Only Forever

Chapter One

The bell rang, jolting me out of my daze as I was fighting to keep my eyelids from drifting closed. I sighed in relief. Physics was a killer, and having it as my last period of the day didn’t help matters.

I grabbed my books and stood as Chloe bounded towards me, her red curly hair bouncing with each step and her green eyes sparkling.

“Oh my God,” she groaned, putting her hand to her forehead dramatically. “That was painful. If you could die from boredom, I would be a goner. I think physics will be the end of me.” She lowered her voice, glancing at our teacher in front of the classroom. “I think Mr. Hayward has it in for me. He saw my eyes glazing over when he was explaining the laws of motion, and I swear he grinned evilly at me.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes as we made our way out of the classroom and into the bustling hallway. Chloe Mitchum had been my best friend since middle school, and I was used to her dramatics. Her small stature belied her boundless intensity of emotions, whether it was ecstatic highs or dramatic lows. I think that’s what made us such good friends. We complemented each other as opposites. I was even-keeled and sensible, and brought Chloe back down to earth when she needed it. And she pulled me out of my world of introspection and pushed me to experience life more.

Chloe’s locker was just a few down from mine, and she dropped her backpack in front of it and twirled her combination to open it.

“Do I still have to convince you to come to Dan’s party tonight?”

I sighed as I opened my own locker and put my physics book away, pulling out the books I needed over the weekend. I was happy that it was Friday, but I knew I would know no peace until I agreed to go to Dan Thompson’s party tonight. The entire senior class was invited, and I knew it would be a rager. Not exactly my ideal Friday night. But Chloe had been bugging me about it for days, and I had agreed just to get her off my back. Now I regretted it.

“I said I would go, so I will.” I muttered, and Chloe squealed her approval. “But,” I continued emphatically, “I’m not staying long. You can’t nag me when I want to leave.”

“Okay, okay,” Chloe agreed, waving her hand as if to dismiss my concerns. “I already talked to Tracy and Monica. They’re in, and Tracy will drive us since she doesn’t drink.”

I shook my head. Tracy and Monica were both good friends of ours, but I wanted to be able to make a getaway when I needed to.

“That’s okay. I’d rather drive myself. I’m not planning on drinking. I’ll just meet you guys there.”

Chloe frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but then she seemed to think better of it, and just nodded.

“I’ll come over beforehand so we can get ready together. I’ll just ride with you, and go home with Tracy, if I need to.” Chloe bumped my shoulder with hers mischievously as we navigated the hallway towards the parking lot. “You never know, Daphne. Maybe you’ll meet some hot guy at the party and never want to leave.”

“I know every guy at Sherman High,” I said, laughing. “What hot guy am I suddenly going to discover?”

As the words came out of my mouth, I spotted Jason Mayors as we stepped out into the parking lot. He was standing next to his SUV and was predictably surrounded by both girls and guys. Jason was the “It” guy at Sherman High. All the girls wanted to date him, and all the guys wanted to be his friend. At 6’2” and an athlete’s physique, his presence was commanding. Even his brown hair seemed to glow in the sun, and I didn’t need to be close to know that his blue eyes would be brilliant and sparkling. I knew all the girls around him would be swooning over his chiseled good looks.

Fortunately, I was immune to Jason’s charms. I had known Jason since kindergarten and had witnessed him eating crayons and getting a dinosaur figurine stuck up his nose. We had been best friends during most of elementary school, but had drifted apart in middle school. He was outgoing and athletic, spending most of his time playing sports, whereas I preferred to stay home and read a good book and listen to music. Still, we had stayed friendly, and that friendliness had remained the same in high school.

Jason turned his head, as if he could feel my gaze on him. He lifted his hand, giving me a lazy wave, and I waved back in return.

“Or, you could rediscover a hot guy,” Chloe said, grinning ear to ear as she eyed our interaction.

“How many times do I have to tell you,” I said, turning to walk towards my car. “There is absolutely nothing between me and Jason. We’re friends, if even that. I barely know him anymore. We were friends in elementary school. That’s about it.”

