Don't Panic. Keep Breathing. (TNT Trilogy Book 2)

by Sarah Delany

  “Me too,” says JP.

  “Sure,” says Scott, as he takes my bag off his shoulder and hands it to me.

  “Thanks,” I say to him.

  “Come on, let’s get you home. We all know how long it takes you girls to get ready,” Rafe laughs, as he playfully taunts me. We all load into the car and JP drops us off one by one and says he will be back to pick us up in a few hours.

  When I enter the house, I am in much better spirits than I was earlier.

  “Hey Mum,” I yell out, trying to find out where she is.

  “Hi bub, you sound happy,” she says. I’m not sure if she’s caught on to my mood or not lately but she hasn’t said anything.

  “Would it be alright if I went to a party with the guys tonight please?” I beg her. Sometimes she can be a bit hit and miss about parties depending on her own state of mind.

  “Are you going with the boys?” she questions.

  “Yes, that’s what I said.”

  “Will there be drinking?”

  “Ahh yes, probably. But I’ll be responsible,” I truthfully say, and try to bargain with her.

  “Is one of the boys going to be a sober driver? Do I need to ring them to find out?” she says.

  “Oh my gosh Mum, please don’t ring the guys, that’s embarrassing. How about I ring them and ask?” Again with the bargaining.

  “Okay, I’ll stand right here while you ring,” she says, as she crosses her arms over her chest. I guess she’s being a responsible parent tonight. I take my phone out of my bag and go to my call log and dial the last one of the guys I’d talked to. He answers after a couple of rings.

  “Hey Petal, everything alright?” Rafe asks, worriedly.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. I asked Mum about the party and she wanted to know if one of you was going to be a sober driver because I told her we may be drinking,” I quickly say. I hear him chuckle through the line.

  “Is she standing there with you while you ring?” he asks, and I can hear the amusement in his voice.

  “Yes,” I say, and he laughs louder.

  “Give her the phone, I’ll talk to her,” he happily says.

  “It’s for you,” I say to my mum, as I hold out my phone for her to take. She grabs it and holds it to her ear. I can’t hear what Rafe is saying.

  “Oh Rafe, how are you?” Mum says, her cheeks blushing pink and I know Rafe must be putting on the charm. “That’s fine, make sure she’s not home too late, please.” Then she laughs loudly at whatever he says, like a school girl with a crush. “Thank you Rafe,” she says, before she hands me the phone with a huge smile on her face.

  “All sorted,” he says, as I put the phone to my ear. “I’ll see you later,” he says, and he hangs up. My mum looks at me with a grin across her face. I should think of a name for the spell Rafe has on the opposite sex. The majority of females that come into contact with him go giddy and weak at the knees.

  “So can I go?” I ask, because my mum hasn’t said anything. She snaps out of her daze to answer me.

  “Yes, that’s fine bub, as long as you stay with the guys. Rafe said he will be the sober driver for the night and will make sure you get home safely,” she says.

  “Thanks Mum, you’re the best.” I lean in and plant a kiss on her cheek.

  “Be safe,” she says, and I turn around and race up the stairs to find something to wear.

  When I enter my room, I take a quick peek at my bedside table drawer, knowing Tate’s special notes are in there, hidden from the world. Breathe Tam. I inhale deeply and push the exhale away. While I’m breathing deeply, I push away any thoughts of Tate and the fact it’s the third Friday I haven’t received a note from him. Fridays are the worst day of the week. I won’t admit it out loud but it’s the reason I got set off in human bio, knowing another week’s gone by without a note from him. I need to accept the fact I won’t be getting any more notes. With another deep breath in, I exhale and push away all thoughts of Tate. I need to push him to the side if I’m going to make room to have fun at this party tonight.

