I immediately backed away, swallowing. "Nat —"

"What the hell?" Her watery eyes looked directly into mine, and I could see the accusation and confusion on her face. She turned from me to Griffin, lip curling.

"I can't believe I was going to sleep with you tonight. You're so disgusting."

Griffin looked at me with a pained expression, and I shook my head, my stomach sinking, realizing what had happened.

Would the two of them be together now if I hadn't come with him?

"And you?" She turned to me, laughing cruelly. "You're a cheating slut."

I stared at her, stunned, and she shook her head, laughing drily.

"You act like this amazing do-gooder, but you're just a lying bitch."

My mouth dropped open. Natasha had never talked to me that way — no one had.

Griffin stepped forward, his voice low. "Natasha, stop. Don't talk to her that way." Even though he defended me, I didn't want him to say anything. He was making it worse. She turned around and ran out, practically tripping over the carpet. It only made her cry more.

"I have to go make sure she's okay," I said. Before I could go, Griffin grabbed my arm.

"Haven, I'm sorry —"

"Let me go." My voice came out so sharply that he immediately dropped my arm from his grasp, looking at me desperately. As much as I hated to admit it, I was angry that I had hurt Natasha, but I was also mad that Griffin hadn't felt anything real for me. If I hadn't come here in time, the two of them might've been already hooking up. Which meant I had been nothing but a distraction, a pawn.

"What?" I snapped. "You're sorry that you were going to hook up with her and just invited me here because you didn't know if she'd come? You haven't changed at all, Griffin."

His face hardened. "That's not true. I didn't know Natasha felt that way about me, and I didn't call you here with those intentions. Everything I said to you, I meant."

"Okay, well, I'm sorry, but we have no way to prove that, right? I almost cheated on my boyfriend, who loves me, who's probably waiting downstairs for me right now. And I might lose my best friend because of a stupid guy!" I was angry at him and myself now.

"A stupid guy." Griffin was laughing, but he wasn't, really. A storm of emotions raced behind his intense, dark eyes. "So, our friendship means nothing to you, and I'm just some stupid guy. That's great, Haven."

I was messing up with everyone. I crossed my arms across my chest, taking a deep breath. "You mean nothing to me, Griffin, so why don't you leave me the hell alone?" As soon as the words were out, I wished I could take them back.

"If I mean nothing to you, then why'd you come here in the first place?" His voice was so low that I almost missed what he said. "You know, I thought you were different — you saw past what people acted like. But you're the type of person I stay away from for a reason."

"You have no right to tell me who I am." I met his gaze, swallowing past the lump in my throat even though I had just done the same thing to him.

How did the night get so bad?

"Get out of my room, Haven."

I swallowed, the fight in me draining away. It wasn't his fault, not really. I had been just as guilty in almost kissing him, and I didn't mean when I said I didn't care about him.

Natasha was right; I was a liar.

Because part of me hated Griffin Keely.

And the other part of me knew it wasn't hate.

"Get out of my fucking room," he repeated harshly.

I flinched at his voice and willed myself not to cry. As I rushed out of the room, my eyes darted around the crowd of people, searching for Natasha. When I didn't find her, I went to the backyard. Dozens of people stood by the pool, but I saw her buzzed hair near the stone wall where smokers went.

I raced through the crowd, finally grabbing hold of her.

"Can we please talk?" I said, tears stinging in my eyes. I knew Natasha had said things she didn't mean, and if I explained to her what happened, she would understand. She had to understand.

"What's there to talk about?" she spat.

"What you saw upstairs wasn't real. We weren't doing anything," I said breathlessly.

"Really?" she said, her eyes glittering. "So, you think if I tell Justin, he'll think the same?"

I felt my heart sink. Of course, Justin wouldn't think the same. And after everything we've been through together, I wasn't ready to let him go.

Not over someone who would only hurt me.

"I won't tell him," Natasha said. "But then you have to do something, too."

"Okay, anything," I said, desperate to make things normal again.

"Stop talking to Griffin."

What? The way Griffin looked at me, he probably was done with me, anyway. But taking him out of my life?

She saw my face, and a sadistic smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "It hurts, right, when you have to lose someone you love?"

"I don't love him," I said immediately. I didn't recognize this side of Natasha. She was almost enjoying this. She looked at me without remorse, eyes shining. The tears were gone by now.

"Then you'll have no problem cutting him out of your life," Natasha said sharply. "Unless you want to ruin a relationship with Justin and your friendship with me." She pursed her lips together. "Text me by tonight with your decision. I'm going home."

"Natasha," I said. "We are not fighting over a boy. I'm not doing this with you." It didn't matter if Griffin was special. I needed to save our friendship.

"If you think this is about a boy," Natasha said, her voice low, "You couldn't be more wrong."

She turned around and walked out, leaving me standing there.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the swarming thoughts.

"I bet you want to tell her to die, right?" a voice slurred. "You won't because you're so sweet, little miss perfect. But what she made you do... no friend would do that."

My eyes fluttered open. I turned around to see Kai sitting on the grass, her back slumped against the wall. I hadn't even seen her there and realized she had overheard the entire conversation. Her mascara smudged, making her look like a raccoon.

"Are you okay?" I said, forgetting about myself for a second. I leaned down, extending a hand to help her.

Kai laughed, pushing me away. "Never thought you were the type of girl to cheat on your man," she said. "I'm almost impressed."

"I didn't cheat," I said. My voice sounded feeble to my ears.

"You know, no matter what that bitch acts like?" Kai pointed at Natasha's retreating figure. "She isn't like you, with your pretty intentions and politeness. She's a fucking actress. Natasha will ruin you one day, and you'll wish you weren't so nice."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"I do because I know people like that. Hell, I'm like that. The difference is, I don't parade around as something I'm not." Kai wiped at her eyes, smudging her eyeliner even more. "But you know what I don't get? She's obsessed with you guys. I mean... why you guys?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. Natasha wasn't obsessed with us. She was just a friend.

A friend wouldn't make you choose between her and someone else.

"You're drunk right now," I said.

"Fuck yeah. It's a party, Haven. But I also know what I'm saying, and I'm telling you she's obsessed," Kai said. "Like stalker level. Me personally? I don't get the hype."

Usually, I would take offense, but there was nothing ordinary about this conversation. I pursed my lips, trying to understand what Kai was saying. Natasha wasn't a stalker. Yet when I thought about her calculating calm eyes, watching and unraveling every hidden secret, all I could think about was what if Kai was right?

"I'm going to get you some water," I said.

She waved me off. "Don't bother. I'm leaving. I don't even belong here. Never did."

She stood up, and that same bitter smile spread across her face. "I'll be fine. You? You better watch your back."

Before I could say anything, she was gone.

I didn't realize I should've listened to Kai.

That was the thing, right? You never realized until it was too late.