PART ONE #2
Marni leans in to talk quietly as if it’s some big secret. “Remember when Michelle got sick at school last month? Well, she couldn’t make it to the girl’s bathroom, so she burst into the guy’s one to puke and caught him with his pants down. She told me last week that it was massive.”
“I’m changing my answer,” Jersey quickly blurts, causing a laugh to bubble up from my chest.
My mind feels light and my body loose, and I know that whenever I start getting the giggles, the alcohol is taking effect and doing its job. It’s a welcome change to the stresses of finishing high school in two weeks and Dad pressuring me to work with him.
“Hey, didn’t you say Dylan was going to be working with your dad through the summer?” Marni asks, as if hearing my thoughts.
“Ugh, yes.”
“Dylan’s fucking hot. What’s the deal with you two? Didn’t you make out with him at Michelle’s pool party?” Jersey goes to take another sip of her drink but realizes it’s empty and pushes her lips out in a pout.
“Yeah, but he’s also a jerk and all about sucking up to my dad.
Plus, he gives me a weird feeling whenever we talk.
” His father is friends with mine, and unlike me, Dylan’s more than happy to work in my dad’s company.
I suspect it’s the only reason Dad allowed me to pick something other than a business degree.
Dylan is also one of the guys who called me a “fucking tease”. He was very pushy and was more than a little ticked-off when I didn’t let him go further than third base with me, and he had even pushed me that far.
I never bothered to mention that to the girls, though.
“The feeling is called horniness,” Jersey supplies. “I’m surprised you couldn’t tell what it was.”
I throw a little stick from the garden at her, but she dodges it with a squeal.
“It’s absolutely not that.”
“I’m kidding.”
“Yeah, well, now you can go get us some more drinks.”
Before she can reply, raucous laughter reaches us as a group of guys burst through the front door. Jim, Seth, Matt, Derek, and Dylan. All from our senior class and friend group.
“Ladies,” Jim greets with a cocky smile pulling his lips wide. His very kissable lips. I snicker to myself at the thought. “We come bearing gifts.” He holds up a bottle of vodka and some cups, while Seth twists the cap off a Coke bottle beside him.
“Who wants one?” Jim asks.
All three of us answer, “Me,” in unison, earning a chuckle from him.
“You ladies are hitting it hard tonight,” Matt says, parking his ass beside mine on the concrete ledge.
Jersey scoffs while taking a cup from Jim. “Hardly. This is only the third one for the night. I bet my ass you’ve had at least six.”
I turn to him, and it’s only now that I notice how glassy his eyes look and how much he’s leaning to the side. “Five.” He grins lazily at her and pats his leg. “Why don’t you come sit that ass right here.”
“In your dreams,” she replies, but there’s a hint of a smile there. This push and pull has been going on between Matt and Jersey for a couple of months now. He’s been all about flirting with her while she pretends to hate it.
He almost gave up on her at one point because he thought she wasn’t interested, but I convinced him that she was and just needed time.
Once we’ve all got a fresh drink in our hands, Marni squishes herself between Seth and Dylan sitting on the grass, then looks at me again.
“All right. Kiss. Blowjob. Or marry. Campbell, Mase, and Jacob.”
Under different circumstances, I might be a little embarrassed to play this game in front of the guys, but thanks to the liquid courage, I don’t mind it so much and find myself smiling.
“Why the fuck did you pick those losers?” Dylan asks, his face scrunched.
Marni cuts a smirk at him. “Sad you didn’t make the cut, big boy?”
“No, I just feel sorry for her poor selection.”
I shoot him a look. “Leave them alone.” Then, turning my attention back to Marni, I answer, “Kiss Jacob. Campbell gets a blowjob.” A couple of them holler at the word blowjob like the immature boys they are. “Which means I marry Mase.”
“Poor Jacob will be sad about that,” Jim replies with a grin.
I swallow down another gulp and wrinkle my nose. “Why?”
“Girl,” Jersey starts. “He’s only been in love with you forever.”
“What? No, he hasn’t.”
Marni titters and drops her head on Seth’s shoulder. “Uh, he’s practically obsessed with you.”
“You guys are crazy. We’ve barely spoken to each other.”
“That doesn’t stop a guy from wanting you.” This comes from Dylan, but the look he accompanies with the statement is more serious than I would have expected and laced with a hint of anger.
Turning away from him, I look back at Jersey. “Why have you guys never said anything?”
She shrugs. “I thought it was pretty obvious. But it was clearly one-sided, so it didn’t really matter, anyway. You’re nice to everyone and some take it the wrong way.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he and his friends turn up tonight.” Marni lifts her head again, a smirk on her lips. “They were totally listening when we were talking about it at school. I was getting a kick out of it.”