Chloe glanced behind us, her eyebrows raising. “Maybe that’s what you think, but Jason’s still looking at you. Maybe he wants to be more than barely friends.”

I forced myself to not turn around. I knew better than to be dragged into one of Chloe’s fantasy scenarios, where usually one of us was featured as the main heroine. I grabbed her arm and forced her to keep step with me.

“Come on. If you want me to go to that party tonight, I need to go home and rest beforehand.”

I drove Chloe home, as I usually did. She only drove when she was able to borrow her mom’s car, and that was a rare occasion since she had two younger siblings that often had to be driven around to their activities. It was just me and my mother, and my mother had scrimped and saved to buy me a used car my junior year. It may not be as nice as one of the flashy cars that the rich kids in our school drove, but I was forever grateful to her for getting me a car. I had been determined to get a job and save money to buy one myself, but she had refused to let me get a job. She insisted that I spend my time in school focusing on my studies and having fun in my free time.

It had been just me and my mother since my father left when I was in fourth grade. I had seen him a handful of times since then, but they had been cursory visits, and the last time I had seen him was in middle school. Although I missed the idea of a father, I was content with leaving my actual father in the past. My mother had fulfilled both roles, working hard to make my childhood happy, and I was in no need of a fake father to pine after.

When I got home, I grabbed a granola bar and settled onto the couch, determined to do nothing for as long as possible. Senior year was taking its toll on me, but at least all my college applications were in, and now it was just a waiting game. I really wasn’t worried, because I was planning on going to Darrenston College, a local school that I could commute to from Hyattsville, our town in Pennsylvania, and my grades were more than good enough to get in. My mother had urged me to send applications to other schools besides Darrenston, and I had done so to appease her, but I had no plans on going elsewhere. It had been me and her most of her lives, and the last thing I wanted to do was abandon her. My mother insisted that going somewhere further away for college wouldn’t be abandoning her, but I admitted that it was also for myself. I would worry too much being far away from her, and Darrenston was a good school. There was no reason not to go there.

I mindlessly scrolled through Instagram, when I stopped on a picture of Jason. It had been posted by Marcus Santos, his best friend, and it was a picture of the two of them at lacrosse practice. I found myself scrutinizing Jason’s appearance. We had become instant friends the day he gave me half his chocolate chip cookie in kindergarten. As we grew older in elementary school, I hadn’t given much thought to his appearance. He was just Jason. The kid who wore Spiderman underwear and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like they were going out of style. It wasn’t until middle school, when all the girls started gravitating towards him, that I realized how handsome he was. That seemed to widen the gap between us even more. With my average brown hair, average brown eyes, and my propensity to have my nose stuck in a book, I couldn’t be any more different than the girls who flocked to him, most of them annoyingly pert and pretty.

Despite his meteoric rise in popularity in middle school, Jason had always been nice and friendly to me, despite drifting apart. And that had stayed constant through high school. He always said hi to me in the hallways, with an amiable smile. In the early years of high school, he had always encouraged me to come to his games of whatever sport he was playing that season. But I didn’t want to be a part of the gaggle of girls that would drool over him during games, so I always declined. He soon stopped asking, and we went back to just waving at each other in the hallways of school.

I blamed Chloe’s earlier comments for me honing in on his picture now, his tousled brown hair and wide smile stirring a spark of interest. I shook my head, closing Instagram. I could appreciate Jason Mayors’ good looks without having any interest. It had been that way for years, and that wasn’t about to start changing anytime soon.

Mom came home and we made dinner together, telling each other about our respective days. I loved the comfort of our warm, cozy kitchen, and the familiarity of it all. Our movements were easy, as we were used to navigating the small space together as we prepared a simple pasta dish and a salad. My mom and I tried to have dinner together as much as possible, although that was hard during her busy season as an accountant, which was now. So I appreciated dinner tonight as it had been over a week since we had eaten together.

