As she made her way towards Lauren, she spotted Adonis coming in from the front of the house. His clothes were more ruffled than when he had been in the den with her. Jumping to conclusions, she narrowed her eyes, flipped her blonde hair over a shoulder, and pretended she didnât see him. Half of it was an act in case Lauren was watching. The other half⊠she rubbed at her chest absently.
She strode up to Lauren and ran a finger up her arm. âWell, Well,â Livvy purred, âMiss Lauren Clark. I would ask what brings you here, but I think itâs safe to assume the lemming invited you.â Her blue eyes snapped to Camilla a moment before returning to Lauren. She gave a sultry smile. âI take it not much has changed. Still like causing chaos?â
Lauren was pleased to see Livvy making her way over to her. Sheâd missed seeing Livvy around; another one of her beloved toys, even though she hadnât played with her quite as much as some of the others. And, well, it seemed like Livvy hadnât changed much, if at all. Her demeanor as she made her way up to Lauren, followed by her opening gesture, confirmed that one thing had at least hadnât changed. Which, of course, meant that Lauren could play her games.
She smiled, laughing a little at Livvyâs comment about Camilla. âLivvy, darling, donât be so mean,â she said, in a tone that indicated that she actually loved Livvy being so mean. At her question about whether or not she was still causing chaos, she feigned shock and hurt. âI am shocked at that accusation,â she said, before laughing. âOf course I do. Thatâs why Iâm here,â she said. âSo come on, tell me, sweetheart, tell me everything thatâs going on with you. I want to know all of the gossip and the scandal of your life.â
Livvy shrugged her pale shoulders. âNot much to tell, Iâm afraid. Just been traveling the country.â She feigned a sigh of disappointment. âSadly high school was the most exciting time of my life.â She linked arms with her, ignoring Camilla altogether, all a part of the act--though she still wasnât a fan of Camilla after her break up with Simon. âWhat about you?â She cooed, âWhat has the great Lauren Clark been doing in her spare time since the whirlwind of high school?â
She started to tug her into a walk, heading in the direction of the hallway.
Lauren wasnât sure that she believed Livvyâs act of disappointment, but she played along anyway. She let Livvy link her arm, even resting a hand on Livvyâs arm as she did so. She had to hold back a laugh as Livvy almost began to drag her towards the hall, out of sight of everyone else. She was curious to see how she was going to play it, though, and so Lauren let her.
âOh, you know. Working. Mom and Dad gave me a job in marketing. Itâs mundane from time to time, and I work with some of the dumbest and most boring people I have ever met, but they do what I tell them, and the money isnât bad either. And of course, I do a little bit of influencing on the side. I was posting all of those pictures anyway, so why not get paid for including one teensy little brand in them?â She asked with a laugh. âI should get you on my Instagram. Everyone would fall in love with you right away,â she said, raising an eyebrow at Livvy.
"I'll definitely think about it", She replied, and it wasnât a lie. Itâs the kind of exposure people kill for. However, knowing who Lauren was, she was sure it was too good to be true.âIt would be a great opportunity.â
She stopped at the bar, plucking a bottle of rose and pouring them each a glass. She tucked the bottle beneath her arm and held a glass out to Lauren. âWhy donât you tell me more about it?â She offered, leading them back towards the hallway. âOr, you could share some gossip with me. Sadly, my travels keep me fairly isolated so I donât hear much.â Or not anything Iâd share with you, she thought. For a moment, she thought about sharing Adonisâs attraction to Dylan but ultimately decided against it. He mightâve deserved some trouble, but getting Lauren involved was asking for catastrophe and she could never do that to him.
âAlthough, She paused, taking a sip of her wine. âThe best Iâve got is that apparently Dean and Jade are a thing!â She tried to sound surprised and a little disappointed. He was her hot ex after all. And⊠she did miss him every now and then. She still followed him on social media, but they didnât talk often. At least his relationship with Jade was less scandalous but just as juicy of a story.
Lauren accepted the glass of rose and took a small sip from it. She loved a party as much as the next person and was no stranger to getting wasted; but she felt that, at least for this one, it was probably better to stay sober and in control. She raised an eyebrow at Livvyâs request for gossip. It seemed like the girlâs motives were somewhat mixed here, or else she was trying to play into everything she knew that Lauren enjoyed in the hope of impressing her. Lauren decided to give Livvy the benefit of the doubt and play along.
As Livvy mentioned that she had gossip, Lauren gasped, before grinning in vicious delight and leaning in. Her act almost shattered as Livvy told her what it was, having to resist the temptation to laugh. âOh, Iâm sure that wonât end badly at all,â she said, the only outward indication of her reaction as she took another sip of her wine. âI give them a month,â she said.
