Page 88 of The Second Kiss
“I don’t...I’ve never,” I start to stammer. Brad is looking at me like I’m being an idiot. Finally I dip my chin and try to smile in a way that I hope is flirtatious. “Someone has to be the designated driver.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Rob says. “We got a hotel for the night. Just a couple of blocks away. We’ll keep you safe.” He reaches for my hand, “I’ll pick out something to get you started.”
“Jess is with me,” Brad says. He grabs my hand and pulls me away from Rob. "If she wants something to drink. I'll get it for her."
Rob laughs. “If we’re going to be teammates you’re going to have to learn to share, bro.”
Another one of the guys puts one hand on each of their shoulders. “Knock it off boys, there are plenty of girls to go around here.” They laugh and he and the other guys head into the crowd.
I hang back, my heart is pounding in time with the too-loud music. I don’t know what part of this I thought I wanted, the drinking, the crowd, Brad. Suddenly, I’d give anything to be back at home, in my sweats and sloppy ponytail, reading or doing homework–anything but this.
“What the hell was that?” Brad hisses.
“What was what?” I ask.
“I wouldn’t have brought you if I’d known you were going to be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Acting like you’re too good to be here and then flirting with Rob behind my back. You know this is important to me. I need to get in good with these guys and I can't–”
He’s still going off, but I’ve stopped listening. Across the room Jacob and Laini are dancing, slow and close–so close my stomach twists in jealous revulsion.
“I brought you kids something to drink.” Rob is carrying three drinks. He hands Brad a beer. The one he hands me looks like pink lemonade, but I'm sure that's not what it is. “We’ll take it slow, okay little girl? Something light to help you loosen up so you can have fun.” He hoists his glass and clinks it against Brad's and then mine. "To taking one for the team."
My eyes still on Jacob and Laini, I down the drink in a couple of gulps. It’s fruity and sparkly but with a punch at the end. Roblaughs. “See, she does know how to have fun. Do you like to dance, Jess?” He indicates the crowd of bodies smashed together on the dance floor.
“I–” I start.
Brad wraps his arm around my waist and rests his chin on my head. “Jess is an incredible dancer.”
“Let me guess, cheerleader?” one of the other guys says.
I’m embarrassed by the attention. “No, I teach Zumba sometimes when the regular instructor can’t be there, but I’m not–”
“What’s a ‘Zumba?’” The second guy asks.
“I know Zumba,” the guy with the long ponytail says. “It’s kind of a dance, workout thing. I've seen girls doing it at the gym. Lots of hip action, very sexy.” He demonstrates a couple of hip swivels.
“Nice,” Rob hoists his glass in a toast to his friend. “What about it, Jess? Let’s see if you have moves to get our heart rates up.”
I pull back, “I don’t think–”
"Jess," Brad's expression is tight, "you should dance."
I look back at the crowded dance floor. "I'm not sure--"
“Another round of liquid courage for the lady,” Rob snaps his fingers toward the bar and the guy with the ponytail and Latin hips gets me another drink, this one is dark and reddish. Not as sweet as the first one. More of a kick. My head already feels strange, my face flushes and my blood goes warm as I finish the second drink.
The music changes to a song I’ve used in my class before. Rob pulls me toward the dance floor. "You got this."
I start to move a little, copying moves from class, swinging my hips to the beat.
"Like this?" Ponytail Guys asks.
"Kind of," I demonstrate again. The other guys join us and suddenly I'm giving a full-on Zumba lesson. The guys are laughing and I'm having fun. I’m dancing in the middle of their circle. A few songs in, I stop being embarrassed by the attention. I feel free, sexy–wanted. I stop caring and drink whatever is handed to me.
My head is so full of fog and music that I forget about Jacob. To hell with him. To hell with the future and grades and money and college. Nothing matters but tonight.