“I think it’s a good idea for you to go out tonight,” my mom said, over her plate of food. I had told her about Chloe dragging me to the party. “This is your last year of high school and you should make the most of it.”

I sighed, stabbing the ziti with my fork. “I promised Chloe I would go, so I will. But I’d much rather stay home. We could have done a movie marathon.”

“Sorry, kiddo,” my mom replied. “Even though I would love that, I brought a lot of work home. I’ll probably be up late working.”

Even my mom was pushing me to go to the party. What was I, a social pariah that needed to get out more? Admittedly, I stayed home more often than not, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

We had just finished the dishes when the doorbell rang. I knew that would be Chloe coming over to get ready together. She was holding a large duffel bag when I opened the door, the seams practically bursting with how full it was.

“You know we’re just going to a party, right?” I said dryly as I eyed the bag she was carrying. Chloe shouted a hello to my mom as we went up the stairs to my room. “We’re not planning on moving in.”

“We need outfit options,” she said enthusiastically, dumping the bag on my bed and opening it. She rustled through it, pulling out several pieces of clothing. “I didn’t know if we wanted to go casual or glam it up a bit.”

“Definitely casual,” I said, looking skeptically at a glittery crop top she pulled out. “Oh, no,” I said, backing up when she tried to hold it up against my chest. “First of all, I’m like a foot taller than you, so nothing you have is going to fit me. Second of all, I’m not planning on going dressed like a disco ball.”

“Hmph. You’re no fun.” Chloe dropped the crop top, and walked over to my closet, flinging the door open. She groaned as she looked at the clothes hanging inside. I had to admit I wasn’t the most stylish when it came to my clothes. I preferred to dress in dark or neutral colors, and my outfit was almost aways jeans and a top. A sweater or turtleneck in the winter/fall, and a simple t-shirt when it was warmer. I had no interest in clothes, and just wanted to be comfortable.

“Wait,” Chloe exclaimed, her expression brightening. She practically skipped to her duffle bag and pulled out a pink sweater. She held it out in front of her, beaming. “This will look amazing on you.”

I studied the sweater critically. Despite being a sweater, it was short-sleeved, which would be perfect for an early spring evening. But there were gold threads weaved throughout, which made it seem like a glowing puff of cotton candy. It seemed too frivolous and girly for my liking. I glanced down at the navy tee I was currently wearing.

“Can’t I just wear what I’m wearing now? I have nobody to impress.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Yes, you do! You need to impress ME! I’m tired of you always hiding in plain clothes. You’re too gorgeous to try and be a plain Jane.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “I think you need to look up the meaning of gorgeous.”

Chloe waved her hand dismissively, cutting off anything more I had to say. “Just try it on. I love this sweater but it’s too long on me so I never wear it. It’ll be perfect for you.”

I knew Chloe would never relent until I tried it on, so I did her bidding. I turned to look at myself in the mirror, and I had to admit she wasn’t wrong. While it may have been too small for her, the bottom of the sweater just hit the top of my jeans. But it was more form-fitting than I had thought, and I wasn’t sure if I liked that or not. It clearly outlined my shape, although I wasn’t curvy by any means. My chest was like the rest of me—average.

“It’s perfect,” Chloe squealed. “It even looks good with those damn jeans you’re always wearing.”

Before I could open my mouth to object, Chloe had pulled out a humongous makeup bag and was dragging me to my desk, pushing me down to sit in the chair. It would be too tiring to argue with her about the sweater, so I decided to just go with it. It was just a sweater, after all, with a modest neckline that showed nothing.

I even let her do my makeup for me, although I insisted on a natural look. I was normally just a chapstick girl, and I couldn’t stand the feeling of makeup being caked on my face.

“Look at how good you look,” Chloe said, holding a mirror in front of me. I had to admit that she knew what she was doing. My eyes looked much bigger than normal, and the eyeshadow she had used made my eyes look deep and luminous instead of the ordinary brown they usually were. With a hint of blush and a pink, almost nude, lipstick, she had nailed the natural look.

