Chapter 9
JAHNVI
I didn’t need alcohol to have fun, and that night was no different. But unfortunately, that wasn’t my friend’s train of thought.
But he was too busy making out with Emily M. to notice me.
I didn’t even have time to throw a pity party for myself. As I was watching Emily grab Josh’s hand and lead him off to his car, Ruby had escaped my gaze and had run away. A familiar voice grabbed my attention.
“What was that?”
There was only one voice on the planet that could pack that much sarcasm into every word. I turned around to see Ruby giggling idiotically at Everett James, who was holding her up from falling.
He was wearing a cream-colored sweater that night with green pants. There was also a single piece of string around his neck with a small black bead that he’d clearly made himself.
“You,” Ruby was telling him, her words all slurred. “Smell like strawberries.” She hiccuped and giggled in that stereotypical hyperfeminine way. You know, like they do in the movies.
I took one look at him and could tell that he was eating it all up.
His posture changed so that he was leaning down toward her more, and he was smiling. Whether he was aware of it or not, his buddies were all egging him on and nudging each other; their smiles were so wide that they belonged in toothpaste commercials.
“I actually didn’t know strawberries smelled like something.”
Ruby scoffed, “What? Yes, they do. You’re funny.” She even tapped his nose for a finishing touch.
“Well.” His voice was lower than usual. “As long as I smell good, it’s all right, I think.”
“You smell,”—she took an exaggerated sniff of the air around him—“Absolutely divine. You know, I’d like to smell more of you in my car—”
“O-okay.” That was enough. “Ruby, you don’t have a car,” I said, stepping up behind her. “Everett, let go of her. We need to get going. It’s getting late.” I crossed my arms.
It was like a spell had broken. Everett’s smile was gone and replaced with something sterner.
I read it as repulsion, for I had ruined what probably would’ve been a nice night for him.
He stood up straighter and let go of Ruby.
Well, he didn’t let go of her elbow, or else she would’ve gone crashing to the floor.
He looked past my shoulder and back to me. “How are you getting home?”
“We walked here, and we’ll walk right back. It’s only like ten minutes.”
“Oh, don’t worry!” One of his friends who was watching Ruby make a mess of herself spoke up. “I can drive you home. You don’t gotta walk.”
“Oh, haha, thanks!” I gave the guy a weak smile. “But I think we’re good.”
His eyes were everywhere but my face, and there was no way that meant something good.
“No, I insist!”
“Oh, um, absolutely—”
“—not!” Everett finished for me and gave the guy a look that would’ve frozen even the buffest jocks right in their tracks. “Drink whatever’s in your cup, Ryan, and mind your damn business. I’ll drive her home.”
Ryan shrugged and idiotically giggled, not wanting to get into a fight.
I turned to Everett. “Thank you, really, but—”
“I wasn’t asking.” He brushed my shoulder as he walked past, still holding Ruby up by her elbow. “Come on! Before, this one”—he shook Ruby by the elbow and she giggled—“pukes all over my good shoes.”
I opened my mouth to protest again, but I felt something light hit my nose. It was starting to drizzle.
Scratch that, it was something much more than a little drizzle. By the time we got to his car, the rain had turned into a torrent, and everyone was soaked and miserable. Well, all except Ruby, of course, who was so out of it that she didn’t even notice that it was raining.
After helping her into the backseat, Everett and I hopped into the front of the truck. Ruby had sprawled out and claimed the entire back for herself. I checked behind the seat. She was giggling to herself about strawberries with half of her wet hair all over her face.
Speaking of hair, mine was probably horrid too.
I’d looked up multiple YouTube tutorials on how to tie it up with lace to impress Josh Rolland, not that he’d come up for air enough to notice that I’d even shown up.
It didn’t matter either way; I couldn’t get it as perfect as the tutorials, no matter how much I’d tried.
I’d given up after like the tenth attempt, so it was still crooked and wonky.
It was probably for the best that I untied the red ribbon and let my wet hair loose.
“Sorry, I think your car seats are gonna be soaked,” I told Everett as I wiped the wet hair strands out of my face.
A sigh was his only response.
And at that convenient time, Ruby decided to fall off her seat.
Another car zoomed past us, and Everett’s truck shook a little. The light from the other car’s taillights illuminated the tip of something sticking out just below my seat, something I hadn’t seen in a year and a half. I leaned down and yanked out a crinkled red ribbon.
I felt his eyes on me as soon as I picked it up. We’d lapsed into silence for the past few minutes, as we were both on our phones. He was on Insta, and I was trying to finish my essay. It wasn’t working because the format kept getting messed up on the small screen.
I showed him my old red ribbon and cleared my throat, trying my best not to make it awkward. “Jeez, Everett. It’s been, like, a year since I lost this.”
He smiled—well, tried to smile. The smile was all wobbly, and he turned away from me way too quickly. Rubbing his neck, he looked down at his feet.
Wait...was he blushing?
I squinted in the dark. No way, he totally was! A slight red was creeping up his neck and was slowly making its way to his face. I would’ve never let him live it down, if my own face hadn’t started to feel hot.
Why was I blushing? Why was everything so awkward all of a sudden?
Probably because that night I lost my red ribbon was also the night I had my first kiss.