that was playing. Before I knew it, she’d found some mysterious cord, hooked up her iPod, and had her music coming out of the speakers. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel as I drove. When I looked over at her, she was mumbling the words and nodding along to the beat.
I liked her more and more every time I saw her.
“You should pay more attention to the road, Dexter,” she said, looking straight ahead.
“I’m not making you nervous, am I? Because I’m looking at you or because I have a bad track record with cars?”
She threw her head back in one of her throaty laughs.
“You aren’t anything like I thought you were,” she said, her laughter still on her red lips.
I grabbed her hand and drove the rest of the way there without saying anything else. I remembered her first impression of me, so I figured what she said was a compliment. I parked the car in front of a house swarming with teens. The lawn held stragglers with red plastic cups, and I felt the pulsating beat coming from the house as we headed toward it.
“Don’t be nervous,” I said, gripping her hand tighter in mine. I wanted everyone to know we were there together.
She tucked the strands that had escaped what looked like an intricate up-do with her free hand, and we stepped inside. Wall-to-wall bodies and mugginess you could only experience in a crowded place hit us. Almost immediately, someone was calling my name.
“Dex, bring your ass over here and get to drinkin’,” Ralph slurred as he made his way through the crowd. “Well, well. Who do we have here?” He smiled at Noa.
She offered a small wave.
“She’s cute. I can dig it.” He downed the rest of his beer and threw the empty cup at the back of another guy’s head. “Piss off, Doug,” he yelled when the guy turned around angrily. They both laughed and hugged it out. I looked at Noa, worried this was too much for her already. But she was actually laughing at the idiots.
Cups were handed to the both of us and Noa frowned. Before I could ask her what was wrong, Ralph grabbed me and pushed me toward another room.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” he yelled and everyone else cheered. A few of the girls crowded at me and I turned, trying to find Noa. She wasn’t where I left her. I felt someone tap my shoulder and looked back.
“You done playing with that emo reject yet?” Becca’s words dripped with that fake sticky sweetness that made me cringe. She pressed against me suggestively.
“Get a grip, Becca. It’s over,” I said, pushing past her. Ralph leaned into me, throwing his arm over my shoulder.
He guffawed with his buddies over my exchange with Becca, and I was left looking for Noa again and praying Becca would leave me the hell alone. I walked back toward the front of the house and there she was, leaning against the wall, coat in one hand and cup in the other. She was looking at the cup with careful curiosity.
“I’m driving. If you…you know. Want to do that.” I didn’t know how to tell her what I meant without sounding judgmental. I loved Ralph but he looked like a moron out there, drunk and loud.
She shook her head and placed the cup on a table beside her.
“Whose house is this anyway?” she asked. I had to stand close to her to hear her, which I didn’t mind at all.
I shrugged. She fidgeted momentarily before leaning forward to speak again. I held my breath as her lips neared my face.
Red lips. All over me.
“I’ve got to use the bathroom. I’m guessing you don’t know where it is since you don’t know the house. I’ll head upstairs and pray I don’t see something that’ll scar me for life.” She held up her intertwined fingers for luck. “You stay here. I’ll find you after.”
As she stepped around strangers, I admired the way the dark blue fabric of her dress fit her. It was simple but sexy, and I couldn’t wait to tell her when she came back.
I watched everyone drink, dance, and act like animals while she was gone. I
I liked her more and more every time I saw her.
“You should pay more attention to the road, Dexter,” she said, looking straight ahead.
“I’m not making you nervous, am I? Because I’m looking at you or because I have a bad track record with cars?”
She threw her head back in one of her throaty laughs.
“You aren’t anything like I thought you were,” she said, her laughter still on her red lips.
I grabbed her hand and drove the rest of the way there without saying anything else. I remembered her first impression of me, so I figured what she said was a compliment. I parked the car in front of a house swarming with teens. The lawn held stragglers with red plastic cups, and I felt the pulsating beat coming from the house as we headed toward it.
“Don’t be nervous,” I said, gripping her hand tighter in mine. I wanted everyone to know we were there together.
She tucked the strands that had escaped what looked like an intricate up-do with her free hand, and we stepped inside. Wall-to-wall bodies and mugginess you could only experience in a crowded place hit us. Almost immediately, someone was calling my name.
“Dex, bring your ass over here and get to drinkin’,” Ralph slurred as he made his way through the crowd. “Well, well. Who do we have here?” He smiled at Noa.
She offered a small wave.
“She’s cute. I can dig it.” He downed the rest of his beer and threw the empty cup at the back of another guy’s head. “Piss off, Doug,” he yelled when the guy turned around angrily. They both laughed and hugged it out. I looked at Noa, worried this was too much for her already. But she was actually laughing at the idiots.
Cups were handed to the both of us and Noa frowned. Before I could ask her what was wrong, Ralph grabbed me and pushed me toward another room.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” he yelled and everyone else cheered. A few of the girls crowded at me and I turned, trying to find Noa. She wasn’t where I left her. I felt someone tap my shoulder and looked back.
“You done playing with that emo reject yet?” Becca’s words dripped with that fake sticky sweetness that made me cringe. She pressed against me suggestively.
“Get a grip, Becca. It’s over,” I said, pushing past her. Ralph leaned into me, throwing his arm over my shoulder.
He guffawed with his buddies over my exchange with Becca, and I was left looking for Noa again and praying Becca would leave me the hell alone. I walked back toward the front of the house and there she was, leaning against the wall, coat in one hand and cup in the other. She was looking at the cup with careful curiosity.
“I’m driving. If you…you know. Want to do that.” I didn’t know how to tell her what I meant without sounding judgmental. I loved Ralph but he looked like a moron out there, drunk and loud.
She shook her head and placed the cup on a table beside her.
“Whose house is this anyway?” she asked. I had to stand close to her to hear her, which I didn’t mind at all.
I shrugged. She fidgeted momentarily before leaning forward to speak again. I held my breath as her lips neared my face.
Red lips. All over me.
“I’ve got to use the bathroom. I’m guessing you don’t know where it is since you don’t know the house. I’ll head upstairs and pray I don’t see something that’ll scar me for life.” She held up her intertwined fingers for luck. “You stay here. I’ll find you after.”
As she stepped around strangers, I admired the way the dark blue fabric of her dress fit her. It was simple but sexy, and I couldn’t wait to tell her when she came back.
I watched everyone drink, dance, and act like animals while she was gone. I
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