What the hell is happening?
I’m almost to the edge of the pool, Mom’s wedges dangling from my hand and the clutch in the other when a familiar deep voice calls out for me. “Yo, Bex! Wait up.”
I turn to find Saint meandering toward me with Levi and Riggs soaking wet at his side. My frustration won’t allow me to do anything but curtly wave when all three of them approach.
“What’s up, new girl?” Riggs holds out a fist to pound, which I reciprocate before dropping to the pavement and dipping my feet in the pool. The water is just cool enough to ease the bottom of my burnt feet, the concrete scorching from how hot it is today.
For a “pool party” very few people seem to be utilizing the actual pool. There are maybe ten people in the water, that’s including the two drunk guys playing chicken on donut floats.
Chocolate for the win.
Other than that everyone else seems too worried about ruining the outfits they tried so hard to impress each other with.
The boys hover around me, with Saint at my hip and Levi and Riggs hopping into the pool to stand in front of me.
That makes twelve.
This is the first time I’ve come up close and personal with the last two factions of royalty in Riverside Prep, not sharing classes with either boys since they’re a grade lower.
You can tell Levi and Riggs are younger, not by their bodies since both are incredibly tall and fit with cuts for days, but by their juvenile demeanor. From what I can tell around school, besides the clean-cut features and sharp jawlines, the both of them seem to be the comedic relief of the crew.
I take in Levi first, who’s yet to say anything, his hair a straight texture compared to Saint’s waves, but their styles are very similar. Short on the sides, longer on the top, except Levi’s ashy hair hangs in wet strands down his forehead, almost covering his hazel eyes.
“Sup, girl?” he finally smiles, his teeth a pearly white.
There must be something in the water of Manhattan because, damn, each and every one of these four boys are breathtakingly gorgeous.
“Hey.” I offer him a small wave.
“You havin’ a good time?”
“Hardly,” I mutter, swirling my feet in the water.
“That’s ‘cause you haven’t hung out with us yet.” There’s a rasp in Riggs’s playful voice when he cuts in. “A party ain’t shit unless we’re there.” I look over to find him running a hand through his sun kissed hair. “Heard a lot about you, Bex.”
“Does it have anything to do with blowjobs on the shore?” It wasn’t meant as a joke but that’s how he takes it.
“Ha. Nah. All good, dickless things.”
He’s lying, but I don’t care enough to call him out on it. What the hell does it matter anyway? Their opinions of me are only as good as their leaders, and all four of us know Crayton despises me.
I sure as hell don’t know why other than the color of my hair. Xenophobic prick.
Then again, these guys are here next to me extending what looks like an olive branch in the form of a joint from behind Saint’s ear, and white powder from Riggs’ open stash necklace.
“Want a smoke?” he asks, holding the white folded paper out to me.
“A bump?” Riggs offers, doing the same with a miniature spoon.
“Uh, no thanks.” I shake my head. “And don’t you guys get tested randomly?”
Riggs mumbles something like “or when someone calls in a tip off” but Saint simply shrugs, as if it wouldn’t matter to them regardless.
Probably because it doesn’t.
“How about a swim?” Levi suggests, holding his arms out wide. “The water feels great.”
Suddenly, my senses overload, feeling like I’m being goaded into a trap.