Chapter 36: Joelle's Dare.

Lily finally caught up to Mark. He was sitting on one of the stools by the bar, close to the pool, taking a drink in a glass. Lily walked up to the bar and sat on the stool next to him.

She stared at him for a while, examining his facial features. He didn't look mad, but he didn't look pleased either. He took his drink quietly, not even throwing a glance at Lily to acknowledge her presence. Lily inhaled deeply before she started talking.

"I don't want to sound self-centered, but..." she hesitated, taking a rather long pause. "At first, I thought I was the reason for the fight."

"Because you said something about being jealous," she exhaled. "But now, I'm sure I'm not the reason. Instead, it feels like some sort of power struggle." Mark finally turned his eyes to Lily.

Her eyes locked in with his. "Is something else going on between you and Ethan?" she asked. She probably hadn't reached the level of closeness to ask him that, but for some reason, she felt she was caught up in the dr