It was interesting that the consumption of alcohol was somehow infinitely more fun when you were forced into it by the abstract rules of a game. Somehow, it was considered punishment in most games to drink, when that was the primary goal and exactly what I wanted to do anyone.

But as soon as I suggested that we play drinking games, the rest of our friends scooched into a neat circle with copious amounts of liquid intoxication in front of them.

"What drinking game are we playing?" said Kaelin, collapsing next to me on the rug with Julian on her other side. She was carrying a 4-pack of Cruisers with her, like the basic white bitch she was.

"All of them!" Daria squealed, kicking her legs enthusiastically into the air. Alcohol made Daria even more adorable than she already was.

Julian looked mournful. "I can't drink," he said, reproachfully.

Daria looked positively devastated with sympathy at this revelation. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. Julian was wearing a small smile at her seriousness. "And you are so brave for that," she said.

Julian laughed. "No, I have to drive home tonight to help Elena set up for the wedding."

My cousin Elena, one of Julian's close friends in their small country town, was getting married next week. I was to be a bridesmaid, which practically made me feel like a princess. Knight was set to accompany me to the wedding as my plus one, and I couldn't be more thrilled for her.

Daria pouted. "You're so responsible, Jules. You're so good for our Kaelin. We love you."

"Thank you, Daria," said Jules.

"Let's play Paranoia," I suggested.

Holland clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, yes!"

When I'd been to some of the bigger parties with the rest of the year, they played games more like Spin the Bottle or Seven Minutes in Heaven or Truth or Dare. Our group wasn't big on hook up culture—watching Cady hook up with Alex, or some random pairing like that, wasn't really fun for anyone.

"What's Paranoia?" Harry asked.

"This is why we don't invite children to our parties," I said. "No children zone."

Harry chugged quickly and enthusiastically from the vodka bottle, as if to prove he was very cool and adult. He was definitely the kind of kid who did Pingers in Year 7 just to seem way more edgy and grown up then he ever would be.

"Paranoia is a drinking game," Alec explained. "Essentially, one person whispers a question that refers to people in the room. Like, who's the hottest person here or if you had to punch someone, who would it be? And then that person has to say the name of the person out loud, and then if the person whose name they call wants to know what the question was, they do a shot."

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay."

With a big group like this, I foresaw many shots being thrown back in the name of curiosity. Besides, a shot was hardly a punishment in my opinion. Callie proved that point by voluntarily swigging straight from Daria's bottle of vodka. It made me slightly concerned for their respective states of intoxication post-Paranoia.

Daria was bouncing in her seat. "Me first, me first, me first!"

No one could refuse Daria.

With a goofy smile, she leant in to whisper to Holland. After a few moments, Holland looked upwards contemplatively. "Hmm. Lena."

I immediately downed a shot. Curiosity, and arrogance, always got the better of me. I had never refused the drink; I had to know what people were saying about me. Besides, alcohol gave me the good spins and that was always nice on a Sunday afternoon. I liked the good spins.

Daria grinned, making a funny fish face. "I asked her who she would hook up with."

I placed my hand over my heart, making eyes at Holland coquettishly. "Holland, I'm honored. I didn't realized you were into chicks."

Holland snorted. "I'm not. You just smoke these bitches."

That made me grin. Holland bent down to whisper something to Julian. Julian listened intently, staring skyward to think carefully about his answer. Everything Julian did was deeply deliberate.

"Uh, okay," said Jules. He looked around analytically, his eyes eventually falling on Alex with a half-hearted and despondent shrug. "I mean, Alex, I guess."

"Right?" Holland said, laughing. "Me too! But I don't know why."

Alex looked deeply offended. "Well, I have to know now." He chugged a deep gulp from his bottle of whisky.

Julian grinned, but his eyes, which were kind and warm, undercut his words. "Mostly likely to get punched."

"Why me?" Alex protested, his arms crossing.

"I think it's just your, like, general personality," Callie offered, leaning sweetly into Alex's side. That would definitely undercut her words, judging by the expression on Alex's face at the movement. "I mean, I've known you for two weeks and I've already daydreamed about it."

Alex frowned. "Does everyone think this?"

There was a few general murmurs of agreement and compliant shrugs. Alex slumped back against the couch, glaring. Callie pushed the hair back from his forehead and patted his cheek sympathetically, but in her extremely intoxicated state, it was more of a slap. Alex was wincing.

Jules bent down to whisper something to Kaelin. I could see that he was smiling cheekily, in a display that was disgustingly romantic and made me want to hurl. Respectfully, get your cute happiness out of my face.

