"Cam!" she shouted as we continued walking. I looked around unsure of who she was waving to. At that same moment, a tall skinny guy walked up to us with a wide grin, bending down to scoop Savanna into his arms. Cam had ink-black chin length hair that he tucked behind his ear, a silver hoop in both his eyebrow and lip. He had large gages in each earlobe and a colorful snake tattooed down his left arm. The tail wrapped around his skinny bicep, the snake's mouth traveling down to his hand, it's mouth opened and baring teeth between his thumb and index finger.
He put Savanna down and she made introductions. I smiled up at him as I took his extended hand and shook it, trying my best to hide my surprise at the dark eyeliner heavily rimmed around each of his eyes.
"What's he dressed up as?" I asked Savanna as we walked back to the table with Cam following behind us.
"Oh, he came straight from work so he didn't have time to put on a costume." She replied.
I thought I had known Savanna's type after her brief fling with Ollie but it turns out she doesn't have one. Although, judging by Cam's looks alone I wouldn't be surprised if he was also a heavy pot smoker. Perhaps she has a thing for stoners, I thought to myself.
When we got back to the table I was pleased to see that Jackie was gone but then saw that Wes was, too, and any brief happiness that I had felt faded. There were girls walking around holding a tray of shot glasses filled with a pink liquid and Luke motioned one over and gave her a fifty-dollar bill for the whole tray. The girl looked unsure at first but when she saw the cash she just shrugged and walked off. We all reached over and grabbed a shot, clinking our glasses together and laughing. Remembering Wes had left with that Jackie chick killed my spirits for the third time tonight. I grabbed another shot and poured it back, barely finishing it before I was reaching for another.
"Uh oh, someone's getting trashed tonight." I rolled my eyes at Luke's comment and reached for one more but it was snatched from my hand before I could bring it to my mouth.
"Save some for everyone else, drunky!" I blinked as Wes slid into the seat beside me and nudged my shoulder with his. I just glared at him, knowing that I might not be able to control what comes out of my mouth at the moment. He titled his head back and swallowed the pink liquid, chasing it down with the last of his Budweiser.
I turned away from him, too pissed off to look at him, and found myself watching Savanna interact with Cam. She looked like her usual, bubbly self but I caught something flash in her eyes that I knew no one else had seen. I couldn't place the emotion but it seemed misplaced. I watched as Cam leaned down close to her ear and whisper something before he got up and marched off towards the bar. Savanna frowned but immediately shook it off, a wide grin stretching across her face when I raised an eyebrow at her. I shrugged and went back to my drink taking slow sips, not allowing myself another one.
"Baby Spice, huh? I would've taken you as more of a Scary Spice kinda girl." Wes whispered playfully in my ear from the seat beside me. He was leaning in close enough that I could smell his familiar scent and feel the heat of his breath across my skin. I leaned away from him and turned my face towards him so that I could level him with a glare. He narrowed his eyes at me in confusion and tilted his head, his eyes searching me. I kept my face void of emotion.
"What's your problem tonight?" he asked.
"I don't know, where's your slutty schoolgirl?" I shot back at him before I could stop myself. The jealousy clear in my voice, I quickly snapped my mouth shut. His eyes widened for a moment, his gaze never leaving mine. I felt a blush creep onto my skin and twisted away from him, pretending to be captivated by the sea of people on the dance floor.
"I wouldn't know. I told her to leave." He said, his words firm.
"Whatever." I grabbed my drink and left the table needing to give myself distance from him.
I roamed around for a few minutes before stepping outside for some fresh air. My skin was starting to sweat from the heat and I hadn't even danced yet. I pushed through groups of smokers and leaned back against the brick of the building. The night air felt good on my skin and I took a deep, relaxing breath.
"Gimme two, I'm no rookie, man." I froze at the voice and spun to my left to see Cam handing two twenty-dollar bills to a guy I had never seen before. The guy placed two blue pills in Cam's hand and I watched as he brought them up to his mouth and swallowed them dry.
"Thanks, bro." The guy nodded in acknowledgment and walked back inside of the club. Cam turned and noticed me standing there, frozen. He took in my expression and smirked, but there was no amusement in his eyes. Just a hard, cold stare as he took a couple of steps towards me until I was backed up against the wall and we were toe to toe. He narrowed his eyes down at me and I felt goose bumps cover my skin at the harshness of his glare. This Cam was so different from the one I had been introduced to.
"Our little secret?" I was too stunned to respond and his jaw clenched at my silence. He leaned his face closer to mine. "Right?"
He spoke louder than before, taking me by surprise, and I flinched. He snickered at my reaction and shook his head in disgust looking me from head to toe before heading back inside.
"C'mon, Brookey Baby, you know you want to." His once endearing nickname filled me with disgust. His words were playful but his tone was forceful. I suppressed the sob that was climbing up my throat.
"Fuckin' do it, Brookelyn!" He yelled with his face close enough to mine that I could feel droplets of saliva hit me in the face from the forcefulness of his shout.
I shook my head no longer able to contain my tears or the violent sobs that racked through my body. As soon as I felt the tears hit my cheeks a sharp pain went through my head as he grabbed me forcefully by my hair and yanked it downward so that my face was tilted up to his. I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him in the eyes and so the sharp sting that shot through my cheek took me by surprise. I whimpered and reluctantly opened my eyes. He grabbed my jaw roughly between his fingers.
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKIN' TO YOU!" He bellowed before delivering another hard slap to my face.
"I...I'm s-sorry!" I cried, knowing that there was no way I could get away from him.
His eyes flickered with amusement but quickly shifted back to the fury filled depths.
"No, you're not. But you will be."
He hit me again only this time his hand was closed into a fist. A throbbing pain sliced through my skull and I felt warmth trickle down my lip before he pushed me backwards onto his bed.
"Brookelyn?" Wes's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to find him slide up beside me, lighting a cigarette. "You okay?"
"Mhm, just getting some fresh air." He looked at me a moment but accepted my answer, taking another drag.
"You looked like you just saw a ghost." He said.
"I did." I nodded my head and he turned his head in the direction of my nod, letting out a hoot of laughter. There was a guy in front of us wearing a bed sheet with the eyes and mouth cut out, clearly dressed as a ghost.
"Ya know, you're pretty funny when you're not too busy glaring at me." He said, giving me a sideways glance.
I sighed, "Sorry about that."
He took one last drag of his cigarette and flicked it to the ground, blowing the smoke from his lungs. He stepped closer to me and squinted his eyes slightly as he studied me. He bent his head, a crooked smile playing on his lips, and moved his eyes up to mine, peering at me through his lashes. Then closed the distance between us and reached towards my face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered on my cheek, softly, and his gaze traveled lower until he was staring at my lips. My breathing hitched when he brushed his thumb gently over my bottom lip. I felt that familiar flutter in my chest and all thoughts of Jackie had disappeared. He looked back into my eyes, and his own were slightly hooded from desire.
"Do you have any idea how badly I want to kiss these lips?" his thumb brushed over my bottom lip again, and then the top. I swallowed; all words lost on me, I shook my head once.
"It takes all of my strength to stop myself." He whispered, and it as almost as if he was reminding himself. "Because I can't kiss you."
"Why?" I whispered back, my own gaze locked on his lips and the smoothness of his jaw. He had shaved today, and it looked good on him, but I missed the shadow.