Page 21 of Reckless Games

"Chill, babe. She'll be here soon," James interjected, his attempts at flirtation falling flat. "By the way, do you have a band-aid?" He continued, earning an incredulous look from me.

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Because I just scraped my knee falling for you," James replied with a cheesy grin, prompting me to roll my eyes so hard I thought I might see my brain. It was undoubtedly the worst attempt at flirting I had ever witnessed. That had to be the hundredth attempt at ‘making a girl lose interest in you instantly.’

"Sorry, guys, we're late. Beth took forever to get ready." A familiar voice interrupted our conversation, prompting me to frown as I turned to see the bunch of people who had entered the booth. "You know how she is," the voice continued. Emily eagerly stood up to hug the only other girl besides us, who I'm assuming is Beth, dressed in a striking red mini dress. Following her were two guys, one with jet-black hair and the other with sandy blonde locks, his distinct hair color sparking a sense of familiarity.

"Oh, don't blame me. You know Jeremy gets carried away easily," Beth remarked, playfully elbowing the black-haired guy in the stomach.

"Please, I have zero interest in hearing about your sex life," Emily chimed in, finally breaking the hug to greet Jeremy, Beth’s boyfriend, who hadn't spoken a word till now, while Beth went on to hug Gusto. All this time, I was curious to catch a proper glimpse of the blonde.

"By the way, this is my plus one for tonight, Ang—" Emily began to introduce me, but she was cut off by him.

"Angela?" The blonde-haired guy exclaimed, and as he stepped forward, I could finally see his face, recognition flooding over me like a wave.

"Jacob!" I squealed in delight as he closed the distance between us, enveloping me in a warm hug.

"Damn, feels like it's been years," Jacob remarked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"Because it has been, you oaf," I teased, struggling to hug him properly due to his muscular frame.

"Cousins?" Beth inquired, raising an eyebrow at the sight of our reunion.

"Nope," Jacob replied, popping the 'p'. "Old neighbors and," he met my eyes with a soft, knowing look, "very good friends."

"Ohhhhh! You sure just friends?" Beth teased, wiggling her eyebrows, causing Jacob to blush slightly—an unexpected sight, considering he was always the tough one.

"Of course. Angela is already busy pining over someone else," Emily interjected, earning a death glare from me.

"Really?" Jacob frowned in curiosity.

"You know she's all talk," I assured him with a shake of my head. "But it's good to see you. I wasn't expecting youhere, really."

"Yeah, same. I'm glad it's... you." Jacob's words trailed off with a hint of sincerity, bringing a smile to my face.

“Alright, alright. Let's cheers to celebrate the reunion," they all gulped down a shot, but I stood there awkwardly with the glass of shot in my hand, feeling a little out of place since I had no plans of getting drunk.

I was relieved when Jacob replaced James next to me as we sat down, noticing the slight look of disappointment on James' face when Jacob practically pushed him aside to sit next to me. I preferred sitting next to someone I knew and was comfortable with.

"Okay, let's play never have I ever. Instead of putting a finger down, the person has to take a shot," Beth suggested, and I immediately knew what I had to say.

"You guys play. I'm out," I said, feeling agitated. It had been an hour and a half since we had escaped the mall, which meant the guards would find out sooner or later about our absence. And that would only anger Lorenzo, possibly resulting in him throwing me out of his house.

Make sure your phone and the guards are with you all the time.

The only thing he had specifically asked me to do was the one I wasn't doing. All thanks to Emily. How fantastic!

"We're all playing. You can't say no to the birthday girl, Angela," Beth pleaded, giving me her best puppy eyes. Damn, she was good at this.

"Fine." I sighed, giving in reluctantly.

“Ok, I wanna go first. Never have I ever snuck into a restricted area for a thrill.” Well, that was a safe one. Something that I would not be so shy about exposing. So I drank a shot. Jacob, Jeremy and Gusto drank as well.

“Bitch, when? Why didn't you take me with you?” Emily asked, disappointed.

“I didn't know you then.” I shrugged, dismissing the topic.

“Ok, my turn,” James Chimed. “Never have I ever flirted with someone just to get a free drink,” Emily drank along with Jacob and Beth. That made Jeremy scowl in Beth's direction with a raised brow.

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