The Line Between(4)

“Kennedy!” She yelled, drawing all of the attention to me.

So much for being incognito. “You’re here!”

The guys all looked at me, but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah,” I replied, sidling up to her. “Let’s get you home.”

I slipped her arm over my shoulders, and wrapped my arm around her waist. She’d obviously continued drinking after she called me, because her head lulled to the side, and her brown eyes were glazed over. Her mouth tipped into a silly smile, and she mumbled incoherent nothings in my face. Luckily we were the same height, both at five feet and six inches, so her body wasn’t too heavy. But when she was drunk, an anvil might have been easier to carry.

A hand wrapped around Jade’s free arm, and pulled, nearly sending us both tumbling to the floor.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I looked at the guy holding onto Jade, and noted that he wasn’t someone I recognized. His black hair was long, touching his shoulders, and he was dressed in swim trunks, and one of those Hawaiian shirts with the hideous palm tree print. It screamed “creep”.

Who the hell dresses like that nowadays?

“I’m taking my friend home,” I replied, trying not to sneer.

“I don’t think so. Your friend here said she was staying with me tonight.”

I looked at him incredulously. “Sorry buddy, not happening. Go find another girl, my friend’s not interested.”

With that I pushed past him, and moved towards the exit of the kitchen that led into the living room. The guy stepped in front of us, blocking my way out.

“How about you leave your friend here, and you and me go upstairs. You look like a whole lot more fun, baby.”

Ew.

I shuddered. “Not in this life time, or the next. Now move, before I render your,” I looked down at his crotch, and then back up, “appendage out of commission.”

He was about to say something, when we were interrupted.

“Leave her the fuck alone, Mark. Now.”

I pinched my eyes closed. I knew that voice. I used to be terrified of hearing it. And after more than a year, I had to admit that it still did funny things to me, turning my insides into a knot.

At least I was right about one thing. I wasn’t ready to see him.

The twatwaffle in front of me – Mark – lifted his hands up, and stepped to the side. “Sorry, Winters. I didn’t know she was with you.”

“She isn’t.” Dane’s voice was grave, and hard. The deep rumble with which he spoke made me shiver. I stood still, not entirely sure what to do, when I felt his presence at my back. He moved around, and then stood in front of me. His dark brown hair was cut short on the sides, and a little longer on top. Dressed in a blue polo shirt, and khaki’s, he looked every bit of the self-righteous, entitled douchebag he was. Only now, he looked bigger. His arms were thick with chorded muscle, his chest broader and more defined, and even his legs seemed longer. The boy who had made my life miserable for most of my teen years wasn’t there anymore. He was all man, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that he grew up nicely. It was a good look for him, asshole or not.

My natural instinct was to cower away from him, but that was the old me. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I straightened my stance, refusing to back down.

The room – actually no, the house – had grown quiet, nothing but soft murmurs mixed with the loud music. I could feel everyone watching us. The sudden shift in temperature made those little hairs below my hairline stand at attention. Dane was glaring at me, his ice blue eyes cold, intense, and unwavering. We locked gazes, and the room and its occupants fell away.

He stared. I stared right back. He smirked. I smirked too. And when his mouth dipped into that sinister grin, I clenched my fist to stop myself from dropping Jade to the floor and slapping it right off his face.

I broke the stare-off first, hating that so many eyes were on us. It was bad enough that people knew we hated each other; they didn’t need to witness it too.

“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to get Jade home.”

Dane didn’t move. He hadn’t even acknowledged that I’d spoken. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and Jades’ body seemed to get heavier as the seconds passed by. She’d obviously passed out on me. Awesome.

Dane’s chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm, and to anyone else it would appear that he was just looking at me. But what I saw, what I felt, was something entirely different, and more real. His nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed with a potent mixture of hatred and an emotion I couldn’t quite place. It was different, and not the way he used to look at me when we were still in school.