“Right?” I pointed out, anger swelling inside me. “So what’s the problem with walking to school? She’s just trying to use Cameron because he has to be the nicest guy in school. And he happens to drive the hottest car.” I stared out the window, running my hand over the seat enviously.
Cam gaped at me. “I was the one that bought this car,” he pointed out. “Dad let me pick it out. So she’s getting free rides off of my car.”
I laughed, knowing how right he was. “I know, right? And she knows that it sucks for Cameron every morning to try to wake up. She could cut his morning routine in half if she just walked her butt to his house and waited for him to get ready like a normal carpooler would. I mean, that’s what I did when I had to hitch rides with Hudson.”
“She’s trying to get at him, you know that right?” Cam said, cutting the engine after parking in a dark parking lot. “She is so sneaky, that girl.”
“I know! And now she has my best and only friend, Hudson, against me because I had to call her bluff. I saved her the humility by refraining from calling out the real reason she’s carpooling with Cameron. I just said it was because she was acting like a charity case — which she totally was!”
Cam shook his head, staring down at his lap. “I told you Anjolie was messed up,” he said, opening his car door. “She just won’t admit it.”
The two of us walked up to the club, scoping out the area for any shady-looking people. When the coast was clear, we walked up to the bouncer, a fellow Gray Eyes, and he let us in without a second thought. Cam and I were immediately enveloped in colors, fog, people, and music. Cam grinned widely and took my hand as he led me inside.
Right off the bat, my stomach started to ache. I wanted to write it off as the aftermath of Abby’s cooking, but I already knew why. It was because I was going to be expected to dance. Dancing, unlike most people, is one of my greatest fears — right up there with tarantulas and dying. Every time I even thought about dancing, I immediately felt my throat close up and my heart race.
So why did I have to agree to this?
I know why. Because I wanted to spend time with my boyfriend. Okay, scratch that. Cam was technically not my boyfriend. But ever since Cameron and I have started dating, I’ve rarely seen him at all during the day. A regular day for him is this:
he wakes up,
speeds to Anjolie’s house to take her to school,
spends his day in his classes seeing me only one period of the day — first period,
sees me for a second at the end of the day,
drives Anjolie right back home,
goes back to his house to study and do homework,
sees me the half-hour before he blacks out,
then he blacks out. And sometimes I don’t even get that half-hour with him.
I mean, I know how hard it is for him to cope with school and a girlfriend at the same time, but how come he can’t drive me to school? And whatever happened to the weekends? But, no. On the weekends he’s busy with college visits and piano lessons and church functions. Like, seriously? I’m his neighbor for crying out loud!
So that’s why I spend my nights with Cam. I mean, it’s not like I’m spending them with Armando or something. This guy actually shares Cameron’s body. How’s that for loyalty?
“I love this song,” Cam said, tugging me onto the dance floor, splashing me out of my previous thoughts and sending me into a world of panic.
I went rigid as he pulled me to the center of the crowded dance floor. The music was suddenly all-consuming; I could barely hear my thoughts. Cam had this huge smile on his face as he nodded his head to the music. When he finally made it to the right spot, he grabbed both my hands and started dancing. Honestly, he looked like a rock star. His moves were so effortless and unforced. He just moved his body to the beat, not flailing around like crazy.
But I, on the other hand, stood there like a deer caught in headlights. The only parts of my body that allowed themselves to move were my arms and that was just because Cam was holding onto them. My legs were planted firmly on the ground and my body was as hard as stone. I felt like screaming.
Cam quickly noticed me not dancing and pulled me up to him. “Why aren’t you dancing?” he yelled into my ear over the pumping music. “You look like a deer caught in headlights.” He took the words right out of my mouth.
Instantly a blush flooded over my body, turning my skin a sickly red color. “I—I can’t dance.” That was the understatement of the year.
Instead of twisting his face into a contorted look of horror like Hudson had, Cam just laughed and stepped back. He placed his firm hands on my hips and yelled, “Just move your hips to the beat.” He smiled at me, nodding his head in encouragement.
