Page 25 of Bitter Lies

“Um, yeah,” I say, “Max is my brother.”

“Max? Cool,” he says, holding up a cup. “You want a drink?”

“She can’t drink,” Griffin says behind me, and I turn back, surprised, because he sure fucked that chick quickly.

He doesn’t look rumpled, and if his expression is anything to go by, he’s not particularly relaxed. Huh.

Shooting him a warning glare, I shiver when his mouth pulls up cruelly because, yeah, Griff is in rare form tonight. But why?

“Huh?” Chet says, turning to Griffin with a confused stare.

My silent plea is lost on Griffin, who completely ignores it to say to Chet, “Halsey here has a problem with mixing her meds with alcohol. Right, Hals? What’s it do again? Make you cray-cray?”

I grit my teeth and glance at Chet desperately. “No.”

“Cray-cray?” Chet says slowly, glancing between us warily.

“Yeah, poor Hals—”

“Griffin,” I interrupt, but he talks right over me.

“—sey has a little issue with her emotions, you know?”

“Uh, no,” Chet says, backing up a step.

“Yeah, the last time she laid in her own stink for five days, but you’re feeling better now, right, babe?”

Refusing to meet Griffin’s stare, I nod halfheartedly when Chet says, “Oh, um, cool. I’m gonna get another drink.”

Blankly I watch him go, ignoring the pulse of anger in my chest because even if Griffin’s delivery is cruel, I can’t date someone who doesn’t understand my disorders. I’m sure to be on meds and fucking psycho for a long time to come.

Still, it doesn’t stop the frustration because maybe I wanted a night of fun. Perhaps I wanted to feel like a fucking normal human being for a single fucking night.

Exactly how much more of this shit am I supposed to take? The dick won’t just let me be, and I’m tired of the constant barrage.

Only the thought of my mother intervening in another misguided attempt to keep me safe inspires me to stay the course. But I’ve reached my limit, and something’s got to give. I’m a fucking adult, for fuck’s sake.

“Everything okay, sweetheart?”

“No, it’s not alright,” I hiss, shoving him and his mocking fucking smile away.

Stepping back with a laugh, he runs his eyes down my body, over my heaving chest, my tiny booty shorts, and bare legs before coming back to my eyes, but not before making a pit stop on my tits.

“Too bad,” he says, his eyes flickering as they look into mine.

“Fuck you,” I mutter, turning to the next nearest dude and tapping him on the shoulder.

Is this how he wants to play? Well, bully for him because there’s plenty of dick to go around.

“Halsey,” Griffin says in warning behind me, but I ignore him and the fucking giant pulsing pain in my chest as the guy with his back to me turns.

“Hey,” I say, to which he smiles.

“Hey there, baby.”

But I have no time to say anything because Griffin grabs my arm and leads me back to my room, shoving me inside before closing the door behind us.

“What?” I demand, hiding the thrill that I got a rise out of him. For that’s all it was, and I know better than to court danger, even if it is in my own home because evil comes in all shapes in sizes—even the most mundane.

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