âSo, youâve given me some good gossip. Let me see if I can share anything⊠do you want to know something about someone we went to school with⊠or about someone here at the party?â She asked, her grin sharp with the realization that she could cause a little bit of chaos here, with either a well-placed truth or an even better-placed lie.
Livvy tipped her head back in a laugh. âIâll bet $20 itâll be two weeks.â She took another sip of her wine. She hummed in thought and replied, with a giggle, âFrom the looks of it, I donât think those are as different as one would think.â She nibbled a little at the tip of her tongue as she thought. There were two things influencing her decision: the first--and her original reason for asking--was to see what Lauren knew compared to the things she knew and the second was that she was curious about the people she used to go to school with.
However⊠if she allowed herself to open that door, she could potentially find out something about someone she wasnât supposed to know. So, in the end, she chose to play it safe. âAbout someone here at the party,â she replied. There were plenty of people here who hadn't gone to school with them with that the odds were in her favor. Unless Lauren knew just where to strike.
Lauren had known that Livvy wouldnât be able to resist the temptation to find out some gossip about the people theyâd gone to school with. And now, of course, she needed to decide what exactly she wanted to spill. She could begin her campaign to ruin Sorenâs life here and now; but from memory, Soren and Livvy had only ever been passing friends, so she wasnât quite sure that that would have enough of an effect. Lauren took a moment to evaluate the situation. As far as she was concerned, she had three options for the highest amount of drama.
Number one. Erin. Lauren was aware of their past together and got the impression that there was still some unfinished business there. Some of Erinâs secrets could completely change Livvyâs impression of her, and might just touch a sore spot.
Number two. Evie. Would Livvy sink to Laurenâs level and use that information against Evie though, to win back Erin? Probably not, but she loved the idea of dangling that temptation in front of Livvy.
Number three. Adonis. Adonis and Livvy had some strange little dynamic going for them. Admittedly, Lauren didnât know the details of what was going on, but she knew that she could cause some true mayhem there. And so she took a long sip of her wine and rifled through her mental list of secrets, looking for the juiciest of them all.
âWell. I heard that Adonis has gotten himself into some trouble. Working with some⊠dangerous people, on what is very definitely the wrong side of the law, if you catch my drift,â she said, raising an eyebrow suggestively and taking a step closer to Livvy, lowering her voice to a low murmur.
That wasn't what Livvy was expecting. "Adonis?" She frowned. Her mask, the entire act, shattered. She couldnât pretend she didnât care. Not if it was about Erin, Julian, or Simon. Not when it was about Adonis.
Not your business, she thought to herself. She led them down the hall, testing doorknobs as she went. If they were going to talk about this, they needed a more private space. Besides, that was her original plan anyway. She wondered if it had to do with Dylan. She knew the young woman was married now, though, she had to admit, she didnât know to whom. Dylan didnât really run in her circle in high school so she didnât know much about her now. Besides, what did it matter who her friend slept with anyway?
She knew she had just been thinking he deserved some trouble, but the way Lauren was describing it⊠it was more trouble than she wouldâve liked. The words were out of her mouth before she could think. âWhat kind of trouble?â
The words had the desired effect, as Livvyâs cute little act shattered before Laurenâs eyes, and Lauren smiled, raising her glass to her lips as she did so. But if Livvyâs mask was shattered, that only made her intentions even clearer as she began trying doors. It was as they reached the last one that Livvy stopped again, to ask her what kind of trouble. âWell,â Lauren started, before reaching past Livvy and opening the door. This one opened. Lauren grabbed Livvyâs free hand and pulled her into the room, closing it behind them. By the looks of it, it was Erinâs bedroom. Lauren sat down on the bed, pulling Livvy along to sit beside her.
[color=#540000]âI donât know the *exact* details,â she said. âBut I heard that heâs involved with some very dangerous people. Involving drugs, and possibly weapons,â she said, managing to feign some level of horror at it as if she also didnât have her ties to some of the people involved. âGod only knows what kind of trouble heâs gotten himself into now.â
Livvy knew she was in deep shit as Lauren dragged her into the final room. She was too intoxicated and curious to realize just what she was doing. Being here often enough she knew who's room it was. Erin. They were going into Erin's room.
She wanted to backpedal, to pull Lauren from the room before she found anything that would cause more trouble for her friend. More trouble than apparently what she was already causing just by walking this path.
It was too late. She could tell by the hungry look in Lauren's eye. She opened the wrong door and found herself tumbling into trouble. The room spun as Lauren whirled her around to sit beside her on the bed. Erin's bed.
This was a mistake, She thought. She couldn't handle the girl in high school. What made her think she could handle things now? Before she could find a way out of the situation, Lauren was spilling Adonis's secrets.
