Why are you avoiding me

Chapter 10

Kierra's POV

The night had already gotten off to a rough start with me being stranded at a party I didn't even want to be at and as if that wasn't enough, I just had to run into Rory AKA the asshole that broke my best friend's heart and he wasn't alone.

"It's nice to see you too, Kierra," he muttered shyly, unable to meet my eyes. I had been friends with Rory while he dated Emily but after he broke up with her, we'd fallen out and he always avoided me.

Whenever we did run into each other, he was always too ashamed to look at me but it didn't bother me. He was supposed to be ashamed, much unlike the brat clinging to him.

"Trust me. That feeling is not mutual... And of course, you brought your arm accessory with you. Don't you ever get tired of hanging on to his arm, Celine? Are you scared someone will steal him away from him like you stole him from Emily?"

"And how is that any of your business?" she shot back and I raised my hands in surrender.

"You're right. You're totally right. It's none of my business how cheap you are." I shrugged and grabbed another cup to get some water from the tap. I was well aware of Celine fuming behind me.

"Ugh! Drinking water from the tap? Lemme guess, mama's girl isn't allowed to drink alcohol, is she?" she scoffed. "You're such a dork."

I smiled, turning off the water. I knew that her intent was to annoy me but I wasn't about to let her have her way. So I turned back to face them with my cup of water in my hand and shrugged.

"Yes, I'm a dork. Yes, I'm drinking water at a party. Is there a problem with that?" I took a sip of my water and stared right at her, waiting for an answer from her but none was forthcoming. She just kept glaring at me silently with a face so red, smoke would be coming out of her ears if she was in a cartoon.

After I was done drinking my cup of water, I pulled myself up to sit on the kitchen counter totally ignoring Rory and Celine who hadn't left the kitchen.

Everyone else had left while we were talking so we were the only ones still in the kitchen and save for the chatter and music coming from the living room, the kitchen was totally silent.

Minutes later, someone finally came into the kitchen. It was Chance Jensen, Derek's cousin and my classmate. I noticed that he was taking cans of beer from the kitchen and I was curious.

Before I could ask, Rory spoke first.

"What are you doing, Chance?" he inquired to which Chance responded, "A few of us are playing Truth or Dare in the basement and we will need the beer. You guys interested?"

"Who's 'a few of us'?" I asked.

"Oh, just people from our class and some seniors. Are you coming, Kierra?"

I wasn't really interested but before I could give Chance an answer, Celine snorted and said, "Yeah right. As if Kierra would ever play Truth or Dare."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Actually–" I fixed Celine a glare–"count me in, Chance."

"Great. Follow me then," Chance told us as he walked out, bearing a few cans of beer while I grabbed the cups he hadn't been able to carry.

Following behind Chance, I made my way through the bodies moving along to the music on the dancefloor, then down some stairs into a dimly lit room where about 15 people were gathered, sitting in a circle.

"Hey guys. I've got the beer and a few more interested participants," Chance announced as he approached the group and set the cans to the side. I did the same and joined the group. Celine and Rory sat directly opposite me.

While the rules of the game were being explained, I took the time to look around the circle and I recognized most of the faces because most of them were my classmates and then, I saw him.

Coincidentally, that was the same time he looked in my direction and we locked eyes. It had been just two days since I laid eyes on him and yet, it felt like an eternity. He still managed to look even hotter than I remembered.

How could I have been so stupid? Chance had mentioned that a few seniors would be playing with us. His cousin, Derek was obviously part of the seniors and who was friends with his cousin? Ethan Grayson. How did I not think of that?

Now because of my oversight, I was stuck in a room with the same person I had been trying to avoid. What do I do? What do I do?!

Ethan still hadn't looked away and how could I bring myself to look away when his eyes were so hypnotic? It was like I was under a spell that only he could break.

At that moment, I wished he wasn't so far away and that the invisible chasm that separated us was so big. I wished I was forced to hide my feelings and I could confess to him but alas! These were just wishes that could never be.

