"Penny's Dreadfuls? Like the TV show?" Lily frowns at the group of our friends, waiting for someone to clue her in.
She went to Ravenlake Prep for a year before she and Finn moved to New York, but she somehow managed to avoid the finer points of drama that flow under the stream of everyday bullshit.
"Penelope LaFevre's friends," Finn answers.
Lily shakes her head. "I don't-"
I turn to J.C. "I have no interest in taking a bite out of either of those donuts."
J.C. groans. "Bro, you're killing me. The only reason they were interested is because of you."
"Then I'm doubly uninterested."
Haley nods. "Those girls are horrible. Even you can do better, J.C.," she says.
"Listen, whatever beef you have with the Dreadfuls, I'm not a part of it." J.C. holds up his hands innocently, a joint simmering between his fingers. "Really, I'd love nothing more than to be the bridge that brings you three together. In fact, I've heard nothing brings women together like having sex with the same guy. Perhaps-"
"Finish that sentence and you're dead." Caleb swivels away from Haley, his feet planted flat on the ground, ready to propel him forward at any moment.
Of all the people at this bonfire party, Caleb is the last one I'd pick a fight with. No one in their right, sober mind would even consider it.
And J.C. is far from sober.
J.C. considers the threat for a minute, takes in Haley, who rolls her eyes and sighs, and then shrugs. "It was just a thought."
"If you want to keep your dick attached to your body, never have it again."
Caleb is simmering. Understandably so.
After everything that happened with Bumper and the Hell Princes recently, he's still a little edgy when it comes to keeping Haley safe.
Haley drags a hand down his back to calm him down. She whispers something in his ear, and his features turn soft.
A second later, they're tangled in one another again.
J.C. sighs. "Without underground fighting as an outlet, Caleb is far too pent up."
"Not for long. He's about to release," Viktor cackles, making crude gestures.
Caleb returns them in the firm of a middle finger without once breaking his connection to Haley.
"Once you all are back in school, I'm sure Caleb will find someone to beat down," says Finn. "He always does."
I shake my head. "Doubtful. Now that the Hell Princes have been properly put in their place, I'm worried the next few months will be boring as hell."
"Oh yeah, I forgot we haven't discussed that. Noah pulled a fucking gun!" Viktor throws his head back in a drunken laugh. "I expect that shit from Finn or Caleb, but not you. How long have you been packing?"
"How did I not know you had a gun?" Finn asks, eyebrow raised.
"You have a gun," I point out.
"I know, but I didn't know you had one."
I shrug. "There's a lot you don't know about me."
A series of oohs and ahhs move through the group as they tease me for being cryptic.
But I'm not joking.
Even though I've been a member of the Golden Boys for years, I don't tell them everything. Not by a long shot.
Some secrets are never meant to be revealed.
2
NOAH
I lean back and watch the party for a while. Shadows move in front of the bonfire.
Laughter and music ring out, and the clink of vodka bottles sounds amongst the trees.
The Golden Boys' conversation goes on without me.
Until something catches my eye.
A wave of golden blonde hair disappearing behind the trunk of an oak tree.
Even without seeing her face, I know who it is.
And tonight, I'm just drunk enough to start some shit.
I stand up, throw my can into the fire, and jog into the trees. Finn says my name, confusion in his voice, but I ignore him.
They won't follow me. They know better than that.
I can see her path through the trees. I move past more than a few couples in various stages of undressing and fornicating until I've left everyone behind.
Everyone but her.
Just as I begin to wonder whether this was all nothing more than my drunk mind making shit up, I hear a rustle to my right and turn.
There she is.
Penelope LaFevre.
Penny is leaning against a tree, her face tilted to the canopy of brown leaves above. Her eyes are closed, and despite the fact I wasn't working to be quiet, she doesn't seem to have heard me.
For one second, I forget why I followed her.
For one fucking, fleeting second, I forget I threw her out of my life.
I forget how strange it is to even be this close to her.
Then, she sighs, opens her eyes, and sees me. She starts to scream in surprise.
I leap forward and slap a hand over her mouth.
"Shh," I reprimand. "You're loud."
I only remove my hand once I'm sure she's quieted down.
Penny's shock is replaced by dark suspicion in an instant. "What are you doing here?"
Her pink lips part as she lifts a plastic cup to her mouth. She wants to seem casual. Nonchalant.
But I know that she's feeling what I'm feeling.
Being this close again stirs up bad emotions. Bad memories.
It's been two years since I was this close to her. Now, seeing her face in detail again, I'm reminded of everything I've purposefully forgotten.
And how much I hate it. Hate her.
I hate those glossy lips. That deft pink tongue. The soft, creamy skin of her cheeks, her neck, her tits.
I step towards her and swat her drink to the ground. The liquid inside spills over the leaves and splatters on our legs.
"What the fu-?" she gasps.
When she sees the look on my face, the curse dies on her lips.
Now, she's scared.
Terrified, actually. As she should be.
I can see it in her gray green eyes. In the way they dart to my face and then the area surrounding us.
We are far away from the general party area.
And even if we weren't, there's enough debauchery out here that a couple shouts would go unnoticed.
No one is coming to save you from me, Penny.
"You fucked up," I announce.
She frowns. "What are you talking about?"
Her chin is raised defiantly.
But there's no mistaking the fear in her voice.
I give her a cold grin. "You knew the rules of our deal. And you broke it. There's a price to be paid for that."
She presses her back against the tree, even though there's nowhere for her to go.
I've had her in this position before. Years ago.
