Page 71 of Queen Rose

More and more people pour out of the house. It’s mostly younger guests—all the students from Rosehaven—and before long, someone cranks up some music and things get a little loud. Fine by me. The more action there is back here, the less chance we have that my dad or Conner venture out this way.

After a little while—no idea who the instigator is—everyone clears part of the patio to form a dance floor. I’m sure this is not an Elle-approved activity, but it is what it is.

A bunch of people join in, which is fun to watch, if nothing else. Especially when Beau starts twerking. That boy, I swear. Not a modest bone in his body. But I have to hand it to him, he’s definitely a talented dancer. And Lyla, well, she’s just so damn in tune with her body from all the gymnastics, she’s the perfect match for someone like Beau. She can keep up with him like nobody’s business.

Before long, there’s practically a dance mob on the patio. Griff quirks a brow at Max and drags him away to get involved without much resistance.

“Want another drink?” I turn my head to stare into Nate’s eyes. I’d dance, but there are just too many nervous butterflies in my stomach. And no one is used to seeing me with a guy. Like ever. Maybe later when everyone is three sheets to the wind.

Nate slowly shakes his head. “I don’t want to be caught off guard by anything. I’m here for you tonight.”

From beside me, Xander makes a grunting noise deep in his chest. Like he approves of Nate’s response. I’ve noticed he’s not drinking, either. That’s kinda unusual for Xander, but I let it go. He may have decided to be the DD tonight.

I wrap my arms around Nate’s waist as I scan the yard. Scarlett and Daphne are poking through the bins of drinks.

“Why don’t you go hang with Scarlett and Daphne for a while?” Nate presses his warm lips to my temple. “Try to enjoy yourself a little.”

I bite my lip, glancing from Nate to Micah and Xander. The other two guys nod as well.

Xander shoos me with his hand. “You wouldn’t deny Nate a little bro time, would you?” He shoots me a wink. “Go on, Scarlett looks like she found some of those fruity drinks you like.”

Heaving out a sigh, I meet Nate’s gaze. “Okay. But I’ll be back. Just wave me down if you need something.” I hurry over to Scarlett and Daph, who greet me happily, the buzz on both of them obvious in their animated expressions.

Just as Xander mentioned, Scarlett holds out a drink to me. “I wouldn’t have thought Elle would allow anything like a wine cooler to be served at one of her parties, but I guess she keeps the good stuff inside.”

I stick out my tongue. “Would I rather have this delicious beverage or the stuff in my mother’s glass that tastes like bug spray? Hmm. Tough choice.”

Daphne laughs and holds out her bottle. “Cheers to you, Aria. Happy birthday.”

“Yeah, happiest of birthdays.” Scarlett grins as our bottles all come together with a loud clink.

And in a move very unlike me, I throw an arm around each of them, pulling them close.

Out of nowhere, Lyla blows in like a hurricane, breathless, nudging her way directly into our embrace. “Wait, what am I missing?”

I shrug, feeling sappy all of a sudden. “You girls are the best. I just wanted you to know how I fe—”

Something cold and wet hits me in the back, stopping me mid-sentence as it drips down my spine. The entire back of my dress is soaked. Taking half a second to glance down, I note it’s also red, which I’m sure looks great on the pristine white dress. Blinking in shock, I finally whirl around to find Farrah behind me.

“Oops. Sorry about that, birthday girl. Someone bumped into me.”

Trying not to lose it like I normally would, I stare at her, looking for any reason not to really lay into her. Except all eyes are on me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the guys hurrying in our direction, but I hold up my hand briefly to let them know I’m fine. “No problem. I can change my dress.” Then I lean in with words just for her. “Too bad you can’t change your nose so quickly. I can’t imagine it’s super fun walking around looking like that.”

Ever the hothead, Farrah rushes me with an angry shriek, practically knocking me over. I stumble backward, but Nate’s strong hands catch me before I hit the ground. I glance over my shoulder as he rights me, sending him a silent thank you before I meet Farrah’s gaze again.

“Oh, cute. The help also acts as your knight in shining armor? You’re so spoiled, Mommy and Daddy paid the lawn boy to take care of your needs? And you liked him so well, you’ve paid him to stick around. Is that it?” Her gaze flicks around, noting the growing crowd around us. She smiles big, and I know I’m in trouble. “Tell us, Aria, would Nate be so quick to come to your rescue if he knew you’ve fucked your way through Rosehaven?” Her eyes shift to look directly at Nate. “Nate, you have to know Xander was only the latest guy she’s bumped uglies with. Beau, Micah, Max, Griff… she even turned two of them permanently gay for each other. I bet she’d screw a stepbrother if she had one. Or maybe an uncle. Look out, everyone, she’s coming for your daddies next.” Farrah laughs.

I feel Nate’s hand come down on my shoulder and squeeze as I let my eyes wander the crowd. The control I’m exhibiting right now surprises me, especially with how close I’ve been to freaking out all damn day. I catch a few disgruntled faces and several people staring at Farrah like they can’t believe what she’s doing. Scarlett, in particular, rolls her eyes and under her breath she says, “Farrah’s just listing all the guys she’d like to fuck but wouldn’t go near her. Not sure what’s up with that.”

Apparently, Scarlett was loud enough that a few around her laugh, and then the whispers begin. Scarlett shoots me an apologetic look when she realizes her comment was overheard but then shrugs. She’s right. It’s not a bad way to turn the crowd in my favor… especially since I’ve technically said nothing yet.

But really, how Farrah thinks this is what’s going to make people respect her is beyond me. That may be the answer though. She hasn’t yet realized that when you ascend to the top of the social ladder, you have to keep at least the grudging respect of everyone else, or the ladder will topple right over.

I study her with her narrowed eyes, the hatred flowing from her. And I’m done. “I have never treated you this shitty, Farrah. I get it. You think you’re better equipped to be Rosehaven’s queen. But that’s just it—you aren’t. Because in addition to earning respect, you know what else it’s essential that a queen know?” I wait a beat while she flounders. “How to show mercy. And this is what I’m showing you right now. Leave. Before you do something you really regret.” One of my brows arches high on my forehead while her lips begin to flap. I hold up a hand. “No. That’s it. Just go. You can’t come back from what you’ve done.”

Farrah stands stock-still for a moment, blinking furiously. In a huff, she turns around and walks through the yard to the side gate and exits.

The whispers among the other partygoers turn to mass chaos. There are people shouting and talking and laughing. Thankfully, none of it is aimed at me. Because shit, like I don’t have enough to deal with tonight. I turn toward my friends, but keep my eyes on the ground, my jaw locked tightly. “I’m going to change my dress.”

“Do you want us to help you?” Lyla whispers.

I give a swift jerk of my head. “No.” My eyes flick up to meet the concerned gazes of my friends. “I mean, no thank you.” I give them a wounded smile. “I need a few minutes alone, I think.”

Nate tugs me aside, taking me by the shoulders. “You sure? I could come with you.”

I let out a deep sigh. “No, just stay here and keep an eye on things for me, okay? I’ll be back.”

“You’re okay?”

I stiffly nod. “Yeah. That was just… not fun. And I’m sticky and gross. I’ll be right back.”

---