are standing around a bar—or more accurately a stack of Solo cups, various bottles of booze, and a few liters of soda and fruit punch.
I give Ry a hug and stumble a little. His eyes go wide on my feet. “Hot shoes.”
“Thanks. When did you get here?”
His gaze slides from my peep-toe heels, up my jeggings, to my translucent black long-sleeved shirt, which I’ve paired with nothing but a black push up bra. His mouth twists and his eyebrows pinch together. Mumbled words fall from his lips, but I don’t catch them.
I lean in. “What?”
“Nothing.” The way he continues to scowl at my clothes makes me think he doesn’t approve of what I’m wearing.
Self-consciousness crawls over me, making me want to cover up with my arms, but then I look around. Mindy’s in a similar outfit, but her jeans are high-waisted, and she’s paired them with a barely there crop top. Some of the co-eds outside had on micro-minis and stilettos. What I’m wearing is modest in comparison.
“What’re you drinking?” Ryder motions to the booze.
“Vodka and fruit punch.” Mindy answers for me.
Ryder’s mouth pulls up on one side. “Long time, Min.”
Her cheeks flash pink, and she gives him a sultry grin. “Too long.”
I practically roll my eyes. These two have been fuck buddies for months, and every time they see each other it’s like the flame that flickers between them gets doused with gasoline.
She squeezes in close to talk with Ryder, and I scan the kitchen, looking for Clifford.
Ry hands me a drink, and I take a long pull of the puckery-sweet liquid.
“So, Axelle, how’s this semester treating you?” Theo, Ryder’s friend and band mate, pushes back his shaggy hair to reveal his piercing blue eyes.
“Great. You were right about History of World Religions. It’s a lot more entertaining than I thought it’d be.” Theo told me last semester that Professor Conway had a sexual analogy for everything. He wasn’t kidding.
He laughs. “Because the emergence of Eastern Religion was like gently prying open the dew-soaked petals of a flower, like…”
“Foreplay!” We say in unison.
“Shots!” Mindy hands me another Solo cup, this one filled with clear liquid that burns my nose.
May as well, I’m not driving. I throw back the shot, but it takes me three times to get it all down. I finish my punch and have one more while scanning the area, looking for Clifford. By the time I’m through with my second drink, I’m feeling a little foggy and a lot tired, and I have to pee.
“I’ll be right back!” I call to Mindy, who is curled up under Ryder’s arm. Guess she’s no longer worried about calling the football player.
I wander through the party to the bathroom, but there’s a line, so I search for a place to sit and rest. My ankles wobble with each step, and I use the narrow hallway walls to steady myself. I may have drunk too much. Again. I reach the end of the hallway when a sharp sting meets my ass.
“Ouch…” My response is delayed, but I rub the burn on my ass and look up into the hungry eyes of my boy—um…hookup, Clifford. “Hey, where’ve you been?”
He grips my hips and pulls me to him, and I have to tilt my head back to see his face. “You drunk yet?”
“Oh, yeah.” Stupid alcohol. “Happy Birthday.” I smirk and bat my eyelashes; although it doesn’t feel as sexy as I’d hoped. “I have a present for you.”
He hums and grips my backside hard enough to hurt, or I suppose it would hurt if I wasn’t numb. “Does it involve you naked and spread wide on my bed?”
“Umm…” I chew my lip.
He nuzzles my neck, and I get a whiff of what I’ve started calling his party smell. It’s not cigarettes or weed; it’s something else, like burning plastic.
I pull back and meet his eyes. “Where’ve you been?” He never did answer when I asked him before.
“Been partying, babe.” He jerks his head to get his bangs out of his eyes. “Where’ve you been?”
“Here.” God, I haven’t seen him all night, and now it’s like we’re interrogating each other. I frown.
“Let’s go make out.” He slides his tongue up my neck to my ear.
“Oh, um… I can’t.”
He stills and pulls back, his hold on me going slack. “What? Why not?”
“Happy Birthday.” I stick my tongue out to show him my piercing.
He narrows his eyes on it, and my stomach plummets at his lack of immediate excitement. “Well fuck, guess you won’t