In My Skin

Ch 1 || The Party

The familiar itch spread over my neck as I watched the girl, currently perched on my boyfriend's lap fiddle with the end of her short black dress.

Jessica was gorgeous and popular. She also usually hung around the football players and it was clear that Chris didn't know how to handle the sudden attention. Every now and then he sent me a slightly embarrassed look. As if that would make it any better.

Keeping our relationship a secret apparently led to misunderstandings and awkward situations like this.

Again, I reached up to scratch at it but quickly caught myself. I had to stop stressing out.

"It's your turn, Taylor," one of the girls addressed me. "Truth or Dare."

The low bass booming from somewhere in the house and the constant chatter almost completely drowned out her voice. Despite it being Sunday night, college students filled the house. The air was thick with the mixed smell of alcohol, sweat, and pot, which made my skin tingle uncomfortably.

I wished someone would open a window. The dining room was clearly too small to contain this many people. Then again nobody aside from me seemed bothered by the constant stream of people passing through.

Someone pushed a red plastic cup in front of me. There was one for each person. I clearly should've paid more attention because I didn't even know what they'd put in there.

I held up my water bottle. "Thanks, but I'm driving so..."

"Come on, Taylor," one of the guys said. "Don't be such a buzzkill."

I didn't even know his name. They were all Chris' friends. I recognized some of them from the football team and they had just wrapped up their latest season with three consecutive wins in a row, but the only name I could remember was Jared because he was the quarterback.

"Taylor, it's just one drink," Jessica said loudly, brushing her hair back dramatically. "Live a little. Everyone already agreed. What's the harm?"

Heat gripped my face. Apparently, "everyone" did not include me. Not that she cared.

To make things worse, her slightly high-pitched voice had drawn attention. I gripped my water bottle a little tighter.

I hadn't planned on drinking since it usually didn't sit well with my skin. However, it had been well enough lately. And wasn't this the whole point? Experience the college life I'd missed before.

I hated people being all over my business but it made me feel a bit guilty just the same. Maybe I was being unfair. Maybe this was his way of trying to make me jealous because I'd been dragging my feet for too long.

"Chill," Jared said. "She doesn't have to drink."

I was surprised to hear him speak up for me of all people. We'd barely exchanged a few words before.

"Jeez, Jared. Us girls should stick together you know? She's making me seem like I'm obsessed with partying."

"You do love to party," Jared replied.

Jessica's smile thinned. "Since when are you on her side?"

"Jared asked Chris to bring her along," a different guy said.

I froze. Wait, what?

Jared hit him on the shoulder. "Shut up, man. No, I didn't."

My eyes flicked back to Chris but he refused to meet them, focusing instead on the cup in his hand with a slight frown on his face. Something shriveled up inside of me.

But then I clenched my jaw. He'd bugged me all night to come along because some guy asked him to? Was he my boyfriend or not?

I had gotten the feeling lately that things were a bit off between us, but I thought it had been my fault for being caught up in my studies. I even felt guilty for not giving him the validation he needed. For not being exciting enough and wanting to go out.