Just Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Cast Party

It feels wrong to admit it, but that cast party was by far my favorite. I know that technically everything that was going on was just for show, but at the same time it was the closest thing to real I'd ever experienced.

Max didn't leave my side for the entire rest of the night. We danced together for a while, but even once I got tired, he stayed by my side. We went and sat on one of the couches together, his arm wrapped around me even though there was a group of people around.

I did feel guilty for not hanging out with my real friends, but it wasn't like they weren't going to understand. I could hang out with other people if I wanted to and besides, this wasn't even real hanging out. This was just for show. I mean, what was the point of hanging out with Max if Harper couldn't see it, right? So I had to hang out with their whole group; that way she got a better view of it.

Not that she spent much time with her friends during the party anyway. While the rest of the group eventually caught up with us on the couches, Harper and Cortland never sat down with us. At first, I kept seeing glances of her watching us as she hung out with other people and, to be honest, I felt a little guilty for that too. As much as I hated her, I never really predicted the amount of pain I'd actually cause her. I always just assumed she wanted Max back out of possessiveness, but now I wasn't sure. Maybe it was just jealousy though that kept her as far away from us as possible. Who knows? Either way, she eventually found a way to keep herself even farther away from us, cuz after a while, I couldn't find her around anymore. Not that I really tried that hard though.

As for Cortland, I'm not really sure where he went. The only people he ever talked to were all surrounding me so he definitely wasn't branching out and talking to people. And Ror was always his ride home so there was no way he just left either. It did make things easier for me though. Without Cort there, I felt less guilty about hanging out with the actors. After all, it was really only him that the other techies were boycotting right now so everyone else was fair game.

Either way, I had the time of my life. We didn't really do anything, just sat around a bunch. Luke teased the hell out of Max and I. Alex and Izzy did dumb shit for absolutely no reason that made everyone else laugh. Ror scolded us all for teasing the girls that would come up to try and flirt with Luke. And Max kept his arm around me all night. When someone said something funny, he'd lean his head onto my shoulder a little as he laughed and when I said something that made him smile, he'd pull me into him a little tighter for just a second. I'm not sure if this is what real boyfriends feel like or not, but, to be quite honest, if this was the closest I ever got, I think I'd be okay with it.

When the party started to wrap up, Max offered to give me a ride home.

"Wait, since when can you drive?" I teased him, genuinely surprised though.

He laughed at me, "I could always drive. I just like riding around with my best friends better than I like driving alone. It's more fun that way."

I shook my head at him, "I guess. Why the change tonight then?"

"Maybe I found someone I'd rather hang out with." He smiled down at me.

Luke scoffed, "Yeah, or maybe Ror's car was full cuz other people actually needed instead of just wanting them."

I laughed at him, "Busted."

He shook his head defiantly, "Hey, it could be both."

"Actually, he could've driven with me anyway as it turns out. Harper wasn't feeling all that well so she called her parents for a ride earlier. Cort left with her so I have empty seats now." Ror chimed in.

"I'm pretty happy with how things turned out." Max smiled down at me and I felt a pang of something like guilt flash in my stomach.

I pushed the guilt away and leaned into him, "Yeah, me too."

With that, he slid his hand out from around my shoulders and slipped it into mine as we said our goodbyes and he led me out to his car.

We spent the whole ride home joking around, and I was once again reminded as to why people liked him so much. He really did have a way of making you feel special. Also, I very much did not stop laughing the whole way home. By the time we pulled up to my house my face physically hurt from how much I'd been smiling not just in the car, but all night too.

When I went to get out of the car though, Max stopped me, "Hey, I...uh... I... I had a lot of fun tonight."

I smiled at him, not sure why he looked nervous. "Me too."

"I just, wanted to let you know that I like you. Like a lot. And I'm just... really glad that I met you."

His eyes were locked with mine and I couldn't really understand the emotion inside them, but the pang of guilt I felt earlier returned in waves. In that moment, I realized just how deep I'd gotten into this scheme and I saw a flash of just how badly this was going to end.

I didn't really know what to say, but it was clear that he was expecting a response.

I just smiled at him again and repeated my "Me too."

In my head, it felt weak, but it seemed to be the response he'd wanted. His face broke into the biggest grin and his hand squeezed mine for a moment.

When he leaned into the kiss, I thought about turning my head. For just a moment, I considered pulling back and sprinting out of the car, calling this a wash and abandoning ship entirely before anyone really got hurt. But it was too late for that and I knew it. So, I let the thought pass and I just kissed him back, pushing away the guilt and enjoying what I knew would probably be a ginormous mistake.