-Zade Collins:
I made it down the stairs slowly, still sore from the disaster of a night I had. My body didn't just ache—it pulsed. Like my bones remembered the weight that had crushed them, and my muscles were still filing complaints. I had barely slept a few hours after collapsing in my room earlier. But as I reached the last step, the low rumble of voices reached me. Sharp. Heated. Too familiar.
I paused on the last step, staying hidden behind the wall, not out of fear—okay, maybe a little—but mostly because something in Blake's voice stopped me. It was loud. Not his usual soft, polite tone. He sounded upset. Angry even.
"I told you—those drinks had alcohol in them. You said they were just sodas!" Blake's voice cracked slightly, but he was holding his ground.
Chris's voice followed, smug and casual. "Come on, cousin. It was a test. Everyone goes through it. Like a rite of passage. You passed."
