Brynn does my makeup and sorts my hair intoperfect blonde curls. She even convinced her older brother to let her tag along with him to the party. I could kiss Mark for saying yes. Thank God, I won’t be alone. I’m nervous enough already. What if Reid is there?
Of course Reid will be there. Why would one of the most popular guys in school not get invited to a party?
The short denim skirt I’m wearing hugs the tops of my thighs, and the bright pink tank top makes me look far more voluptuous than I am.
Carter knocks on my door at eight thirty, just like he said he would. I take one last glance in the mirror, trying to convince myself I wore this outfit for him and not someone else.
I avoided both him and Reid the rest of the week, because I guess I am that girl. Everything in my head tells me I should be with Reid, but I can’t find the courage to let Carter go. Aside from the quickie comment, he’s done nothing wrong.
He’s leaving for college in a month. But it’s only an hour and a half away.
He wants to deflower your lady garden. I’m probably the only virgin in eleventh grade.
My inner turmoil continues like this the entire drive to the party.
“Why are we parking so far away?” I ask, noting we’ve parked at least four houses down from Jeremiah’s.
Carter opens my door and helps me out. “Don’t want to be too close if it gets busted.”
I hop out of the truck, then pull my skirt down. “Busted? Like, by the cops?”
He laughs. “Yes. Just stay with me, and you’ll be fine. Nothing to worry about,” he assures me as he takes me by the hand and leads me around to the back of the house.
The stale stench of cigarette smoke burns my nostrils as we approach a large wooden fence. As soon as we get through the back gate, I see a yard full of people, some of the faces are familiar, and some of them aren’t. Carter says hello to several of them as we make a path into the house. I grip his hand tighter in an attempt not to get lost in the crowd. Inside, there are just as many people as there are outside.
Music bumps loudly on a high-tech sound system, filling the air and making me feel like dancing. In the kitchen, Carter waits in line until it’s his turn to dip two red plastic cups into a huge clear plastic tote filled with red punch.
The sweet-smelling punch goes down easy, too easy. Before I know it, I’m finished with my first cup and ready for a second. One of the seniors on the basketball team calls Carter over, so I’m left wandering alone until I find Brynn.
She’s in the middle of a crowd of dancing people in a big room downstairs. Finally. I’ve been wanting to dance since I got here. The walls are covered in black paper with neon graffiti painted all over it, and there’s foam all over the floor with more blowing from fans in two corners. The paint and foam-covered floor glows in the reflection of the black lights. Otherwise, the only source of light in the room comes from two spotlights, one in each of the back corners.
“Brynn!” I move through the foam and groups of people to where she’s dancing.
She bumps hips with me, prompting me to join her. Halfway through the song, I spot Reid watching me from the opening that leads back upstairs. He’s standing there in his dark grey T-shirt and jeans, hands in his pockets, and gorgeous green eyes locked on mine.
Thanks to the punch, I’m feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof right now. Not to mention the sight of him gives me amnesia. I’ve completely forgotten my boyfriend is around here somewhere.
I crook my finger as an invitation for him to join me. He shakes his head but never moves his eyes from me. I rival his intense stare with one of my own as I roll my body with the beat. He continues to watch but still refuses to move. I poke my bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout, and he responds by taking his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms in mock frustration. But I see the beginning of his contagious smile forming at the corners of his perfect mouth. Just as I begin to grab the hem of my shirt and tease him with a little stomach flesh, Lindsey Shelton latches onto his bicep and tugs him toward the staircase. He looks over his shoulder at me apologetically, then follows her up the stairs.
Brynn stops dancing and puts an arm over my shoulder then holds her cup in the air. “I need a refill.”
I take one look at my own half-empty drink, then tip it up to finish it off. “Me too.”
While I wait for Brynn to dip her cup in the Jungle Juice bucket, I notice Carter outside laughing and swapping drinks with Jennifer Harper, the junior class doorknob. Did he just touch her butt?
He definitely touched her butt. And now, he’s doing it again—a firm grab this time.
“Forget about him. You can do better.” Brynn’s voice breaks through my heartache while her hand rubs my back.
“I’m going to fuck him up,” I hear Reid announce from behind me.
Where did he come from?
I turn and grab his arm to keep him from storming over there. Holy biceps, Batman. Suddenly, a crowd of people comes bursting through the living room, headed for the rear patio.
“Cops! Cops!” they all scream as they pass.
“Shit. You go with Mark. I got her,” Reid tells Brynn as he drags me through the kitchen to another exit.