Page 32 of Spin the Damn Bottle

My friend grins. "I got early admission to Stanford with a full ride."

"Oh my god!" I squeal, as excited as everyone else. "You're amazing. Is that your first choice?"

She nods. "Yeah, my sister's back in Cali, and, you know, it's home. I always planned on moving back. I tried Harvard and Yale, but no news yet. How about you?"

I snort. "Well, no early admissions for me."

We're chatting about college applications, and I feel as if I can finally breathe for the first time this morning.

We're eating curry, one of my favorites from the cafeteria, though I'm far less enthused about the food here after a month of dining at Glass. I'm halfway done with my plate when Jason and Cain walk over, as though it's the most natural thing in the world.

"Room for me?" he asksWillow, and she gives me a look.

At my nod, she slides over and Jace sits next to me. Cain claims a seat next to Elisa, on the opposite side. She practically hyperventilates. Not that I can blame her. These boys are a sight to behold.

Jace acts like his coming over is all perfectly normal. “So where are you applying, Nadia?” he asks.

He must have overheard some of our conversation.

I clench my jaw, keeping my mouth shut.

He whispers, “You’re ignoring me again. You know I don’t like that.”

“Too bad. I don’t care,” I hiss.

His eyes flash, and then he swoops in, pressing his lips to mine. The kiss is demanding, his hand behind my neck, not giving me an escape.

Slowly, Jason draws back, and I do my best to not show any signs of being affected.

What the hell? We talked about this. He's supposed to leave me alone, and all of a sudden, he's kissing me publicly, in front of the entire senior class?

“I’m probably headed to Harvard,” Cain says casually, as though the situation's entirely normal. “That’s where my parents graduated from, so they're putting pressure on me to go there. I want to be with Jason, though.”

I try to focus on Cain since he's talking, but Jason keeps staring at me, his hand light on my shoulder. I don't want to answer him here, so I shift my gaze to my friends, pleading with my eyes for them to say something, anything.

I have so many words for Jason, but I'll shout them at him in public later.

“I want in NYU,” Elisa says. “I'll pass on the stress of an Ivy League school. The university’s great anyway, and I want to be in the city.” She smiles at me. "We can hang out then. I'd love to meet the friends you always talk about. Especially Gabriella."

"They're great," Jason says. "Harper and Spencer need to sort their shit out, though." To me, he says, “So you’re staying in the city?”

"You don't know where she's going?" Willow asks, eyebrows raised.

"Well, I'm not officially going anywhere, Ms. Early Admittance."

She laughs. "Tisch would be stupid not to accept you. I've seen the art you sent them. You'll get in."

I wish I had her confidence in me. I also wish she hadn't told Jason exactly what he wanted to know.

Jace finally turns away from me. “Let's apply to Brown and Columbia. Harvard’s cliché,” he tells Cain.

Somehow, Jace’s plan and opinion don’t surprise me at all.

The rest of the table joins in the conversation, my friends seemingly more at ease with the invasion of the guys now, but I stay silent. I’m still reeling from that unexpected kiss, and from his touch.

What game is he playing?

I know there's a game. There always is with Jason Alden.