I could’ve acted stubbornly and stomped off the dance floor, but by the way he was staring at me with a totally un-cocky smile, I knew that whatever crappy dance I threw out at him would be received with nothing less than encouragement.
So I moved.
My hips moved from side to side awkwardly, but at least I was moving. Cam’s smile widened and he began moving his hips, too. “Okay, now move your arms to the beat — like you’re running,” he instructed, taking his hands away from my hips and moving his arms.
I mimicked his moves, moving my arms. Frankly, I thought I looked like a freak, but by the way he was smiling at me, I couldn’t be dancing that bad.
“Now move your feet like this.” He stepped from side to side easily, combining all steps together.
I did as he did, but was suddenly confused with how many steps I had to keep track of. When Cam kept dancing, I was able to watch his moves and finally fall into the beat of the music. We danced like that for a little until Cam started doing other dance moves that I could not keep up with. So I just stayed at “home plate” with the hip and arm thing.
When another song came on, Cam stepped up to me and took my hand. Then he moved behind me and started dancing. I immediately froze. I mean, you would too if you had just learned how to dance and suddenly had to grind. I’ve seen the dance many times before on the TV and at Abby’s “grown-up” functions. But never had I ever had to do it. But now, as Cam pressed his front against my back, I had no clue what to do.
Cam so gratefully saved me the mortal embarrassment. “Just keep moving your hips, Liv,” he said with a laugh. He put his hands on my hips again and moved his hips in tune with mine. At first, the dance was awkward. I was just staring out into space, a million thoughts flying around my clouded mind.
It was only when he put his chin on my shoulder did I finally loosen up. We danced like that for a few songs, him laughing and pointing at other couples on the dance floor, making fun of their moves. I didn’t even realize how long we danced before Cam called it quits.
“Let’s get a drink before we die of exhaustion,” he said, squeezing my hand. I laughed and pulled away from him, still — surprisingly — dancing to the music.
We pushed our way through the crowd, trying to find his friends. Cam had told me before that he was meeting his Gray Eyes friends tonight and that they’d have a table.
“You are so much better a dancer than you give yourself credit, Liv.” He complimented me as we scanned the seating area. “I could dance with you forever.”
That compliment alone made a goofy smile spread across my blushing face. I brushed my hair into my face and shrugged nonchalantly. “Beginner’s luck,” I said.
When we got to our table, I nearly choked with disgust. Anjolie was sitting there with the other two Gray Eyes that I had saved on that mission at the mansion. They were all dressed mainly in black like we were supposed to, drinking their drinks like they owned the place. The two of us slid in to join them.
“Waddup, girl,” the guy Gray Eyes said, his dark, brown hair shielding his gray eyes. He wore a black cardigan over a red v-neck with black jeans.
I gave him the head nod. “Hey… I didn’t get your name,” I said.
“Aspen,” he said, downin
g the cup of clear liquid. He winced when he set it back down. Then he nodded at the other girl. “That’s my sister, Harper.”
I knew they were related. Harper had the same dark hair and features as her brother, but her skin was so pale, it almost glowed. She was skinny, but not as skinny as Anjolie, and she had this innocent pout that made her look as if she wouldn’t hurt a fly. “Hiya, girlie,” she said with a happy smile. She sipped her drink with a big, red straw.
Anjolie said nothing to me. She just stared at her phone as she texted.
Aspen was the one to speak again. “So, girl, what brings you here?” he asked, motioning for another drink. The waitress spotted him and ran up to the bar.
“She’s here with me,” Cam said, wrapping a possessive arm around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder. “We’re having a little fun tonight.”
Anjolie glared at Cam, daggers flying out in all directions from her gaze alone. “You have a mission to do,” she said curtly, clenching her sharp teeth.
Cam just snorted and grabbed Harper’s drink. He took a long swig from the sweet smelling liquid and then pushed it back to her. “Screw you, Anj,” he said after wiping his mouth.
“Ohhh,” Aspen said, covering his mouth with his fist. “You gonna take that, Anj?” He glanced at her, egging her on with his nudging hand.
