My dad's words beat down on me, "you're nothing..." If I'm not even good enough for that prick, there's no way I'd ever been good enough for a girl like her. I've always known that, but somehow the words feel more real tonight.
"I'm cool. I'll text you guys if I need you." I start to walk away, but Sebastian grabs my arm.
"Umm...you're screwing with our mojo here. We always do this."
I shrug and pull my arm away. "We don't really need to anymore. Aspen has you to take care of her and Pris has Craig. Bases covered." I don't look back to see his reaction.
Pushing through the door, I start to shoulder my way through the crowd. It's packed. So crazy busy it's hard to even walk through the place. Just what I needed. I head straight for the kitchen, find the keg and hand over my cup fee to the keg monitor. I give him enough for two cups, which he marks so everyone knows I purchased, fills them, and hands them over.
I drink both cups before getting two more. I'm good and buzzed not long after getting here. For a second I let myself wonder if they met up with Pris and got the PPP out of the way. No matter what I said, I definitely don't want to leave her in the hands of Craig.
And, on that note, it's time to move on. I'm heading toward the living room, where the music is playing . People are dancing on couches, tables, the floor. I stumble a little when someone runs into me. I turn to tell whoever it is to watch out, but big, green eyes look up at me and a pair of thin lips stretch into a smile.
Jackpot.
"How'd I get so lucky to have you run into me?" Yeah, I know. I'm laying it on thick and it's actually ridiculous, but her smile grows wider.
"Hi." Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
"I'm Jaden. What's your name?"
"Samantha."
"You here with anyone?"
"Just my friends."
"Wanna dance?"
"Definitely." She starts to lose some of her shyness when I pull her into my arms and start to dance with her. Is it a slow song? Nope, but what's the point in dancing if you're not close when you do it?
Samantha and I move together to the music. Her arms wrap around my neck and sit under the bill of my hat. Her waist is small, thin, and for a second Pris pops into my head. They're so different, these two. She's got that smooth, dark skin where this girl is lighter. She's curvier. I remember her and Aspen arguing about it once. Pris was doing that girl thing of thinking she was fat.
I wanted to tell her, screw that. Curves are hot. But yeah...of course, I didn't.
"Do you go to school here?" I ask Samantha against her ear. "I don't remember seeing you."
"No... I'm one town over."
We keep dancing until the song ends and keep moving into the next one. Once it's over, I reach for her hand and lead her to the quietest corner we can find. It feels wrong, but I'm trying to move on, so I lean forward, cupping her cheek with my hand. But then...she gives me that sweet smile. The one that says she's looking for a boyfriend and I'm totally not looking for a girlfriend.
Sebastian and I have met tons of girls over the past few years, but neither of us has ever been down with the playing-them-thing. It's not how I roll. "I really want to kiss you right now, but I gotta tell you, I'm just trying to have fun. I'm not looking for anything more.
The lips I just wanted to kiss turn downward and I know I'm losing her. "I'm not into random hook-ups."
I pull my hand away, strangely okay with it.
"Thanks for being honest, though. Most guys wouldn't."
I give her my best smile and a wink. "I'm not most guys."
She laughs, giving me an "A" for my fake effort.
I pull off my hat and scratch my head, trying to figure out what to say. I shove it back on my head and keep going with the honesty thing. "I'm gonna go, okay? I'll see you around, sometime." I'm not trying to be a jerk, but go figure. I am.
Samantha looks down at the ground. "See ya around."
"Thanks for the dance."
And just like that, she's walking away. As I watch her, my eyes catch familiar black hair. It's long, straight, and moving way too fast as Pris shoves her way toward the door.
My heart starts to jackhammer as I push my way toward her. She's heading for the kitchen, then the backdoor.
"Pris!" There's no way she can hear me over the music and the people. I still can't stop myself from trying. "Pris, wait up!"
She's out the door when I see Aspen and Sebastian run out behind her. I don't even know where they came from. I can hardly breathe as I run through the doorway and into the backyard. I see Pris and Aspen off toward the back of the yard, in a corner by some trees and I head straight for them.
"What happened?"
Pris's eyes find mine and they're red. I start to see red, too. "What did he do? Did that douchebag hurt you?"
