"And I'm sorry I called you a bitch," I offered once we stopped laughing.
"Don't worry," she assured me, "I'll be fine. I'll snap out of it. This party will help."
She was about to turn around, but then added, "I hope you know how lucky you are to have Evan. He would give up everything for you. You have no idea. So if you ever do anything to screw it up, I'll never talk to you again, got it?"
"Uh, yes," I responded, afraid if I answered differently she'd kick my ass. She smiled, her vibrant smile, instantly mending us.
We joined Jonathan for the fourth quarter. Sara took him up on his beer offer. The volume of the cheering rose to a whole new level with Sara as a spectator, so much so that my mother made a point of shutting her door. We looked at each other guiltily, but were dragged right back into the game moments later.
My mother had to miss two days of work to get over her illness, and right around then Jonathan disappeared, having contracted the flu himself. He stayed at his place as he fought through it. My mother was a bit of a wreck the rest of the week, until that Friday when he finally emerged from the land of the dead―right around the time I was about to enter it.
I spent the weekend at Sara's to prepare for the party, and to give my mother and Jonathan time to make up for lost … I didn't really want to think about it. It was hard to be all romantic and sentimental when thinking about my mother and her boyfriend―and while hanging torn hearts and blood-dripping arrows.
12. "F" Valentine's Day
"This is a little Goth, don't you think?" I questioned as Sara heavily lined my lids in black.
"Exactly," Sara smirked. "Here, just put this on and you'll be all set."
"You want me to wear black lipstick? I didn't realize this was a costume party."
Sara rolled her eyes. "Just put it on. I know you won't be kissing Evan if your lips are black." I scowled and grabbed the lipstick from her hand.
I finished getting dressed while Sara was in the bathroom. She hadn't shown me what she was wearing, and I just about fell off the bed when she emerged from the bathroom.
"How are guys not going to want to grope you dressed like that?" I gawked at Sara's skintight wet black leather pants and black corset top that accentuated … everything.
"I didn't say I had to play fair, did I?" Sara grinned, her lips glossed brightly in red. I shook my head, feeling like a henchman to her goddess in my girly black outfit. She handed me a red plastic gun. "Here."
"And what am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, tilting it in my hand.
"Any contact between a guy and a girl, squirt them," she instructed.
"Sara, I can't squirt people with water for touching!"
"Emma, come on―you promised!"
"I'm going to die," I groaned, plodding down the stairs in my black knee high go-go boots. Sara stayed upstairs to lock everything down, so people couldn't wander into bedrooms to defy the rules―and be inappropriate on her parents' bed.
"Is this night over yet?" I grunted upon entering the McKinleys' entertainment room where Evan was programming the music.
"Wow," he gaped, eyeing me from head to toe, swallowing hard. "How am I supposed to not touch you dressed like a Goth school girl? Sara's sick."
"What?" I balked. "You like this?"
"I'd have to be dead not to think you looked hot," he grinned, "and even then … "
"Omigod," I groaned. "Are you kidding me?"
Evan slid his hands around my exposed waist and ran his lips along my neck. My head swirled as I released a defenseless breath. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him back, but I was a prisoner to Sara's black lipstick. He ran his hand along my stomach and breathed in my ear, making my knees weak.
I needed to escape before I melted. "I think I need to walk away or I'll throw all Sara's rules out the window."
Evan grinned. "Rules end at midnight," he proclaimed as I entered the kitchen.
"Who says?" I yelled back.
"I do."
I smiled.
Sara was sick! Unbeknownst to me, she'd put the message out to the girls to dress as vixens, all in black―but neglected to warn the guys. So not only was this a "look but don't touch" party, but she was playing dirty.
Let's just say as soon as the guys saw what was waiting for them, there were a lot of refills at the keg. That was the other rule: if you drank, you had to spend the night and your car keys were collected.
The guest list was extensive but exclusive. Cameras and cell phones were banned and collected along with keys. Picture taking was strictly forbidden. Underclassmen were not allowed, although some tried to crash. Evan and Kyle, Jill's boyfriend from Syracuse, manned the door―filling the bouncer roles perfectly. They broke a lot of freshmen hearts, shutting the door in their faces after the pathetic creatures got a glimpse of what they weren't going to be a part of.