  After dinner, I have a shower and curl my hair, wanting to put in a bit of effort tonight with my appearance, in the hopes it will lift my spirits. I have music playing in the background to get me in the mood to party. I take my time applying my makeup, thickening my lashes with a couple layers of mascara. I slip on my favourite green dress, hoping the familiarity of it will help boost my confidence for the night. I always had a good time when I’ve worn this dress in the past. Let’s hope the same goes for tonight. I inspect myself in the mirror. The halter dress is a bit loose from the weight I’ve lost but it still looks quite good on, and it makes me smile at my reflection. I look pretty decent. I finish my look with a nude lippy and some small black heels. Not long after, I hear voices coming from downstairs. I walk and look over the railing and see Rafe in the doorway. I can’t hear him with my music playing but he’s probably charming my mum if her smile is any giveaway. I grab my bag and walk downstairs.

  “Hey Rafe,” I say cheerily, hoping my mum doesn’t keep us too long. Rafe blatantly looks me up and down, checking me out.

  “Looking good Petal. Ready to go?” he says, with a cheeky grin on his face.

  “Sure am. I’ll see you later Mum,” I say, turning towards the door.

  “Bye Rafe, and make sure you don’t drink. I’m counting on you to keep her safe,” she sternly tells Rafe.

  “Yes mam,” he says, as he salutes her. Yes, he actually salutes her.

  “Oh my gosh, you are such a dweeb,” I giggle. I tug on his arm and pull him towards JP’s car where JP and Scott are waiting for us. Wolf whistling comes from the open windows.

  “Wow look at you T, you look amazing,” Scott says, beaming at me.

  “Thanks,” I shyly say, feeling a bit self conscious with all the attention the guys are giving me.

  “We will have to fight the guys off with sticks tonight,” Scott says, and the others crack up laughing with him.

  We fall into easy banter on the way across town to Penny’s house. JP twists the cap off a couple of beers and passes them to me and Scott in the back as Rafe is driving. I don’t usually like beer but I take it anyway, not caring how I get a buzz going tonight.

  “No spewing near the fire pit tonight,” JP directs at Scott, laughing.

  “Ha ha, very funny,” he replies, and the rest of us laugh at his misfortune.

  “Now Ice Queen, if any drunk idiots come on to you and we aren’t there, do you have any moves you can use?” JP asks me, all amusement gone from his voice.

  “You think someone will hit on me?” I ask, feeling a bit nervous now.

  “Better to be prepared, just in case,” JP says.

  “Not really. I’ve never been in a fight in my life,” I tell him.

  “You should pick the self-defence class as one of the life skills courses we are starting soon,” Rafe says, from the driver’s seat.

  “If anyone gives you trouble, go straight for the goods and kick them in the nuts,” JP says, and I look at the faces of all the guys and see the memory of pain etched on each of them. They all must be remembering a time they’ve been whacked in the nuts and reliving the pain. It must be as bad as I’ve heard if it causes the expressions on their faces. I can’t help giggling to myself. Hopefully I won’t need any nut kicking skills tonight.

  As we pull up into Penny’s street, Rafe finds an empty spot close to her house. He parks up and kills the engine.

  “Skull the rest of your beers and let’s go,” he tells us. I tip the cool bottle to my lips still having half of it left, while Scott and JP are on their second. I manage to finish it in one go, along with the guys. JP carries the rest of the box, while we get out and walk over to the house. It amazes me how many parties Penny has when her parents are away. It must get pretty lonely, being in this big house by herself all the
time.

  Scott links his arm with mine, and we follow JP and Rafe to the kitchen where JP places the beer box. He grabs a couple more out and hands one to Scott. I shake my head when he tries to offer me one and grab one of the vodka bottles lying on the table instead. I fill my cup a quarter of the way and top it up with orange juice. Penny’s parents know she has parties here and I don’t think they care. I’ve heard rumours they restock their liquor cabinet every time they return from their trips, knowing full well Penny didn’t drink all the liquor by herself.

  “You made it,” I hear from behind me. I take a sip and turn to look at Penny. She’s gorgeous in her mid length, sparkling blue dress. Her long, black hair lies straightened down her back.

  “Hey Penny,” I say, with a genuine smile on my face.

  “Cheers,” she says, as she presses her plastic cup to mine and we both take a sip giggling.

