The slap rings out, but it’s not Stevie’s cheek he comes into contact with. A flash of pink hair has taken Stevie’s place, and I see Deer clutching her cheek. How she got there that fast, I’ll never know. His eyes widen as he stares at her, shock turning to fear.
“Don’t make a scene, Decker. You’re already on thin ice,” she warns.
His gaze becomes molten. “Fuck you, Deer. And fuck your family.”
He shoves her out of his way, but Jackson is there in a swift step to catch her before she tips over, guarding her in his arms.
Decker rears his hand again, but this time I’m there. My leg sweeps out in the small space, catching his knees, and I watch as Decker goes down. It’s not graceful. He bangs his chin on the table on the way, the sound of his jaw clacking resounding through the room as his ass hits the floor. I stand over him, foot on his hand. I bend forward, bringing my mask to his ear.
“I suggest you back the fuck out of here now Decker before I stomp my foot over your hand so hard, you can kiss your career goodbye.”
“Always coming to her rescue aren’t you, Blade.”
I pull back and look at him, assessing.
“I’m serious, Decker. Get the fuck up and get out of here. If I see you bothering her or anyone else, I will have you by the balls.”
He pushes off the ground, standing chest to chest with me. Unfortunately for him, he is still a solid four inches shorter.
“Why don’t you say that without the mask on, big guy? I’m beginning to think you’re all talk. Maybe without that mask, you’ll realize how little you have.”
It’s an empty threat. The whining of an insecure man.
“Seems like you’re the one who is afraid of what will happen once the mask is off.”
Jackson and Parker position themselves behind me. The three of us together, side by side. Decker’s eyes flick to them.
“Tsk. Whatever. This place is lame. Clearly. Have fun with that second-rate pussy.”
“Thought you said it was holy?” Parker muses.
I’m going to murder him.
“Go fuck yourself with a crumpet, English.” Decker gives us the bird before stalking off through the crowd, a few of his friends trailing behind him.
“You know, that was a pretty good insult. I have to give him that.”
I turn to Parker and smack him on the side of his mask. “Don’t poke the bear, you asshole.”
“Oh, come on, he’s more of an angry raccoon.”
“That doesn’t make it any better,” Jackson drawls.
A round of laughter spills around us, and my attention flicks back to Stevie, her friend, and Deer. They’re clutching their stomachs, doubled over, as laughter flows uncontrollably from their mouths. Jackson still has his arm protectively over Deer.
Finally, Stevie looks up, her eyes clashing with mine.
TWENTY-ONE
* * *
STEVIE
The music bleeds away as I stare into the glowing red mask.
He’s here.
He’s here, and I don’t even know what just happened.
My mind is still a jumble from how quickly everything escalated. One minute, Deanna and I are having the time of our lives, and the next, that asshat from the VSAs turns up and starts spouting a bunch of utter bullshit. Goddamned Chase and his entitled friends. They were always known for causing unnecessary drama just because they thought they owned everything and everyone.
“Are you alright?”
My eyes snap away from Blade to the pink-haired girl in front of me. She can’t be more than five feet, and yet she threw herself right in front of me.
“Am I alright? I should be asking you. Is your cheek okay?”
She just waves her hands around. “Don’t worry about it, just looking out for a fellow girl.” Her forehead crinkles, “I thought he’d back off if I got involved. He can’t afford to screw me over right now, but…I guess I miscalculated a little.”
Her cheek is slightly pink from the slap, but it’s hard to tell since she is wearing so much blush. Now that I get a better look at her without the chaos of everything around us…
Holy crap.
Pink hair. White eyeliner. Body glitter. Inch-long nails. Bubble-gum dress.
She’s TheCozyDeer.
I’m freaking obsessed with her videos. She is the cozy game and life-sim content creator right now. I play her streams and videos in the background while I paint. I live and die by her recommendations; she’s never wrong.
And she just took a slap for me.
What in the multiverse is going on?
Concern pools in her eyes. “Wait, seriously, are you alright?” She leans forward, loosely holding my wrist.
“Yeah. Sorry, no, I’m fine. I just…” Crap. I don’t want to seem like a total fangirl and scare her off, but I don’t know how else to explain my dumbstruck state. “I just didn’t realize you were, well, you.”
Her eyes soften, the worry disappearing, and a small laugh lilts out of her.
“Oh! You’re completely fine.” She leans backward into the green mask’s protective hold—Shield, I think.
“Thank you, though. He is my ex’s friend, and…well that pretty much sums it up, honestly.”
She shakes her head, “No, trust me. I understand.” There is a sadness that swirls through her gaze, but in a flash, it’s gone.
“Deer!” A petite girl with silky black hair pushes through the crowd and tumbles into our group. She tugs Deer out of the guy’s grip, porcelain hands running over her to check for any injuries. “Why would you do that? Are you okay?”
Deer squeezes her friend’s hand reassuringly. “I’m fine, Al. It was just Decker.”
“And you!” The girl pokes Shield in the chest. “You should’ve stopped her. What’s the point in having these big muscles if you don’t use them.”
“Chill, Lee. I might be muscley, but Deer is quick as a fox. Slipped right under the crowd.”
They continue to bicker back and forth, but I feel the heat of Blade’s gaze burning into my skin. I peek to my right, and sure enough, he is leaning against the pillar, arms folded, watching silently.
“Not to be the responsible one, but we should probably take this back over to our table. We’re gathering quite the crowd here.” His deep voice carries over the group, commanding their attention without needing to raise it any louder.
“Nope. I want to dance. Rid my body of the bad energy Decker brought.” Lee grabs Deer’s hands. “Come on, dance with me. Pleeeease.”
Lee proceeds to twirl her around, and she laughs. “Fine, but only if they join us.”
Deer nods her head toward me. I look back at Deanna, who hasn’t said a word this entire time. Her steely black eyes flick over the group, assessing, before a wolfish grin spills out.
“We’d love to.”
Lee squeals before taking off through the crowd, and the guys yell after her to be careful. Deer tugs me forward, and I grip Deanna’s hand to pull her through the crowd with me. A glance back gives me one last look at Blade before I lose track of him in the throng of bodies as we exit VIP to the general dance floor. My body is tossed between jostling bodies while we try to follow Lee’s snaking path. Her sparkly mini dress is the only way we are able to track her.