by K. Walker
I had a party to get ready for, and I didn’t really care in that moment.
Chapter 12
“We should have had one of these a long time ago,” Stacey said as she dropped down on the navy-blue sofa in one of the corners between Amanda and me.
We were all already sitting, except for Alexi – she had to play hostess.
“Yeah,” I said and looked around. “Turned out better than I thought it would.” It seemed the entire school showed up for every party – nerds, geeks and all. Especially at Alexi’s house. No way would they be caught dead at Chad’s, or any of the other popular kids.
They would either be made fun of, or not allowed to enter. Rude, but it made sense, sort of. After all, for all the times I had seen them at parties, they had seemed to kind of blend in well.
Like, for instance, Truman was standing in the corner of the room next to the Ficus plant, a red cup in hand, which probably was filled with soda, and staring deer-eyed around the room.
All around him, teenagers puffed cigarettes, danced, clinked plastic cups together, laughed uproariously, and all the other stuff that came from these type of parties. But as I watched him, I began to feel pretty much like him – like I was out of place.
“What’s on your mind?” Amanda asked as she removed the cup from her lips.
“Pizza’s here!” someone shouted from the kitchen, and the crowd turned and headed for the kitchen, like rats called by the Pied Piper. It was amusing, and I chuckled.
“Nothing,” I replied when I realized she was still looking at me. “Was just wondering why Truman came at all.”
She glanced over. “He’s all right,” she replied. “That’s just how he is.”
“Makes it easier for Chad and the other guys to pick on him,” I commented and then stood. “I’m going for a refill. Anyone want anything?”
“I’m good,” they replied one after the other.
“Get me a slice if you get a chance,” Stacey added as I was walking away.
I nodded, without looking back, and stepped over the legs of a dude who was stretched out on a futon, his girl straddling him as they made out.
“Sheesh!” I said as I passed and walked through the room to the kitchen.
“Hi, beautiful,” I heard someone say to my right. I glanced across and saw a face I didn’t recognize. He was leaning against the archway, a bottle in his hand, and his dark eyes were glazed over like he was already drunk.
I didn’t reply. I gave him a half smile and tried to walk in a different direction that would lead me away from the kitchen. There weren’t that many places to reroute – Alexi’s home was a lot smaller than the other guys’. Even smaller than mine – the space was a little cramped, which led to many bodies spilling into the yard.
Luckily, she had a pool area, and outside was already filing up by the time I escaped there.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” It was the same guy, and I sighed heavily before I turned to face him.
“I don’t want to be rude, but I’m just trying to find something,” I told him giving him a full head-to-toe glance.
He stepped right in front of me. “Yeah? Maybe I can help.”
“I doubt it.” That time I tried to walk past him, and he grabbed my wrist. Anger blinded me when I looked down at his hand.
I twisted my arm and pulled back swiftly, forcing him to release me – a little trick I had been taught in my self-defense classes. “Let go of me, asshole!” I spat.
“Or what?”
I didn’t see Chad until he appeared from out of nowhere and punched the dude squarely in the face. His head bounced back before he realized what had happened. “She said to let go. Get the fuck out of here!” he growled and stood over the boy who rubbed his face and worked out his jaw.
His expression said he wanted to land Chad one of his own, but I followed his eyes and saw the entire crew lined up behind Chad. He saw them too, and he nodded and walked away.
“You okay?” Chad asked, tenderness in his eyes, and it pulled at something inside me.
“What’s the hell is going on?” Wes asked as he hurried over. He walked right between me and Chad and placed his hand on my hip.
“Nothing,” I replied and eyed Chad who was glowering at us. His boys didn’t seem pleased he had done what he did.
“You should keep a better eye on your girl,” Chad said bitterly.
Wes’ face tightened and he gripped my hip tighter and turned slightly. “That’s right. My girl, so stay the fuck away, Minor.”
“Maybe you’re the one who should stay the fuck away,” Chad spat and stepped to Wes closing the space between them.
I slid my foot between them and pressed Wes back. “This isn’t necessary,” I said, firmly wedging myself between them. “Dude was just being an asshole. Chad chased him off. Nothing to talk about, really. Chad, thanks for the help.” I turned to Wes. “Now, can we go?”
He still glared at Chad over my head, even though I tugged at his arm. Then he looked down at me, and kissed me. I couldn’t help thinking that he wanted to make a point, so I pulled back.
“Wes, let’s just go,” I urged and took his hand.
He was wearing a grin when we walked off. He threw his hand around my shoulder. “Where were you hiding?”
“I wasn’t. I was with the girls in the den. I didn’t see you. Didn’t even know you were already here.”
“I just got here. Was walking around looking for you,” he told me and kissed the top of my hand. “Wanna sit with me and the guys?”
I’d never done that before. I didn’t even know the other members of the lacrosse team he hung out with. And he had never invited me before. It felt like a big step to me. An official one, and I rocked into him as he squeezed me tighter.
“Hey, guys,” he said as he neared some rows of chair close to the pool house. “Mind some company?”
They looked at each other. “Sure,” one of them replied and furrowed his brows as he stared suspiciously at me. “Need me to get another chair?”