And it was worse than she feared. She squeezed her eyes shut a moment. What did you get yourself into, Nis? She thought. She took a deep breath and pushed it all down, down, down. She knew Lauren likely saw through her act now, but she had to change the subject. If she was sharing this with Livvy who else knew?
Then, she realized, she should stop acting. "Well that's not what I was expecting," she said with an awkward chuckle. "That's a lot to process." She waved a hand dismissively, tucking her hair behind her ear. "But I can always process later."
She downed the rest of the wine and placed it on a nearby surface. When she looked back at Lauren, the room shifted with her. She gave a startled laugh. "Whoops. Too much."
Then she reached up to trace Lauren's cheekbone and said, "I just realized. I've never drawn you before." She felt herself shift into artist mode, noticing the many colors that make up a person. She curled a lock of Lauren's hair around her finger. And said something she knew she'd likely regret later. "You're beautiful."
Lauren smiled with satisfaction that her words had had the intended effect as Livvy attempted to recover from the news, but managed to make it look something like a sympathetic smile instead. As Livvy downed the rest of her glass of wine, Lauren just took a delicate sip from hers, putting her still mostly full glass down beside Livvyâs empty one.
Livvy being that drunk made it so much easier. She finally had the guts to actually reach out to Lauren, revealing the real intentions sheâd had all along. Lauren played along, leaning in towards Livvy a little.
âI know,â she said as Livvy said that sheâd never drawn her. âYou know, Iâve always hoped youâd ask. Any excuse to be around you,â she said softly. At Livvyâs compliment, Lauren just smiled, reaching out to tuck some of Livvyâs hair behind her ear, her hand lingering by Livvyâs face a little longer than it needed to.
Livvyâs blue eyes widened with surprise. She searched Laurenâs eyes for a lie, but couldnât see through the alcohol-induced fog in her brain. Instead, she saw the light reflecting off Laurenâs irises, painting them gold. She admired the flawlessness of her skin, without a scar, mark, or pore. She studied the lighter strands among the dark of her hair. Then found herself leaning forward, investigating the red of her lips.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Her cheek was warm where Laurenâs hand lingered a little too long. Was this actually happening? Or was she passed out on the couch imagining the whole thing? Was she actually about to cross Lauren Clark off her high school âFuckâ list. The âcoolest girlâ in school?
She was close enough now that their noses were touching. She could smell the wine on Laurenâs breath, light and lingering. She released the strand of Laurenâs hair and lifted it until it rested against the warm curve of her neck. She swept a thumb across Laurenâs jawline. âIâve been wanting to ask since high school.â She finally said. Then, when she couldnât take the tension anymore, she closed the distance between them, brushing her lips softly against Laurenâs.
Lauren smiled, right up until the moment that Livvy leaned in and pressed her lips against Laurenâs. Lauren let the kiss linger for a second or two, before she pulled away, her smile becoming wicked. âOh, thatâs adorable,â she said, her tone dripping in venom. âDid you really think that I would want you? Someone as⊠plain as you? Your stepfather may have had a point, you know. Who could want someone so plain?â She asked, cruelly tracing a finger along Livvyâs face.
It was at that point that her phone buzzed, and she very deliberately swiveled away from Livvy to pick up her bag and fish out her phone. And then she smiled, a smile that said whoever was on the other side of the text was far more interesting than Livvy. She kept her attention on the phone as she replied to the text, an unspoken dismissal.
Livvy blinked. First in confusion. And then in disbelief. She sat back, tilting a little further than she meant to. âYou literally said-â and then she stopped. Lauren had never actually said âI want youâ. She had only said she had been waiting for her to ask.
No one would want you,â her stepfatherâs voice murmured in her mind. âNo one, but me.â And then she could feel him. Where Laurenâs hands had been. Where her exposed skin was at her waist.
She was going to be sick.
She rose and hurried from the room. There was a line for the bathroom, of course. Where else? The balcony. Air. Air would help.
She padded through the kitchen, not noticing anyone she passed, though she heard Deanâs distinct tenor. She could see the light on the ground though she wasnât looking up. At least, not until she opened the door to step out⊠and Evie and Adonis were standing there. He looked like he was ready to unleash hell on her at first. She knew he hadnât known it was her. Adonis has gotten himself into some trouble. Laurenâs voice purred.
âSorry to interruptâ She found herself mumbling before she quickly shut the doors, whirling around and heading back in the direction she came. She ran her fingers through her long hair repeatedly. No doubt making it look wilder. No air. That only left⊠distraction. And she knew just who would be able to help. She stepped back towards the kitchen area in search of Dean.