Chapter 3

"You've organized everything perfectly, baby," Isaac says as he hugs me around the waist and kisses me long and hard on the lips. "As always, in fact. Everyone's having a great time."

"I was worried about the DJ." The DJ we usually hire is performing at an up-and-coming singer's birthday party in Beverly Hills today, so we had to hire a new DJ. Luckily, he's not bad.

In half an hour, everyone here will be so drunk that they won't care what music they're dancing to. Just order more alcohol next time."

I am angered by Isaac's dismissive attitude toward what I devote most of my time to during the week. I always give my all when I take on a task, whether it's studying, choosing a birthday present, or organizing a party like today's. To me, the power I've acquired is a privilege and a responsibility. At the events I host, every detail is considered, from the high-quality alcohol to the sober drivers who take guests home. There are no trips to the police station or cheap booze poisoning at my parties. That's also part of my reputation.

"If you ever decide to throw your own party, remind me not to come," I say, taking my phone out of my pocket and putting it to my ear. I need to check with Christina about the arrival time of the extra batch of mineral water. It always comes in handy the next morning.

"Hey, are you offended, Tasha?" Isaac squeezes my waist tighter and looks into my eyes. "I probably didn't express myself very well."

I pull away from his embrace just as Christina starts yelling that she's running out of plastic cups. There's no one to send to the supermarket because Ted, Jacob, and Kevin have gone to pick up another group of guests.

"Calm down, and for God's sake, stop squealing like that. I have a few packs in the trunk. Isaac will bring them to you right now,” I say, looking meaningfully at my boyfriend.

When Isaac leaves, I see Ruby laughing with Paul, the lacrosse team captain. Grabbing a glass of champagne from the table, I walk over to her. The party started a couple of hours ago, but Jaden still hasn't shown up. Maybe he changed his mind? Anyway, I shouldn't worry about it. He clearly isn't as excited as I am about our unexpected meeting, and I'm not going to beg for his friendship.

"This party is awesome!" Ruby hugs me around the neck and almost spills the contents of her glass onto my dress. Judging by her hazy gaze and awkward movements, she's had quite a bit to drink.

"Hi, Paul," I say, nodding to her companion. Snatching the champagne from my friend's hands, I pull Ruby aside.

"Hey, what's with the face, mommy?" Ruby wrinkles her nose comically and reaches out to get her glass back. Even in this state, she doesn't annoy me, though Miley and Jenna would have gotten scolded long ago for this.

"You've only been here an hour, and you're already drunk," I say reproachfully. "Last time, I spent two days making sure photos of your naked, drunk ass didn't spread around the university. I'm not going to stress about it anymore, just so you know.”

"Tasha, you need to relax," Ruby says, awkwardly running her hands through my hair. "Stop acting like a supervisor." Have a drink. Dance. Flirt with the guys.” Then she frowns in annoyance. "Ah, that won't work. You came with Isaac. That's too bad—really too bad. You had a chance to push your rivals aside and get into the new guy's pants."

"The new guy? Is he here?" My voice drops in surprise. Did Jaden come after all? And he didn't even say hello?

“He’s in the pool room, but I don’t think you can get close to him.” "Why are there always so many girls at your parties, Tasha? You're my best friend; you could have made me the only guest."

Struggling to hold back my laughter, I hide my glass behind my back because Ruby is trying to take it away from me again. Then, I return my friend to the arms of Paul, who is still smiling. Does he ever stop grinning, or is it the result of a sports injury?"

"I'm going to take a walk, and I'll tell Elijah to make you some coffee. Keep in mind that he's not allowed to pour you any for the next hour.”

"Boring," Ruby snorts behind my back. Fortunately, the music is loud enough that no one can hear her.

I forbade myself from going into the pool hall so that I wouldn't have to look for Jaden. He knows I'm here and can find me himself. I scan the crowded room for Isaac and see him talking to Cole. I have no idea why he's still friends with that loudmouth idiot. I've disliked Cole ever since Jaden left my life, and my dislike hasn't gone away. My therapist says this is my way of shifting some of the blame for what happened onto Cole, but I don't care. I can't stand him. Period.

Because of the large crowd, the living room is stuffy, so I decide to visit the restroom and check the rooms on the second floor. The unspoken rules at my parties are no sex and no drugs. If you can't wait, go get a hotel room.

After washing my hands, I refresh my face with thermal water and scrutinize my lips in the mirror. Before, my lower lip was disproportionately large compared to my upper lip, but the injection only slightly corrected that. Jaden is wrong, of course; my mouth looks much better now than it did before.

After applying a layer of pink gloss, I open the bathroom door. Barely crossing the threshold, I freeze again when I see him. He is standing near the wall, intently looking at his phone screen. He is wearing black jeans and a loose white T-shirt that sets off his dark skin. Unlike our peers, he isn't wearing any watches or bracelets on his wrists. Once again, he gives me no clue.

He looks up at the sound of the door slamming, and our eyes meet. This brief moment gives me the opportunity to hide my confusion, and I smile warmly at him.