“He has nice eyes,” Jersey comments.
“Hey, what about my eyes?” Matt’s whine from beside me sounds a little more slurred than before.
“Yours are pretty, too.” Jersey flutters her lashes at him and then steps over, extending her hand. “I’ve cooled down enough. Want to dance?”
“Fuck, yeah.” Matt ignores her hand and takes hold of her hips instead, pulling himself up and pressing into her. She giggles as they shuffle off to dance inside, and I watch them with a small smile. Maybe they’ll finally get together tonight.
“Jacob seems like a nice guy, if you’re into nice guys,” Jim adds.
I return my attention to him. “He does seem nice,” I agree. “But no, I’m not into him.” Or anyone from our school.
Dylan mumbles something, but before I can ask what he said, Marni is speaking again, done with the subject. “Anyway.” Turning, she faces Seth. “Kiss. Marry. Or fuck. Me. Jennifer. And Jersey.”
I’m pretty sure she’s hoping for a specific answer now that she knows what’s below his belt.
“I’m not playing that fucking game.”
“Boo, you’re no fun.” Marni pouts at him.
“I’m plenty fun.” Seth winks at her, then smiles mischievously up at me. “I’m just not done talking about Jacob and Jennifer.”
It’s not that he’s actually interested in the subject, he just likes stirring up shit and embarrassing people.
My look is unimpressed. “There is no me and Jacob.”
“No, but there could be.”
“Nah, she’ll probably just lead him on and then tell him she’s not interested,” Dylan grumbles, not looking at me as he pushes to his feet. “I’m going to go get a beer. Anyone want one?”
Everyone declines, preferring to stick to the hard liquor, then Dylan leaves. But not before sending one last indecipherable look my way as he shoves his hand through his brown mop of hair. I glare at his retreating back. Asshole.
Eventually, everyone heads back inside for various reasons, but I insist on staying outside a little longer, enjoying the cool air and the now empty front yard.
Marni promised to return with a drink for me after using the bathroom and dancing to only one song.
Leaning back on my hands, I look up at the stars and smile. I am thoroughly buzzed, and it has my mind filling with ridiculous things, like wondering if Marni will get to see Seth’s anaconda tonight, then thinking back to what was said about Jacob.
I wonder if it’s true or they’re just bullshitting me. Obsessed?
I’ve never encouraged it, but I guess that doesn’t stop feelings from growing. Maybe I have been too nice to him?
Jersey was right; he does have nice eyes, but I think his friend Mase’s eyes stand out more to me. So dark they could be black, matching his inky hair. And there’s a mysteriousness about them, like they’re hiding secrets or something.
Jacob’s are pretty like the ocean . . . or that shade of nail polish I got last week. I laugh at myself. Yep, that would be the three drinks. Or is it four?
I’m just getting ready to push myself up and probably stumble inside in search of Marni, when a drink appears in front of my face from an arm over my shoulder.
“Guess who?” someone whispers into my ear.
I reach for the drink and try to look over my shoulder at who I think is Marni, since she said she was coming back. The whisper was quiet and the music blasting through the windows is still pretty loud.
But whoever it is takes hold of my chin with their other hand, stopping me from seeing them.
The fingers are thick and rough, masculine—not Marni. They also have red sleeves covering their arms, which didn’t immediately occur to me.
Definitely not Marni.
“Guess,” the guy murmurs quietly from behind. “It’s much more fun this way.”
I guzzle down some of the drink he offered and twist my face in thought. My head has gotten progressively fuzzier from the alcohol melting into my blood stream, and my lips pull to the side as I think of my answer.
Dylan comes to mind, or even Jim, but then my cloudy brain pulls up the name from the conversation earlier. Marni said he’d probably turn up, and he might do something like this.
“Jacob?”
A puff of air blows across my cheek and a beat passes where he doesn’t say anything. But I think that’s more to do with my sluggish brain than the amount of time that actually goes by.
“How did you know?”
Wait a second. I was right?
I smile in victory, but then my brows pull together when I really think about it, doubt starting to take over. “Seriously? It’s Jacob?”
“Mm-hmm,” he hums. “I heard you’d be here, and I really wanted to see you, so I came to check it out.”
Marni said exactly that, didn’t she?
I try turning my head to confirm that it’s him, but his fingers tighten on my chin, stopping me once again. A slight wave of uneasiness passes through me, but the booze in my veins makes it easy to brush off. The few encounters I’ve had with Jacob have been pleasant, and even Jim said he was nice.