I smile slightly at the sound of Maxx talking like a normal teenager.
“And Kwang-seon, how are you?” Laurent asks as the dark-haired man watches the crowd in a similar fashion to the way Chasm is doing now, like he’s surrounded by predators and is on the defensive.
“Uh, what?” Chas asks, looking back at Maxx’s parents and blinking rapidly. “Oh, I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” He affects the same polite tone that he uses on Tess when she’s in a bad mood. “I hear Laurent’s managed to land a new job?” he inquires politely as my eyes seek out Lumen once again.
She’s alone right now. I consider how to make my escape.
“Hamilton will continue working as Tiffany’s manager for the time being; I’ve just landed myself an incredible new position in Justin’s company.” I look back to see Laurent smiling excitedly as Maxx frowns. I just assume that Tiffany is his sister. That’s how little we really know each other, huh? I didn’t even know his sister’s name until just now.
But you really get to know both the best and worst of others in the middle of a crisis; Maxx has shown me all his cards, and I really like what I’ve seen so far. A lot. Too much, probably.
“I didn’t know that,” Maxx interjects, flicking a glance at Chasm. They exchange information silently, in the way that really good friends sometimes do. Or lovers. Yeah, lovers do that, too.
“Well, I just learned about it tonight,” Laurent continues happily, lifting his glass up toward the crowd. “It pays triple what my last job did, and I can work remotely from Portland. It’s a fantastic opportunity. Kota, if you see your father in this melee, give him my thanks. I doubt I’ll get a chance to talk to him; everyone in town seems to be fighting for his attention.”
“I absolutely will,” I agree with a pleasant smile. “Pardon me. I need to use the restroom, but it was lovely meeting you both.”
I slip away before either of the boys can stop me, only to realize that Lumen is headed right for me, her face set in a determined cast. She doesn’t stop when she gets close to me, slamming her shoulder so hard into mine that I actually stumble.
“Out of my way, bitch,” she snaps, a glittering gold nightmare in a very pretty, very expensive gown. I’m still trying to catch my balance when her left hand—the one that was clenched into a tight first earlier, presses against mine. Something small and square slides into my palm and off she goes.
“What is your fucking problem?” Chasm snarls, intercepting her. I clutch the item tightly as I turn around to see Lumen facing off against both boys.
“Problem?” she asks with a breezy laugh as she tosses her hair over one shoulder. “She is my problem. You are my problem. Why don’t you ask Danyella how many nights she stayed up crying because of you two?”
“Keep harassing Dakota and see what happens when Parrish gets back. What I’ve done to you thus far will seem nice comparatively.”
“Go fuck yourself, Kwang-seon,” she snarls, turning her vitriol on Maxx. “And what about you, Maxim? I thought you graduated last year. Don’t tell me you’re one of those pathetic college boys who sniffs around high school girls looking for an easy lay?”
“Don’t pretend like you aren’t afraid of us,” Maxx warns her. “And if you’re not, you should be. Dakota was seriously hurt; she broke several bones. Maybe we should break some of yours as payback?”
“As if Chasm’s horde of whores didn’t already try,” she quips, shoving between them both and taking off at a quick clip. I let her go, squeezing whatever it is that she put in my hand so tightly that the corners of it hurt my palm.
“Are you okay?” Maxx asks, and I nod, glancing up at the large plastic ‘bubbles’ near the ceiling. They float around and even shimmer like real bubbles, but I know what they truly are: drones. Seems like something out of a sci-fi romance, but it’s not. My grandmother’s best friend went to Las Vegas last year where they have the world’s largest legal cannabis dispensary; she said she saw these things hovering all over the place for security.
Disturbing.
Justin can monitor every single thing happening at his party whenever he wants—and probably have all our faces tagged and catalogued by his stupid Milk Carton app.
“I just need to use the bathroom—” I start, and then pause when I see Justin press a kiss to a woman’s cheek. She leans back and smiles at him. Something about her expression bothers me, like maybe I’ve seen her somewhere before. She has long brunette hair with blond highlights woven expertly throughout, and her mouth is full and pouty. I swear that we’ve met, even though I can’t place her face.
