Page 16 of Close to Falling

“Are you?” I then ask, lifting my brow in surprise.

He narrows his eyes at me. “How about you stop letting Mikey put his hands all over you?”

“Why?” I ask so serious. “Why should I do that?”

“Don’t play with me, B. Someone will get hurt,” he says.

I roll my eyes and slip under his arm, but he grabs mine and pushes me up against the wall. I gasp, and he pushes his body against mine. I almost moan, because God, this is what I want. I don’t want Mikey. I want River, the boy who gets under my skin. The boy I argue with all the time. The one who tries to tell me what to do, the one who is so close to me right now all I have to do is lean up and our lips would touch.

“You’re not high anymore?” he asks.

“Not at this moment,” I whisper. He looks at my eyes and seems pleased. “Did you sleep with her?” I ask.

“Yes,” he responds without hesitation.

“Move,” I say. He doesn’t, and I lift my arms to shove him, but he stops me.

“Quit, B.”

“No!” I say a little louder than I should, but the music is so loud downstairs I’m sure no one can hear me.

“Maddie, why do you care if I slept with her?”

“Why do you care if Mikey is all over me?”

“Because I don’t like it,” he seethes, pushing me back harder against the wall. He looks down at my lips again, but there’s a fight going on inside of him. I can see it in his eyes.

“Dido,” I respond and yank my hands out of his hold. I shove him back, surprising him.

“Did you do that to make me jealous?” I ask, throwing his question back at him and trying not to sound as hurt as I feel.

“Maybe,” he says.

“Well, I hope you used something. I’ve heard she has Herpes.” I walk away from him, sighing when I feel my body relax and the drugs kick in. Just for kicks, I slide one more out of my pocket and pop it into my mouth as I head back downstairs. I blink a few times as I try to adjust my eyes because it’s so dark in here. I look around for Cali and spot her on the couch. She’s slouched over, and her eyes are shut. Shit, she is passed out. I walk over to her.

“Cali,” I say, but she doesn’t say anything. “Cali,” I say again, shaking her. She moves and moans.

“Too d-drunk,” she slurs. I look up and search for Landon. I spot him in the corner making out with some brunette. Walking over, I say his name, and he looks at me.

“What, B?” he says, a tad irritated.

“Sorry, but we need to go,” I tell him.

“Are you and River fighting?” he asks, causing the brunette to look interested now. I shake my head.

“No, it’s Cali,” I say, looking over at her. “We need to get her home.”

He sighs and tells the brunette something before he walks past me and lifts Cali up off the couch. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to do this. Cali goes above and beyond sometimes.

As we make it to the stairs, Mikey stops me. “Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, Cali is kinda passed out.”

“Well, can I get your number?” he asks, and I smile.

“I don’t have a pen.”

“I’ll remember it,” he says. After I tell him, he surprises me with a kiss. His hand goes in my hair, and his lips linger on mine for a brief moment. It’s not a deep kiss, just sweet, and I can’t help but grin afterward. “I’ll call you,” he adds before walking off.

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