Page 48 of Collision
I shoot Thomas a quick glance, hoping he will intervene. After all, he was the one who brought me here. But he ignores me completely andconfines himself to sipping from a glass containing some unknown clear liquid. I shake my head in resignation; I should have known.
“Yeah, you figured it out: you’re not welcome here. Why don’t you go hang out with that bunch of losers from student choir? I’m sure you’ll have a lot to talk about.” She dismisses me with a wave of her hand. Fuming, I am ready to do an about-face.
“Don’t listen to her,” exclaims a boy with dark eyes, sitting next to Shana. “Why don’t you join us, little girl?” he asks with a mischievous grin.
And risk finding myself in nothing but my underwear? No, thank you.
I am about to refuse, but Thomas, with a cigarette between his lips and a deck of cards fanned out his hands, gives the other boy a fiery glare. “Forget I said anything,” the boy adds hastily.
“Figures, she wouldn’t even undress in front of her boyfriend,” Shana snickers with a sneer. “Actually, why don’t you go find him? I wouldn’t let him out of your sight if I were you, you never know what he might do, or who,” she chuckles wickedly.
“Travis isn’t my boyfriend anymore.” At these words, Thomas stops shuffling the cards for a brief moment and, although he doesn’t look at me, I can tell he’s listening.
Shana clicks her tongue theatrically. “He dumped you for that freshman? Or for the junior? No, wait! Maybe he just opened his eyes and realized that literally any other girl would be better than you, right?” she says disdainfully, drawing the attention of everyone present. When she hears them laughing, Shana looks at me with a triumphant air.
I feel tears welling up and shame flooding me. I wish I was strong enough to put her in her place the way she deserves, but right now I’m too hurt to do it.
“You really should learn to shut your fucking mouth. And not just when a man does it for you.” It is Thomas who speaks up for me, with a severe expression that darkens his face, silencing everyone.
And I shouldn’t, but part of me delights in seeing her humiliated.Just as she humiliated me. So I pluck up my courage and reply, head held high, “Quite the opposite, actually. Travis Baker getting dumped by the most boring girl at Oregon State? Ridiculous, isn’t it?”
Bolstered by my own words, I am overwhelmed by an uncontrollable need to show this little princess that I do not intend to be crushed by her or her underhanded tricks. I will not go hide in a corner. Not anymore.
“Is that invitation still open?” I cheekily ask the boy with the dark eyes. He doesn’t answer me but looks at Thomas as if waiting for his approval. “Yes?” I prompt, resisting the idea of someone else making my choices for me. “I’m ready!”
A mocking smile spreads over the redhead’s face, and I am almost certain that I can see a hint of fear behind her mask and…insecurity?
Thomas turns sharply in my direction. “This kind of thing isn’t for you.”
“Let me decide that,” I reply, annoyed. I sit down and get on with it.
I have no idea how, but I soon find myself in just my bra and panties, surrounded by excited boys. Not to be outdone, I raise my plastic cup in the air with each defeat, joining in the boisterous shouts before letting the liquor slide down my throat. The boys toast me and drink along with me. The attention everyone suddenly seems to be giving me has made Shana jealous. Despite all her efforts to cling to Thomas, she eventually leaves, forced to admit defeat.
The eyes of the most handsome and domineering tattooed man I have ever seen are aimed only at me, glaring at me, ferocious and enraged. Or perhaps worried. I am certain I saw him slay a boy with his gaze after the guy tried to reach for me.
After an hour and four drinks, my vision is blurry, my hearing is muddled, and my body feels like it is on fire. People move in slow motion; I need some air.
As soon as I stand up, the room starts spinning and doesn’t stop until two large arms hold me up. It takes me a few seconds to realize that it is Thomas, who picks me up as though I were a child.
“What are you doooooing? Put me doooown,” I protest, wriggling.
“Cut it out, you’re completely wasted,” he snaps. The worried tone in his voice makes me smile. Or at least I think so, it’s not like I have a lot of control over my facial expressions at the moment.
“Am I laughing?” I slur with a numbed mouth.
“What?” he asks confused.
“I wanted to know if I was laughing, I wanted to… I wanted to laugh again.”
Four green eyes glare at me and two Thomases are climbing the stairs.
“Yes,” he mutters. “You’re laughing or something like it.”
“I’m seeing two versions of you and I really hope that at least one of you turns out to be less irritating, otherwise, I’ll be forced to kick both of you…” I laugh for no real reason, and with my index finger, I draw a line that starts at his lip and ends on the lotus flower tattooed on his neck. His mouth is soft, and slight stubble covers his square jaw. The skin of his chest is smooth, his abs sculpted all the way to the edge of his jeans. Damn him, he is beautiful. He mutters something, but I don’t catch his words. Exhausted, I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes. “Where are you taking me?”
“Upstairs, to my room.”
Stop! What? He is taking me to his room, drunk and half-naked. What the hell does he think he’s doing? I kick my legs as hard as I can, until he staggers.
