Page 31 of Unwritten Rules

The sight of her made me scared if I was being honest.

Kelly ignored her as she flagged down the bartender, but Sloane perked up at seeing us. Her gaze landed on us, lips curling into a vicious smile.

“Hey girls,” she drawled, clearly drunk as she pushed herself away from the bar. “You two look like quite the dynamic duo. Are you rushing this week?”

I tensed, not wanting to reply to this girl. Kelly gave her a faux polite smile. “Maybe.”

Sloane took a long swig from her glass, eyes narrowing while she focused on Kelly’s outfit–a plaid mini dress that suited her style, not the trends of those around her. “Nice dress,” she sneered.

“Yeah, thanks.” Kelly turned away to get her order in with the guy making drinks.

The group of girls started giggling, turning back to their circle, holding their hands in front of their mouths to whisper to each other. They kept glancing back at us. Amidst the whispering, I swore I heard “She’s trying to rush as a scholarship student? Gross.”

“Ignore them,” Kelly said flatly, handing me a glass of something.

We clinked our shots together and I knocked mine back. It burned. “What even is this?” I shot a look at the bartender.

He shrugged. “A blazing nipple?”

Kelly laughed. “To the blazin’ nip!”

I hope no one is lighting nipples on fire.

We grabbed a couple extra drinks and made our way out to the main dance area. Kelly pushed me into the center of the dancefloor and spun me around, our hands linked while we twirled in a circle. “You’re killing it tonight, babe!” she yelled over the music.

I blushed, downing some more alcohol. My nervous energy faded–that or I was drunk. Dancing with others around and trying to avoid stepping on toes was not my scene, but I wanted to make the best of it.

There were some giggles behind me. I turned to see the groupies trailing behind Sloane as she swayed her way through the bodies. Was she Godzilla?She looks like it.She was clearly drunk, holding a half-empty glass in one hand with her eyes locked on something. A cruel smile spread across her face.

She stopped a few feet away from Kelly and me. “I just decided something...”

I shot a concerned look at Kelly and she raised an eyebrow; we both remained silent.

“This dress is absolutely hideous. Take it off!” She started stumbling while some of the girls behind her played along with her antics.

Kelly chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Relax, she-devil. Pink is more your color than mine.”

Why was Sloane singling out Kelly? I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Hey, guys, we can just enjoy the party. Everything is fine.”

“Ew, you stand up for this loser?” one of the girls sneered from behind Sloane.

What the fuck reality show was I dropped in?

Sloane wasn’t laughing along with the rest of her crew. Her face was twisted in anger as she lifted her drink. “You two are such a disgrace to this school. Who even lets in scholarships anymore? I mean why? It’s just like–” Her hand flung the liquid out of her drink before anyone could react. “Oops,” she laughed.

The drink splashed across Kelly’s chest, soaking her dress. I gasped and stepped in front of her, hoping no one else would throw another drink at her–well, me. Kelly looked absolutely shocked before she tried flicking excess liquid off of her.

“You bitch!” Kelly snapped, stomping away. I assumed it was for the bathroom to dry off.

Before I could speak, Sloane slinked away. It was more of a stumble, but a solid attempt. I watched as she left and a familiar figure moved through the crowd heading toward her–Brent. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from her group.

Call me a voyeur, but I kept watching. They moved farther away from people and then she pulled her arm from his grip, yelling at him that he had no right to step in. He told her that she had enough while lookingheavilyannoyed at her.

“Are you going to punish me for being a bad girl?” she cooed, looking at him through her lashes.

“Hey, babe.” A voice caught my attention.

I spun around. “Oh! Hey, you.”

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