Chloe got ready herself, putting on a short pleated black skirt and a cherry red top. With her makeup done, she somehow made herself look like a sexy pixie fairy. She twirled around in front of my full length mirror.

“What do you think?”

“Now that’s what you call gorgeous,” I said. Chloe was a natural when it came to putting together clothes and makeup, and it was a skill I had always admired.

We still had time to kill before heading to the party, so we hung out in my room, listening to music and talking about anything and everything, from our latest tv show obsession to gossiping about our fellow classmates. This was my idea of a perfect Friday night, and I wished we could stay in instead of going to the party, but I knew Chloe would be crestfallen if I backed out, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.

We got into my car when it was time to head over, and despite it only being a ten minute drive over to Dan’s house, it might as well have been to a different planet. Modest homes gave way to large mansions, where elaborate landscaping blocked views of most of the houses.

I turned onto Dan’s street. Despite living far removed from the wealthy section of town, I knew this neighborhood well because I had spent much of my elementary school years here. Jason lived a couple of streets away from Dan and we had split our time equally between his house and mine. One of the things I had missed with my friendship with Jason fizzling out was his parents. They had both been really kind to me, particularly his mother. Especially when my father left.

I shook those thoughts away. I didn’t want to be in a melancholy mood. Despite not initially wanting to go to the party, there was no turning back now and I might as well make the best of it.

When we pulled up to Dan’s house, there were already lots of cars parked out front and tons of people on the lawn. There were string lights criss-crossing the front lawn of the house, giving plenty of illumination since it was already pitch-black.

“Tracy and Monica are already here,” Chloe said, looking down at her phone as she texted. “I told them we just got here and would find them.”

After maneuvering my car behind a huge Hummer, we made our way to Dan’s house. The door was wide open so we just let ourselves in. I wondered what Dan’s parents thought of him having these huge parties all the time, but I knew they traveled a lot and often weren’t home, so they probably didn’t care as long as nothing was damaged. Dan always got away with a lot because his dad was friends with the police chief, so they never busted his parties for underage drinking.

The living room was full of people drinking and chatting, and an impromptu dance floor had been made in the center of the room, where a few couples were swaying together, despite the song currently playing being upbeat.

“C’mon,” Chloe said, grabbing my arm. “I see Monica and Tracy in the kitchen.”

“Hi,” I said enthusiastically, giving Monica and Tracy a quick hug. Chloe followed suit. We had all become friends freshman year, when we were in the same group for a history project, and we had all hit it off. Monica was a tall willowy blonde that was super shy but hilarious when you got to know her. Tracy was a boisterous brunette who had a tendency to say things before thinking. I had always thought of them as another version of me and Chloe—opposites but best friends. I was grateful I had found such a great friend group, as high school could be a lonely place.

Chloe filled a cup of beer from the keg next to us for herself. “How long have you guys been here?”

“Just a few minutes,” Monica replied, peering behind her to look at the crowd in the living room. “I didn’t think there’d be so many people here already.”

I threw her a sympathetic look. She likely had been dragged to the party by Tracy.

“There’s actually a ton of people from Darrenston College, since Dan’s older brother is a junior there,” Tracy said. She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “And a lot of hot guys. College guys.”

I laughed at her lascivious expression. Tracy was the biggest flirt I knew, and with her pretty, fresh-faced girl-next-door looks, she always had a long line of willing suitors.

“Who are you eyeing?” Chloe asked conspiratorially, not so inconspicuously scanning the people in the room. Her eyes stopped at a stocky blond talking to another guy. She motioned her head towards him. “I call dibs on that blond guy!”

I shared an amused look with Monica. Tracy and Chloe were two of a kind when it came to boys.

“Oh my God,” Tracy gasped. “He’s talking to the guy I was interested in.” She beamed at Chloe. “It’s meant to be!”

“Okay, Thelma and Louise,” I joked. “Why don’t you two make your way over there. Monica and I will hang here.”