Anjolie swatted his hand away. “Cam, you do your mission or I’m contacting El Rey,” she threatened, as if we were scared of her. I just rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around Cam’s waist.
“You do your mission,” he said, blowing her off. “You may be the boss and all, but you sure aren’t acting like one. Until you grow some balls, you can’t tell me what to do.”
Anjolie stared at Cam for a long time, her eyes bubbling into a madness so frightening, I almost felt scared. But then I realized who we were dealing with — weak little Anjolie who couldn’t walk a few miles to school every day. Weak little Anjolie who couldn’t be more desperate.
The waitress came to our table, five drinks in hand as she set the tray down. Aspen smiled a warm smile at her and slipped her a few bills. She gratefully took the tip and walked back onto the dance floor.
“Got a round of drinks,” Aspen said, passing the drinks down the table. “All in?” he asked. His eyes were on me. I stared at him, wondering if he was trying to peer pressure me into drinking. I mean, I’ve had a few drinks before in my life and I wasn’t too pretty when drunk. I did not want to look like a weirdo in front of these guys.
“I’m good,” I said, resting my head on Cam’s shoulder.
Aspen kept staring at me as he drank down his drink. He set the cup down, pinching his lips together as the burning liquid poured down his throat. “You’re missing out,” he said.
“I don’t want any either,” Harper said, smiling at me. She pushed her drink towards Aspen. “I’m better with the sweet stuff.” Her voice sounded so childish, it felt as if I were sitting across from a five-year-old. She sucked on the red straw again.
Cam grabbed his drink and took slow sips from it. Then he nodded at Anjolie. “Gonna drink, Anj?” he asked, pushing her drink towards her.
Anjolie grabbed the drink and poured all of it down her throat, not bothering to let the liquid simmer. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she went back to glaring at Cam.
“Noooooiiiiiceeee,” Aspen said, draping an arm over Anjolie’s shoulders. “Now this is my type of woman.” He picked up my drink and held it up to her. “Here, have another,” he urged, sloshing the liquid around in the cup.
Anjolie took the drink out of his hand and downed the cup, the liquid pouring out the sides of her mouth. I stared in shock and disgust as I watched. Aspen laughed loudly, clapping his thick hands together. Then he grabbed up Harper’s drink and swished it underneath Anjolie’s nose. “Have another,” he challenged as an arrogant grin spread across his tanned face.
I stared at his grin, suddenly feeling uneasy. Why was Aspen acting like such a creep? He was pressuring Anjolie into drinking that hard stuff and for what? So he could have fun and watch her drunk afterward? That was unfair. As much as I hated to do it, I decided to step in.
“No, stop,” I said, holding my hand out and moving Aspen’s cup-holding arm away from Anjolie. “I think she’s had enough,” I looked at Anjolie who already looked a little dazed and confused. “Don’t drink anymore, okay?” I told her.
But Anjolie just frowned at me. “Leave me alone,” she slurred, grabbing the drink from Aspen’s hands. She put the cup up to her lips.
I leaned across the table and grabbed the cup from her. “Anjolie! Stop,” I said, pushing the cup far away from her. “Stay away from the liquor. Please.” I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Why was I helping her out when all she wanted to do was ruin my life? I mean, she’s already taken away my best friend and now she’s going after my boyfriend. Did she honestly deserve my help?
“Give me the cup!” she cried out, clawing at my hand. When her nails made contact with my flesh, I yelped and released my grip on the cup. She sloppily grabbed at the cup and splashed it into her mouth like it was the last drop of liquid on the planet. Aspen laughed loudly, clapping his hands again and wiping Anjolie’s mouth. He motioned for the waitress to bring more.
“What are you doing?” Cam spoke up, shoving Aspen in the shoulder. “Stop it with the drinks, alright? Clearly she’s had enough.”
Aspen just grinned at Cam as if he hadn’t heard a word come out of Cam’s mouth. “She’s wants to drink; let her drink” was all he said behind his rows of teeth.
