Page 13 of Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

Held up high, my arms ached while my hips rolled in time to the sound of Machine Gun Kelly’s seductive voice. Fuck, I loved this song.

Evelyn sidled up behind me, and her feminine floral scent, mixed with pear shots, drifted across my cheek. She placed her small hands on my hips and guided my movements to the rhythm while we screamed out the lyrics. I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous we must look, but I also didn’t care. The alcohol made all my problems disappear like I’d hoped when I downed my first drink tonight.

My head fell back against her bony shoulder, and my arms slid around her damp neck. We always crossed lines when we drank. I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward my best friend as her smooth fingers drifted across the sliver of bare skin where my glittery golden tank top met the waistband of the leather skirt that Lily had insisted I wear. The cool air from the open patio doors kissed the skin of my thighs, contrasting with her burning touch.

“Are you having fun?” she shouted loud enough to be heard over the music, disturbing my haze of lust. I didn’t want to resurface, forced to face my nightmares.

Stepping away from her, I pushed my way through the thick crowd, bumping shoulders with sweaty cheerleaders, who gave me the stink eye.

Nausea threatened to twist my stomach. How much had I had to drink? Too much. The room spun and the many faces morphed into laughing, sneering beasts with glowing eyes and cruel smiles that were too wide. I would throw up if I didn’t get out of here.

After hurrying to the bathroom downstairs and finding a long queue outside, I dashed upstairs, the steps seeming never to end. I finally reached the top, swaying on the spot as I looked left and right, trying to figure out which way to go. I’d been here many times before, but something was different tonight. The place looked different.

Stumbling to the left, dragging my hand over the wall, I finally found a bathroom and shut myself inside. The pungent smell of citrusy air freshener and clean towels greeted me as I dropped onto my knees, lifting the toilet lid.

Every muscle in my body contracted and I spewed out my guts, retching until nothing was left to expel except bile. And then I collapsed to the floor.

Leaning back against the tiled wall and drawing my knees up to my chest, I closed my eyes. My mouth tasted of sick, and when I opened my eyes, Dustin crouched in front of me.

Reaching out, he flicked his eyes between mine while touching his fingers to my cheek and wiping away my smudged mascara with his thumb. “You’re a mess, Skyler.”

The ends of his blonde hair were sweaty and sticking to his temple, his eyes hazy with alcohol. He was still handsome, and maybe it was the alcohol talking, but tingles spread over my skin in anticipation when his thumb drifted closer to my parted lips. Then he stopped, cupping my chin softly before rising to his feet and helping me up.

Leading me over to the twin sinks, he waited while I rinsed out my mouth and splashed water on my face. My makeup, which Lily had spent so much time on, was already ruined.

Looking back into the mirror, my glassy eyes drifted over my pale, gaunt face. Strands of wet hair stuck to my flushed cheeks and my pupils were blown. Sighing, I pushed off the sink and turned around, meeting his intense blue eyes.

I’d feel uncomfortable if he watched me like this while we were both sober. But we weren’t. We were both very drunk, and I liked how his attention made me feel. I liked the promise in his drunken gaze of a balm to soothe my growing ache.

“Come on,” he said, reaching for my hand and steering us outside. I didn’t want to go back downstairs to face the crowd, so I pulled him into a dark bedroom instead, almost tripping over a stray sneaker on the floor.

“Is this Max’s room?” I laughed, tugging on Dustin’s arm while he fumbled with the switch.

The room flooded with light, and he played with the dimmer before settling for a muted, soft light.

Looking over his shoulder at me, his body followed as he turned to face me fully. “It’s his brother’s room.”

Max’s older brother, Luke, was away for the weekend, and by the looks of it, he hadn’t bothered to clean his room before leaving. It struck me as funny. I released a laugh but soon shut up when Dustin stepped toward me, palming the back of my head and crushing his lips to mine.

We stumbled back into the wooden desk pressed up against the window, a gasp slipping from my lips.

Dustin swallowed the sound, his tongue invading my mouth and tangling with mine. He was too drunk to notice I’d never kissed anyone before, and I was too out of it to care that my first kiss took place in Luke’s bedroom while I was barely able to stand unaided.

Knocking over an empty glass and almost breaking the keyboard in the process, my back met the wooden surface. I bent backward to accommodate Dustin’s impressive build as he towered over me.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long,” he breathed between kisses, his hands finding my hips and lifting me up.

“Shut up,” I bit out against his soft lips, sliding my arms around his damp neck, my thighs on either side of his hips. I liked how destructive this felt, like setting off a bomb and waiting for it to implode. This fragile friendship between us would be blown to smithereens tomorrow when the alcohol had been purged from my pores and I was sober enough to regret this moment. But the morning was far away. Very fucking far away.

As Dustin’s fingers left my hips to ghost the skin on my legs before curling around the hem of my skirt, my head fell back between my shoulders. I moaned shamelessly. His lips descended on the exposed skin on my neck and he nibbled at my pulse point, where my heartbeat fluttered wildly.

On Monday, we’d be the latest gossip—the hushed whispers in the hallway.

His hungry mouth returned to mine, nipping my lip as I opened my eyes. My gaze drifted to the door and I froze. Dustin didn’t notice. His mouth danced over my jaw, then dipped lower to trail over my collarbone.

Watching me, Nate leaned against the doorway, dressed in his usual jeans and white long-sleeved tee, which fitted him to perfection. The left side of his mouth lifted in a smirk when Dustin slid the strap off my shoulder.

Warm lips dusted my skin in goose bumps.

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