  “Penny, where are all the single girls?” Rafe asks, as he looks around the room trying to find someone to flirt with. Penny has a thoughtful look on her face as she humours Rafe, trying to remember which girls are here she can unleash him on.

  “There are a couple outside by the fire pit. I don’t think I’ve heard of you hooking up with them yet,” she says, with a cheeky grin directed Rafe’s way making me laugh out loud. Rafe looks intrigued and ignores her dig at him.

  “Sweet. That is where you guys will find me, if you need me. Petal, will you be okay?” he asks. I look at Penny deciding I will hang out with her and try to make a new girlfriend.

  Before I can answer him, Penny jumps in with, “Of course she’ll be fine, she’s with me,” as she links her arm with me, giving Rafe a smile. Satisfied, he leans in giving me a swift kiss to the top of my head then he disappears into the crowd of sweaty people, dancing to the music. I don’t know if I’d call it dancing. It’s more like animals mating, with the way they are grinding and gyrating their drunk bodies on each other.

  Penny sees me watching everyone dancing and asks, “Tamsyn, do you want to dance?”

  “I need a few more drinks first,” I tell her, laughing.

  “Drink up then,” she tells me, as she tips her cup up and empties it. JP and Scott are standing to the side talking and laughing with each other and continuing to drink their beers. Penny puts her hands on the kitchen bench behind her and lifts herself up to sit on it. I see her glance at the guys with a curious twinkle in her eye. Interesting. I think she likes the look of one of them.

  “So Tamsyn, how come we’ve never hung out?” she asks.

  I drain my cup before I answer, “I was too busy hanging out with bitches, that’s why,” and we both laugh, knowing exactly who I’m talking about. I push the guys’ beer box to the side of the bench and hoist myself up to sit opposite Penny. I grab the vodka and pour a generous amount and then add some orange juice again. Penny holds her cup out for me to fill too, so I do the same with hers.

  “Do you usually drink vodka?” I ask her, as I take a sip. She shakes her cup in a small circle to mix it before sipping.

  “Yeah, vodka or gin are my go to drink. I drink wine too on occasion,” she says.

  “Hey T, we might go outside to see what trouble Rafe is getting up to. Do you want to come?” Scott asks.

  I look to Penny as I say, “No, I’m going to hang in here with Penny for a bit.”

  “Cool, if you need us, we will be out the back,” Scott says.

  “If anyone bothers you, you know what to do,” JP tells me, with a serious look on his face and I nod.

  They grab a beer and follow each other through the throng of bodies and disappear like Rafe did. As soon as they are out of view, Penny starts laughing in hysterics.

  “When did you get three bodyguards and how do I get one?” she asks, which makes me join in her laughter.

  “They are a bit protective tonight, I suppose,” I say, after the laughter dies down.

  “They have every right to be. You look hot, my friend,” she says, smiling at me. I hope she is being genuine. I don’t want to get sucked into another fake friendship. I don’t think I could handle it. I couldn’t take another betrayal in my life.

  “Thanks,” I shyly say to her. “So, where are all your friends?” I ask her, curious as to why she’s hanging out with me. Her face drops as she shrugs her shoulders.

  “I don’t have any close friends. Not any I hang out with constantly. I’m more of a floater,” she says quietly. Her remark has me thinking about when I’ve seen Penny at school. It’s true, I always see her with different groups of people. She’s one of those people who is friends with everyone but not the same people every day. I see her in a different light now. Is she as lost and alone as I feel most of the time?

  “You’ve got me now,” I say to her, hoping I’ve found a kindred spirit in her. Her wide smile shines at me.

  “Okay, drink up so we can go dance.” We tip our cups up and finish them off. Refilling our drinks, the vodka gets poured more heavily then topped up with a smidge of orange juice. We link arms and laughing together, we make our way into the pile of sweaty drunk teenagers.

  We sway to the music, holding hands with one and grasping our cups in the other. Penny pulls me closer so she can yell in my ear to be heard over the music.

