Summer of Experience

Chapter 8- Grace Equals Zero

Shit, shit, shit, double shit!

You have got to be kidding me right now? What are the chances that it would be this town? Out of all the little towns around the airport it had to be this one. I didn't know if I should jump up and down in excitement or throw up in absolute dread. I couldn't seem to stop the endless what ifs that seem to be plaguing my mind.

What if it meant nothing to him?

What if he was just doing it to get a good laugh?

What if one of these catty girls is his girlfriend?

They were endless and I was not getting any answers.

I don't know how long we stood there just staring at each other. After the realization that I was me and he was him, we were standing in silence, neither of us knowing what to say or do. Our audience of people seemed to be looking back and forth between the two of us as if they were watching an intense tennis match. No one willing to break the awkward silence that had settled over the group, while the party continued on in the background.

Not being able to take the intense eye contact anymore, I quickly ducked my head and studied my shoes. This one movement seemed to break everyone from the spell and Jason was the first to speak.

"You two know each other?" He asked giving Tyler a confused look.

I quickly looked up to meet Tyler's gaze again, waiting to hear his answer.

"Something like that" he said with a secret smirk on his face. This was by far my least favourite of his many smiles. This did not look like the Tyler I knew. And even though I had only known him for a few short hours it felt as if I got to see the real guy when we were on the plane.

And what the hell was "something like that"? If by that he meant something like making out with someone in an airplane bathroom and sharing personal information with each other, then yah something like that.

A blush that is both embarrassment and anger spread across my face from his words. The nerve of this guy!

"Okay then," Jason dragged out "Well she's here for the summer so I figured I would introduce her to a couple of people."

He gave Tyler a look, almost like a challenge for him to stand up and say something. But Tyler simply gave a shrug " yah makes sense" and with that he gave me one more look before turning around and heading towards the bonfire.

Like seriously, the nerve of this guy! Now I was really mad!

Jason gave me a questioning look, as if he's trying to study me and figure out exactly what's happening. I gave him a small smile.

"You want a drink?" He asks pointing over towards a couple of kegs that were placed near the falls.

"Yes" I said a bit relieved. A drink was definitely something I needed at that moment. Even though I am not the definition of a party girl by a long shot, I have had a drink before. One couldn't hurt.

And so it begins.

I got a drink and the socializing started. Jason seemed to know everyone at the party and seemed intent on introducing me to every one of them. We ended up sitting around the bonfire as people continued to come up to Jason like he's a celebrity or something. Personally, the guy kinda gives me the creeps, but thankfully there was loads of people around so it calmed my nerves some. But I still couldn't shake that weary feeling.

As we continued to socialize, drinks seemed to keep being offered and seemed to keep going down way too quick. By the time the music started to die down and people started to leave, I realized that I was completely wasted.

I don't think anyone noticed though because they were all pretty wasted themselves I suddenly realized that it was really late and aunt Libby was probably going out of her mind. I got up from my seat with as little grace as a human can have and tried to move. But with the first step, the world seemed to tip and even with my slow, drunk brain, I realized I was going to fall over. But as I was waiting for the ground to appear, nothing comes.

Am I floating?

I look around only to realize that I was being held by someone. I looked up only to come face to face with the one person I had been dying to talk to all night. He looked back at me with an expression of both anger and worry. It made my heart skip a couple of beats from his pure sincerity.

"Are you okay?" He asked with his arm still around my waist where he must have grabbed to catch me. My shirt had risen up a bit giving him the ability to touch my skin. It sent warm tingles through my body that seemed intensified by my intoxicated state.

"Just peachy" I replied a little out of breath from my inability to breath properly with him so close to me. But even through the foggy veil that seemed to have been placed over my brain, I still managed to hear those stupid words repeated over and over.

Something like that. Something like that. Something like that.

It was this splash of cold water that made me push away from him and stumble forward.

"Bye Tyler" I said somewhat coherently as I attempted to walk in the direction I came. I only made it a couple steps however before his arm was back around my waist.

"Meredith, you're drunk. Let me walk you home." He looked at me with an almost pleading look, begging me to just let him do this.

With one last nod from me we began to walk. We didn't get very far before he seemed to get tired of my stumbling.

"Here" he said as he bent forward "Jump on"

"Jump on where?" I asked, my brain seeming to move slower by the minute.

"My back" he said as if it's the most realistic thing in the world.

"No way!" I said "you are probably just as drunk as me and we could end up both falling down"

"Meredith," he said, making my heart stop with just my name " one I'm not drunk, I don't even drink. Two, this will go a whole lot faster instead of you stumbling along and having a greater chance of falling down then it you were on my back. So get on" he said with a sense of finality in his voice.

Honestly, I was just too tired and disoriented to argue. I jumped onto his back with as much grace as possible, which pretty much equaled a zero. My arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and my legs were hooked through his arms. Being that close to him again was making my stomach flip flop. His smell that seemed to already just be a part of him was all around me.

We were silent, the whole way home.

The only sound was our breathing and the crunching of gravel under his feet. The lack of conversation was making me angrier and more embarrassed by the minute.

Why the hell did he do it at all then?

Why be such a sweet and caring guy on the plane if he was just going to act like a complete ass if he saw me again? And I hate that he was making me into that kind of girl. I didn't want to be this clingy one who worries when he doesn't call or gets jealous when he talks to other girls.

So I stay silent, hoping that we can just part ways, forget what happened and never speak again.