Chloe and Tracy almost had no fear when it came to boys, and I knew they wouldn’t hesitate to approach them. We watched them head over to them, and before I knew it, the four of them were engaged in an enthusiastic conversation together. I really didn’t know why Chloe always wanted me to go to parties with her, when she was fine on her own. I had a feeling she thought she was helping me by making sure I didn’t miss out on any fun, despite me continually telling her that parties weren’t my idea of fun.

Monica and I hung out for a while together, until she had to go to the bathroom. I made my way to the living room to wait for her and spotted an empty armchair. I made a beeline to it and gratefully sunk into it.

I pulled out my phone and started mindlessly scrolling, when I heard a voice above me.

“Hey, Daphne.”

I looked up to find Jason standing over me, his blue eyes focused on me.

“Hi,” I said, sounding more breathless than I liked. I wondered what was wrong with me. This was just Jason. I had let Chloe’s earlier comments get to me.

“Good to see you,” he continued. “I didn’t think you’d come tonight.”

“Yeah, well, you know Chloe. She’s always dragging me to places for ‘my own good.’”

Jason smiled, and I was taken aback by how handsome that made him look. What was wrong with me, for goodness sake?? I needed to get control of my hormones.

Instead of getting my hormones under control, they ran even more amuck when he settled himself on the arm of my chair. He was much closer than I was used to, since most of our interactions had been limited to just greeting each other in passing in the hallways of school.

“I’m glad she did,” he said. “It’s been ages since we’ve been able to talk.”

I nodded, although I was confused. Since when did we have conversations? We made cordial greetings, at most. Sometimes a quick “how are you?” but that was about it. I told myself to pull myself together and act normally.

“How have you been?” I asked, trying to sound casual. “How’s lacrosse going?”

Jason shrugged, taking a sip of his drink before answering. “It’s fine. It’s just a way to kill time while waiting for senior year to be over. I can’t wait to go to college next year.”

I would have thought Jason would want to relish high school, seeing as he was basically the king of Sherman High. But I also knew he was never someone who put much weight into popularity and being part of the in crowd.

“Where are you hoping to go?” I asked.

“I’d be happy with a lot of places,” Jason answered, “but my number one pick is the University of Chicago.”

“That would be awesome,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll get in. Do you know what your major is going to be?”

“Biology. And fingers crossed on U of Chicago. It’s a hard school to get into, and I’m not sure if I’ll get accepted.”

I wasn’t surprised with Jason’s choice of major. As a kid, he had been fascinated by animals and nature, and loved science. In addition to being an athlete, he was not only smart, but studied hard. I wondered what it was like to seemingly have it all. Wealthy, handsome and smart with a charismatic personality. If he wasn’t such a good person, I would find his perfection annoying.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I’m planning on staying local and going to Darrenston College. I don’t want to leave my mom alone.”

Jason nodded. “Darrenston is a good school, but I bet your mom would want you to go where you want, even if it meant you leaving home.”

Jason had been close to my mom when we were younger, since we had been such good friends, and, as a result, our parents had become friends too. His parents had been supportive when my father left, and I really owed it to Jason for helping me get through it. Fourth grade was when a lot of friendships between boys and girls started to splinter, and friendships with just your own gender became the norm. But Jason had stood by me as my world shattered. My mom, despite struggling, tried to stay strong for me, but she suddenly became completely financially responsible for everything. It meant working more hours, so she was at the office a lot more than before.

I knew she had been worried about how I would get to my after-school activities now that she was working so much, but I started to not want to do any of them. I had no interest in gymnastics and piano anymore, and despite my mother’s protests, I ended up dropping both of them. It wasn’t just because I didn’t want my mother to worry about paying for these activities and how I would get to them. It was also because my world seemed empty now, and filling them with meaningless activities seemed pointless. My father had packed his things with no word, and just left a note, saying he was sorry but he felt suffocated and wanted to live his life for himself. We had no idea if he would ever get back in contact with us or if he had disappeared for good. My father, who used to toss me up in the air and tell me I was his forever princess, had decided forever was just ten years.

