Charm and Consequence (Novella) - By Stephanie Wardrop Page 0,17
until he looks up, sees me, smiles, and beckons Tori and me over.
“It’s called a monkey wrench,” he says with a wink as he hands us each a red plastic cup. “I just invented it.”
“What’s in it?” Tori asks as she sniffs hers. I do, too. Whatever unholy concoction Jeremy’s devised, it smells like paint thinner and grape Kool Aid.
Jeremy shakes his head and pats his chest where his breast pocket would be if he had one. “That is a trade secret,” he says.
He’s looking at me expectantly, so I sip mine. It doesn’t taste as bad as it smells. Still, Jeremy made it, for me, and he seems boyishly pleased with it, so I take an actual swallow and give him the thumbs up.
Tori, on the other hand, is choking on hers, her eyes watering as she waves one hand as if to fend off the force of the drink.
“It’s strong, George,” she whispers and Jeremy laughs.
“I can tone down the next round, if you want,” he offers.
“I’ll just have a diet Coke,” Tori sputters and Jeremy’s grin lights up the dark paneled basement rec room. He hands me Tori’s cup and I swallow some of it. His grin broadens and brightens by several lumens while I will my stomach not to protest as I force some more noxious liquid into it. I don’t do parties very well–I never know what to say to people. But I am pretty sure that if I can force down enough of this liquid that problem will be solved. Instant charm, now in a plastic cup! Just add alcohol!
Tori sighs and stands on tiptoes to see over the crowd, then tugs on my sleeve and says, “I’m going over there to talk to Darien for a minute, okay?”
I nod happily and survey the crowd as she gets swallowed in it. It’s hard to distinguish individual bodies among those packed into Jason Antin’s basement, but I recognize some people from my Spanish and bio classes. Airborne Toxic Event is playing loudly over the speakers mounted in the corners and there’s the persistent thump thump thump of a different bass line playing upstairs. I can hear the feet of people on the floor above and wonder for a second if they will crash through and what it would be like if they all landed on my head. I don’t find the possibility at all alarming. The monkey wrench packs quite a kick.
Jeremy leans across the bar and pulls my hands into his. His eyes are so bright blue now and the room suddenly feels so hot and it’s getting hard to breathe.
“Ready for another?” he asks.
“Ready.”
He releases my hands to begin mixing more of his potion and I catch the twitter of two girls at the end of the bar. I’m trying to concentrate on what they are saying when another voice cuts through.
“Hey, Georgia.”
I turn to see Michael, and since I’m feeling all warm and tingly I call out as if he were across the room, “Hey, Michael. Have a monkey wrench!”
“Monkey wrench?” he repeats, then glowers when Jeremy pops up from behind the bar, proffering drinks. “Oh.”
“Endicott.”
“Wrentham.”
Jeremy comes around to my side of the bar and leans in to me slightly to say, “You want to go somewhere and talk?” I can feel his breath tickle the back of my neck and I shiver happily.
“Sure!” I giggle and stumble a bit as I hop off the stool I had just landed on. Michael extends a hand to steady me but I shake it off. “I’ll see you later,” I promise him. “Tori’s here, over with Darien.”
Jeremy takes my arm and we twist through the crowd and go upstairs. We end up in the living room, which is less packed than the basement now. One couple is so entangled on the striped couch across from the one we sit on that I can’t tell who they are and my stomach drops in woozy anticipation of a similar melding with Jeremy. I vaguely hope that Tori is having fun downstairs and doesn’t come up soon and then Jeremy’s lips are on my neck and I don’t think about anything at all for once. Not even looking like Leigh did after an evening on our couch with Alistair the Sea Lamprey.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” he is whispering into my throat and I try to hold back a gasp of pleasure. Soon I am no longer aware of anything but feeling dizzy and breathless and good.