Love and Fame Games (Book 1)

14

Three Years Ago

There was never any telling what might set a person off.

Alex wasn't normally the sort to go around knocking heads together but a lot of things had happened tonight, one on top of the other, and when that bowl broke, it looked like some people's skulls were going to meet the same fate as the expensive piece of crystal unless I stepped in and diverted her attention.

"Hey Alex?"

"What?" she snapped, whipping her head. Her expression softened when our eyes met.

"Truth or dare?"

"Seriously?"

"You haven't had your turn."

"Fine," she said, throwing her head back, and waved off the boys she was giving a good talking-to. "Dare. Grant's gone, but let's see who else is available. . ."

"Oh, I kind of have something else in mind." A slow smile spread across my face. " Let's go outside."

Minutes later, Alex was once again somewhere halfway between tears and murderous rage and this time it was because of me.

"This is so unfair, Adrian St. Clair!"

Unfortunately for her, the little rhyme she created from using my full name made it unintentionally hilarious and I was less than intimidated, and further emboldened by the fact that I was, at present, standing about twenty feet away from her—well beyond hair-pulling distance.

"You're not really making me go through with this, are you?" she asked, sounding damn-near hysterical.

To answer her question, I gave a kid I had delegated to the side of the poolhouse the signal to hit the switch. The kid responded by giving a thumbs-up and there was low whirring noise. The automatic pool cover rolled up, starting at the deepest end, where Alex stood, towards me. The chlorine smell that had been faint and barely noticeable only seconds ago intensified and permeated the air. Lights hit the bright blue water, casting a bluish tint on everything.

"You heard me say there was a drought, right?" Beth was beside me all of a sudden, clucking her tongue in disapproval. "Why is no one taking that seriously?"

"Pool's already filled. Be more wasteful not to use it, if you ask me."

I didn't mean to snap, but Ethan, Tristan, and Matt were with her. There was something slightly distressing about this odd combination of people that came out of nowhere, and the fact that both she and the boys were minus one constant companion.

"What's up, Adrian?" Ethan greeted.

"Revenge," I said, my voice menacingly low at first. "An eye for an eye." I could hear it getting louder and more high-pitched with each word. "Do it, Alex! Do a cannonball!"

"Can't I change into a swimsuit first?" she asked, just as shrilly. I crossed my arms across my chest, knowing she was either stalling or planning her escape. "No one's used the pool for weeks! It hasn't been heated!"

"Good! You need cooling down."

"At least several times a day," Beth called out, not missing a beat, and we both exploded into laughter at the exact moment.

"I will not be spoken to that way in my own house!" Alex yelled. She huffed once again and stamped her foot.

Beth struggled to contain her giggles. "Eye for an eye, huh? Funny, you didn't strike me as the Old Testament type."

"You'd be surprised how vindictive she can be," Tristan chimed in, and then laughed. "So glad I picked truth."

"No one was talking to you, Tristan," I said, glaring in his direction.