Wes scratched his head and looked around. “Sure.”
The boy stood and walked over to a group of other guys, pushed one of them off a chair and then grabbed it. Wow! More jerks in the school than I thought.
“Here,” he said when he returned. He swept his mop of dirty-blond hair backwards, and a tendril got loose and hung in the center of his forehead. He was sort of cute, and I searched my brain for his name – Todd, I thought.
“That’s Todd, Sean, Oliver, and Greg,” Wes said as he pulled up the chair and chin-nodded at the guys as he spoke.
“Hey.” I waved.
They nodded back at me, and then resumed their game – they had been playing cards.
“What the fuck are you all doing?” Wes asked and grabbed the deck. “Go get some drinks or something. And bring something back for my girl.”
“Dude, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to mess up the game,” Oliver replied angrily and got up. “Now I really need a drink. And I lost some money because of that, so you owe me.”
“Yeah, whatever, pussy,” Wes said and laughed.
He seemed like a whole new person around his friends. Not in a bad way. Just different. I wasn’t sure if I liked it as of yet.
He sat on the chair and pulled me down onto his lap. My hands automatically curled around his neck and I reached in and kissed him on the lips. It felt damned good to be sitting there with him, and when his hands started rubbing against my thighs and ass, I knew it was time to really explore things with him.
“How about we forget about that drink and go do something more interesting?”
His head snapped up and he cradled my face. His eyes danced when realization hit him. “Fuck, yeah,” he said and guided me to a stand.
We walked off without him telling the others where he was going. Oliver was going to be pissed when he returned and found us gone. I giggled at the likely scenario as Wes and I weaved through the throng of people and
headed inside the house.
I knew where the bedrooms were, and my heart raced in my chest as I all but ran up the steps. I braked when we stepped onto the landing and saw Chad and Deven standing in the hallway.
My mood dimmed instantly, and I felt Wes’ hand tighten around mine. “Come on,” he said and tried to walk past Chad.
“You’re really going to let him fuck you?” Chad asked in disbelief as we were passing. Talk about a mood breaker.
“Chad, that’s none of your business,” I snapped feeling my cheeks flush.
He smiled wryly at me. “Thought you knew better than that.”
And if what he had said before hadn’t made me feel like crap— that did it. My mood was completely broken. How the hell was I supposed to slip off and mess around with Wes knowing he would be right outside the damn door?
I had no doubt that’s where he would be, like some sick person.
Wes’ face tightened and he moved in on Chad. “What are you trying to prove, Minor?”
“Does she know how many girls you fuck at every party you go to? That she’s probably the second one for the night? Already?” His eyes didn’t falter as he waited for an answer.
He was looking at Wes, but I knew he was talking to me. I wanted to throw up, because who wants to hear about other girls their boyfriend might have slept with right before her?
“What the fuck does that have to do with you? And wasn’t she your girl before, Chad? You fucked up! Now back the hell off, before I make you!”
He growled and walked to within an inch of Chad, their breaths intermingling, having an entirely different match before the real thing. I’d held Wes back before – this time Chad deserved a punch across the face. And then some more.
So, I backed up, and hoped Wes would give it to him really good. My fists were clenched, and the blood rushed in my head, deafening me. I narrowed my eyes and waited for the first punch to connect.
Wes stepped back, took my hand, and started off down the hall.
What the hell?
“Wes,” I said and braked. “What are you doing?”
“What he’s always wanted to do,” Chad snickered.
I clenched my jaws. I had a good mind to fuck Wes just to get to him. But that wasn’t so easy. Not with an audience. It was supposed to be a private moment. If I fucked Wes, the whole school would hear about it by Monday morning.
No, make that ten minutes after we left the room. I groaned and slipped my hand out of Wes’.
“You’re really going to let him get to you?”
“No, but come on,” I said and looked around nervously. “People are watching. I don’t want people outside waiting for us to finish fucking. That’s gross.”
“Let them listen,” he insisted. “I don’t give a fuck about anybody.”
“You may not, but I do,” I said and stepped back. “So, you coming, or not?”
He took a deep breath and walked off behind me. I knew it took a lot out of him to walk away, but I knew he wouldn’t let Chad get away with it.
I was at the bottom steps when I ran into Stacey. “There you are,” she said with heavy disappointment in her voice.
“Ugh! Stacey. The pizza. I totally forgot,” I apologized. “Got caught up.”
“I can see that. Amanda’s back there still, and Liz got swept away. Probably upstairs, too,” she said suggestively.
I nodded, to let her know I hadn’t done anything with Wes. She breathed a sigh of relief. A sigh of relief? Really? Would it have been that bad if I’d fucked Wes? This rivalry between him and Chad was affecting our relationship on a catastrophic level, and I’d had enough.
“Babe, let me holler back at you,” Wes said in my ear. “I need a smoke.”
“Okay,” I replied. I knew he probably smoked, like Chad did sometimes, but I had never seen him doing it.
He backed up and then turned, leaving without his customary kiss or hand-trailing moment. Hmm.
Stacey took my hand. “That’s what you’ve been doing all this time?”
