Page 58 of I Despise You
“Okay,” I say.
“Yes!” Vanessa squeals in excitement. “I can’t wait! We’re going to have so much fun!”
***
AS SOON AS VANESSAand I start to dance, I feel better. For a few hours, I want to forget about everything and just have fun. My problems won’t go anywhere, and they’ll be right there in the morning.
Two guys approach us. One of them is eyeing Vanessa, and she smiles as she moves closer to him. The other guy is inching closer to me.
“Wanna dance?” he yells so I can hear him over the music.
I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere at school, but the lighting here is so shitty that I can’t see much except that he has dark hair and dark eyes.
“I’m already dancing,” I grin.
He gets even closer, and I take a step back as I keep dancing. The guy smiles at me, and I wonder if I should tell him I have a boyfriend, but I have a feeling everyone already knows Chase and I are dating. It’s impossible to keep something like that a secret. Even people who don’t give a damn have probably heard about it.
Someone roughly grabs my arm from behind, yanking me back. I yelp, my heart jumping into my throat.
“Stay the fuck away from her!” It’s Chase. He rushes the guy before I can even process what’s going on.
“Chase!” I shout.
Now, everyone’s looking at Chase and the guy and moving out of their way. Fists fly, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I don’t know where Vanessa is, but I can’t see her anywhere.
“Chase! Stop it!” I run to him, trying to pull him away from the guy and get them to stop, but it’s like trying to move a mountain.
“She’s my fucking girlfriend, you son of a bitch!” Chase yells.
A few more guys show up and manage to stop the fight. As the guy is being dragged away, he’s yelling something at Chase, who turns to me, his face a mask of fury, his nostrils flaring.
“Come with me.” He grips my arm again, too tightly, and I wince.
“Chase—”
“Shut the fuck up!” he snaps, and I’m stunned into silence.
He takes me into the hallway that leads to the restrooms. A few people are there, but when they see Chase dragging me with him, they leave.
“Let go of me.” I find my voice, trying to free myself.
He doesn’t even acknowledge he’s heard me.
“Let go of me now! You’re hurting me!” I stop.
His grip loosens, and I pull my arm back, rubbing the spot where he held me. It hurts. It fucking hurts.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I glare at him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He raises his voice. “What are you doing dancing with my friend like that?”
I blink. “Your friend? I didn’t even recognize him. And I wasn’t doing anything with him. I was just dancing with Vanessa, and then he and some other guy approached us. He didn’t even get close to me.” He hasn’t been hanging out with the guys much lately, and when he does, I’m usually not around.
“What are you even doing here?” There’s something in his eyes that I don’t like. Something scary. Something wild. Something I don’t recognize.
“You said you were tired and didn’t want to go. Vanessa needed someone—” I pause, meeting his gaze. “You know what? This is crazy. None of this matters. It looked like you wanted some space from everything and from me, so I went to the party. Do you think I need your permission to do that or something?”
“Yes! You’re my girlfriend. You shouldn’t be here without me!”