"Hello, Jaden. I'm glad you came after all."

Jaden quickly glances from my feet to my head, focuses on my face, and nods slightly in greeting. There is an agonizing pause, and I am torn between wanting to leave and wanting to quickly come up with a topic to continue the conversation.

"So you came with friends?"

"With a friend," Jaden says, breaking away from the wall and taking a step toward me. He's now standing so close that I can smell him: a light scent of menthol and fabric softener mixed with a forgotten note from childhood. I think that's what his skin smells like.

He is much taller than I am. Although I have no complexes about my own height, the difference between us is overwhelming. I weaken and step back.

“How do you and your friend like my party?”

"Your party?" Jaden raises his dark eyebrows mockingly.

"Don't split hairs. I meant that I organized it."

"You organized it well, but I'm not thrilled with everyone here."

After he says that, silence falls between us again. Jaden doesn't seem bothered by it at all. In fact, he slowly studies me, and I decide it's definitely time to leave. Isaac must have lost me.

"I won't keep you. You probably didn't come up here for no reason. See you downstairs."

I turn around and quickly walk to the stairs. I'm willing to bet that Jaden is watching me.

"I lost you," Isaac says, catching up with me on my way to the kitchen and handing me a glass of champagne. "Drink up, kid. The party is going great, so it's time for you to relax."

I take a big sip and give him a grateful smile. I know I can be hard on him at times, like today, and I'm thankful that he's understanding about it. Isaac's popularity has carried over from high school to college. He has an athletic scholarship to play football, he's an honorary fraternity member, and girls from freshmen to seniors are still crazy about him. The latter doesn't bother me in the least. I'm not jealous, and Isaac gives me no reason to be.

"I'm not sure if you know, but Jaden transferred to our university," I say, setting my glass down on the folding table and looking Isaac in the eyes. "Jaden Reed, if you remember him."

His eyebrows furrow in concentration, then his eyes light up.

"Is he the curly-haired one? The one who looked like a girl when he was a kid?"

This offhand remark makes my temples throb and my chest tighten, but I pull myself together and sound calm.

"The current Jaden has nothing to do with girls, and I would appreciate it if you refrained from making such comments about him."

Isaac knows me too well not to catch the accusation in my words. He immediately rushes to smooth things over, brushing my hair back and touching my neck with his lips as he leans down.

"I wasn't going to say anything like that. I was just clarifying."

He pulls me close with his hands on my waist, and his lips find mine. His tongue enters my mouth. I press my palms against his chest, trying to pull away because I find prolonged wet kisses in front of a crowd to be blatantly vulgar. Although I have repeatedly told Isaac this, he only pulls me closer instead of letting me go.

"Did you overtrain today?" I hiss quietly when he finally lets go of me. "What kind of Neanderthal behavior is this?"

"I just realized I missed you, baby," he says, smiling. His gaze shifts from my face to the person standing behind me. My sixth sense tells me it's Jaden. When I turn around, I see that I'm right.

“So it's true,” Isaac says, smiling wider as he extends his hand for a handshake. "So you study here."

Jaden's face is impenetrable. His eyes are cold as he shakes the offered hand and puts his own hand in his pocket.

"Yes, it's true."

"What year are you in?"

“Third.”

"Same as Tasha. But you're older than her, aren't you? Looks like you're a little late, bro,” Isaac says without mockery. Still, I feel a fleeting desire to dig my heel into his leg. Memories ring like a hysterical bell inside me, and I want to run away.

"There were reasons for that," Jaden says calmly. Fortunately, he is not bothered by Isaac's remark. "I came over to say hello."

Isaac nods, wraps his arms around my waist, and pulls me close like a favorite rubber doll.

"Tasha and I are happy to see you again."

After giving us a blank stare and saying nothing, Jaden leaves.

Within an hour, the party reaches its peak. The folding tables are cleared away, transforming the living room into a dance floor. Flirtatious laughter can be heard coming from the billiard room, but I stop myself from checking to see if Jaden is the cause. After all, he is free to relax however he wants.

I'm giving Kevin instructions on how to get Ruby and her younger sister home when I suddenly smell the pungent scent of marijuana. This is just unheard of. Did someone set us up with the police?

Within seconds, I'm on the porch, where I bump into a stocky guy with a shoulder tattoo. Judging by the cloud of acrid smoke around him, he must be the one smoking it.

"Aren't you aware that drugs are prohibited at this party? Marijuana is no exception."

My tone could freeze ice, but the guy doesn't listen and continues to inhale the marijuana enthusiastically.

"Don't growl, beautiful," he says, exhaling a thick stream of white smoke. He looks me over and whistles. "Wow." Either I'm high, or she really is hot.

"I really am that hot. Now, throw away that joint. I don't need any trouble with the police.”

"One joint won't cause any trouble, gorgeous," the guy says, smiling relaxed. "Besides, I might have cancer."

