Stuck With The Four Hotties

“You picked me once,” Zayd whispers, and the yearning in his voice makes my heart ache. “Do it for me one more time.” He points at the Never Again tattoo on the side of his neck. “I’ll never hurt you again. You’ll be my little rock princess.” He pauses, nibbles at his lower lip. “No, you’ll be my rock goddess. We’ll travel the world together, and we’ll fuck in every country at least once.” My mouth curves into a smile, and I feel tears prick at the edges of my eyes. I’m not sure why. They’re just there, and I can’t stop them. “We have chemistry like nobody’s business. Stay friends with the other guys, I don’t care, but nobody can fuck like me and you.”

“You have a point,” I whisper as Zayd sighs and exhales, like he’s pushing aside his emotions for the time being. We both go quiet, listening to the wind whistle between the towers. “What bet did Lizzie break?”

“She wasn’t supposed to tell you about the deal. None of us were. But it’s

… as long as we’re the only ones who know she broke it, and that I’m breaking it again now, it’ll be okay.”

“What’s the consequence?” I ask, and Zayd picks up a handful of pennies from the fountain, sorting through them and looking at the years before he tosses them all back in, and then goes for his wallet. Of course the rich dickhead doesn’t have pennies on him, so he gives us each a quarter to throw.

“The consequence is that the no long-range weapons clause is removed. Like, Creed climbed behind the wheel of a car and raced on a track for that.

He almost flipped it and died.” Zayd looks back at me, and then squeezes his quarter, tossing it into the water with a splash. I wonder if his wish has something to do with me? “The Harpies and the Company, they can’t use guns or crossbows or anything like that on you. At all. Trust me, if they could you’d probably already be dead. Lizzie could’ve fucked us by telling you that.”

Shit.

So she really was mean girling me, wasn’t she?

On another note … guns and crossbows?! What the actual fuck? “And Tristan?” I ask trying to stay calm here. Zayd smiles softly.

“He wasn’t supposed to sleep with you, not until we graduated. I think Lizzie was trying to give herself a fighting chance she never had. Tristan’s been in love with you since he first laid eyes on you, the very first day of first fucking year.”

“Bullshit,” I snort and Zayd lifts his head up to look at me, brows raised. “Is it? Because he told me when he saw you, that he felt like his entire life

was being rearranged inside his chest. I think it’s why he hated you so much, to combat the other emotions.” I say nothing, but my throat feels tight again, and I’m fighting back those strange tears at the corners of my eyes.

“And the consequence for him?” Zayd nods at my quarter.

“Make a wish,” he tells me, so I clasp the quarter tight in my palm, and then drop it into the water. I’d tell you my wish, but if I did, it might not come true, and it’s so impossibly impossible that I don’t dare risk any chance I might have at it. “Tristan’s punishment is that he has to … sleep with Lizzie.”

When Zayd trails off, his voice distant and tinny, I know what’s coming. “No.”

“Marnye, I know this is killing him, but he has to do it. He has to. If he doesn’t follow through on the bet, then Lizzie could tell Harper she broke hers. Imagine that, Harper du Pont with a gun or a crossbow. Marnye, this is life and death.”

“No.” I stand up, the breeze ruffling the pink dress I put on this morning.

It’s Zayd’s day, according to my calendar, but I have to find Tristan.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“The only person he’s ever slept with that he cares about is you. It’s just sex, and I’d do the same thing if I had to, to save you.”

Lizzie pretended to be on our side, got in on the bets at the Infinity Club, and then purposely broke an agreement and threw it in my face. No. She can’t have Tristan. I’ll … I’d rather take my chances with a rifle.

I turn and start running, Zayd right behind me. He grabs me around the waist with his inked arms and lifts me off my feet.

“Marnye, stop. This has to be done. It has to.” I elbow him in the stomach and he grunts. Even though it’s not that hard of a hit, he releases me because I’m struggling too hard, and I know he doesn’t want to hurt me. I hit the door to Tower Three, and then slam my fist against the button for the elevator, eyes brimming with tears.

It could be happening right now. He could be inside of her. He could …

He’s mine.

That thought cuts through the rest of my thoughts like an arrow, and I stand there hyperventilating while the elevator takes its sweet ass fucking time.

“Are you okay?” Miranda asks, appearing by my side. I think she can tell by my face that I’m most definitely not.

“No.”

I’m panting now, and I can’t seem to force my mouth to form words. Zayd turns to Miranda to explain instead.

“Infinity Club stuff …” He trails off as Miranda plants her hands on her hips. He sighs in frustration, but we both know how persuasive Miranda can be. “Tristan has to fuck Lizzie because of a bet.”

“What?!” Miranda roars, and then she’s scrambling into the elevator with us as soon as the doors open. “What do you mean Tristan has to fuck Lizzie?”

“It’s that or Marnye fucking dies,” Zayd yells, and I can tell he’s gettin

g frustrated. “It’s just … sex.”