wanted nothing to do with and had, until now, been able to avoid. I’d never actually met any of them, which was surprising, but after tonight, I’d finally know what they looked like.
It was akin to meeting a celebrity…or a character from a fable. You know they exist, but actually meeting them in person makes them more real.
Shrugging a shoulder, I leaned back in the chair.
“I’m not comfortable being around them. I’ve heard horrible things-“
“Rumors,” Everly laughed. “Don’t let it get to you. They’re actually pretty cool guys once you get to know them. Gorgeous, too. All except…”
My eyes snapped her direction.
“All except what?”
Her hair fell over her shoulder when she shook her head and dropped the tube of deep red lipstick on the desk. Turning off the lights of the makeup mirror, she spun in her chair to look at me.
“It’s like I said: every one of them is sex on a damn stick, but Tanner gives me the creeps. There’s something about him. Like his chest is empty of a beating heart and instead of being warm to the touch, his skin would be ice cold. I have no idea how any girl climbs into bed with him, but he’s never without, you know? Those idiots line up to be with him and I don’t understand it. Thankfully, he hasn’t said so much as two words to me, and I’m fine with that.”
Pausing, Everly checked her makeup in the mirror one last time before pushing to her feet.
“Just avoid him and you’ll be fine. It’s time to go.”
She flashed me a wicked grin and I groaned.
Grabbed by the arm and pulled from my seat, Everly walked me out of our dorm room. We were halfway down the hall when I asked, “How the hell am I supposed to avoid this guy if you’re forcing me to go to his house?”
Laughing, she tugged on my arm, leading me down a back stairwell past a group of girls climbing up to our floor.
“That’s easy. You suck face with Clayton the entire time and then you won’t have to worry about coming face to face with Tanner.”
“And how will I know which one is Tanner?”
Another laugh, “Oh, trust me. You’ll know him when you see him.”
She wasn’t wrong.
There was no mistaking Tanner Caine when we walked into a large room in the Inferno House. And just as she’d described him, the man had a way of sending an ice cold chill down your spine the second you laid eyes on him.
After paying the driver of the Uber we’d taken to get to their off campus house - a sprawling three story monstrosity of a mansion, complete with winding driveway and manicured lawns - Everly led me inside the front door and dragged me through a rowdy crowd that was packed wall to wall through the rooms of the first floor.
Reaching the stairs, she continued leading me without saying a word until we reached the third floor, swung a left and walked down a hall to a large room at the end.
People lingered outside the doors of the room, talking and drinking, laughter rising up their throats as Everly shoved between them to drag me along behind her.
As soon as we passed the doors, her eyes scanned the men seated on chairs and couches, my eyes immediately taking in the half-dressed women dancing and sitting on their laps.
The scent of pot smoke filled the room, loud music pounding the walls with a steady bass beat.
“There’s Jase,” Everly whisper-yelled against my ear. “And of course, some bitch is all up on him. It’s time to teach these sluts who the Queen Slut is around here.”
Leaning into her, I answered, “I’m not sure you should brag about that.”
She laughed and tossed her hair back. Rounding her shoulders, she set her eyes on Jase, her lips pulling into a grin that meant trouble.
“Clayton should be here soon. Stick around and I’m sure you’ll find him.”
Off she went, leaving me awkwardly hovering by the doorway, my eyes scanning the room before turning to watch her approach Jase.
It wasn’t hard to see why she was practically tripping over herself to get with the guy. Relaxing on a leather sofa with legs spread and his arms stretched out over the backrest, Jase was any girl’s wet dream.
Rugged and sculpted in ways that would have made the Greeks jealous, he had disheveled brown hair that framed his face. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but his nose