Page 2 of For the Boys

Drew is the tallest, sitting on the far left with his legs stretched out in front of him. He has shaggy blonde hair that sits right at his shoulders, and a look most would consider edgy. Holey black jeans wrap around his legs with a silver chain hanging from his belt loops, and a black crew neck tee covers his torso. Silver rings adorn almost every finger, while three silver chains of different thickness drape around his neck.

Next to him is Isaac. He’s only a few inches shorter, but with them sitting down, you wouldn’t be able to tell. His dark hair is trimmed into a neat fade, and his tanned skin almost glows against the white t-shirt he has on. Black ink trails up his legs starting just above where his Adidas sit at his ankles, then disappears under the cutoff jeans he’s wearing.

Last, there is Vincent. He’s the most rugged looking in a way. With unruly curly, brown hair, a jawline chiseled from stone, and dark-washed jeans stained with oil. Tattoos mark his veiny arms, but it’s nowhere near the amount Isaac has.

Every single one of them looks better than I remember, and we’ve only been out of school for a few weeks. Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, though, because every other time I’ve been in their presence, I haven’t felt like I do now. Of course, I’ve been attracted to them, but right now, it’s more intense and almost unbearable. Heat floods into my stomach, and goosebumps break out along my skin. As I run my eyes back down each of their bodies, all I can think about is how it would feel to have them between my legs.

When my eyes make it back to Isaac’s face, I see his stare locked on me. I bounce my sight to either side of him and see Drew and Vincent staring at me too. Something I can’t explain pours into me, and I can feel my cheeks heat. Suddenly, I need to get away, even if just for a second.

Spinning around, I bump into the person behind me, tipping my cup. Every last drop of liquor splashes down the front of my cropped t-shirt and runs down to my naked stomach.

“Fuck!”

The girl holds up her hands. “I’m SO sorry!” she shouts above the music. “There is a bathroom upstairs.” She juts her thumb behind her, not offering me any more words, then disappears into the crowd on my left.

CHAPTER TWO

I nudgemy way through all the bodies trying my best not to wipe the remnants of my drink on everyone I pass before I finally make it to the stairs. Taking them two at a time, I don’t slow down until I make it to the landing. The top opens up to a hallway lined with doors. Some people tuck against the wall, talking or smoking, while others slip behind closed doors for God knows what.

“Bathroom?” I look at a girl standing alone with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

She rolls her eyes and points behind her with her thumb but doesn’t speak.

Instead of saying thank you, I edge forward and grip the knob of the door she pointed at. Luckily, it’s vacant, so I step inside and close the door behind me. Immediately, the music becomes muffled and lower, and smoke doesn’t assault my senses.

Walking to where the sink sits, I turn on the cold water and snag the hand towel hanging on the hook beside it. Wetting the corner, I run it down my body where liquor and gold flecks stick to my skin, then throw it in the sink and look at my reflection.

My thick, ginger hair was straight before I left the house, but the humidity from all the hot air in here has made it frizz up and curl at the ends. The eyeliner I spent way too long applying is smudged under my green eyes, and my pupils are dilated from the liquor.

I let out a breath and grip either side of the sink before letting my head fall back. Maybe this is my cue to leave. I know tonight was supposed to be spent doing all the things I never do, but I’m fucking flustered, and all it seemed to take was one look from the three of them.

As I snap my head back up, the door behind me slides open. My eyes catch Isaac in the reflection, and the butterflies from before take flight once again.

“What are you doing in here?” The voice that comes out doesn’t even sound like my own. It’s breathy and… needy.

“Coming to find you,” he smiles, then slowly inches further inside and closes the door behind him. “I wanted to talk.”

I watch him through the mirror for a moment, then turn around. “Talk?”

He nods slowly as he looks up and down my body, ignoring what I said. “You look different than before.”

Suddenly, with his eyes so blatantly on me with only a foot or two between us, I feel self-conscious. Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I lean back onto the sink. “Yeah, well, I changed.”

“Trust me, I can see that.”

I swallow the lump in my throat that’s seemed to form with the insinuation of his words, then go back to the conversation at hand. “What did you want to talk about?”

He levels his eyes with mine as he licks his teeth. “The boys and I want to hang with you.”

“And cornering me in the bathroom is your way of asking?” I laugh. “Why didn’t you just say something earlier, you know, when you all were watching me.”

He smiles slightly. “You noticed that?”

I tip my head. “I notice everything you all do.” The words come out before I can stop them, but it isn’t a lie. I do notice, just like every other person in town.

“Well,” He starts, stepping closer so our bodies are only an inch apart. “We like things more… intimate.”

With him so close I can smell the alcohol on his breath and the lingering smoke clinging to his clothes. On top of that, I can see the muscles flexing under his thin shirt and the bulge in the front of his cutoff jeans.

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