  “So is JP single?” she asks, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “I knew you were checking one of them out. I couldn’t tell which one had piqued your interest,” I say, laughing as the vodka loosens me up and makes me relax. “I think he’s single. I’ve never seen him with a girl or heard of him having a girlfriend,” I tell her, which makes her smile. We get lost in the music and I close my eyes, as I let the euphoria take over.

  I don’t know how long we are on the dance floor. Every song glides into the next one, and I can’t keep track. Soon Penny is tugging on my hand to get my attention. She holds up her hand with her cup and gestures back towards the kitchen, so keeping a grip on her hand, I follow her lead. I still have a bit of drink in my cup, so I swallow it down and let Penny fill it up for me again. Penny is about to say something, when she looks behind me and her face drops.

  “What are you doing here?” she yells over my shoulder, and I turn to see who it’s directed at. It’s Blake. He’s standing right behind me. His eyes are glazed over and he has to lean on the counter to keep his balance. He’s wasted. I glance around the room to see if I can locate the guys but they must still be outside. Blake looks me up and down, taking in my appearance.

  With a slimy smile he says, “You’re looking sexy tonight, Tam,” and runs a finger down my arm. Eww, he is gross. How I ever dated him is beyond me.

  “What do you want Blake?” I say, letting out a frustrated sigh.

  “What? Do you think you’re too good for me now or something?” he says, with a menacing voice so far off from the guy I used to date.

  “You’re the one who cheated on me, remember?” I raise my voice, getting angry with him. I’m angry he has the audacity to come up to me and start something when he was in the wrong. He sneers at me and roughly grabs my arm, dragging me behind him down the hall, off to the side of the house.

  “Penny,” I call out, panicking as he drags me down the dark deserted hall.

  “Tamsyn,” I hear Penny yell, before Blake shoves me through an open door into a room. I hear the lock click as he turns and faces me, contempt dripping off his features.

  “Blake, you’re scaring me,” I say, trying to make the guy I dated see sense.

  “You should have thought of that before you made me look like an idiot in front of the whole school.” He steps closer to me and I back up, hitting the wall.

  “Blake, let me out of here,” I plead, trying not to let my fear show. He steps right into me, pinning me against the wall with both hands leaning beside my head.

  “What happened between us Tam? We were so good together. Let’s go back
to that,” he slurs, as he leans in and sloppily kisses my neck. His split personality is freaking me out. His heavy body presses me into the wall. I try to push him away with my hands but I’m too weak against his drunk strength. I shake, as he roughly grabs my leg and runs his hand up it. For a split second, vivid green eyes cross my vision and I can’t control the whimper of his name that leaves me. Wishing he was here to save me. Blake suddenly stops and moves back to look in my eyes.

  “Tate?” he roars. “You’re calling out for the loser who left you behind? The one who was crying like a baby in the cafeteria?” He lifts his head back and cackles. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disgusted with another person in my life. My brain is foggy from all the vodka but suddenly I remember JP’s voice saying, kick him in the nuts.

  “He’s not coming back for you, Tam. You might as well come back to me. I miss you,” he says. He’s out of his mind if he believes I would still want to be with him after what he did to me. He leans in again and I use all the strength I can muster, thrusting my knee hard into his balls.

  “Aahhh,” he screams out in a high pitched voice, dropping to the floor and clutching his private parts. I’m so enraged he thought he could lay his unwanted hands on me. I deliver a swift kick to his ribs too as pounding starts on the door behind me. I turn and stumble to the door, unlocking it. Rafe comes barreling in followed by JP, Scott and Penny. He grabs me by my shoulders, staring into my eyes.

  “Did he hurt you Petal?” I shake my head, as he views Blake’s body in the foetal position on the bedroom floor.

  “Lucky we gave you some tips,” JP says, trying to hide his amusement. Rafe doesn’t find it funny though and before I can stop him, he has Blake’s throat in his hand and he lifts him up one handed. He looked strong but I didn’t realise how strong. He throws Blake against the wall, banging his head in the process.

  “You disgusting piece of shit. You think you can lay your hands on her and what? She will want you back?” He releases a maniacal laugh. “You touch her, or look in her direction again and I will end you. Understand?”