My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 49

Chapter 49 Spin the Bottle Stops Too Soon

3 80

“It doesn’t have to add up to you,” Ryder rasped, his voice a low, gravelly threat that made the hairs on my arms stand straight up.

Chase laughed, though the sound was entirely hollow. He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, relax. I’m just playing host. Making sure my guests are entertained. Actually, we were just about to start a game in the living room. You two should join.”

He took a step back, gesturing toward the sunken room behind him.

“We’re passing, Ryder said flatly. He reached out, his hand settling heavily onto the curve of my waist.

“Come on, Chase pressed, his smirk widening into something sharp and challenging. “Don’t be boring, Raisa. Unless the rumors are true, and this is just a convenient little arrangement to keep your scholarship board happy?”

The silence in the kitchen was sudden and deafening. The music in the background seemed to fade away. Dozens of eyes burned into the

side of my face.

He had trapped us. If we walked away, we proved Harper right. We proved the relationship was a fragile, fake shield. The entire point of enduring this party was to show them we belonged together.

I looked up at Ryder. His hazel eyes were dark, completely lethal, locked onto Chase’s smug face. He looked ready to drop his cup and dismantle Chase right there on the kitchen island.

“We’ll play,” I said.

My voice was surprisingly steady, cutting through the heavy tension.

Ryder snapped his gaze down to me. The muscle in his cheek ticked rapidly. He didn’t want me in that room. He didn’t want me exposed

to their games.

“Petrova,” he murmured, a low, warning scrape meant only for me.

“It’s fine,” I whispered back. I shifted my weight, leaning the side of my body flush against his, letting him feel the terrified, erratic thumping of my heart. “We have to.”

Ryder stared at me for a long second, the absolute, burning devotion in his eyes entirely unguarded for a fraction of a moment. Then, his jaw locked. He nodded once.

He kept his hand planted firmly on my waist, the heat of his palm branding my skin through my shirt, and guided me into the sunken

living room.

The space was massive, carpeted in a thick, plush gray rug. About fifteen people were sitting in a jagged circle on the floor. I recognized Chloe, a few guys from the lacrosse team, and Jenna.

1/4

12:50 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 49 Spin the Bottle Stops Too Soon

In the very center of the circle sat an empty, thick green glass bottle.

:))

The air rushed out of my lungs.

Spin the Bottle. It was the most juvenile, clichéd party game in existence, but looking at the heavy green glass sitting on the rug, it felt

like a loaded weapon.

“Make room, Chase ordered, dropping onto the floor next to Chloe.

The circle shifted, expanding to leave a gap for us. Ryder didn’t sit cross-legged like the others. He lowered himself onto the carpet, pulling his knees up, and pulled me down right next to him. Our thighs pressed completely together. The solid, unyielding heat of his leg was the only thing keeping me anchored to the floor.

“Rules are simple, Chase announced, grabbing the neck of the green bottle. “You spin. Whoever the neck points to, you kiss. A real kiss. No pecks on the cheek. If you refuse, you take a shot of the cheap vodka on the counter.”

My hands started to shake. I tucked them under my thighs to hide the tremors.

What if the bottle landed on someone else? What if I had to kiss Chase Montgomery, or one of the lacrosse players? The thought sent a sickening wave of nausea crashing through my stomach. Worse, what if the bottle landed on a girl, and Ryder had to kiss someone else?

I glanced at him. He was staring at the green bottle, his expression a mask of absolute, terrifying indifference. He looked completely

unaffected by the game.

Tll start, Chase said.

He flicked his wrist. The heavy glass bottle whirred loudly against the plush carpet. It spun in a rapid blur of green, the sound a chaotic

scrape in the quiet room.

It slowed. The heavy base dragged.

It stopped, pointing directly at a sophomore cheerleader sitting across from him.

The circle erupted into cheers and catcalls. Chase smirked, crawled across the rug, and kissed her. It was aggressive, entirely for show, and completely lacking any real emotion.

My chest tightened. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t perform intimacy for an audience.

The game continued. The bottle spun three more times. Chloe kissed a guy from my history class. Jenna took a shot of vodka rather than kiss Bax, who was sitting near the edge of the room. The air grew thicker, heavier, the smell of cheap alcohol and nervous sweat completely suffocating me.

Steinmann’s turn, Chase suddenly called out, pushing the bottle across the carpet until it hit the toe of Ryder’s combat boot.

2/4

80

12:50 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 49 Spin the Bottle Stops Too Soon

The circle went completely still.

80

Every single pair of eyes locked onto Ryder. The anticipation was thick, a heavy, suffocating pressure in the room. They wanted to see the

bad boy play. They wanted to see if the rumors of his absolute indifference were true.

Ryder didn’t look at the crowd. He didn’t look at Chase.

He reached out, his long, bruised fingers wrapping around the thick neck of the green glass bottle. The heavy silver rings on his fingers

clicked sharply against the glass.

He didn’t flick his wrist casually. He set the bottle perfectly in the center of the circle, his broad shoulders tensing under his dark leather

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify