Chapter 13: Chapter 13

I truly couldn't believe that I was in the midst of the crowd that I had already imagined in my head.

"Jen, promise you won't ever leave me here," I said a bit loudly, as the annoyingly loud music seemed to be enjoyed by everyone except me.

"Hey, I would never leave you. Cross my heart," she replied, raising her five fingers to emphasize her point, which made me raise an eyebrow.

"What's with the look? You doubt that I'd risk the most precious thing in my life? My fingers, I mean. They're valuable because without them, I wouldn't be a famous violinist – that's my dream," she explained, which finally made me nod.

Jeni pulled me further into the crowd, and we ended up in the backyard of Maudy's house, which I found to be quite spacious. I was sure that Maudy's family was wealthy, judging from the size of the house and the luxurious surroundings.

"Hey, I thought you wouldn't show up," someone said as Jeni stopped in her tracks. I shifted to see Maudy smiling at me.

"Of course, I came," Jeni replied.

"You usually never come, all because of your stepbrother," Maudy teased her, causing Jeni to grimace.

"Because now I have a friend to bring along. Right, Aurel?" Jeni said, looking at me.

Yes, a friend you forced to come, I thought to myself, and I simply smiled in response.

"Yeah, you're lucky. And it's quite convenient, Aurel. How about we introduce you to the other members of our club?" Maudy offered, pulling my arm and breaking my grip on Jeni.

"But, Jeni..." I began, looking at her.

"Go on, I'll wait for you here," she reassured.

"You promise?" I asked.

"Relax, you act as if I'm about to sell you off," Maudy teased, and she was right. I didn't want to be trapped at this party for too long.

"Alright," I said resignedly and started following Maudy.

"Guys, I brought a new member to our club," Maudy announced, causing a group of people in front of me to turn their attention towards me.

"Meet Aurel, and Aurel, meet Jace," Maudy introduced a guy with dark skin and curly hair. He waved at me and I simply smiled.

"She's Molina," this time a blonde woman with fair skin greeted me.

"Meet Kylie and Khloe," and they were two identical twins that I couldn't tell apart.

"There are a few more club members around, but they seem to be somewhere else right now. Maybe I can introduce you to them at school," Maudy said, and I nodded. I glanced back to make sure Jeni was still in her previous spot. I could see her there, with a guy by her side whose identity I had no idea about, but I could tell from Jeni's expression that she wasn't pleased with him.

"So, Aurel, I heard you just transferred to our school," Molina said, finally breaking my gaze from Jeni.

"Yeah, well, I also just moved to this country," I replied.

"Want a drink?" Jace offered, handing me a red plastic cup.

"No, thanks," I declined, not wanting to get drunk. I had to keep my wits about me at this party.

"By the way, where are you originally from?"

"Indonesia."

"So, did your parents move here for work or something?" Kylie asked this time.

"No, I'm living here with my aunt."

"And your parents?" Kylie continued, curiosity written all over her face. That question made me chuckle because it felt like an interrogation.

"Hey guys, can't you see the terrified look on Aurel's face? Stop bombarding her with questions!" Jace spoke up, and I felt relieved. I turned my gaze to Jace, who was looking elsewhere while sipping his drink. He didn't seem particularly friendly, maybe due to his facial expression or something else.

"Ugh, do they think they're at a beach party?" Jace commented, nodding towards a group of people who were laughing and drinking straight from a bottle rather than cups. I followed his gaze, squinting my eyes to make out who they were. And just as Jace said, they were dressed as if they were at a beach, with very short hot pants and revealing tops that barely covered their chests.

"Never mind Megan and her friends. We've seen them dressed like that more than once or twice," Molina said, finally drawing their attention away.

"I'm just sick of their antics," Jace muttered, still glaring at them.

"Maudy, can you shoo them away?" Molina asked, and I could sense her discomfort as well. But wait, it seemed like they had noticed we were talking about them, judging by one of them whispering something to Megan, who then glared sharply in our direction.

"Guys," I whispered softly, as they still hadn't realized that Megan was now making her way over to us.

"I seriously can't stand them and feel disgusted," Molina continued, her expression pleading with Maudy.

"Guys, I think we should stop talking about them," I whispered again, feeling increasingly uneasy. But it was like something suddenly covered their ears, as they didn't seem to acknowledge my words.

"Just shoo them away yourself, I'm tired of dealing with those sluts," Maudy replied nonchalantly, taking a sip from her cup.

"Who are you calling sluts?"

Damn.

For a few moments, I could see Maudy, Molina, Kylie, and Khloe tense up, except for Jace who continued sipping his drink nonchalantly without turning to look at Megan. They all turned to face Megan, their expressions neutral without showing any surprise.

"Oh, hi Megan. Didn't expect you to show up at my 'simple' party," Maudy emphasized the word 'simple'.

"Of course I wouldn't miss this 'simple' party you threw," Megan replied with sarcasm.

"Yeah, a 'simple' party that you're enjoying so much."

"Ugh, this party is honestly not that exciting," Megan said, now approaching Maudy.

"I think it'd be much more fun if we played a game. What do you say?"

Shit.

I already knew what Megan was going to suggest. Before I got further involved, I needed to find Jeni. Where was she?

"Maudy, I think I should go find Jeni," I whispered to Maudy, receiving an intimidating glance from Megan.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. You should go find Jeni," Megan replied, and I felt she was surprisingly understanding. She must know the situation I was in. I was about to turn and leave them when Megan's voice interrupted again.

"You can't just free one of Maudy's club members. You'll make the others jealous," Megan taunted with a condescending smile.

