*Edited*
"Oh shit," Elijah cursed, stepping back a step as his eyes widened.
"Yeah, oh shit is right," I snapped.
He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around for a place to escape to. He lifted his mask and his features transformed. His eyes narrowed on me and he turned halfway around.
"Forget what I just said," he said, walking away from me as if nothing had just happened.
I clenched my fists, ready to chase after him when Allison placed her tray down to wrap her arms around his waist. He bent down, pressed a kiss on the top of her head, and lead her out of the room.
I stalked behind them, following until they reached the base of the staircase leading to the basement. I liked to think I was being slick and unnoticeable as I hid behind the wall, struggling to hear their conversation over the loud music.
When I couldn't hear them anymore, I slid out from behind the wall to see them heading down the stairs. Once they were at the bottom, I slowly walked down after them.
At the base of the stairs, I turned right to see a large group of teenagers wearing masks and crowding around a Ping-Pong table. Cheers erupted when Elijah and Allison joined the group. Elijah headed to one side of the table that consisted of all guys and Allison went to the other side with the girls.
I stayed hidden behind a leather couch in the dark light. I hoped I didn't look like a stalker, watching as a guy wearing an orange feathered mask stepped apart from the group of guys to stand at the front of the table. He held a white ping-pong ball in one of his hands and pointed at a girl with long, blonde hair at the other end of the table with his other hand. She giggled, covering her mouth with a dainty hand.
I immediately recognized her as Bianca. I couldn't tell who the guy was since I was sitting behind the couch that was faced to his back. He raised his hand and let go of the ball, flinging it forward where it plopped right in one of the red plastic cups on the girls' side of the table.
Everyone roared as he took a few steps to the other side of the table. Bianca motioned him over with her finger until he placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. The crowd got even louder as they deepened the kiss, heavily making out practically on the table.
I felt like puking. At first I had thought this was a game of beer pong, but now I realized it was more like kiss pong. Apparently, you got to choose who you got to kiss as long as you were able to sink a ball into one of the cups on the opposite side of the table. It was pretty straightforward, if you asked me.
Which was why I did what I did next.
I came up from behind the couch, slid my blue mask back on, and announced, "I'm joining."
Everyone turned to look at me. Only one of them recognized who I was so I wasn't all that surprised when I was allowed to play. Had anyone known I was Veronica Fray, it would be a completely different story right now and I would've been kicked out the second I had stepped foot down here.
As I walked past Elijah to get to the girls' side, I swore I heard him growl deep in his throat. I pretended I didn't hear as I sashayed to the other side of the table and took my spot among the group of girls. None of them gave me a second glance as I joined them. I gave Elijah a satisfied smile as I turned my focus to the girl with the red hair who stepped up next.
My smile immediately fled as she pointed a manicured finger at Elijah. He smirked as she drew her arm back and sunk the plastic ball into one of the red cups. It was her turn to cross over to the other side of the table to the boy who was awaiting her kiss.
Someone whistled when Elijah rested his hands on her waist, daring to drop them lower so they were practically resting on her ass. She smiled slyly up at him as she combed her fingers through his midnight hair. Their masks bumped together once they sealed their lips together.
You would think that one's eyes would be closed while they were making out with someone else. Especially like how Elijah and Allison were doing right now, but his eyes were wide open with no sign of ever shutting. His hand dipped even lower as the other hand rose underneath her skimpy shirt.
You may be wondering why Elijah's eyes were open the entire time. Well, let me tell you why.
He was too busy staring at me to close them.
Once they broke apart, Allison leaned up for one last kiss, making my hands tighten into fists, before walking back over to join us. As she passed by me, she said, "He's mine."
Okay, now I was pissed -not that I hadn't been before.
A guy from the boys' side stepped forward, picking the ball up out of the cup. My heart stopped as his finger was directed right at me. After a second of shock, I realized why he was pointing at me.
It was my mystery guy who I had danced with upstairs. I grinned at him as he dunked the ball into one of our cups. He came over to me, cupped my face in his hands, and pressed his lips to mine.
His lips were warm as he moved them across mine. He was kind of sloppy, but that didn't stop me from exploring his mouth with my tongue. He groaned and unlike Elijah, I had my eyes closed.
However, I moved my arms to wrap around my mystery guy's torso that was faced toward Elijah and his gang, and raised a finger on each of my hands.
I flipped Elijah off behind my mystery guy's back and earned a few hoots and hollers. When I moved my hands to the guy's blonde hair, I heard a growl similar to the one I had heard from Elijah when I had walked by him.
Perhaps this one sounded a little too familiar for my liking. A hand clamped down on my upper arm as I was torn from the kiss. I stumbled back a step until a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, stopping me from falling. I was pressed against a sturdy chest and a voice right above my head declared, "This one is off-limits."
My breath hitched at this new guy's words. I shouldn't call him "new" because I knew exactly who he was and he was by no means new to me.
"What are you doing?" Allison's high pitched voice echoed through the silent room as everyone else stood gawking at us.
"I'm teaching Ron- someone a lesson," Elijah caught himself. I didn't get a chance to argue as I was scooped off of my feet and carried upstairs to the booming music. I wasn't put down until I was unceremoniously dropped onto one of the couches on the side of the living room upstairs.
Elijah towered over me, breathing heavily. I sat up and glared at him.
"What was that all about?" I asked, angrily.
"Cut the crap, Ronnie. You did that on purpose," he said, seething.
I threw my hands down on the couch. "Are you freaking serious right now? You're the one who-"
"You do know who you just kissed right?" He interrupted me by asking.
I shrugged. "No, but-"
"I know what you're doing and it's not working," he said, cutting me off again.
"Oh really? What am I doing, Eli?" I asked, incredulously.
"You're trying to make me jealous," he stated matter-of-factly.
I jumped up on the couch so I was standing taller than him. "What is your problem? Ever thought that I might actually like that guy?"
"You don't."
I scoffed, "How can you be so cocky?"
He looked right in my eyes as he said, "Because I know who you do like and it isn't him."
"Who is it then?"
"Uriah."
I thought about it for a moment. "No matter how much I wish that were true, it isn't."
Elijah smirked. "I knew you'd say that," he shrugged, "Which is how I know you actually like..."
"Who?" I asked again, heart pounding in my chest.
"Me."
I stiffened. Was he right?
As I opened my mouth to argue, he silenced me by shoving his finger against my lips.
"Before you agree with me, just know that I don't feel the same way about you. I brought you up here to tell you that your attempt of making me jealous failed and made me cringe. So before you go and embarrass yourself again, keep in mind that I'm dating Allison and you were right that time you said we would never work out."
I smacked his hand off of my mouth. I couldn't believe it. A thousand emotions and feelings flashed through me at once; anger, disbelief, hatred. But the strongest was hurt.
My voice involuntarily shook as I said, "Something isn't adding up here. Why did you say I was off-limits?"
It was his turn to freeze. He quickly regained his composure before answering, "That guy you kissed? Class A douchebag and player. I mean you could hit him up if you wanted, but he's not actually interested in you. He's more interested in...well I think you could guess what." He had the audacity to wink at that.
"Go to hell!" I yelled, leaping off the couch. I caught a glimpse of sadness descend across his handsome features, but it was quickly replaced by indifference as I ran away.
Damn, parties just weren't my thing. I always seemed to be running away from them.
And the main thing that chased me away each time?
Two words.
Elijah Reed.
**************
Why is Elijah being this way even though he knows how Veronica feels about him? Any thoughts?