After my father left, Jason decided that we would hang out every day after school, now that I had nothing to do. His afternoons used to be filled with sports, but he quit them all so that he could spend time with me. We did nothing extraordinary during those afternoons. We usually just hung out at his house since his mother was a stay-at-home mom, and sometimes she would take us places, like the park or mall. Or even the zoo or amusement park on days we had off from school. But mostly it was me and Jason at his house, watching TV or playing video games. It didn’t sound like much, but having his presence be a constant reassured me. On the weekends, he would hang out a lot at our house, since my mom would usually be home then.

I had forced Jason to return to his sports in fifth grade. I was handling things a lot better, and despite his insistence that he didn’t care, I had always felt guilty about him abandoning the things he loved. But we still spent a lot of time together, especially on the weekends if he didn’t have any games. It was sixth grade that things started to really change. We weren’t little kids anymore, and I started to realize how different Jason and I were. I felt like I was dragging him down, when he was a naturally social person who loved being out with friends. That year, I met Chloe, and I tried to lessen my dependence on Jason. He became busy with sports and I drifted into my own interests, like music, and we just naturally grew apart.

Kid Jason seemed a lot different from the almost-adult Jason that was now looking at me.

“How are your parents?” I asked, wanting to change the topic from colleges and my mom.

“The same, “ he answered. He cocked an eyebrow. “My mom still asks me how come you never come over.”

I laughed. “I think she still thinks we’re little kids. She probably wants to schedule a playdate.”

“I’m willing,” Jason asked, his eyebrows lifting. “How come we stopped having playdates in the first place?”

I swallowed hard, not knowing how to answer him. What was be doing? Was he flirting with me? I gave myself a mental shake. Jason and I didn’t flirt.

I forced a laugh, trying to sound natural. “The last time we had a playdate, I think you put slime in my hair. No thanks.”

Jason grinned. “I promise, no slime will be involved from now on.”

I was saved from having to respond by Jillian Fairchild slinking up next to Jason. If Jason was the “It” boy at Sherman High, Jillian was the “It” girl. With her perfectly applied makeup accentuating her emerald green eyes, and her golden blonde hair shimmering, she looked like a pageant beauty queen. Unlike Jason, she wasn’t exactly the nicest person. She was nice when it suited her. And it seemed like at this moment, Jason suited her.

“Hi, Jason,” she said with a coy smile. “I’ve been looking for you.” She glanced at me, and imperceptibly, her smiled changed from genuine to fake, although I doubted Jason noticed. “Hi, Daphne. Nice to see you.”

“Hi, Jillian.” I gave her a fake smile in return. I knew she would never be rude to me in front of Jason, but I had seen her be rude plenty of times to other people. I wanted no part of her.

Fortunately, I spotted Monica across the room at that moment. “It was good to see you, Jason. I have to go talk to Monica. See you later.”

I made my escape before Jason could say anything. “What took you so long?” I complained to Monica when I reached her. “You were in the bathroom forever.”

Monica gave me a mischievous smile. “I was out ages ago,” she said. “I didn’t want to interrupt you and Jason. It looked like you guys were having a cozy conversation.”

I rolled my eyes. Not Monica, too. I depended on her being the sensible one, since Chloe and Tracy were prone to flights of fancy.

“We were just talking about colleges.” I glanced over to where I had left him, and Jillian had her hand on his arm, now occupying the seat I had been in. She was laughing loudly at whatever Jason was saying, and I looked away, annoyed. It was just because she was such a fake, I told myself.

Tracy and Chloe soon migrated back towards us, announcing that the two boys they had been talking to were duds. Apparently, they were full of themselves and more into bragging than getting to know them.

We spent the next couple of hours having fun by ourselves. The lights darkened and the music starting blasting louder, with the makeshift dance floor getting bigger and more crowded. Despite not liking parties, it was fun letting loose and dancing with my girls. We were laughing and breathless as we danced, jumping up and down when a particularly raucous song came on.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I yelled to the girls over the music. “I’ll be right back.”

