Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

September 28th, 2002 (Saturday)

         After school yesterday, I was standing at my locker putting books in my bag when a shadow fell over me.  I looked up to see who had caused it and felt my face turn rosy as I gazed into Kevin’s olive eyes.  I saw deep dimples appear when he smiled at me.

         “Hey.  I’m having a small party tonight and wondered if you wanted to come.  You can bring Rachel if you want,” he said.

         “Oh, really?  That sounds like fun.  I’ll see if Rachel wants to come, but I’ll be there either way,” I blushed.

         “Great!  It starts at eight.  Write down your new address and I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said, handing me a piece of paper he tore out of his notebook.

         I took the crumpled piece of paper from him and jotted the information down.  I felt our hands touch briefly when I gave him the paper back. 

         “Okay, great.  I’ll see you then,” I said.

         I picked up my book bag, slammed the locker shut, and headed off to meet with Rachel to walk to the buses together.

         “You’re going?  I thought…” Rachel paused, glancing around to see who might overhear them.

         “What?”

         “Well, I thought we were kinda, you know… together,” she whispered.

         “Oh.  It’s just a party.  Nothing’s gonna happen.”

         “Yeah, okay.  I’m not going though,” Rachel said, “I’m not into senior parties anyway.  They’re all about booze and sex.  That's the only reason a junior would ever get invited anyway.”

         “You said that’s the best kind of party,” I joked.

“Whatever,” Rachel replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

         “Well, I’m gonna go.  I’ll just call my mom when I get home and tell her that I’m going to your house.  She’s been working late this week, so no biggie.  She’ll never know.”

         “Fine,” Rachel mumbled before getting on the bus.

         I walked a little further down the line of buses and climbed on mine.  I knew my plans for the night bothered Rachel, but I just had to go to that party!

***

         “Hey Mom, Rachel asked me to come over to her house tonight to study for a test we’re having Monday.  Is that okay?” I said into the phone, crossing my fingers that she would say yes.

         “I guess so.  I’m not going to leave work until nine tonight.  You can have dinner at the Patterson’s this way, too.  Be home no later than eleven, though,” Mom said.

         “Okay.  I’ll see you tonight then.  Have a good night at work.  I love you,” I said, pumping my fists in the air.  After Mom said her goodbye, I hung up the phone and went to my bedroom to pick out an outfit for the party that night.

         After I had finished getting ready, I glanced in the mirror and unbuttoned the top two buttons of my black satin blouse.  A few minutes later, I heard the doorbell ringing; Kevin had arrived.  I opened the door and smiled at him.

         “Hey.  I just have to get my coat.  Come on in,” I said, moving aside to allow him room to walk through the door.  I could smell his invigorating cologne when he passed by me.

         “Nice place,” he commented as he sat down on the overstuffed tan couch.

         I went into my room and picked up my soft leather jacket.  When I walked back into the living room, Kevin stood up and walked over to me.  He wrapped his arms around my waist and slowly leaned into me, lightly pressing his lips against mine.  His lips were full and soft and then he slipped his tongue between my parted lips.

         After the kiss, I gently put my hands on his muscled chest and leaned back to gaze into those emerald eyes.

         “I’ve wanted to do that for such a long time.  You’re just so beautiful,” he told me, his voice softer than usual.

         “I’ve had a crush on you ever since I started high school,” I mumbled.

         “Well, let’s go.  I’ve got a lot of people I want you to meet,” he told me, bending down to pick up the jacket I had dropped during our kiss.

         When we got to his car, a cherry red Mustang, he opened the passenger door to let me in.  We held hands all the way to his house, and he gently brushed my fingers with his lips every so often.

***

         After we arrived at the party and I had met some of his friends, we danced to a few slow songs and laughed as his best friend told raunchy jokes.  I was getting thirsty, so I excused myself and walked into the kitchen of the apartment Kevin shares with two long-time friends.