"I don't mind if Aurel goes. After all, she's a new member," Molina answered, and the others nodded in agreement. They were truly understanding, but Megan wouldn't just let me go that easily, would she?

"Ah, but I can't just let one of you go after discussing me and my friends."

"We weren't discussing you," Molina quickly replied, irritating Megan.

"Oh, come on, I know you envy us."

"Hey, what would make us envy you?" This time, it was Khloe who spoke up.

"Of course, everything about me. I'm sure you were talking about my appearance because you can't keep up with it. You're unlucky not to have bodies like mine and the others."

"Are you talking about bodies that you've flaunted to every guy in our school? Why would we envy something disgusting like that?" Jace responded flatly, and his words cut through Megan's arrogance.

"Shut up, you're fucking mouth. If you're not envious, then prove it. Consider this my way of helping your club get a bit more famous, just like our cheerleading club," Megan challenged, causing Maudy and the others to exchange glances.

"I agree, what kind of game are we playing?" Kylie quickly responded, making the others look at her disapprovingly. Maudy and the rest were rational enough to reject Megan's crazy idea, but Kylie, well, she struggled with accepting being stepped on, especially by Megan.

"Guys, it seems like we're going to liven up Maudy's party!" Megan shouted, and her friends started to gather around us. I stood there frozen, unable to move, as all eyes were on us.

Oh god.

Could anyone help me get out of this situation?

"Because of your big mouth, I challenge you to this game," Megan pointed her finger right in front of Jace's face.

"Hey, but I agreed to this game," Kylie protested, but Megan wasn't bothered.

"And you'll be up against Grace," Megan said, causing everyone's eyes to widen, and they cheered us on as if making the game even more exciting.

What was Maudy's, Molina's, Khloe's, and Kylie's expressions directed at Jace? It seemed like they were looking at him with worry.

"Come on, don't tell me you're backing down, Jace."

"Who said I was backing down?" Jace calmly replied, maintaining his composed demeanor.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let's end this. We know that once Megan points out Grace, she'll suggest a game," Maudy snapped, gripping Jace's arm. But instead of Jace holding onto Maudy's grip, he let go and walked closer to Megan.

"So, what kind of game are you suggesting?" Jace asked, challenging Megan and causing a triumphant smile to spread across her face. Meanwhile, I could see the worry on the faces of the others.

"Bring all those drink bottles over here," Megan ordered, and two of her friends shifted their attention to the bottles on a nearby table. They grabbed the bottles and placed them on the table between Jace and Grace, who were now facing each other.

"Alright, I'll determine who will be the sacrifice for our game," Megan said, gazing at each member of our club one by one.

"What do you mean by sacrifice? We're the ones who should decide who participates, not as sacrificial lambs," Maudy retorted, seeming to have caught on to Megan's game plan. Maybe everyone else here knew it too, except for me.

"Yeah, they're right, Megan. It wouldn't be fair if you decided it yourself," someone else chimed in, redirecting our attention to them.

Wait.

I knew that voice all too well. I was even afraid to confirm it. No, I wouldn't look in that direction. It would be better for me to find Jeni.

Come on, Jen, where are you now? I hope you can hear my thoughts, although it's highly unlikely.

"Come on, baby, you're siding with them," Megan's whining voice almost made me sick.

"I'm not siding with anyone. Just consider me a mediator between you all," the person answered. Just hearing their voice sent my hands squeezing each other tightly, and I was sweating. Even though I wasn't looking, I could feel their piercing gaze directed straight at me.

Damn.

Why did he have to be at Maudy's party too?

"What if we decide by flipping a coin? Wouldn't that be fair enough?" the person continued, suggesting a method that caused the others to cheer as if they agreed. Reluctantly, both sides were pulled into the game.

The coin was thrown into the air and deftly caught with one hand, prompting Jace and Grace to approach and see who would be the determiner of this game. And, as you can probably guess, it was Grace who ended up winning. Of course, it had to be this way to make the story more interesting, right?

"So, Maudy, who do you think I should choose?" Megan said with her arrogant smile.

"Me, let me do it," Kylie said with enthusiasm.

"No, no, I'm not interested in you," Megan replied, infuriating Kylie.

"I'll choose the new member of your club," Megan announced, causing my entire body to freeze as I turned to look at her, standing right next to the guy I really didn't want to see. And look at the devilish smile he displayed to mock me, that damn Gray.

"Not fucking happening," Jace snapped, making Maudy and the others, including myself, slightly surprised at his sudden change in tone. I mean, he had been keeping his composure quite well until now.

"Oh, come on, your anger just makes me want to choose her even more. And you can't object, Jace, unless you're admitting you lost to Grace even before facing her," Megan taunted, followed by laughter from her friends.

"And you, new kid, don't be scared. I'll accompany you up there," Megan said, pointing towards a table next to us.

Wait, what did she mean by accompanying me up there? Did I have to stand up there? My mind was in turmoil, struggling to comprehend the game they were about to play.

"So, Jace, try to make sure your new friend doesn't reveal her whole innocent body in front of all of us," Megan continued, taking the mocking tone even further.

"Maudy," I whispered, genuinely scared this time.

"Relax, Jace won't lose to her," Maudy replied, trying to reassure me, but I could sense the underlying worry on her face.

I looked at Megan, who had now walked forward and climbed onto one of the nearby tables.

"Come on, baby," Megan said to me mockingly. I glanced back at Maudy, who gave me a comforting look as if to say it's okay, everything will be fine. With great effort, I swallowed my fear and began to walk.

"I hope you give us an interesting show," Gray said as I walked past him, his gray eyes looking at me as if seeking revenge.