Bodhi met Jake in the kitchen. "Dude, where were you?""I was talking to Perri.""Perri? What were you talking to her about?""Just asked her if she ended up going to prom.""Oh." He took an apple from the bowl on the island. "Yeah. That was a bunch of bullshit. I felt really awful for the poor girl." He took a bite. "I would have taken her. Holden shut that idea down fast. I mean, I wasn't going to try anything. I respect her. Now, I can't say the same if it was Annie." He winked at him. "You are like always on. Aren't you?" Bodhi asked, rolling his eyes."Is there any other way to be?""Come on. Rosaleigh is here, and she brought Katie and Tiff."Fuck my life. Katie AND Tiff. Was I like an evil dictator in my former life? He went to the fridge. "Where did all the beer go?""We put it in a cooler outside. We also got a bottle of Peanut Butter Whiskey out there. Come on."Bodhi followed him outside. He glanced back to see if maybe Perri was making her way down the hallway. She wasn't.After she closed the door, Perri went back over the corkboard and took the Puka Shell necklace off the pushpin. She put it around her wrist, looping it twice like a bracelet. He was going to kiss me, just like that day when he gave me the necklace. Please remind me to kick Jake in the nuts next time I see him. I wonder what his kiss feels like. And him holding me in his arms close to his chest—I have never felt so special. Maybe I should go outside. He wants me to. She laid back on the bed and put her earbuds back in. She played Three Door Down again. Despite how it had made her feel, this was now her favorite song. She looked at the necklace around her wrist. She slowly started to drift to sleep.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"Put some more wood on the fire," Holden told Tommy. "Why me?"Holden looked at Tommy. "Because I told you to, you little prick."Holden knew exactly what had gone down between Tommy, Perri, and Annie. He was the one who held her as she cried all night, took her prom dress to Goodwill, tried tirelessly to convince her that she was more beautiful than Annie would ever be, and decided he was going to make Tommy's life a living nightmare.The fire was hot, but the temperature outside was dropping quickly. "Holdy. I'm cold." Rosaleigh curled up on Holden's lap. "I can go get you a sweatshirt, babe," he said, putting his arms around her."No. This will work for now." She nuzzled her face into his chest.Bodhi was sitting in his chair, staring into the fire. He had already had five beers and about eight shots of whiskey. He was feeling pretty buzzed. He was about two beers away from being drunk."Dude." Holden tapped him on the leg. "What's wrong, man? You've been out of it all day.""Just got some stuff on my mind. That's all.""I'm sure Katie can help you get your mind off whatever is bothering you." Holden bounced his eyebrows.Bodhi finished his beer. He kept turning, looking towards the patio door. He had been hoping for the last hour that Perri would come outside. He wanted to go for a walk and talk to her, maybe finally give her the kiss he'd been trying to give her for the past four years. I really should have kicked Jake in the balls."Hey. Holden. Why didn't you tell me about what happened to Periwinkle?""What do you mean? What about her?""The whole thing that happened with prom?" Bodhi asked, taking a drink of his beer. Holden glared at Tommy and Annie. "Oh, that. I don't know. She really didn't want the whole gang to know. I am surprised Annie didn't tell everyone just so Perri would have been even more humiliated.""You should have said something to me. I would have taken her. She should have been able to go to her senior prom. And you know I look good in a tux." He popped his collar and smiled."I guess I never thought about it. Jake offered, but she had already been devastated with the whole situation," Holden said. "I didn't even think about asking her if she would want to go with you.""I would have done it," he mumbled, taking a shot.Three hours and four beers later, he stopped looking behind him. His heart sank. He had really thought that he had convinced her to come out. If not to go swimming, but he thought she would at least come out to sit by the fire. Katie walked over to him. She sat down on his lap. "Hey. Are you okay? You haven't said one word to me. I thought we had fun the last time we were together." He took his hair out of the ponytail and let it fall around his head. Katie immediately started running her fingers through it."I love your hair. It's so sexy." She ran her fingers down his chest. "Then again, everything about you is sexy."He had put the black T-shirt back on, removed his windbreaker, and changed into jeans. She had tried to kiss him. He turned his head. "You know there are two perfectly good chairs over there." He pointed opposite him."I know, but I am cold. And from what I remember, you are like a sexy furnace. You're so hot." she curled up on his lap like Rose had done to Holden.She raked her fingers through his hair and started kissing his neck. As much as he was trying to resist, he felt himself growing hard. He was drunk, and he was horny. He had been thinking about dancing with Perri. Her skin was so soft. Her hair smelled like watermelon. He thought about what their kiss would have been like. He took Katie by the back of her head and pulled her mouth to his. It was so simple to kiss her. Just press lips together, stick tongue in mouth, and move head side to side. Why couldn't he do that with Perri? They kissed for a while, the whole time he thought about her. The kissing went back and forth between slow and easy, filled with emotion, and hard and fast, filled with lust."Wow, Bodhi. You have never kissed me like that before."He didn't say anything. He knew he just fucked up. He had zero feelings for Katie, and now she thinks he does."I seem to be sitting on a rock all of a sudden," Katie whispered. "You want to go inside? I can help you take care of that if you like."He looked behind him one last time. She wasn't coming. She really didn't have any interest in him, as he thought. