Chapter 25 Harper : 76 55 vouchers From where I stood in the front yard , I could just make out the corner of the backyard . The glow of the porchlight stretched far enough to catch Maddox alone with Kate . He was kissing her hard . He had his hands tightly around her waist , shoving his tongue into her mouth . She pulled away for a second to catch her breath , but his lips followed hers again like he wanted her so badly . Zoey placed her hand on my shoulder . " I'm so sorry , Harper . Maybe we shouldn't have come ." " Zoey's right. " Ella said . " Are you okay ? " My gaze lingered on Maddox and Kate for a while and it began to feel like he actually wanted me to see that . He'd heard my friends talking since they were a bit too loud . Looking back at my girls , my lips curved into a genuine smile . " I'm great . So what if he's showing off ? I already expected to see them together . This is a party , so let's have a good time ! " They both did a little dance while cheering , each of them hooking an arm around mine as we made our way to the entrance . We'd barely made it past the front door security and I could feel the hard techno beat crawling up my legs . The interior had changed so much just for his birthday party and it looked like we were in an actual nightclub . There were dim and purple lights , a light smoky haze in the air and a whole bar section with a neon sign glowing above shelves of expensive liquor bottles . In the living room , the furniture was gone or hidden and in its place were several large semi circular lounge seats , the few guests who had arrived early drinking and vibing to the music while facing the DJ booth near them . They were dressed to impress with a touch of elegance . " Well , let's party ! " Ella yelled over the music . Zoey cheered and I joined in , the three of us bopping our heads to the music as we headed to the bar section . We still had our arms hooked when Ella slammed the side of her shoulder into a guy who looked like a model . He smiled charmingly at the three of us , then leaned towards her and said something which made her grin like she had already fallen for him . " Hello , there , why don't you ladies sit with us ? " he said . He pointed at his lounge seat , his twin , who even had the same hairstyle , looking over at us and there was so much room for more people . Ella was so into him that she pulled us along with her as he led the way . There were smaller round tables in the middle with a mix of whiskeys , vodkas , wines , sodas and even water for all to drink . We took our seats right next to each other and he dropped himself right next to her . 7:27 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 25 : " I'm Adrian Barclay . " He leaned towards her as he said it . " That green dress is gorgeous . I'm Aiden Barclay ," the other one said to Zoey . 76 55 vouchers Zoey was just about to introduce herself first when Aiden spotted a bunch of girls coming over to us , making him rise to his feet . She and Ella looked like they wanted to leave when the twins welcomed the other girls . But as soon as they took their seats and it became clear that they were all just friends , their faces lit up . We had to yell over the music just to introduce ourselves . " I'm Harper ! " " Wait , aren't you that girl from Tiffany's post ? " one of the girls asked . I nodded proudly . " You're so much prettier in person ." " Thanks ! " As 8 PM drew closer , more and more guests began to arrive . Grayson was right when he told me I'd have a blast . It hadn't even been that long but I already had a great feeling about it . I also needed that as I had been working too hard . I was about to take a sip of wine when I paused at the sudden loud cheers from the other guests . I looked over and spotted Maddox with Kate , his arm wrapped around her body and hand resting on the side of her arm . She was already so drunk that she needed his support to move in those heels . Judging by the direction they were moving in , he meant to take her to a certain lounge seat but as he was looking around , he spotted me, whispered something to Kate and he changed direction , his hand now around her waist . They were coming right where I was and I leaned back in my seat , amused by the situation . I began to have a better understanding of what he was trying to do . He made sure to sit across from me and she seemed like she would pass out if she kept drinking , judging by how she threw her head back as soon as she took a seat . While he gave everyone the same level of energy as he looked all around , he barely acknowledged my presence , even quickly focusing on Kate as he poured her a glass of water . I decided to ignore it , but Zoey and Ella kept nudging me with their elbows from both sides , as if asking if I was okay . " Happy birthday . This place looks amazing , " I said to him with no bitterness . He blinked rapidly , like he didn't expect that . " Thanks , it wouldn't have turned out this way without Kate . You should be thanking her . " " Did you hear that , Harper Moore ? " Kate chimed in lazily , her speech even slow . " I did this ! Not some fucking 7:27 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 25 events manager out there ! I'm glad you came . Have fun while you can because- " " Hey , that's enough . " Maddox gently placed his fingertips on her chin to guide her gaze . " Fine . " She rolled her eyes , holding him by the collar to bring his face real close . 