Kaelin laughed at his question. "Um, your mum."

Julian frowned. "What?"

Kaelin smiled sweetly. "Your mum, Julian."

McKenna frowned. "Is that allowed?"

"No," said Julian, but he was grinning.

Kaelin looked satisfied with herself. "He asked me who I was most likely to sleep with tonight."

Jonah, Alex, Tommy and Knight laughed uproariously at that, because they had the same sense of humor as a ten-year-old Minecraft enthusiast. Julian was grinning, and he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. I would have to discuss the complete ban of PDA in my household soon.

Kaelin turned to me, pondering for a moment about her question. I saw her glance between Knight and Tommy for a moment, curiosity blooming across her face. I sipped gently from my cocktail straw. This was the kind of game I found easy; I was very good at ranking my friends on everything, and generally told people things straight to their face. Nothing I said would be a surprise.

I watched the lightbulb moment as it crossed Kaelin's face. She was smiling gleefully as she bent to my ear and whispered. "Who was the last person in this room you kissed?"

My heart plummeted. Who was the last person in this room you kissed? I remembered her glance between Tommy and Knight. She knew I'd made out with Tommy, but she was curious to see whether Knight and I had broken our strict friendship; whether our roommates situation had led to carnal slip ups. I could hardly fault her for wanting to know. I, too, would suspect that two relatively attractive teenagers living together would lead to some form of exploration. While that had never been my relationship with Knight, it would hardly be unexpected, I suppose.

The problem, however, was that Tommy DeRiva was not the last person in this room that I had kissed.

It would be so easy to lie. To respond to her question with Tommy's name. To fulfill her expectations, to not raise any questions. To not compromise my integrity and my pride.

But then I looked over at Jace. His eyes on me, watchful, waiting. If I responded to this question with Tommy's name, I knew that he would take the drink. He would play Paranoia.

And then Hartley would hold all of the power. And then I would admit that I wasn't strong enough to tell the truth. Wasn't fearless enough. I would admit that I was a coward, who couldn't handle the consequences of my actions. Hartley and I might be friends now, but the old instinct for competitiveness ran rampant through my mind.

Don't give him the power, don't allow him to add this card to his deck. Don't leave your lie in his hands.

And, most of all, don't allow him the satisfaction of knowing you'd lied about him.

I swallowed. I could feel the heat of eyes on me, waiting for my response. Kaelin tapped me on the shoulder, grinning suggestively.

"Jace," I said, and downed a shot from my bottle of vodka to drown the terror that curdled in my gut.

Kaelin's smile dropped as her mouth fell open into a small oh. Her eyes were blown wide, staring at me, Jace, me, Jace with confusion and shock and surprise. I could see the moment when it properly dawned on her, stupefaction giving way to a clarity that was even more confounding than the moment before she connected the pieces.

I couldn't look at her; couldn't handle the thoughts written plainly across her face. Instead, a looked at Jace, shaking my head slight. Don't drink. Don't do it, Jace. C'mon.

But he wasn't looking at me. Everyone else was tipsy and giggly and urging him to drink, drink, drink, not yet registering my distress and Kaelin's complete bafflement. Before I could beg him—no, no, don't do it Jace—he was smiling and tipping a shot down his throat.

Everyone looked over at Kaelin.

"Let me guess," Alex drawled. "Who is the most annoying person?"

Knight frowned. "You can rip that title from my cold, dead hands."

Alex laughed. "Fine, who would you punch?"

Kaelin cleared her throat. "Uh, no." I wished I was drunker. "The question was, um, who was the last person you kissed?"

There was a heavy silence, tangible in its suffocation. If I lit a match, it felt as if the room would explode.

"What?"

Alex had bolted upright, his previous disgruntlement completely forgotten. "You and Hartley," he said, pointing between us. Jace was looking down guiltily. "Like, hooked up, hooked up? I— What?"

"Angry sparks," Cady whispered.

There was a cacophony of noises, voices running atop of one another as

"Holy shit," Daria said. She slapped Jace's arm with intense enthusiasm, building, and her eyes were wide and sparkling. I'd kind of assumed that Daria already knew about it, but it appeared Jace had stayed true to his promise. "Holy shit. Jace."

"I so called it," Holland said, sitting back with satisfaction written across her face.

Julian, Harry and Austin sipped awkwardly at their beers.

"What the hell?" Chance said, flailing. "How did that happen?"

"Um," said Jace. "We had a gun to our head?"