The Boy Who Broke Me

The Night

                                                                                          MADISON

My heart pounds and flutters up into my throat as his fingertips graze the side of my neck. His lips barley part as he brings his mouth closer, brushing them against mine. 

"I have a boyfriend." I whisper.

He moves his fingers downward, tracing along the side of my neck, past my collarbone, and over the strap to my tank. Looping it between his fingers, he slowly starts to pull it over my shoulder. 

"I told you, I don't care." He whispers into my mouth. Every part of me comes alive and I know I can't resist him anymore, no matter how wrong it feels. 

                                                                             TWO MONTHS EARLIER

I can't believe Bennet found this place" Emily mutters for the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes.

Her voice is monotone and robotic as she tilts her head back, holding her mouth in a weird position, and putting on mascara in my mirror. I can tell she is excited because she's been talking even more than usual tonight. Emily talks up a storm on a typical day, but when she's excited the storm moves into full hurricane mode.

"Yeah, I guess he's been there a couple times already" I say. "He says they never card anyone."

Pulling my dress up over my hips, I pause to inspect my body in the mirror. I still wish that I had more curves, but I'll admit that my outfit looks good on me. There's no chance that Emily could have talked me into wearing this dress a year ago, but seeing it on myself tonight, I almost feel confident. The red looks nice against my hair and it's tight enough to be sexy without being uncomfortable.

"Damn girl!" Emily whistles, "Bennet better look out or I'm going to be all over you tonight!"

"Shut up!" I laugh, feeling myself blush. "Anyway, where's that vodka you brought?"

"Right here, sister" she yells, pulling a clear bottle from her purse. She sticks her tongue out at me before taking a long pull. Lifting it high in the air, she gets down three good swallows before gagging and quickly chasing it with a can of diet soda. "Here, we won't be able to get drinks in there so hurry up. Take some of this gum too so the bouncer won't smell it on you."

The vodka tastes cold and aseptic as I hold my nose and swallow it down. I try to get it over with as fast as possible so that I can swallow it without gagging. I've never been able to stand the taste of alcohol but it's still way better than beer. Somehow it makes it down my throat and into my stomach, but I taste it again as I exhale through my nose. The smell invades my nostrils, making me shudder, so I reach for the soda and chug it down. After two shots the vodka taste is still lingering in my sinuses, but Emily is right. The chaser does help.

Emily and I wait for Ben to pick us up, talking excitedly and passing the bottle back and forth as we sit together on my floor. After a few minutes, a warm sensation starts to pool under my skin, making me feel lightheaded and sleepy. I take a few more sips off the bottle, totally focused on what Emily is saying. So focused, in fact, that when Bennet pulls up in front of my house, he has to honk four times before either of us hears him.

"Shut up, Ben! We're coming!" Emily shouts through my open window. "God Maddy, why does your boyfriend have to be such a jerk all the time?"

I roll my eyes dramatically, bringing myself to a wobbly stance. "Come on, let's go." I say, trying to walk out the door but bumping into the wall instead.

"OK, tiger. No more drinks for you!" Emily laughs, steering me by the shoulders out the door.

Laughing like an idiot, I take Emily's hand in mine and together we made our way outside. I struggle to stay upright in my heels and stumble across the cobblestone driveway toward Ben's car. Emily throws open her door and jumps into the backseat, spilling the contents of her purse everywhere. A look of disgust flashes across Bennet's face as he watches her, but I do my best to pretend I didn't notice. Trying to act sober, I slide up front with him, awkwardly pulling the door shut next to me. Apparently, Emily either doesn't notice or doesn't care about Ben's attitude because she keeps laughing and hiccupping, crawling across the floormat and trying to sweep all her stuff back into her purse.

Ben's switches his attention to me, his face returning to neutral. "Hey beautiful."

Wanting to ease the tension, I lean forward and press my mouth against his. His lips are cool and firm against mine and they remind me of being a little kid when I would practice kissing on oranges. Kissing Ben has never given me fireworks or anything, but it's still nice. I put my hand on the back of his head, but he quickly pulls away from me, looking annoyed.

"Gross, Madison. That alcohol smells super strong."

"Oh... um... sorry" I manage to stammer out, embarrassed and blindly digging in my purse for some of the gum Emily gave me. Bennet shifts back in his seat and turns his attention back to Emily.

"Alright Em," he says while rolling his eyes, "hurry up so we can get there before the other bouncer shows up."

"Jesus, Bennet relax!" She shouts, finally sitting up and buckling her seatbelt. "It's not even ten o'clock yet."

Ben checks his phone and sends a few texts before we finally start heading out of my driveway. Cruising out of my neighborhood, we drive with the top down and the music all the way up. Emily and I sing along as the summer breeze rushes across my face and over my shoulders, sending chills up my spine. Normally Bennet hates when we sing in his car, but even he's in a better mood now. I feel amazing, like anything could happen tonight and all of the stars are in alignment. Ever since we were little, Emily has told me a million times that people are jealous of me. Tonight, in this moment, I finally believe her.