I grimaced, like I had just taken a punch in the gut, when I saw Chad coming down the stairs. “Come on,” I told Stacey. “I don’t want to be anywhere near him.”
“Why? What happened? Other than, you know?”
“Chad being Chad. He just cock-blocked Wes.”
Stacey gasped. “So you were going to do it.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I won’t know now. He pretty much made the moment awkward,” I told her as we reached the sofa.
“Where were you, Sophia?” Amanda asked accusatorily. I deserved that.
“She almost slept with Wes. Chad messed it up.”
My face burned hot. “Thanks for the commentary, Stacey.”
She grinned. “No problem.”
“Really? How?” Amanda wanted to know.
“Told me Wes just wanted to fuck me. That I was probably his second or third of the night.” Amanda blushed and looked away. I widened my eyes in horror. “You think it’s true, Amanda?” I said and slapped her on the arm. Not enough to hurt but to get her to look at me again.
“Well, what do you want me to say, Sophia? It’s Wes! And Chad! That’s what boys like those do.” I huffed and folded my arms and she grabbed me on both biceps. “Come on, like you didn’t know. You saw Chad doing the same thing before you hooked up with him.”
“I knew he messed around with girls,” I conceded, and lowered my voice in forced humility. “But I had never seen him having sex, or heard about it.” The look she gave me was priceless – that you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look. She was right. I must be a world class idiot to think that they would be fooling around before me, and then decide to get monogamous once I got into the picture.
Maybe Chad was right. Maybe I was just another score for Wes. But Chad had done the same thing.
Oh, fuck it!
“Whatever,” I said in defeat and fell back against the sofa. “Life sucks.”
“Tell me about it.” Amanda grinned and threw her hand around my neck. “Let’s go have some drinks, dance the night away, or sit here and wallow in misery together.”
We both looked at her. “Yeah, let’s go have that drink,” I laughed as we jumped up.
“Hey!” Alexi shouted from across the room, her hand held up over her guests’ heads. “Yoohoo!”
“Coming that way!” Amanda shouted right in my ear.
“Bitch, get away from me,” I laughed and pushed her off.
“Where have you been all night?” I asked when we finally met.
“Running around. Had to leave to get more ice, sneak in some beer, get my guests off the neighbors’ lawns,” she sighed and crashed onto Stacey’s shoulder. “Remind me not to do this again.”
Stacey laughed. “That’s why we go to other people’s parties.”
“Yes!” Alexi said emphatically and raised her finger. “That would be correct. I think my guests can handle things on their own. Anyone who has a complaint can leave. So what did I miss?”
“Uh, nothing,” I said before Stacey felt the need to fill her in, and then we would have to do the same song and dance we were all trying to escape. “We were just going for drinks and to get this party really going.”
“Come with me, then.” Alexi winked. “I know where the good stuff is.”
“Oh, yeah,” we cheered as we walked after her.
We were, once again, weaving our way through the crowd when I spotted Callie and Chad in the corner. My heart skipped a beat.
She was close enough to him for them to be kissing. I couldn’t see his face, but she was saying something to him. When he shifted, I saw the disgusted look on his face, right before she turned, and he bumped past her and walked away.
There was definitely something going on between them. And I couldn’t shake the feeling it had everything to do with me.
Chapter 13
It was unbearable!
“I need to get the fuck out of here,” I said to Brody as soon as he returned with th
e cup. He reeked of alcohol – I could see the stains suggesting he had as much alcohol on his clothes as he had in him.
“And go where? Do what?” he asked and sipped.
“Anywhere but here,” I spat. “I’ve had enough of this damned party.” I grabbed the cup from him.
“Hey, watch it,” he said and jerked back. He lifted his hand to avoid spilling more drink onto his shirt, which only led to the inevitable. “Come on, man. Shit!” He lowered his hand and brushed the alcohol sprays from his clothes.
“Stay here with the others,” I told him and walked off. I was headed to the door when I saw Lin.
What the fuck?!
I narrowed my eyes and walked right up to him. “Missed your turn or something?”
He turned and grinned. “Nah. Found the place all right.” He sniffed and wiped his hand under his nose.
“Think you’d better leave,” I scowled. “This isn’t your crowd.”
“I’ll leave when I want to,” he said and stepped up into my face. “This ain’t your house, rich boy.”
I chucked him in the chest. “Doesn’t matter!” I barked through closed teeth, and my entire body stiffened. “You need to get the fuck out of here!”
He sneered and looked past me as he straightened himself. He shrugged his jacket to set it right on his measly frame and looked around at the other curious students and partiers.
“Or what? You gonna throw me out? Throw some money around, like you did the last time?”
Shit! If he keeps talking, he’s going to say things I don’t want anyone hearing about. Like the fact that he was the one who gave Brody the drugs to set up Wes.
I gripped him on the arm, intent on pulling him outside, when Brody appeared between us, and my hand slipped away from him. He didn’t seem to mind being manhandled. He kept grinning like a deranged maniac.
“Hey, keep it down, will you?” Brody all but whispered and looked around nervously.
I narrowed my eyes on Brody, who had begun to sweat and act jittery. “Is there something going on I need to know about?”