He grins, and in the spirit of where I am, and allowing that Dan is wasted, and further allowing that in all likelihood, the wedding next month will be the last time I ever see Dan, I force a smile back.
“Sure.”
He smiles. “Well, shit man, go get a dance.”
“I’m not really into—”
“Nope! Not taking no for an answer, bro! It’s my bachelor party, and if you want her, she’s yours, man.”
The growl rumbles in my throat, but he can’t hear it over the music. The music suddenly switches songs, and when I glance back at the stage, she’s walking off of it.
Fuck.
My eyes scan the room, but she’s gone, and I shake my head. The fuck was I thinking anyways?
Instead, I knock back the rest of my drink and head to the bar to pay bottle price for one drink again. I thank the bartender, and I’m bringing the glass to my lips when suddenly, hands grab both my arms, yanking them back.
…And instinct kicks in.
I whirl, wrenching my hands free, grabbing one of them by the collar of his t-shirt. My fist raises, and it’s only then that I’m aware of Dan’s voice.
“Whoa! Whoa! Fuckin’ chill, man!”
I blink, and when the adrenaline cools, and my eyes focus, I realize I’m holding Dan’s best man in my hands.
Shit.
“Sorry,” I growl, letting his shirt go. The guy is white-faced and looks like he’s about to piss himself.
“S’cool,” he mumbles, swallowing as he glances at the other guys in the bachelor party nervously. Actually, all of them are looking at me like that.
Dan’s chuckling laugh breaks the silence.
“Fuck, Colton!” he whistles.
“Thought you were a high school principal,” the best man mumbles, eyeing me.
“Naw, headmaster,” Dan crows.
“It’s just principal.” That’s what I am in life these days. The Principal of Winchester Academy, this absurdly expensive, exclusive private boarding high school a few towns away from here.
I clear my throat and nod at the guy I almost just killed. “And sorry. I—” I frown. “I’m not good with being surprised from behind like that.”
Dan nods. “True that, bro. He was in the Marines,” he says somberly to his other friends.
“Special Forces.”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
I don’t bother correcting him.
“Anyways, Colton, man, we just wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission accomplished,” I growl, reaching for my drink.
He grins. “No, buddy. I mean we surprised you with a little private room action.”
I frown.