Page 23 of My Best Years
After gulping down a few glasses, I still feel as sober as ever. I need to get the hell out of here.
I’ve danced with a few girls tonight, all of which I forced myself to get through. They probably thought I was uninterested or rude, and they would be right to think that because I couldn't keep my eyes off Birdie and Mason. I couldn't see much through the crowded dance floor, but each time I caught a glimpse of Mason’s arm wrapped tightly around Birdie’s waist, I wanted to ram my fist through a wall.
It’s later in the evening, and the DJ has switchedfrom playing slow ballads to club music. I have no interest in staying for a grind fest, so I guess that’s my cue to go. I should have left hours ago because the one girl I want to dance with is already taken.
And now I’m thinking about what it might be like to have her grinding on me.
Jesus.
I shake the unholy thought from my head, slipping my arms through the sleeves of my suit jacket and head for the back door. When I step outside, the frigid wind blows against my cheeks. It’s fifty-seven degrees outside, which is pretty damn cold for Myrtle Beach. Light clouds cover the dark sky with patches of stars peeking through. The parking lot is lit by dim moonlight and flickering lamp posts outlining the asphalt.
My house is only a few blocks from where the dance is being held at the community center, so I decided to walk. There was no way in hell that I was going to ask my parents to drive me. Luckily, my father leaves early in the morning for a work trip, so he was in bed by the time I snuck out.
Right as I’m about to step from the parking lot to the sidewalk, I hear a sweet voice call out my name.
“Callum!”the voice bellows like a song.“Cal, wait!”
I spin around to find Birdie walking towards me, her blue dress casting shimmers against the dark asphalt and sea of cars. She’s like a disco ball, making everything around her look mesmerizing instead of gray and dull.
How did she know that I left? Was she watching me as closely as I was watching her?
The thought has my adrenaline spiking.
Still unable to comprehend how gorgeous she looks, I swallow down the lump in my throat and try to slow my breathing.
“Hey, Birdie,” I clear my throat. “What’s up?”
She stops a few feet away from me, slightly out of breath.
“Where are you going?” she asks. “There’s still a couple of hours left until the dance ends.”
“Eh,” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m kind of over it. I don’t really think high school dances are my thing.”
Liar. That’s a lie.
I’m sure I’d be having a blast tonight if Birdie was the girl swaying in my arms.
“What about you?” I question. “Why aren’t you in there with your boyfriend?”
Her lips turn up in a knowing smirk at how the word “boyfriend” rolls off my tongue. Though I was trying to be subtle, I clearly just showed my cards, revealing every bit of jealousy I feel inside.
With a shit-eating grin still stretched across her face, she folds her arms over her chest and scoffs.
“Well,” she sighs, “I think I just broke up with him by kicking him in the nuts.”
My brows shoot up to my hairline as my jaw hangs open.
What the hell?
“Youwhat?” I blurt out in shock.
She chuckles at my surprise.
“After I asked him three times to stop grabbing my butt, he still didn’t stop. People were starting to stare, and it was making me uncomfortable. It was like he was trying to stake a claim over me or something,” she grumbles. “So when he did it a fourth time, I kneed him right in the balls.”
I tangle my hands in my hair and open my mouth wide in disbelief. I’ve never been so damn proud of her in my entire life. I’ve also never been more amused.
“Oh my God,” I exhale, half laughing as I pull at my curls. “That’s fucking awesome.”