Perfect by Design

24: Kiara James

Kiara

I roll over, and before I even open my eyes, my head is pounding. What the heck is going on with me? The last thing I remember is some guy at the party, Parker, maybe, offering me a shot.

Slowly, I open one eye, and as the light hits me, it's like a full-on assault. I blink a few times before trying to focus on my surroundings. Where even am I? Oh no. Did I text my mom last night? She's probably freaking out. Where is my phone?

"Morning, Ki."

Oh no. No. No. No. No. No! I shoot straight up, my head lagging behind a bit. It hurts worse than anything I've ever experienced. I frantically look and feel around me, but it's just Malia, fast asleep. Finally, my eyes float toward the ground, and there is Jayden on the floor among a pile of blankets.

"Di—did you sleep down there?"

"Yeah. I was going to sleep on the couch, but you were really drunk last night. It had me a little scared. So I stayed in here, checking every few hours to make sure you were still breathing."

"Still breathing?! Exactly how much did I drink? I don't drink."

"Yeah, Ki. That much is obvious." He chuckles.

Slowly, bits and pieces of my night start to trickle in.

This bonfire is enormous, and there's an uncomfortable amount of people beside it. I see Malia talking to some sorority girls. Every few seconds, I hear her fake giggles. She was born for stuff like this.

I tug down at the hem of my skirt, but there's no point. This is the shortest piece of material ever used. The glorified napkin covering my boobs might be even worse. This was a terrible idea.

"Hi." A smooth, deep voice behind me makes me jump.

I turn toward him, and I instantly want to wrap my arms around my stomach.

"Didn't mean to scare you. I just noticed you were all alone over here."

"Yeah, not really my scene." I shrug.

"Same. My brother dragged me out here to show me how real college kids party."

"Real college kids?"

"He's a senior here at ASU. I'm a freshman at Yale. He thinks we spend all our time in the library with our nose in a book."

"Yale?"

"Future bulldog?" He smiles down at me in the worst way.

"Apparently so," I mumble.

He bends down and reaches into the cooler I had no idea I was standing beside. "I'm Parker." He holds out a beer to me.

I hesitate for a moment. I had Selzer once when Malia and I went to the bar earlier this summer. "Kiara," I decide to take the beer. What's one beer?

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." I try to fight it, but I know my cheeks turn an embarrassing shade of pink.

Parker pops the top off of my beer, and I cradle it in my hands like a mug. He clanks his glass bottle against mine, and I follow his lead bringing the drink to my lips.