Page 12 of Before I Tell You

I chug the beer I already have in my hand and toss the can to the side. Tim hands me one of the cups, and I gladly accept without asking what it contains.

I head to the living room area and recognize a few people who were here last night, including the tan brunette in the hot pink strapless dress.

Shit.

A memory comes back to me within an instant, and I definitely recognize her now. She is hot. That’s obvious. But the girl blew up my phone as soon as I left the house this afternoon, so I finally had to shut it off to get some peace and quiet.

“Fuck,” I say out loud, making a few heads turn in my direction.

I had given Natalie my number this afternoon to call me in case she wanted to come out tonight, and like a dumbass, I had shut my phone off. Quickly, I pull it out of my pocket before taking a seat on the small, familiar couch (aka the couch I used as my bed last night) and turn it back on. But I have no missed calls or texts from her.

I instantly feel, well, I’m not exactly sure. I’ve never checked my phone hoping to see a message from a particular girl before. So, I think this feeling is called … disappointment?

“What’s with the face?” Steven asks as he takes the little available space next to me on the couch. He smells like weed, and looking into his glossy red eyes lets me know he’s as high as a kite.

“Nothing. I just realized I never signed up for my classes today.” I put my phone back in my pocket and take a chug from the drink in my hand.

“Screw classes!” Steven yells, clearly already trashed.

“Yeah, everyone knows it’s about the PARTIES!” His sidekick, Kevin, who is now sitting on the other side of Steven, forcefully yells so that everyone can hear him. He gets cheers from a lot of wasted people standing nearby as he chugs the rest of his drink and then proceeds to smash the can on top of his head.

“Real nice,” I say. These two makeDumb and Dumberlook smart.

“What’s your problem?” Kevin asks.

“Nothing, I’m going to go get another drink.” I make my way to the kitchen and fill my cup up with the dark liquid concoction in the punch bowl. I’m about to leave the room when I hear a familiar voice.

“Well, there you are.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Veronica, hi,” I say, keeping my voice even as I turn around to face her.

“It’s Victoria,” she says with a sour look. She crosses her tan arms across her chest, pushing everything up and distracting me for a moment.

“That’s, umm, what I meant,” I lie.

“Well, Nate, you never returned any of my texts. What’s up with that?” She starts getting closer to me and uncrosses her arms so that she can put her hand on my bicep.

Ok, time to nip this in the ass.

“So, Victoria, last night was great. Really, it was. But I’m not looking for anything serious right now, and I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.” I run my hand through my hair, watching her reaction. “I hope that’s ok?” I can instantly tell that it is, in fact, not ok from how wide her eyes have suddenly become.

The chilling look on her face tells me precisely what is about to happen. She slaps me hard across the cheek, and I let her because I deserve it. I mean, we didn’t sleep together, just fooled around, but I still feel bad.

She storms off in a fit of anger as I take a swig from my drink. I’m used to girls always throwing themselves at me. I mean, I’m not blind. I know I’m a good-looking guy, but what I’m not used to is rejection.

And rejected is exactly how Natalie is making me feel.

God, she practically bolted out of that coffee shop this afternoon, and I don’t know why. Shaking my head, I try to get her image out of my mind but fail.

Why can’t I stop thinking about her?

I look down at my phone and notice it’s getting late, so I walk back to the room where the couches are to find a place to sit. Unfortunately, when I get there, all the seats are full. As I look around, I see the place getting packed with bodies of young, drunk, and horny people, so I go to the backyard to get some air.

I spot a stone wall on the far end of the yard and head over to it. I zip my pullover up as a slight gust of cold air whips around me, making me wish I had worn an actual coat tonight. Sitting on the stone wall, I bring my drink up to my lips and turn my eyes up toward the clear night sky.

This is my favorite time of year in New England.

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