drink up,” he said, nodding to the red Solo cups. “It’s called the Dirty Tiki, the drink of the night.”

And dirty it was. The rum was decadent, the drink almost savory, and quickly, I was feeling a buzz. Preston was drunk from simply smelling the fucking drink, but it was nice to see him unwind a bit and actually talk to a girl, even if she was drunk and half asleep.

Auston eventually made his way back over, smelling of alcohol, a girl’s red lipstick smeared across his lips.

“Having fun, Aus?” I mocked, taking a sip of my Dirty Tiki.

He shrugged. “Not really into drunk girls, but Brax and I have a bet to see who can taste the most women tonight. So far I’m winning four to three.”

“I let you have that last one,” Brax growled out. “Chicks