Page 34 of XO

Nessie:I made up that part.

Me:Sinner! That’s worse than saying Jesus and vagina in the same sentence.

Nessie:Which you just did again. Now you’re definitely going to hell.

Me:Correction - I’m already in it. Why the hell (pun intended) did I say I’d come to this party?

Nessie:To broaden your heathen horizons…?

Me:Well, I want to unbroaden them. I even considered coming to church with you on Sunday to cleanse my soul. Then I changed my mind.

Nessie:Jesus would have been proud of you for all of a micro-second.

I snort a laugh.

Me:Things could change. Don’t give up hope for me yet. Enjoy your vampire sex.

Nessie:Enjoy your human sex.

Me:Eww!

“What’s so funny?” Kevin asks, carefully lowering himself onto the log while balancing two full red cups of beer.

“Nessie’s just checking up on me.”

“She should have come.”

“If this isn’t my scene, it’s far from hers. Besides, her dad would excommunicate her from life if she wound up somewhere like this.”

He shrugs, not understanding. “It’s just a party.”

“And he’s just a pastor, in case you’ve forgotten. He would literally order Jesus to bring forth the second coming if he saw his daughter around this.” I point at one of the near-naked girls wrestling with a boy to keep her barely-there G on.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about with the whole Jesus thing, but it doesn’t sound like fun if it will stopthat…” he too points to the near-naked girl now lying on the ground catching her breath, “… from happening.”

Kevin hollers his approval at the group who respond with cheers and laughter.

I cringe. “Gross,” I mutter, watching glowing embers float through the sky.

“What’s so gross about the human body?” he mocks, nudging my arm with his.

“Absolutely nothing. It’s how boys become barbarians when they see a bit of flesh that makes me cringe.”

“So…” Kevin uses a finger to push my dress aside, exposing come cleavage. “You’re not going to show me any of this?”

Angrily, I slap his hand away causing him to spill his beer over his jeans. “Don’t do that,” I warn.

He appears affronted like a young child reprimanded when it was his sister who caused the milk to spill. “I’m not some pervert.”

“You don’t get to decide when you touch me like that. We haven’t even kissed.”

Kevin forcefully grabs my knee with his free hand and without an inch of care, roughly pulls me toward him. “Let’s change that, shall we?” He leans in quick, but I move my face faster than he anticipated, his lips missing mine in a hurtful rejection.

I wince feeling his fingers dig deep into my flesh, and I shove against his chest, this time effectively spilling my own beer on his lap. Hurt by the rebuff and with the orange glow of the fire coating his face, he morphs into an angry demon.

“Stupid, bitch!” he hurls, wiping beer from his jeans. “The fuck is wrong with you? It was just a fucking kiss.”

I look around hoping there’s witnesses in case this spirals further out of control. “I’m not what you’re looking for, Kevin,” I state as diplomatically as possible, cautious of further upsetting him. “I’m going home.”

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