All of a sudden, Ethan cocked his head to the side and just like that, the spell was broken. I took a deep breath and shook my head to clear the fog that had gathered in my head.

Ethan was talking to Derek who'd been the one to tap him and draw his attention. To my surprise, I noticed that Liliana wasn't with Ethan or even in the group and even though I didn't want to admit it, I was happy. I really was.

Anyway, the game kicked off. It went like this: a bottle was placed in the middle of the group and spun. When it stopped, the person the top pointed at would ask the person the bottom was pointed at to either say the truth or be dared but if the person didn't want to do either, they had to drink a cup filled with beer.

I had known that the game wouldn't exactly be like the ones I played when I was eight but it was really something. There was a lot of kissing, making out, lap dancing and drinking but the best part was probably when Rory had been dared to kiss another girl and much to Celine's displeasure, he hadn't refused and drank the beer. He and the girl shared the kiss and Rory was so into it that they ended up kissing much longer than expected and Celine ended up having to separate them.

I had been unable to hide my smug grin which Celine saw and I knew she was thinking back to my statement earlier in the kitchen but she could only glare as the bottle was spun again.

Since the game started, I had been able to avoid being dared and had only been the one daring or asking for the truth. On the other hand, Ethan had been avoiding being dared and at the moment, had already downed three cups of beer.

Every time he downed the cup, he'd glance at me with this unreadable expression in his eyes before looking away. I had no idea what he was thinking and I wished I could talk to him.

Unfortunately for me though, my lucky streak ran out and the bottle stopped spinning and the bottom of the bottle was facing me while the top was pointed at none other than Celine.

Oh crap! Judging by the look on her face, I could tell that I was toast.

"Truth or dare, Kierra?"

"Actually, the last two have been truth so Kierra has to do a dare," Chance piped in and I scowled at him.

"Oh, that's right, Chance... What do I dare you to do?" Celine said, her hand on her chin as she stared at me with a grin. "Oh, I know. I dare you," she paused dramatically, "to kiss Chance on the lips."

I glared at her fiercely, my clenched fists shaking with the anger coursing through my veins. I imagined doing a lot of things to her that I knew would wipe the bitchy, self satisfied smile on her dumb face but doing that would only cause a scene.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before getting on all fours and crawling over to Chance.

"Let's just get this over with," I mumbled, my face only a few inches from Chance's.

"You know you don't have to do this, right? You could just take the drink," he offered and it got me thinking. While this wouldn't be my first real kiss, I didn't exactly plan on making out with a guy I barely talked to at this party. Then again, I had never drank alcohol before and I had no intention on ever drinking.

"She's not going to drink," Celine uttered. She sounded so sure and she was right. She'd basically trapped me and I had to follow through. I closed my eyes and readied myself for the kiss but Chance's lips had barely grazed mine when I was suddenly pulled away from him.

In a instant, I was on my feet with my back pressed against Ethan's chest. It had happened so fast that I had no idea how he did it.

Slowly, I looked up and saw that Ethan's eyes weren't on me but on Chance's and they were clouded by a darkness I would never have attributed with Ethan. I could feel a dangerous aura oozing off him and if it wasn't Ethan, I'd genuinely be scared.

However, Chance along with everyone else in the room seemed to feel the aura and I could see the fear in their eyes.

"We're leaving," Ethan uttered in a tone so cold, no one dared object. He was about leaving with my wrist held tight in his grip when he suddenly stopped and took one of the open cans of beer and took a huge gulp. "There. I took the drink for her." And then we left.

After being down in the basement for so long, the music playing seemed a lot louder than I remembered. Blake led me through the crowd of mostly drunk teenagers and up the stairs, not once letting go of my hand until we got into one of the bedrooms upstairs.

Before I could ask what we were doing in a bedroom, he said, "Now that I have you all to myself, would you mind explaining why you've been avoiding me?" I gulped and stared at the floor, unsure of how to answer his question.