Page 31 of Tag

Xander tilted his head. "Sounds kinky to me."

“You all need to get with the times.” Rook chuckled quietly but kept the knowledge he knew to himself.

Roxxi shook her head. "It's nothing rated R or anything. It’s basically a bunch of love spells.”

"Yeah," I added with a straight face. "Your Sims gain extra romantic abilities."

"Think of it as emotional storytelling,” Cloe explained, sounding the most convincing among us.

Xander took in our explanations. “That actually sounds kinda deep.”

I took a drink to stop myself from laughing again as Nick studied each of our faces. "You're fucking with us."

“We would never,” Cloe denied innocently.

Ryder leaned back in his chair with a grin and nudged his phone across the table toward his brother. “Here.”

Cade snatched it up with eager fingers, his curiosity piqued. Nick craned his neck so that he could see too.

“You had this open in class?” Nick asked with a mix of disbelief and amusement.

“Not on purpose!” Ari protested, her cheeks flushing deeper crimson as she stabbed at her salad with her fork.

Cade let out a sound of approval. “Damn, Ari. You’re braver than the Marines,” he teased, shaking his head. “The Sims didn’t look like this the last time I saw it.”

Roxxi, now feeling sympathy for our dear friend, decided to change the topic. “Hey, on a more serious note, did you all check out what was posted on the school forum?”

“Do people actually use that?” Ari asked, jumping on the subject change.

Roxxi took a bite of her brownie and nodded. “Apparently. Someone shared a message about the annual party and this year’s Hunt.”

“I think I heard a few people mention that,” Ashton commented. “There are theories about who’s going to be Marked and what surprises are planned.”

"Surprises?"

“Yeah,” Roxxi responded. “Let’s just say if even one of them is true, it’s going to be crazier than ever. Oh, and it looks like Crowsnest Confessions is coming back too.”

“That’s sure to stir up drama,” I mused with a frown.

People were always bolder online. Combine anonymity with a message board dedicated to spilling secrets, and things were bound to get messy.

Cloe sighed. “As if the Soirée isn’t already going to be a disaster with Nick hosting.”

Ashton chuckled. “What do you have planned, Nick?”

He smirked. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. Let’s just say I’m glad people are talking.”

“You sureyou’renot ‘people,’ Blackwell?” Roxxi questioned, her eyes narrowed on him.

Nick met her stare without flinching, his grin widening. “I’m whoever you need me to be, Vixen.”

She smiled sweetly in return. “Perfect. Then you can send along a message to number 18 for me. You’re close to him, right? He sticks to the left side of the rink, looks like he belongs on the cover of a hockey calendar.”

Nick tapped his fingers on the table like he was actually considering the request. We all knew fully well this wasn’t going to happen, and if it did, it would not be a friendly exchange, but he played along to humor her.

“Kapri Graves,” he confirmed. “I’ll deliver a message.”

She nodded, mock serious. “Your services are appreciated.”

---