I refresh the website again for the hundredth time, and still, there is no change.

"Doing that isn't going to make the time move faster, M," Carmen says from the bean bag in the corner of my room.

I narrow my eyes at my best friend as she reapplies a coat of dark red lipstick using her phone as a mirror.

"Easy for you to say, you got your acceptance letter weeks ago," I grumble and frustratingly refresh the page again. "This is so annoying." I groan in exaggerated despair.

Carmen snorts and stands, readjusting her little sundress and fixing her braids in my full-length mirror. Clearly eagerly ready to join the party downstairs. "I wonder if Luk came."

I roll my eyes at her, "he lives here." Her crush on my brother makes her a complete and utter fool.

She sticks her tongue out at me and then plops down beside me, resting her hands under her chin, staring at the stupid screen with me. It made me feel guilty when she sighed as I went for the refresh button again. She came here for the party but instead wanted to make sure her best friend wasn't sacrificing Earl - my fossil of a cat- to the universe to get a response from her dream college.

I rolled my eyes at the idea of sacrificing my grumpy baby. I watch said grumpy baby take a nap on a pile of dirty clothes in the corner of my room.

"You can go downstairs if you want, you know," I tell her, placing my laptop aside for the sake of my sanity.

She opens her mouth to argue, but I beat her to it, "Luke has a new tattoo he's been flaunting about like some chick magnet."

She gasps, "You're shitting me."

I shrug and fight the urge not to crack a mischievous smile, "I shit you not."

She blinks at me like I just told her the most outrageous piece of gossip ever and quickly rushes up and to the door. "You better not be bullshiting me, Willson!" She yells over her shoulder before she practically runs out of the room, leaving my door ajar.

I chuckle and shake my head as I get up from my bed to close the door, but my hand freezes on the door handle as I look over my shoulder at my laptop making my stomach knot anxiously then look back out my bedroom door, where the music vibrated throughout the house.

I've been to quite a few parties, and it was enough for me to conclude that it's just a headache. I bite on my bottom lip as I make my decision.

"Fuck it. I need a drink." I say and grab my discarded hoodie from the floor head downstairs and make a beeline straight towards the kitchen.

I glance around the island and find a bunch of empty beer cans and bottles and then have to practically shove a couple making out against the refrigerator, only to sigh in disappointment when I don't find what I'm looking for.

I decide to venture to the backyard where the actaul party seems to be and make my way through a group of bodies, out onto the patio in the backyard. Cringing at the sight of the mess already made.

Luke is going to be in deep shit if he doesn't die from alcohol poisoning first to clean this mess up before the parentals come home.

I turn left and right and finally spot the keg and my heart does a whole backflip when I see who's standing there talking to a guy in an ugly ass Hawaiian shirt.

"You handling the keg tonight, Brown?" I ask and stand in front of the two, interrupting their conversation.

Dylan Brown's dark brows fly up at the sight of me, in clear surprise and not in the -oh she's so stunning- but smiles nonetheless. "Hey, May." He says slowly then narrows his brown eyes at me. "What are you doing here?" He asks.

Ugly Hawaiian shirt looks at me up and down with bloodshot eyes and slowly smirks. "yo, you look familiar." He smelt like a weed warehouse on fire.

Dylan and I ignore him as I take a red solo cup, "I'm here to get a drink." I say with an innocent smile as I pour myself a drink since he just stood there.

How rude of him to make a lady pour herself a drink.

His chuckle dies when I start gulping down the bitter beer like it was water, "you okay there?" He asks, in slight concern as he watches me fill my cup for a second round.

"Nah, like I swear I've seen you before." Ugly Hawaiian says again which we both ignore again when I shrug my shoulders at Dylan as I gulp down the rest of my drink.

"Whoa, slow down," he says, holding my wrist before I could pore me another drink. His touch makes my heart do another stupid backflip. "Since when do you drink beer like this?" He asks.

I smile at him, "Since I can't stop stressing about stupid Hudson University." I admit, and even saying it out loud makes me want to recoil in a nervous wreck.

"Shit, did we fuck?" Hawaiian shirt asks before covering his mouth in disbelief.

"No." Dylan and I both answer him at the same time, which makes me frown at Dylan.

"How would you know?" I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion, then turn to look at Hawaiian shirt, giving him a once over. "He could be my type."

Hawaiian shirt smirks at me satisfied, "Thanks."

"No, because Luke would have his head on a pike if he found out since Brian over here knows you're off limits," Dylan says and slaps the back of his friend's head.

"Oh fuck, you're Willson's sister?" Brian stumbles back in surprise.

I draw my head back like I've just been bitch slapped and scoff, "I'm off limits?" You've got to be kidding me.

Dylan seems to realize his mistake and runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "Shit May-"

"May? So you've finally decided to join the party, huh?" Speak of the devil, Luke makes his way towards the three of us, or I should say two of us seeing as fashionless Brian makes a graceful flee.

"I'm off limits?" I ask unusually loud, blaming it on the alcohol as I point an accusing finger at my annoying brother, "Oh so that's why the random rumors went around school." This fucker.

Luke has the nerve to roll his eyes, "You were a senior, and Dylan and I were practically on the other side of the country, so I had to make a clear threat." He shrugs ever so casually then chuckles at my sneering glare and has the audacity to throw an arm over my shoulder.

"Get off me you cock-blocker." I groan out in annoyance and struggle my way out of his grasp. "You're the reason why I had such a crappy senior year."

"I was just trying to protect my little sister." He chuckles when I finally free myself then raises a brow, "No need to be overdramatic."

I gape open my mouth at Dylan and Luke pretending their like little threat didn't torment me the whole year. "You think I'm being overdramatic when I had to walk the halls and have everyone point and stare, snicker at me because someone said I had an STI? Having to be humiliated when my English teacher asked me in concern if I was trying to abort my supposedly unborn child by drinking myself into a coma. Or having someone deliver me a box full of rash cream to my fucking locker? Yeah, how real dramatic of me." I huffed out and my cheeks were on fire after my little outburst.

Dylan narrowed his eyes was nothing in comparison to the anger swirling in Luke's eyes, "What the fuck? May, all Luke and I did was tell the team to not mess with you."

I blink in confusion. "So, it wasn't you two who started the rumors?"

"Fuck no May. God, why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Luke sounded hurt that I don't tell him anything anymore these days.

"Do you know who could have started the rumors?" Dylan asks with a frown.

I shrug, "What does it matter anymore, I'm graduating next week and honestly whoever started the rumors can go shove a cactus far up their ass." I say and take Luke's beer bottle from him and take a big swing at it.

"I don't like the idea of a cactus far up my luscious ass." A cocky voice from behind me says nearly makes me chock on my beer.

I turn around to finally face the cause of all those rumors and months of teasing, He has the nerve to flash a smirk at me, "Don't glare at me like that, Mayo, you look constipated."

"What the fuck, Kade?" I don't know if it was his brother or my mine who yells this nor could I give a shit as my blood pumped so loudly in my ears and all I could see was red and before I knew it, my fist punches the stupid grin right off his face.

And then hear a painful crack.

I think I just broke my thumb punching Kade fucking Brown.

☆☆☆
like and comment if you enjoyed the first chapter of Rivals.

-love, cay♡