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea." Katie slid off his lap, stood up, and put her hand out. "Come on."💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖She didn't realize how long she had been asleep. She decided to go out to sit by the fire. Bodhi seemed like he really wanted me out there. Plus, I think maybe he and I should talk if he wants to. Maybe I should tell him how I feel. I know he has to feel the same way, given what happened earlier.She changed into a pair of yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt. She checked her phone. Current temperature: 64 degrees. Feels like 60.She looked in her closet for her favorite sweatshirt. "Where the hell is it?" She started to move through the hangers, looking at every piece of clothing quickly. Then she remembered. "Wait. It's in the dryer."She made her way across the house to the basement. Halfway down the steps, she heard someone moaning. Shit. I'll just be quiet and go quickly. If they are on the couch, they shouldn't see me. Dear God, what if it's Holden? Do I want the sweatshirt that bad? Bodhi had given her the sweatshirt for Christmas. It was from his college. It was soft and warm. She loved the way it felt against her skin. She crept unnoticed to the laundry room. She popped open the dryer and dug around. There you are. She slid the sweatshirt on. It felt like a warm hug. She planned on creeping out as quietly as she had come in. Just as she was about to round the corner, she heard a voice."Oh Fuck. Katie, the shit you can do with your tongue is unbelievable."It was Bodhi. She felt her heart drop and her chest tighten. "Suck it harder. Yeah, just like that. Fuck," he moaned. "My cock loves your fucking mouth, Baby.""I like it when you call me Baby. Makes me feel special."She heard the slurping starting again."You are special baby. You're so special." If he tried hard enough, he could envision the mouth around his cock as his Perriwinkle's. He craved for it to be her. He wished for it to be her. He was so angry that she didn't come outside. He waited and waited. What did she expect me to do? I know I'm a fucking pig. I hate myself. She held herself, trying to calm down. I guess I was wrong. I don't understand. What was that all about in my room? He was going to kiss me, and now he's getting his dick sucked by Katie! The tears started to flow. She covered her mouth to stifle any sound. She made her way as quickly as she could to the stairs. There was a mirror on the wall, and at a certain angle, you could see clearly into the main room. Her parents had put it there so they would spy on the kids more easily. She glanced up and saw Bodhi on the couch, Katie's head between his legs. He had his hand on top of it as she bobbed up and down. He had his head tipped, resting on the back of the couch. She missed the second step, tripped, and hit her head. "FUCK!" she exclaimed. She put her hand on her scalp and felt the gash. She looked at her hand. There was blood. Not a lot, but enough to cause a panic. Which was not good since she was already panicking. Katie pulled her lips away from him, making a pop sound. "What the hell was that?"Bodhi's head popped up. He knew Perri's voice. "Move." He nudged Katie to the side. He stood up and hastily pulled his pants back on. "Wait! I wasn't done. Bodhi! You're going to get blue balls," she called after him."I'll take that risk."💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖He found her in the kitchen holding a dish towel filled with ice to her forehead. He saw the blood soaking through."Are you okay?" He went to touch her head."Please don't touch me, Bodhi.""What? Why?" "Why don't you just go back downstairs and touch Katie's head? I'm sure she would like to finish what you two started."His heart sank. She knows. She saw. She was never going to trust me now. How could I have been so fucking stupid? I don't even like Katie. This is a fucking disaster."Periwinkle, let me explain." "Don't call me that. My name is Persephone. You can call me Persephone," she said curtly."Come on. Please don't be like this. Just let me explain. It's not what it looked like.""It looked like Katie was scratching the back of her throat with your dick. You don't owe me an explanation. Why would you think I care that you're getting sucked off in my basement? I'm happy for you and Katie. See, I'm happy because you're happy." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist."Periwinkle, please---""DON'T---""BABY! I'M GOING BACK OUTSIDE! I'LL KEEP YOUR SEAT WARM," Katie called out. They heard the garage door close."Go outside... Baby." Her tone was spiteful and angry."It's not what you think! Will you please just let me explain," he begged."Let me guess: You're drunk and made an error in judgment. Or how about you were sober earlier and made an error in judgment?" Tears started to gather in the corner of her eyes."Please don't cry. Please. It tears my heart apart to see you cry." "Yet you're the one who is causing me to. Isn't that ironic?" She shook her wrist loose. "Just do me a favor and leave me alone." She pulled the sweatshirt off. Her shirt rode up, and he caught sight of her stomach. Her abs were visible. Not a lot, but they were there. What I wouldn't give to kiss her stomach. God, I am such a fucking idiot!"Here. Take this back. I don't want it." She threw it in his face. "And stay out of my room. You're not welcome."When he saw the necklace wrapped around her wrist, he didn't know what to say. There was no way I can fix this. "Please don't give this back. It was a gift. I got it for you.""Give it to Katie." "Perri, please! Don't." He held it out to her. "Take it back. Please, take it back.""Screw you, Bodhi. Unless you're too busy screwing Katie," she said, turning and storming off.He watched her walk away. It didn't take too long before he heard her door slam.He dropped the sweatshirt down to his side. "Fuck," he said, shaking his head. "Holden is going to rip my balls off."📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝A/N: Do you think that Persephone will ever forgive Bodhi? Do you think he truly regrets what he did with Katie? Do you feel bad for Katie?Please vote and comment!🎧DON'T SPEAK: NO DOUBT🎧