The Peer and the Puppet (When Rivals Play #1) - B.B. Reid Page 0,23
Ever’s mask had already slipped into place.
“Yes.” I took a sip of my water for suspense. “He has quite a few admirers. Everyone seems to look to him at Brynwood. They care about what he thinks and does.”
“Ah.” Thomas’s nervous chuckle made me wonder if he knew all along that his son was an asshole. “Well, he did make the winning touchdown at the junior varsity championship last year and Ever has always had a leading personality. It doesn’t surprise me that the other kids look up to him.”
Thomas was beaming with pride for his son, and if I wanted, I could disgrace his little prince. Maybe he’d back off if I showed him I could fight just as dirty. I’d never survive here if I didn’t. Even now, I was the one playing defense.
“Ever, I can’t imagine what it’s like to be you.” I bat my eyes for good measure, but to his credit, he didn’t react. What a robot. “I just hope you don’t abuse it. A lesser person in your position could make it easy for someone to feel isolated and…undesirable.”
Ever played his part with a charming smile, but the storm in his eyes warned me to turn back now. “If you ever feel unwanted, I’m sure there are ways I can fix that.”
I didn’t miss the veiled threat even though it went completely over our parents’ head. “I’m a big girl. I’ll manage.”
Thick lips twitched with humor.
“We’ll see.”
EVER’S PARTY WAS THE HOT topic at Brynwood the next day, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about the rumor I’d started. Since I lived with the host, I couldn’t exactly be uninvited, but when I learned that Thomas and Rosalyn would be spending the night on his boat, I called Tyra.
“Sorry, Four. I can’t hang out tonight. One of the girls called in sick, so it looks like I’m stuck here until midnight.”
After hanging up with Tyra, I growled and ran my fingers through my hair. Ever had brought home the entire football team, and they were currently downstairs pregaming and setting up. If I couldn’t get out of the house, I would be stuck hiding in my room all night.
Wincing, I began to consider attending his stupid party. Hiding like a social pariah was exactly what Ever would want. But what if I showed that rich prick that he wasn’t getting to me?
Feeling wicked, I threw on the oil-stained overalls I wore when working at Gruff’s shop and my most threadbare pair of Converse.
He wants a hick? I’ll show him a hick.
Deciding I’d be fashionably late also gave me time to work up the courage to crash his party. I passed the time by studying, and when the music became deafening, I closed my textbook and finally made my way downstairs.
I was put off by the number of people crowding the house and was tempted to turn and run, but my getup had already earned a few stares, so I made my way to the booze. They had turned the formal dining table, which could easily sit ten, into a bar with bottles, discarded solo cups, and shot glasses filling almost every inch of the surface. Ever was nowhere to be found when I grabbed a bottle of Jameson and forced my way into the overflowing living room. The furniture was pushed against the wall, turning the formal space into a dance floor.
It wasn’t my scene, so I pushed my way into the less crowded yet smoke-filled billiards room. I found the room mostly occupied by guys, and I considered moving on until I spotted two familiar faces playing pool. Stacked on the wooden rail closest to Ben was a wad of cash, and Drake wore a sour expression as he lined up the balls. I stood back to watch them play, and five minutes in, I realized that Drake was stunningly poor at pool. Lucky for him, I wasn’t so bad. I waited until the round was over before tapping him on his shoulder. He paused from hurling insults at his friend to look over his shoulder. I waited for him to recognize me, which, thanks to all the weed, took longer than normal.
He whooped and pulled me into a bear hug without warning. “Was wondering when I’d see you again!” He then twirled me around once before setting me on my feet.
“Almost thought you didn’t remember me.”
“Nah,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I always remember the hot ones.” He lazily scanned my