Page 32 of Web of Lies
“Then let’s go,” he says, pulling me along.
His stride is long, and my short legs can barely keep up. I wanted to take the maze slowly, so I could memorize the pattern, just in case I have to come here alone. But everything is a blur around me as he weaves us through the complicated maze.
“Be careful with him,” Zepp says, looking over his shoulder at me.
I furrow my eyebrows. “Who?” I ask, tilting my head.
Zepp sighs and nods. “Chase,” he says his name and then stops, pulling me into a small dead end, hiding our bodies from prying eyes. He puts his hands on my shoulders and bends down to my level, sending the same electrifying, confusing excitement through my veins.
“Chase loves hard, Kaycee. So be careful with him because from where I stand, Chase is already head over heels for you.” He raises a brow to emphasize his words, eyes searching, memorizing the freckles on my face.
“I don’t understand. I’ve only been here for a week. How can he?” Zepp smirks and pats my head like a damn dog. Bastard.
“Sweet, sweet, Kaycee. He doesn’t need an enormous amount of time to fall for you.” He grins, letting his fingers work through my hair and down to my jawline. My tongue darts out to wet my dry lips, making his eyes zone in on the movement. Fuck me. My hormones must be out of whack. “Who wouldn’t?” he mutters more to himself than me, but…wait… what? What did he just whisper?
I try to get my tongue to ask that question, but he pulls me along again. Finally, bringing us to the center of the maze. And, it’s not at all what I expected. I mean, any ordinary maze has a small center with a gazebo or fountain or something to admire. But this maze? This maze holds a one-story Arts and Crafts style home.
“Welcome to our clubhouse,” Zepp whispers in my ear with pride swelling in his voice. His arms widen, giving me the view of the house.
I gape at the sight. It’s beautiful for what it is. It’s moderate in size, not too big or too small. Perfect for parties and secluded enough for privacy. It’s fitted with electricity, a wrap-around porch, a newer-looking roof, and fresh paint. Everything about it screams modest-glamour and it’s owned by twin teenage boys.
“That’s a hell of a clubhouse,” I whisper in awe.
“You glory stealing, bastard!” Chase says through a laugh, launching himself onto Zepp.
He climbs his way up Zepp’s broad back, wrapping his legs around his waist, and arms around his neck as he fake chokes him out.
He berates him for stealing the glory of showing me their private party pad. Within seconds they’re rolling around on the ground, trading soft punches and vicious words. Other students from around the party start a chant, throwing their arms in the air. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was a money pool going around already on who will win this play fight, quickly turning into a bruising battle.
“Let me guess, he gave you the ole, be careful with our precious Chase speech?” Seger asks, handing me a red solo cup.
I sniff the cup and recoil from the fruity high in alcohol content drink. “Erm, something like that,” I say, staring into the redness of the drink. I swirl the cup, sloshing the weird mix. “What the hell is this?” I ask, arching a brow at Seger. He downs his entire glass within a second, wiping the red mustache from his upper lip.
“Jungle juice,” he says with a shrug, “It’s delicious, isn’t it?” His lips slip into a pleasant grin, eyeing the juice I haven’t touched.
I peer down into the cup again, watching the milky white mix with the redness of the drink. It fascinates me more than the actual taste of the drink. “What’s in it?”
Seger snorts at me, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Everything!” he shouts, raising his empty glass. The crowd erupts in a roar, and everyone downs their drinks at the same time.
“So—I hear you’re a video game kind of girl. What keeps you up at night, Kaycee?” Seger asks, leaning against a stone pillar. His eyes devour mine, distracting me while he steals my drink with a smirk and downs it. Not like I was going to drink it anyway.
“Hm—and are you, Seger West, into video games too?” I ask, batting my eyelashes.
His eyes brighten, giving himself away, but he shrugs it off. Nonchalantly, he looks away for a split second. “Well, not to brag or anything, but I’m a level fifty-one Arch Angel on Angel Warrior.” He smirks and fake wipes his nose like this is the most impressive thing he could say.
I snort, stifling a laugh at his confidence. “Wow, level fifty-one that’s pretty impressive, for a noob,” I say with a smirk, watching his face fall as he processes my words.
“N-Noob?! Who are you calling a noob? I take great offense to that! I’ve worked long and hard and—wait—what level are you?” He stops mid-sentence, staring me down, narrowing his eyes in on me like I might bite him. And he’s not wrong. I’d totally bite him.
“Well—you know—I know I’ve worked long and hard too. Years of blood, sweat, and a lot of tears to get to level sixty-five.” I give a slight shrug like it’s no big deal while Seger nearly spits out his drink.
“Christ! Sixty- five!? Arch Angel?! You’re near Gabriel, aren’t you? Or, or God, you’re so close to God status you’ll be able to wipe out the entire demon race and win the damn game! Fuck. You want to be on my team? I need someone like you. My brother sucks, and well—” He opens his mouth to say more but shuts it by taking a drink.
“Think better than Gabe and a smidge below God, and then you have me.” I smile smugly. I’ve worked hard to ensure my character is top-notch.
“All right, I take back whatever I said about your love of video games. You’re the fucking queen of it all. Do you want me to bow yet? Better yet, show me your fucking ways!” He slurs the last of his words a little, proving his two glasses of whatever this jungle juice is, is too much.
“And what exactly did you say about me and my video games?” I ask, raising a brow almost defensively.
