Page 42 of Ruse
Fitz’s gaze finds mine, his sweet puppy dog eyes pleading with me. “Come on P, it’s going to be sick. Tate may be a total attention seeking bitch, but man can she throw a party.”
I shake my head, and he doesn’t push. I know deep down Fitz finds my hatred toward Tate justified. The girl is a total bitch to everyone and is thetypical high school mean girl, hiding her insecurities under her cruel tongue.
However, Brooklyn doesn’t seem to get the hint. “Yeah, what he said. And while you’re at it, why don’t you bring that Darcy chick, she was hot.” Both Fitz and I immediately turn to glare at Brooklyn, but I do one better and flip him off.
Yet something about Fitz’s reaction seems a little off. I know why I’m rolling my eyes at my insufferable brother, needing to keep Darcy as far away from him for her own safety, but I can't help wondering why Fitz is looking at my brother like he wants to strangle him.
Beside me Donovan scoffs, annoyed, acting like what Brooklyn’s said didn’t affect her.
As soon as the guys leave, Dee turns her body toward me, glaring angrily. “Please tell me you were just joking. P come on, I want to go to the party, and I can’t go without you.”
“Dee, you know I hate Tate, I loathe her. I can’t just show up at a party at her house.”
“We’ll barely even see her with the amount of people that will be there. Plus, I’m hoping the performer is none other than Baker Brooks.”
Baker Brooks the country star God. Born and raised in Malibu Cove, Brooks is a MC High legend. It’s great to see one of our own out there conquering the world, and after hanging out with Baker last summer at one of Tate’s dad’s events, I have to say no one deserves the fame and fortune more than him.
“Dee, I don’t get why you want to go. You know Brooklyn actively fucks Tate. For someone who’s in love with my brother, I don’t get why you'd want to be anywhere near her.”
Her cheeks flush, worry suddenly clouding her eyes. “Tate is not worthy of dating Brooklyn, he knows that. He’s just killing time with her. Besides, if I avoided everyone Brooklyn actively fucks, I’d have no friends. Well, except you. I mean you heard what he said about your new friend Darcy,” she says snidely.
“Do you need anyone else?” I ask, only making her more annoyed. “Come on Dee, are you jealous of Darcy? Because you shouldn’t be. Darcy told me she isn’t interested in Brooklyn. If anything, I think she might have a thing for Fitz.”
“Really?” she asks, her eyes lighting up. “Then we should totally make that happen, at the party.”
“Slow down there Dee, I said she might. Don’t get any ideas or start with your supposed matchmaking skills. I won’t push Darcy on that, besides, even if I was, I’m not going.”
She pouts. “Phoenix.”
“Donovan.”
Dee leans over her recliner, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Pretty please with a double scoop of rocky road and mint chip ice cream, and a dollop of whipped cream on top.”
I glare down at the top of her dirty blond head. “That’s playing dirty Donovan Kennedy.”
She grins wide, lifting her gaze to meet mine. Big, round, blue eyes excitedly staring at me. “It’s the only way I know how to play.”
ChapterFourteen
PHOENIX
“Hot damn Phoenix, you look smoking,” Ryan Easton, my brother's other best friend, calls out as Dee, Olly, Darcy, and I walk over to their table. It took a bit of convincing, okay a lot of groveling on Donavan’s part, to convince Darcy to come with us. I told her if Darcy agreed, then I would too, only I didn’t think Darcy would ever agree to come to a MC High party at Tate Mortimer’s house. A pool party at that. Especially not since Tate’s made her life more miserable than mine.
All eyes in a fifty-foot radius turn to me, every single guy from our school eating me alive with their stares.
“Dude, that’s my sister,” Brooklyn grunts, elbowing Ryan in the ribs. He crouches forward, a tad bit over dramatizing the act.
“Thanks, Ryan,” I mutter, flipping my brother off. I ditched the edgier grunge look of the last party and resorted back to my usual boho chic style. Jean shorts over my white two-piece bikini, and a coverup with wide embroidered sleeves.
“You sound surprised Ryan, Phoenix always looks hot,” Olly counters, making Ryan shift nervously.
“Yeah, I’m just saying she looks…”
“Enough about my sister and what she looks like. We get it. She’s beautiful, she’s related to me after all,” Brooklyn, whines leaning against the cocktail table. Twenty tables surround the giant pool in the middle of the expansive yard, filled with those huge obnoxious floaties, and drunk teens in tiny bikinis and board shorts.And is that a surfboard in the middle?
A large stage is set up at the front of the outdoor deck, surrounded by inflatable pools filled with ice, beer, seltzers, and hard liquor bottles.
Tate Mortimer has outdone herself once again.
