Clare

  “We’re here.” Sawyer said as he parked in the mall’s parking lot.

  “The party is taking place in the mall?” Lissa asked from the car’s back seat.

  “Mm-hmm. I think he rented out the recreational center of the mall for the night, so we have to go in from the side rather than the main entrance.” Sawyer responded as he patted my hand that was reaching for the door handle.

  I looked at him inquiringly as I watched him step down from the car and turn around to open the door for me like the perfect gentleman.

  I couldn’t help laughing as I stepped out of the car with his help and watched him open the door for Lissa before turning around to entwine my arms with his. “And they say chivalry is dead.”

  He shook his head and chuckled as he started leading me through the parking lot to the large mall’s side.

  “Wait, when you say he rented out the recreational center, you mean no one else but his birthday guests can come to this part of the mall?” I asked when we got to the entrance of the recreational center and there were black happy birthday balloons hanging at the door.

  “Mm-hmm,” Was Sawyer’s response, as if that was normal in any way.

  I looked to my side to meet Lissa’s eyes with mine filled with incredulity but other than the sparkle that had been in her eyes since I told her I had managed to get her invited to the party she had been wishing she could come to forever, there was no incredulity in her eyes.

  However, when I met Sawyer’s gaze again, he seemed to realize that seeing this much display of wealth was abnormal for me. “His grandfather on his mother’s side is very wealthy. He’s a pack council member of the pack three towns away and when his parents separated, he went to live there for a while until he had to come back to Hawkins Private High for his high school studies. He probably chose this place because he has a lot of friends from my pack and his mother’s pack, so this is the best place for the party.”

  “I see.” I feigned understanding, trying to pretend that what he was saying really did justify renting out an entire section of a mall for the night in my head.

  As if he could see through me with his light blue eyes warmed with a gentle glow, he just smiled at me and changed the subject. “Let’s go get some drinks first. What do you want?”

  “Do they have mocktails?” I asked.

  “Definitely. There are too many people below 18 attending this party. Getting anything with alcohol will definitely require an ID.” He said, as he led me around a bend leading to a large dancing space which was obviously a food court that had been transformed into a dance hall.

  We waded through the crowd of dancers and ordered our drinks while Lissa, holding my hand, looked around the dancing crowd excitedly while swaying to the rhythm.

  “You ordered a mocktail too. I never asked. How old are you?” I asked curiously.

  “Same age as you. Seventeen.”

  The way he didn’t mince words made me realize something. “You went looking through my file.”

  He tried to stop himself, but the curling corners of his lips displayed how pleased he was at having done that. “Mm-hmm. I couldn’t help myself, so I snuck into the school’s servers and searched for your info.”

  His words took me aback. “Wait! You hacked into the school’s server?!”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  He placed a hand on his lips. “Shhh, there are ears everywhere here. My father can’t know that I hacked into the school servers again. He doesn’t believe me, no matter how many times I say I will never be tempted to do anything mischievous.”

  I stared at him for a few seconds before looking away and shaking my head.

  “What?” He asked, pulling my hand and holding our palms pressed together.

  I shook my head again. “You’re just so different from what I ever thought. When I saw you the first time, I guess…I just judged you based on your looks. If anyone had told me you were a chivalrous, techy hacker, I would have never believed it.”

  He parted his lips as if to say something, but we were interrupted.

  "Here you go, 1 Virgin Mojito, 1 Shirley Temple, and 1 Virgin Mary. Enjoy!"

  “Thanks.” He said with a smile to the bartender as I patted Lissa to remind her that our drinks were ready.

  Before we could go back to our discussion, however, a boy followed by an entourage of other boys strode into the dance hall, headed directly toward us, exuding an air of effortless confidence. His suit caught my eye immediately—a striking shade of blue, like the deep, endless sky just after sunset. The fabric looked impossibly smooth, gleaming subtly under the lights, hinting at its undoubtedly exorbitant cost.

  “Sawyer, I’m so glad you could make it! Haven’t seen you around at school for a while, man? You okay? Hey, who’s the pretty girl? She’s a bit familiar but I don’t think I’ve had the privilege of being introduced to her.” The guy said.

  Sawyer entwined our arms together again as he introduced me to his friend, who was undoubtedly the main character of this party, the birthday boy. “Clare, Lissa, this is Koda Philips, the birthday boy. Koda, this is Clare and Lissa.”

  Koda gave me a charming smile that made him look like a little fox for a second and reached for my hand while bowing his head, but Sawyer slapped his hand away before it could touch mine.

  “No need to try your slimy tricks on her. They’re my guests, so just keep your hands away from both of them.” Sawyer warned in a stoic yet helpless tone that was neither confrontational nor possessive.

  He seemed to be just making a statement, but I saw Koda pause at his statement before taking a step back away from me while putting away the fox-like smile that I now realized was supposed to be flirtatious. “It’s a pleasure to meet you two, Clare and Lissa. I hope you have a great time today.”

  “Thank you.” Lissa responded with a reserved smile.

  “Nice to meet you, too.” I said politely.

  Koda smiled at us and then returned to smiling that cunny smile with Sawyer. “I’m so glad you’re dating again, Sawyer. You guys should definitely participate in the games later in the day. We’re going to be doing a truth or dare game with spin the bottle and…”

  Sawyer’s face furrowed as Koda paused and then continued, “No alcohol, I promise. You’re so easy to rile up. I’ll see you later?”

  Sawyer shook his head at Koda with what looked like helpless fondness that showed just how close he and Koda actually were. “Sure.”

  Koda stretched his hand out to Sawyer for a handshake, which Sawyer immediately clasped, and then their handshake turned into a hug as they whispered something into each other’s ears.

  I didn’t see hear what Sawyer whispered into Koda’s ears, but I saw Koda’s coffee brown eyes light up with warmth as he whispered, “Thank you.” into Sawyer’s ears.

  Then they separated and the warm Koda, who just hugged Sawyer, disappeared, replaced by a frivolous looking playboy as he walked away from us, greeting people here and there as he went.

  I smiled at Sawyer and asked with an inquiring gaze, because if I had not seen that little intimate moment between them just now, I would have never realized they were such close friends. “He’s your close friend?”

  Sawyer smiled and answered, “Best friend. Come on, let’s go take advantage of Koda’s money and play some games.”

  Beside me, Lissa released my hand. “You guys go. I’ll be fine watching people dance over here. I’m wearing my watch, so you can just call me if you’re ready to leave.”

  I stared at her, worried about leaving her all alone here while remembering that I’d promised Sawyer that this would be our date.

  Sawyer nodded and then pulled up his smart watch, pressing several buttons on it at breakneck speed. Several seconds later, he paused and stretched his hand out toward Lissa. “Swipe your watch over mine. This way, we can find you quickly if anything happens and you can find us quickly, too.”

  As she swiped her watch over his, he instructed, “There are a few college students here from the community college and not everyone here has good intentions, so don’t follow anyone anywhere alone. Even if you want to explore, stay within the sights of those guys in dark suits standing at the corner of every room. If you encounter any trouble, just wave your hand in the air or shout and they’ll come to your rescue. Don’t take any drinks from anyone, too.”

  Lissa was chuckling by the time he was done giving instructions. “Yes, dad.”

  When he gave her a stoic look, she stopped chuckling and nodded seriously while trying to hold down the trembling corners of her mouth. “I promise to be careful.”

  “Good, we’re leaving now. Have fun,” Sawyer said in a kind tone.

  “Have fun and stay safe.” I admonished as I waved at her before leaving with Sawyer.