"Don't talk nonsense, you idiot," I hiss, losing my temper. I remember my aunt Eni's thin figure in hospital pajamas, soaked through with that hateful smell, all too well to appreciate this jerk's joke. "Either you throw that crap away and get out of here, or you'll be kicked out."

"Breathe, tiger. A friend invited me, so there's no way I'm leaving."

And then it hits me: Jaden. He's the one who brought this insolent little shit to my party.

I turn on my heels and walk straight to the billiard room, where I find a scene that makes my fists clench involuntarily. Jaden sits on the couch like a guest star with a glass in his hand, surrounded by a tight circle of female fans. The two most vivacious of them press their breasts and hips against him.

"I need to talk to you about your friend, Jaden," I say, burning his enthusiastic harem with my gaze. I note with satisfaction how the flirtatious smiles slip from their faces. "Let's go outside."

"About Eric? What about him?" Jaden raises his eyebrows questioningly but doesn't move.

"He's smoking weed at my party. That's not allowed.”

"Then tell him to throw it away," he replies calmly. "I'm sure he didn't know."

The girls' eyes light up with excitement as they exchange glances. They all want to see the new student take down the queen of the university. There's no way I'm going to give them that pleasure.

“So you're not going to help me, is that right?”

The blonde freshman, who is pressing her chest against Jaden, makes a loud, nasty sound like tearing fabric. She quickly bites her lip and lowers her eyes. She's laughing at me.

"You," I say, narrowing my eyes at her. “What do you find so funny? That I'm protecting your drunk ass from the police?"

The girl shakes her head, but I can see she's still smirking.

"Now, get up and get out of here. For the future, find some Friday night entertainment you like because you're no longer welcome here."

The threat hits home; the smirk disappears from her face, replaced by helplessness. She looks around and glances hopefully at Jaden, who is staring at me.

I cross my arms over my chest and wait for the girl to grab her bag and leave the pool hall. Then, I turn back to Jaden.

"Maybe we won't kick all your girlfriends out, and you can come over yourself?"

Jaden's jaw muscles tense as he slowly gets up from the couch and walks toward me. His intense gaze makes me uncomfortable, but my indignation at his friend's behavior, as well as his latest attempt to humiliate me in front of everyone, gives me the strength to resist him.

"What were you thinking when you brought a guy like that to my party?" I ask him as soon as we are outside.

“What do you mean?” Jaden's voice is cold, and he stares at the spot above my left eyebrow. "What's wrong with Eric, in your royal opinion?"

"He smokes weed..."

"Everyone smokes weed."

"Not at my parties! Besides, your friend was being rude."

"Maybe you were the first one to be rude to him. It seems like it's become a habit of yours.”

"I'm not going to justify myself to you, Jaden. All I want is for your friend to leave right now.”

Jaden's bright lips curled into a sarcastic smirk, stretching the white scar across them.

“Did Eric disobey your order?”

“This is the last time I’m telling you. You’re testing my goodwill toward you. I could have asked the guys to throw him out, but out of respect, I came to you first."

"So that's how it works?" When the queen can't handle it, she calls in the troops?"

Obviously, with scum like your friend, that's the only way to deal with it!"

I instantly regretted the harsh words I'd spoken in a fit of anger, but alas, there was no way to take them back. Especially since they're not far from the truth.

"Trash, Tasha?" Jaden narrows his eyes, coming up close to me and forcing me to lift my chin to keep looking at him. Hell no, I'm not going to back down like a coward. Adrenaline rushes through me with unprecedented force. For the first time in a long time, I feel the sharp pulse of life.

“Who the hell do you think you are?

And who do you think you are, trying to make me look like a fool in front of the people I'm throwing this party for? Do you think I spent years earning my reputation just so you could destroy it so easily? You'd better not abuse my goodwill, Jaden."

"Are you trying to scare me, Tasha?" Jaden's pupils dilate, completely engulfing the iris. He is furious and unable to hide it. I take perverse satisfaction in this because, as it turns out, I like the anger in his eyes much more than his icy indifference.

"Just warning you, Jaden. Don't try to mess with me."

Then something unexpected happens: Jaden presses his thumb into my lips and drags it forcefully across my cheek, smearing the gloss.

Stunned by this stunt, I stare at him in confusion for a few seconds, then swing and slap him. The sound of blood rushing to my ears makes them ring. My body shakes, and I can barely stay on my feet. I have a terrifying thought that he will hit me back. Instead, Jaden tilts his head to the side, brings his gloss-smeared finger to his mouth, and runs his tongue over it.

"You taste like shit, Tasha," he says, his voice hoarse, a strange fire flickering in his eyes. "I'm not your obedient little puppet. Remember that.

“You’re the one who should be afraid of me.”

My skin is still covered in goosebumps and my heart is pounding as if it wants to burst out of my chest. Only Isaac's voice from the half-open door brings me back to my senses.

"Tasha, Christina was looking for you. There's a problem with the napkins."

I turn around and walk silently toward him, leaving Jaden standing alone. My head is pounding. "This is war."