I maneuvered my way in the dark, trying not to stumble and fall on one of the many couples making out on the couches. I let the light of the kitchen guide me, as I knew there was a bathroom right next to it.

When I got to the bathroom, I slammed the door shut as soon as I opened it. The couple inside seemed to not care about privacy as they didn’t even look up from groping each other when I opened the door. My need to pee was becoming urgent. so I went upstairs, hoping a bathroom there was unoccupied.

I wasn’t surprised to see that there were a lot of people upstairs, many of them just mingling in the hallways. I didn’t think there was a room in the house that wasn’t filled with people.

I sighed in relief when I opened one of the doors in the hallway, revealing an empty bathroom. I relieved myself, almost thanking God for making it without incident. As I washed my hands, I studied myself in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed from dancing, and sweat was making the pink sweater cling to me even more. I pinched the front of the sweater and fanned it back and forth, trying to cool myself down.

There were even more people in the hallway when I exited the bathroom. I was about to go downstairs when I heard someone call my name.

“Hey, Daphne.”

I turned around, slightly frowning when I saw it was a boy I didn’t recognize. I had no clue who he was.

“Yes?” I answered uncertainly. The boy got closer, smiling at me. He was attractive in a nondescript way, but I grew even more puzzled as his smile widened while I looked at him in confusion. Our school wasn’t that big, and I didn’t think there was anybody I wouldn’t at least recognize, even if I didn’t know their name.

“I’m Caleb.” He pushed his hair back from his forehead, looking down at me since he was much taller than me. “I asked around about your name because I thought you were so beautiful.”

I grimaced. This was exactly one of the things I didn’t like about parties. Icky guys hitting on you.

“Hi, Caleb,” I said, trying not to show my disgust. He was just shooting his shot and seemed nice enough. I just wasn’t interested. “Sorry, but I’m here with friends and I need to get back to them.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he said, as I was turning away. “I just want to talk. Are you still in high school? I go to Darrenston College.”

“Yes,” I said shortly. I moved to walk away when he grabbed my wrist.

“That’s fine as long as you’re eighteen.”

I looked back at him, giving him a look of disgust. His friendly expression had turned leering. There was no need to be polite to him anymore.

“Get your hands off me,” I retorted, pulling my wrist out of his grasp. He responded by grabbing my wrist again and pulling me close to him.

“That’s not playing nice,” he spat out. I could smell alcohol on his breath and his eyes looked menacing. I was starting to get scared but tried not to show it.

“Fuck you,” I hissed, trying unsuccessfully to pull my wrist out of his hand. “Let go of me!”

Before he could respond, a small object whizzed by and hit him on his head. I almost laughed at the stunned look on his face. I turned my head and saw Shelby Cross with her arm still out after she had thrown what looked like a cat toy. I was sure it had done Caleb no damage, except for humiliating him.

My amusement disappeared when I saw the look of rage on his face. “You bitch,” he snarled, letting go of my arm and lunging towards her.

“No!” I shrieked involuntarily, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him back. There was no way I was letting him do anything to Shelby after she had tried to help me. Shelby was a fellow senior and super quiet, barely speaking at school. I had gotten to know her last year when we had math class together, and I realized under that super shy exterior was a funny, dry personality. I had tried to ingratiate her as a part of our friend group, but she was too shy to join in on anything. Still, we had stayed friendly, and now she had stuck her neck out for me.

Caleb turned back, his fury now directed towards me. “Let me take care of you first,” he seethed.

Before I could say or do anything, I saw a flash and a body was suddenly in between us. Then I heard the thud of flesh hitting flesh. Jason had appeared out of nowhere and punched Caleb straight in the face. Caleb stumbled back, the wall behind him preventing him from falling. His face was red with rage as he pushed himself off the wall, throwing himself at Jason.