         “What’s your poison?” a guy whose name I had forgotten asked as he filled a glass with ice.

         “I’ll take a coke,” I informed him as I leaned against the counter.

         “A coke and…” he said, gesturing to several bottles that had their labels ripped off.

         “Oh.  Um… just a coke,” I repeated, thrown off by his willingness to serve me.

         “You sure?  We’ve got everything… rum, vodka, whiskey, Everclear,” he stated, pointing to each bottle as he named them off.

         Kevin came up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

         “Make it a rum and coke,” he said, winking at me.

         “Okay, a rum and coke then,” I shrugged.

         I accepted the combination from his friend and took a hesitant sip.  I felt the drink warming my throat as I swallowed it.

         “Not too bad,” I said, sounding more experienced than I truly am.

         Kevin poured himself a glass of coke and added a bit of the clear alcohol to it and took a long gulp from it.  He smiled at me and nodded in agreement.

         “Let’s go outside so we can talk,” he offered as he opened the sliding door that lead to the private balcony.

         I walked outside and took a seat on the cold iron chair.  Kevin joined me at the table and we enjoyed our drinks as we talked about their interests, the most popular music, and the latest blockbuster hit.  Once we had finished our drinks, he went inside to refill them.

         “I was wondering, do you have a date for the dance next month?” he asked me when he returned.

         “Oh!  No, not yet,” I muttered.

         “Well, would you like to go with me?”

         “That’d be great,” I took a large gulp of my drink and sat it on the table.

         “Awesome.  I think it starts at six, so I’ll pick you up at five thirty.  There’s gonna be an after party at Greg’s that night at eight.”

         “Okay.”

         Kevin glanced at his gold and diamond watch and said, “It’s ten thirty, guess we’d better get you home.”

         “Yeah,” I agreed, tipping my drink back to finish it.

***

         We held hands all the way to my house.  Once Kevin had parked his car in the parking lot, he reached into the console and offered me a piece of gum.  I glanced at it and cocked an eyebrow at him.

         “So your mom can’t smell the alcohol on your breath,” he explained.

         I took a piece and popped it into my mouth.  He leaned over to kiss me again, and I felt his hand move higher on my thigh.  I gently pulled away from the kiss, said goodbye to him, and we kissed once more.  I got out of the car and started the trek up to my apartment on shaky legs.

         Mom glanced up as I came through the door and said, “Did you have fun at Rachel’s?”

         “A blast,” I said, feeling bad for fibbing.

          I replayed the night in my mind several times before sleep finally came late last night.

***

         Mom had to work today, so Rachel came over to keep me company.  After we had lunch together, I told her about the party last night, and a small frown appeared on her face.

         “So, are you two an item now?”

         “No, we’re just goin’ to the dance together,” I said.

         “Oh.  It’s just that after everything that’s happened with us lately, I thought we were kind of a thing now.”

         “It’s not like we can go to the dance together, Rach.  I mean, seriously, what would everyone say?  What would our moms say?”

         “I dunno.  I don’t really care though.  I like you!  They can just kiss my ass.”

         “I like you, too.  I’m just not ready for a full on relationship with you.  We’re friends, let’s just keep it that way for a while.”

         “Oh, what, until you sleep with Kevin?”

         “Rach, that’s not gonna happen!  It’s just that I don’t want everyone at school going around calling us lesbians.”

         “Ohmigawd, it’s not a big deal!  We like each other!”

         “Well I’ve liked Kevin for a long time and I’m glad he asked me to the dance!  I -”

         “Just forget it,” she shrieked, jumping from the bed.  She snatched the phone and called her mom and asked her to come pick her up.  While we waited for her mom to arrive, I tried to reason with her, but she sat with her arms crossed, fuming the whole time.

         I don’t know what to do.  I do like Rachel, but it’s not like we can really be a couple.  Our moms wouldn’t understand, and everyone at school would tease us without end.