25

Piper

Nobody's High-Fiving Me After This

Feeling like a million dollars, I strode away in my gorgeous dress, my wonderful makeup June worked hard on, and the glorious move of kicking Adam Russell out of the formal. For one night, I'd forget about him. Him and his arrogance and his dumb jokes and his cocky smile. He could do whatever he wanted, and I'd have fun at this garbage formal if I had to fake it.

Maybe I'd even go to the hockey party and post some pictures.

That'd drive him crazy.

I should've felt bad even thinking like that. It was the kind of thing Thomas would've done, going to parties and turning his phone off. I swore I'd never do that to anyone I dated.

But I wasn't dating Adam. It didn't count. He'd been single-handedly ruining my weekend. Why couldn't I ruin his?

"Girl!" Zariah waved me over. "What…?"

I beamed at her and hurried up to her, June, and Xavier, my heart rate through the roof. Triumphant didn't begin to cover it. For the night, I won and beat Adam at his own game. "Hey! Did you try the punch? How is—?"

"Tastes like ass." Zariah tossed the leftover punch to a nearby plant and whirled back. "What's going on with you and Adam?"

"Yeah, is everything okay?" June asked, concerned.

"Is everything okay?" A grin threatened to make an appearance, and I kept it down as long as I could. "He had a taste of his own medicine. I told him he gets the night off and he's not allowed back in the formal."

Zariah blinked at me. "And…he just went along with that?"

"Yep!"

She shared a look with June and June laughed a little. "Wow. That doesn't sound like Adam."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "He's met his match. I'm not going to roll over and let him do whatever he wants."

A noise from outside made us all freeze. I turned back, along with everyone in the formal. For half a second, I had no idea what that noise was until the lights started flashing, and a blaring, horrible, overwhelming screech filled the air. I put my hands up to cover my ears, but it didn't matter. It practically split through my eardrums.

"See, now, this sounds like Adam!" Zariah yelled over the sirens.

It was like a horror movie. One moment, the sirens were screaming, and the next, sprinklers rained down from above.

We were drenched in seconds. Our dresses, our makeup, everything we spent so much time on. And no one remembered the drill procedures. Everyone pushed and shoved each other to get outside any way they could. At least ten people screamed at each other. Everyone else slipped on the floor, trying their best to find an exit.

Adam .

That complete and utter jerk. I told him to take a hike, and he set off a fire alarm because the only form of communication he understood was doing the stupidest stunts possible. I shoved everyone away about as much as they shoved me and didn't bother to turn around. I'd find him and get him back. If he thought he still had a spot on the Romans, he was sadly mistaken.

"Piper!" June shouted behind me. " Piper! "

But I was on my own path, elbowing anyone in my way as I broke to the outside patio. I almost took a tumble on the next part of the landing, but I yanked off my heels, mid-run, the taste of adrenaline at the back of my tongue.

Coach Lawson would get the essay of his career.

Dear coach, your player should be hit by the next charter bus! XOXO, Piper.

I rounded the landing and spotted Adam in front of a shallow pool by the student center, on one knee, with a ring in his hand. He was the only one in a dry tux and the only one with such an attractive suit. A playful grin played on his lips, the only nice thing about him since brains were out of the question.

His eyes lit up when he saw me.

Dear coach, your linebacker should be tarred and feathered by the team! XOXO, Piper.

"Piper!" His grin widened, and he adjusted his stance down on his knee.

Dear coach, I asked maintenance to change the locks on his room! XOXO, Piper.

"Piper Fontaine," Adam began, keeping his dark eyes locked on mine. "You've been the heel on my neck, the airhorn in my fucking ear when I wake up in the morning. I can't imagine my life without you and that beautiful, bastard child we'll share."

Oh, he's going to regret this.

Gripping my heels with white knuckles, I never broke my stride.

He had to look up to keep his eyes on mine. "Would you do me the honor of—?"

I shoved him in the pool.

Gasps echoed around us, and I jerked back to see a line of people with wet hair and makeup running down their faces. Everyone's mouths were open. Everyone's eyes were wide, and some people grabbed each other's elbows, yanking them back to whisper.

Everyone saw me shove Adam into the pool.

Heart sinking, I turned back to see Adam sputtering in the water, bobbing up with his hair slicked back, his tux pressed to his body. But he was grinning . The jerk grinned from ear to ear, making easy strokes through the pool to me.

We were going to be in so much trouble.

"Adam?" I wet my lips, my voice shaky. "Um—Adam—"

"You keep me on my toes, ice princess!"

My hands shook, and I dropped my heels. I was only too aware of everybody with their phones around me. This wasn't the pie contest in front of a few RAs or getting shushed at the back of a van. This was public. Right in front of everyone and their phones.

Nobody was high-fiving me after this.

"Hey…buddy," I said to him like I was calling an old dog.

"Hey, buddy? " Adam repeated, laughing, swimming up to the pool's edge. "We're buddies now?"

I knelt as far as I could and held out a hand. He was six inches taller than me and all muscle, I couldn't hope to help him up, but it'd look so much better to everybody around us.

"Adam, I'm so sorry." I tried to raise my voice a little so everybody could hear me. "That was dumb and childish, and I should've been thinking—"

"I've got you beat, ice princess."

"What?"

Adam grabbed my hand and yanked me into the pool.