My words seem to upset her more. "I can't... I can't do this with you, Jaden. Not with him here." And then she turns, burying her face in Aspen's shoulder.
My stomach drops.
My hands tighten into fists even more fierce than the ones at my house early.
Sebastian throws a hand over my shoulder. "Come on, bro. I think they need girl time, or whatever."
My body is too tight. My muscles are frozen, making myself unable to move. "What happened?"
"I don't know... From what I heard it sounds like they were in the room. He started to get a little too touchy-feely and she told him to slow down and he just dumped her or something."
"Bastian! Come here. I need your help." Aspen calls to him. His eyes flash toward her quickly and I take advantage, ripping out of his hold and running. I don't take the time to see if he's following me.
This time I'm shoving people out of my way. I don't care who it is, I just have to find him. People are yelling at me and pushing me back, but I keep going, my eyes scanning the crowd, looking for Craig. Finally, finally I have a reason to hit him. It pisses me off that it took him hurting Pris for it to happen.
He turns around a corner right as I approach the hallway. Without giving myself time to think, I lunge, shoving Craig into the wall.
"What the hell, Sinclair!" Right about that time, people start to step in around us, all itching for the fight that's about to go down. "I'd think you would be happy. Now that I dumped her, you'll have a chance." And then the prick winks at me.
I swing my arm and connect my fist with his jaw. It feels good. There's so much in my life I have no control over, but this? Protecting her? This is all mine.
Craig stumbles, tries to swing at me, but misses before I nail him again. My hand aches at the connection, but it doesn't matter. As soon as I go for a third, someone grabs me from behind. I know its Sebastian without having to see him.
"Get the f**k off," I yell, but of course he doesn't. Then someone else is grabbing onto me and they're dragging me out of the house. A few people are around Craig, checking out his face as I fight to get back at him.
They toss me outside, whoever else helped him, heading back into the house and leaving only Sebastian and me on the porch.
"Fuck!" I don't remember ever being this pissed before. "Why'd you do that? You should have helped me!"
"Helped you what? Get the cops called on us? Upset Pris even more? Damn, Jay. You think I don't want to beat his ass just as bad as you do? "
"Ugh." I groan, reaching for my hat before realizing I must have lost it. I'm losing more than just that.
I wouldn't take it back, though.
"If that had been Aspen, you wouldn't have been pulling me off him." I turn and take the porch stairs two at a time. I'm on the street before I hear Sebastian's footsteps behind me.
"Low blow, man."
He's right, but I keep walking and he keeps following.
"Jay, I get it. Just chill out. Don't take off. I'll get the girls and we can bring them home and then head back to my place or something."
Yeah, like I can do that. She didn't want me there earlier, so I doubt she does now. My heart is still thudding. My breaths still quick and fast.
"Seriously. What's up with you, lately? You need to talk to me or whatever because right now you're looking like you're about to explode." He crosses his arms.
I don't have time to answer because his cell phone goes off. I'm still walking away and he's still following as he talks. A few seconds later, he says. "We gotta go back. The girls are waiting out front for us. Pris rode with Craig so she doesn't have her car."
Finally, I stop walking. "Go get them."
Bastian looks back down the street, then at me, and down toward the house again. "Come with me."
He's totally babysitting me right now and I don't like it. "I can't do this with you, Jaden. Not with him here."
"I can't go back or I won't be able to stop myself from looking for him," I say.
"Then wait. I'll grab them and be right back."
I tell him okay even though I don't plan to do it.
"Seriously, Jay. Don't bail."
"Then hurry up," I say, trying to sound light. As soon as he starts jogging back for the girls, I take off in the other direction.
Chapter Three
I don't go home because:
1.) I hate the place. I never want to be there, but especially when I feel like this and
2.) I know Sebastian's determined ass is probably sitting in his car outside waiting for me. I'm not in the mood to see him or anyone else, so I walk around all night.
All.
Night.
Not my idea of a good time, especially since my hand is killing me, but I can't think of anything else to do.
The sun is just starting to come up when I walk through the front door of my house. The second I step inside, I hear Dad's heavy footsteps slamming against the hardwood floors. Great. He must have to work today. I turn to walk back out when he steps into the hallway.