76 55 vouchers She stuck out her tongue and giggled flirtatiously , like she wanted him to taste it right there . I caught him glancing at me like he was about to do it and I actually hoped he wouldn't . I was still certain of what he was trying to do , but I didn't want to sit there and watch the two of them lock lips for everyone to see , like it was being thrown in my face . I watched him closely and waited , but right when he was about to kiss her , she dropped her head on his shoulder . She was drunk as fuck . He glanced at me with frustration , like that didn't go as planned and I internally scoffed . He was trying to paint a specific picture , that he was a playboy with no room for anything else , but I saw beyond it more and more the longer I observed him . As he engaged in conversation with the others while barely looking in my direction , he carefully positioned Kate's head so she could have something to lean on . He then excused himself to welcome his other guests . Kate's eyes were fixed on me with a smirk . I couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming . Zoey nudged my shoulder and I glanced at her . She subtly signaled for me to look in a certain direction and when I did , Maddox was in the company of five girls , who just wanted to be all over him and he didn't stop them . I caught him glancing in my direction again before he paid attention to them again . It wasn't the same when he was talking to the guys , but as soon as he was in the presence of another bunch of girls , they were a bit too close and once again , he glanced at me . I chuckled softly , pouring myself a drink before taking a few selfies . Even though Ella and Zoey were so lost in conversation with the Barclay twins , they got closer just to take a few pictures with me . We pouted , grinned and even stuck out our tongues just for the fun of it . I held out my hand some more for the final picture when it was shoved out of the way by someone who walked past me so they could sit down . I was ready to lash out but paused when I realized it was Tittany . She was in a long trench coat and that made everyone wonder what was underneath . " Tiff , you're here ." Kate could barely sit up but did her best . " Ugh ! Drunk so early ? " She shook her head in disbelief . " I couldn't help it , okay ? What's with the trenchcoat ? " Tiffany smirked . " Are you ready ? " She looked all around as she said it . The others were actually eager to see what was inside . Then , she dropped her trench coat to reveal her outfit , making jaws drop . She was in the same dress as me . 7:27 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 25 : " Oh , wow ! " Kate lazily pointed at her . " You're wearing the same dress as Harper ." 76 E55 vouchers Tiffany rolled her eyes , like she was about to brag . " I know , but mine is straight from the designer . It was $ 3,000 . This thrift store version doesn't cost anything more than $ 20 ." " Yikes ! That's such a huge difference . " Kate burst into laughter . As they continued to have that conversation about the dresses , the energy from the other girls shifted . I was looked at as an outsider . Kate must've known that would happen . It explained why she kept looking at me like that . How did Tiffany know about the exact dress I was going to wear ? Was she in the store when I went shopping with Ella and Zoey ? She took a seat right next to Kate , now being the life of the party , just like she wanted to be . She was Maddox's popular sister and I expected nothing less . She smirked triumphantly as she looked right at me even while talking to the others . I still kept my composure with no plans of getting up . That was exactly what she would've wanted to see . I was glad that Ella , Zoey and the Barclay twins didn't care much that she was there , so I paid attention to them instead . I was able to ignore her for a while , but it all changed when she suddenly rose to her feet and began to dance , the other girls cheering her on . She didn't even seem to care about any of that , her gaze fixed in a certain direction.I looked over and spotted Grayson , who was already making his way to us . She then curled her finger , seductively telling him to come closer . He licked his bottom lip as that got him excited and it made my chest tighten . He spotted me right when he got to her , only giving me a nod of acknowledgement before placing his hands on her hips while standing behind her . She raised her hands , swinging her hips harder while looking back at him. Their eye contact was so magnetic that no one could get between them and my stomach twisted . I hated every second of it . She turned around to face him , resting her forehead against his and he grinned , holding her tight like he would never let go . I couldn't watch it anymore , so I lowered my head but that wasn't the end of it . Tiffany made sure to move from that spot and Grayson moved along with her . She stopped right in front of me , the two of them now dancing and touching right in my fucking face . Everyone was enjoying it , but I could see Ella and Zoey in my peripheral vision , constantly checking up on me , When she kissed him first and he responded by shoving his tongue in her mouth , I wanted to shut my eyes so badly but had to stop myself in fear of tears streaming down my face . The purple lighting might have been enough to hide what was going on with my eyes , but I couldn't just sit there and watch it all . How could I possibly leave at that exact moment ? 7:27 Tue , Sep 16 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!