Page 24 of True Blue

“Janette!” Layla calls, my eyes flitting over to her excited face. “It’s your song!” I pause, tuning into the music pulsing around us and realizing I recognize the song. Layla and I made a dance routine to the throwback when we were twelve, posting it to YouTube before our moms found out and made us take it down. “Come on!” She reaches past Bentley, grabbing my wrist and pulling me away as he smiles down at me in passing.

We end up in the living room with Autumn and Aria, Gwen disappearing on the way over to the group of people dancing between the couches. I laugh, shaking my hips to the beat as Layla bobs her head and mimics some of the moves we made up over six years ago. She grabs my hand, twirling me under her arm and I tuck my other arm in, protecting my drink as I let her. The room spins around me, but Bentley’s face sticks out, having moved to the area between the kitchen and living room to watch us. He leans against a support beam, eyes burning as he watches me.

I turn away, taking another swig from my cup and downing half of it in one go. Time to put on a show.

11

My eyes stay glued to Janette as she shakes her hips and rolls her body to the music. Her curls bounce around her, alive and electric in the pulsing lights. Her cardigan falls off one shoulder as she brings her cup to her lips, her other arm high in the air, drinking more. My eyes wander the newly exposed skin, mouth drying as she bends her knees and sways her ass, lowering closer to the ground before springing back up, right on beat. I grip my biceps, rock hard in my jeans and fight off the visions of her over top of me, similarly moving her hips in far less than those shorts.

She holds the empty cup up, yelling something to Layla and Autumn before leaving the group and heading back to the kitchen. Glancing at the cabinet I stored the vodka in earlier, she glares over at me, before opening the fridge and looking around. I watch her pull a beer from the crisper drawer and crack the tab, chugging with her eyes locked on mine over the edge. I shake my head, regretting my jab from earlier. The girl is tiny, clearly already feeling the effects of the first two heavy drinks she’s already downed. If I hadn’t challenged her to lighten up,she probably wouldn’t be this deep right now, trying to prove she can have a good time.

Layla appears at my side, watching her friend finish the beer and bow for the light cheers some of the people lingering in the kitchen give her. “This is your fault you realize?”

“Yeah, I already put that together.” I watch Janette start dancing with some girls in the kitchen, neither even close to sober either.

“She rises to challenges. Keep that in mind.” I glance down at Layla, eyebrows pulling together. “For next time.” She smirks before gasping, eyes wide as she mutters, “Janette, no.” My head whips back toward the kitchen, finding Janette standing on one of the stools by the island, climbing onto the granite next. The other two drunk girls follow suit, all three taking a moment to laugh before they start to dance.

Mira walks up to Layla and me, looking much more sober than when she left for the bathroom. “Is she okay?”

“She’s proving she can be fun,” I mutter, watching her tip her head back and mouth the words to the song. I glance down at Mira, double taking when I notice her red rimmed eyes. “What’s wrong?”

She waves her hand with a little chuckle, trying to placate me. “I’m fine, just getting a little tired.”

I nod. “Lemme grab Janette and we can all head back.” Mira looks over at her roommate then around the room, noting each of our friends spread out and having a good time.

“Nah, it’s fine. You should probably keep an eye on Miss Fun over there.” She points her thumb over her shoulder at Janette who teeters a little before righting herself by grabbing onto the girl next to her. My stomach drops, but I look back down at Mira once I know Janette’s okay. “I can make it back on my own.”

I push off the post, standing up fully and opening my mouth to protest.

Mira waves me off. “It’s fine, Bent. It’s not even a ten-minute walk. I’ll have my cell on me the whole time.” She takes it out and makes a show of holding it firmly at her side.

I try again to get my argument out, but a collective gasp goes up around us and we all look over in time to see Janette lose her balance and start to topple off the island. Layla gasps and I rush forward, wrapping my arms around Janette as she falls clumsily, laughing her head off. I frown, looking to Mira who holds up her phone. Janette starts pushing against my chest, trying to get out of my hold.

“I’ll text you when I get back to West Tower,” Mira shouts over the music and I reluctantly nod, looking down at the girl in my arms.

“Put me down,” she protests while Layla wishes Mira a happy birthday before she disappears. “Wanna dance.”

I lower her legs to the ground, keeping my arms around her torso while she finds her balance. Her body leans against mine, reawakening my hard-on from earlier. “No more table dancing,” I say, before gritting my teeth.

She tips her head back to look at me and my hand shoots out, catching the back of her head before she snaps her neck. My fingers tangle with her soft curls and I force myself not to focus on the feel of them against my skin. “You worry too mucccchhhhh,” she slurs, tapping my nose once with the tip of her index finger.

Her warning’s too late. I’m already going grey worrying about this girl tonight.

I narrow my eyes at her. “Janette,” I warn.

She laughs, shaking her head out of my hold and sliding away from me. I try to stop her, but she quickly maneuvers away from me, her laugh lingering in my ears, despite the music. She weaves through people sloppily, going into one of the side roomswhile I try to follow without running over those she’s left in her wake. Layla follows right on my heels.

“You’re never going to be able to wrangle her before she wants to be wrangled,” she yells beside me. We make it into the room she disappeared into, finding her waiting for a guy to pour her a beer from the keg tapped in the corner. “She’s stubborn like that.”

I growl as we walk up to her, the guy holding the tap taking a step back. Janette whirls around, smiling at us as she sips her beer. “Hey, guys! Want to play beer pong?”

Layla laughs, shrugging in my direction when Janette grabs her hand, pulling her toward the beer pong table nearest us.

“Axel!” Janette shouts, throwing her hands up and spilling half the beer she just got. She abandons Layla, running over to him at one end of the beer pong table. My heart squelches when I see them come together. Axel grins as Janette comes to a stop before him, putting a hand on her waist when the abrupt halt makes her sway a little.

“Hey, Blue. You look like you’re having fun.”

She looks over her shoulder at me with a pointed look.

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