Soon fists were flying, and they were grappling on the floor. I was horrified by what was happening but didn’t know what to do. Jason obviously had the upper hand in strength, but Caleb was still getting punches in. I was afraid if I tried to stop Jason, I would distract him and Caleb would get more punches in. The last thing I wanted was for Jason to get hurt because of me.

The people around us simply crowded around them, watching as if it was a spectator sport. I was relieved when I saw Marcus Santos, Jason’s best friend, breaking through the crowd.

“Guys, guys!” he yelled, trying to break them apart. Chris, a fellow lacrosse team playmate, was behind him, and he put his foot on Caleb’s chest so he couldn’t get up as Marcus pulled Jason off of him.

“Jason, you’re going to kill him,” Marcus said.

“Let me go,” he growled, not taking his eyes off of Caleb, who was moaning on the floor. “That’s exactly what I want to do.”

I grabbed Jason’s arm, trying to shake some sense into him. “Jason, please stop. He’s not worth it.”

Jason snapped his neck around to look at me, and I saw the anger dissipating from his eyes, replaced with worry. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “He was just being a jerk, but I’m okay.” I turned to look for Shelby. She was leaning against the wall, looking terrified, her face pale and her eyes wide. “Shelby stopped him before he could do anything.” I grinned, thinking of her shot. “Defeated by a cat toy.”

Shelby smiled tremulously back at me, but Jason didn’t seem to see the amusement in it. Chris, a beefy guy at 6’4” and made of all muscle, had already picked Caleb up. He shoved Caleb towards the stairs. “Get out of here.”

Caleb stumbled down the stairs after giving me a hateful glare. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have it over with. The crowd scattered, now that the drama was over, until just me and Jason were left.

“Your lip is bleeding,” I said, my brow furrowed in concern. I reached up but stopped myself from touching his lip. That seemed too personal. “Let’s go wash it off.”

I walked back towards the bathroom I had just left, hoping he would follow me. When I turned around after reaching the sink, I was startled by how close he was. He was close enough that I could see the gold flecks in his blue eyes.

I averted my gaze, busying myself with grabbing some tissues and turning on the faucet to wet it.

“Here,” I said, handing him the tissues, taking care to not actually touch him. My heart was beating oddly, and I didn’t want to worsen the issue. I had felt weird around Jason earlier, but after seeing him come to my rescue. I felt even more strange being near him.

“Thanks,” Jason replied, wiping the blood off his lower lip. He grimaced a little and then threw the tissues into the trash. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “He just freaked me out. He’s just some jerk who apparently goes to Darrenston. Hopefully I never see him again.”

“Why don’t I take you home?” Jason said. “Chris drove me here, but we can take an Uber together.”

I shook my head as we made our way back downstairs. “It’s okay. I drove. But I am ready to go home.”

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but Chloe bounded towards us before he could say anything.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” she said, looking concerned. “I heard there was a fight upstairs and you were involved.”

“I’m fine. It was just some jerk who couldn’t take no for an answer, but Jason and Shelby stopped him before he could do anything.”

“Shelby?” Chloe said, looking surprised. “What did Shelby do?”

“It’s a long story. But I’m tired and ready to go home.” I checked my watch. “It’s still early. Why don’t you stay and have fun, and catch a ride with Tracy, like you planned.”

I saw Chloe about to protest, but she seemed to think twice about it and just nodded. She looked meaningfully at Jason before continuing. “Are you okay going home alone? Maybe someone should go with you.”

“I’ll go with—“

Before Jason could complete his sentence, Jillian materialized next to him out of nowhere.

“Jason!” she squealed, grabbing onto his arm. “I heard you beat up one of the college guys.” Her eyes sparkled in admiration.

“I’ll see you guys later,” I said, not wanting to watch Jillian fawn over Jason.

“Wait,” Jason said, ignoring Jillian. “I’ll leave with you.”

I shook my head, not wanting to be responsible for ruining his night. “No, I’m fine,’ I said. “You stay.”

I didn’t give Jason a chance to respond, and made my escape. I didn’t look back, not wanting to see Jason and Jillian together.