The drinks came — another round of five — but this time, they were all for Anjolie. “Drink up,” Aspen said, and then he kissed her on the ear, the impish grin still covering his angelic-looking face.
Cam reached across the table and pushed him away. “Quit being a creep, dude,” he said, his face going rock-hard. His glare alone sent chills down my spine.
Aspen kept grinning, unaware of what he was doing. He just watched happily as Anjolie kicked back two more drinks. I reached across the table and grabbed the other three. I didn’t care about the protests — I just poured out the contents and left the cups lying empty on the table.
“Why… why did you do that?” Anjolie asked, her eyes struggling to focus. Her hands spread out like frogs’ feet on the sticky, black table. “You… you—that costs a lot of… why did you do that?” She was drunk and stupid now. I’d only seen one other person drunk in my life and that was Abby on New Year’s Eve. Seeing rigid, angelic Anjolie like this was kind of eerie for me.
“I think we should get out of here,” Cam said into my ear, already sliding out of the booth. He still held my hand in his, having not let go of it since we first got into this place. “It might get a little dangerous in a few seconds.”
Those words alone had my heart stop. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I’ve only seen bar fights on TV and movies. There was no way I was going to sit around and wait for the cops to arrest everyone. Especially since all of us, except maybe Aspen, are under-age. “Where you goin’?” Anjolie shrieked at me. “You owe Aspen money!”
“Me?” I asked, turning around and facing her. “I don’t owe him anything. He bought those drinks to see them wasted, and now here they are.” I slid my foot around in the liquid on the floor. “Wasted.”
“That crap is expensive,” Aspen said, standing up from his seat in the booth. “I should kick your man’s butt for money.”
Suddenly I was frozen with fear. The bar fight was going to happen! And I was going to be in the middle of it! What had I gotten myself into? Why didn’t I just stay at home and study for that math test tomorrow? Why did I have to put myself in this situation?
“There’s not going to be any fighting, Asp,” Cam said, setting down his half-finished drink. “We’re gonna get out of here. Make sure Anj gets home safely, alright?”
Aspen took a step towards Cam, his eyes level with his. He clenched his jaw. “You
owe me for those drinks your girl just flushed on the floor,” he said firmly.
Cam just stared at him. “Pop off, Asp,” he said, clenching his jaw. The hand clasped around my hand clenched as he nudged me behind him.
“Hit him in the face!” Anjolie cried out, glaring at Cam.
“Only if he doesn’t give me my money,” Aspen said.
“I don’t have any money, Asp,” Cam said calmly. Then he nodded at Anjolie. “You dispensed your cash in that slob over there, why don’t you ask her?”
Then Anjolie was up, peering at us from behind Aspen’s wide shoulders. “What did you call me?” she screamed.
Cam just shook his head and spun around. “Let’s go,” he said, pushing me forward. But then, as the two of us walked away, Anjolie hopped her rail-thin body onto Cam and pressed her fingers into his eyes.
Cam let go of my hand and shrieked, prying her bony fingers off of him. When he did so, she fell onto the floor and wailed out in pain. She was acting as if Cam had back-handed her in the face! That’s when I saw Aspen spring into action and swing at Cam. Cam dodged the first two blows and lunged at Aspen’s waist. Aspen pounded Cam on the back angrily as Cam tackled him to the floor. The crowd around us gasped and dove out of the way as Aspen and Cam crashed into everyone, struggling to get a punch in.
Everything in my aching body told me to scream and run away but all I did was turn my glare on Anjolie and then fling myself at her. I didn’t know what I was getting into — all I knew was that this whole thing was her own stupid fault.
Chapter Forty Seven
Olive
I grabbed Anjolie by the hair and dragged her along the floor. “You are such a sloppy drunk!” I screamed at her, pulling her towards the exit. Anjolie clawed at my hands but I ignored the pain. All I needed was to get her into the car and take her home so she could stop acting crazy.
As I pulled, I saw Harper coming our way with a smile on her face. She saw the way I was dragging her out and her mouth fell open. Then she giggled. “Very hands-on of you, girl,” she said, picking up Anjolie’s legs.
6:59 Page 25