Page 7 of The Second Kiss
“Not on our team, the Badgers.” We follow her gaze to the mob of gray jerseys walking off the field. Number twenty-three waves to her. “I got to the school when they were getting off the bus. We talked for a couple of minutes, and he asked me to hang out with him after the game.”
“Isn’t that kind of like being a traitor?” Taryn says.
“I like to think of it as improving community relations,” Jasmine says. “Besides, we totally decimated them. I’m sure he could use some cheering up.”
“You aren’t going to the party?” I ask, not quite able to believe she's deserting me.
“Nope,” Jasmine answers.
“I can’t go alone, maybe you could bring him with you.” I’m getting desperate.
“Yeah, great idea,” Jasmine pops her gum. “Only I don’t want him to get beat up. What part of ‘opposing team’ and ‘rivals’ do you not get?”
“Then you come, please Taryn,” I beg. Maybe I could find her something else to wear.
She’s already shaking her head. “Parties aren’t my thing. And there’s no way my parents would let me go, anyway.”
“You’ll be fine,” Jasmine says. “Brad will be there to protect you.”
“Jess,” Shel calls from the edge of the bleachers. “There you are. Are you coming to the party or what?”
“Looks like you have a ride,” Jasmine says. “Have fun. Don’t drinkanything. Stay out of the bedrooms. And find a bathroom so you can fix your face as soon as you get there. Your eyeliner is smeared under your right eye. Let me know how it goes.” She walks away, and Taryn follows her.
I’m left to Shel, Lexie, and the rest of them. I hope I survive until Brad gets to the party.
five
Overheard
My first real party. So this is what I've been missing my entire high school career. The music is loud. The room is packed with bodies and filled with a haze of smoke. I push through the crowd and duck into a bathroom a few feet from where Lexie and her entourage are laughing as they pass judgment on everyone around them.
I’m concentrating on my eyeliner when their voices seep through the half-open door.
“Where did you get them?” It's Shel. Her voice is always squeaky, but it raises a couple of octaves in disbelief.
“Shh, we don’t want her to hear.” Lexie—I would know her voice in my sleep, or rather in my nightmares.
"What are you going to do with them?" Another girl's voice, one I don't recognize.
Their voices lower to a murmur. I lean against the door, straining to hear. Maybe I'm paranoid. I'm sure they're talking about me.
“They’re so small. Do you think they’ll do anything?” Shel’s voice again.
“They’ll do the trick, especially with that one. She’s so naive. I bet she’s never even drunk before.” Lexie's tinkle of laughter has been directed at me too many times for me not to recognize it.
What are they talking about? Who are they talking about?
“How are you going to do it?”
"He just has to get it in her drink. One of these slipped into her beverage of choice, and it's goodnight, princess. She won’t remember a thing.”
He? I lean against the door, more for support now than to hear. Are they talking about me? Are they talking about myhe?Brad can’t be in on this. He would never do anything to hurt me. This is all Lexie.
The easy score.
Or would he? I stand in front of the mirror, suddenly unsure of everything—my relationship with Brad, the reason Shel offered me a ride, what I'm even doing here. My hands search my throat for the locket, but all I find is the gold choker. When I slide my fingers underneath it to rub the chain between my fingers, the chain is rough against my thumb, and the clasp digs into the back of my neck.
The front door slams. Someone yells over the pounding of the music. It sounds like the party has tripled in size. The football team is here. Brad’s voice rises above the calls of “good game!” and “awesome play!” and "that was epic!"
