Chapter Nineteen
I stood there for a moment, absorbing the last few moments, before realizing I was standing in the middle of the party by myself. I was supposed to be mingling and enjoying my youth, not looking like a mute loner.
I raised my Greyhound to my lips, letting the bitter grapefruit flavor roll over my tongue as I scanned the crowd. Let’s see, there was a group of well-dressed yuppies sipping on craft beer, two models wiping white dust off each other’s nostrils, and a group of socialites texting on their phones instead of looking at one another. I didn't recognize anyone around me, and Becca and Penn must have gotten lost on their tour because they still weren't back yet.
Just as I was about to give up hope and head back to the bartender (who was essentially paid to be friendly to me), I spotted a pair of Liam and Josh's teammates. They were the guys that gave me jell-o shots on my nineteenth birthday, and when I made eye contact with one of them, they waved me over. Just like that, I went from the president of the wall flower club to standing in-between two hot guys. Ha! Life was looking up.
We all reintroduced ourselves even though we had hazy memories of one another from the night a few weeks ago. Cole was the goalie for the LA Stars and he was a beast of a man. He wore his hair much too long for my taste and he had a long beard that looked like he'd grown it out on a dare. Oliver played defense for the Stars and looked the part. He was tall and toned enough to resemble the hulk.
"This is such a nice house," I said before taking a sip of my drink.
"Yeah, Penn always throws the best parties here,” Cole said.
"Although none of them could top your birthday celebration," Oliver said with a friendly wink.
I groaned. "Can we forget about how drunk I was that night?"
Oliver laughed. "Well at least your cheek healed up nicely."
The group laughed and I started to relax. They really were nice guys.
"We heard the ULA girls are coming to watch one of our games soon. It's a preseason game, but it'll be a good match," Cole mentioned.
That was news to me, but it made sense. Coach Davis probably wanted us to watch how a professional team worked together.
"That'll be fun."
"Did you come here by yourself?" Oliver asked with a curious expression.
I glanced around me, trying to spy Becca so I could point her out to them. Finally, I spotted her and Penn chatting with a group across the room. She noticed me pointing and sent us a little wave.
"No, I came with my friend, Becca. She's on the team with me."
"Ah, Penn's girl," Oliver nodded before taking a swig of beer.
I smiled at his assessment. Becca would love to know that's how the team referred to her.
"Does he talk about her a lot?" I asked, sounding passably casual.
Oliver eyed me with a curious grin. "No more than Josh talks about you."
I froze. The idea of Josh saying anything about me to these guys was incredibly frustrating.
"He and I aren't together,” I clarified, trying to conceal the annoyance in my tone.
Cole nodded. "Don't worry, we know. The guy needs to move on."
I sighed and nodded, wanting to change the subject.
"Where are you guys from?" I asked.
"Kansas," Cole answered, just as I felt a hand touch the base of my back. The smell of liquor stung my nostrils as I glanced up to find Josh standing behind me.
"I've been looking for you everywhere, Kinsley," Josh commented with a slur.
Cole and the guys shuffled awkwardly.
“I've just been hanging out, Josh," I answered with a tight smile. His attention was veering toward uncomfortable territory and I wasn't sure how much more I could handle before I snapped.
His hand snaked around the side of my dress so that he could pull me closer toward him. The movement jerked my body so that my drink sloshed over the rim of the cup onto the floor.
"Josh, seriously, cut it out," I demanded, putting my empty hand up to his chest to try and push him away from me.
"Kinsley, relax. Let's have some fun." He started to tug at the base of my dress and the guys stirred around us. Aggression filled the air and I knew they were itching to get involved.
"No, Josh. Enough." I pushed him away again, harder this time, and his brown eyes clouded over in hate. In a matter of seconds his entire demeanor changed.
"You're such a fucking ice queen, Kinsley," he spat, finally releasing me with a shove. My drink spilled out over the front of my dress, but I couldn’t break my eye contact with Josh. "I never loved you, bitch. I just wanted to get in your pants—"