White Noise

22

Haley wasn't like anyone I'd met before.

She was demanding and captivating. After we both took a shot of gin and filled up two full cups of beer, we went back to the beer pong table and played the next game. Immediately. Despite the fact that multiple people had been waiting to play for many games now.

She was also observant and considerate. I felt her eyes on me when she thought I wasn't looking, checking in. I noticed how she made an effort to rope me into any conversation she was having.

She was protective and competitive. When Conrad made a sly comment about my legs, she shut him down. When the guy next to him insinuated, even jokingly, I might be stupid because I went to public school, she reminded him he only got into Buckley because his parents made a four hundred-thousand-dollar donation the year before he applied.

But when I missed a cup, during the three games we played, she yelled at me like I was the bane of her existence. Scoffed like I was destroying a life she'd risked everything to build.

I loved her.

Because when I did make a cup, she praised and cheered so loudly other people stopped their conversations to stare. When I took a shot or chugged my beer, she laughed like she was tasting joy for the first time.

And when I got the few random bouts of courage to talk shit back to the taunting guys around us, she smiled at me. With glowing pride.

After our loss, Haley was swept up in the surrounding group. Naturally. She was clearly popular at Buckley. Everyone knew or wanted to speak to her. I'd already been lucky enough to steal more than a sliver of her time.

"Kate." I turned my attention from Haley—realizing only then I'd been staring at her and her friends silently like an absolute creep—to the smooth voice that said my name.

It was Conrad, standing next to me now. There was a considering glint in his dark brown eyes. A strong contrast to his blinding hair and porcelain skin.

His tone was odd. He sounded reflective. Almost like he was vocalizing a thought rather than initiating a conversation.

So I simply nodded at him.

His eyes went from mahogany to midnight as they swept the length of my body, taking their time. Completely unashamed that I was watching him blatantly check me out. When his gaze finally returned to mine, he wore a small, cocky smile and mused, "JD's girl."

JD's girl.

JD's girl.

My heart jumped into my throat. I had to consciously tighten my grip on my cup, otherwise it would've slipped out of my hand.

I was JD's girl. Me. Kate. That's how people knew me now. That's how people acknowledged me—as his. And I couldn't quite figure out if that prospect made me ecstatic or terrified.

It really didn't matter though because Conrad was staring at me expectantly. Waiting for me to respond. And my mind was going one hundred miles an hour as I scrambled to come up with some type of reply.

Thankfully, I didn't have to. Someone said Conrad's name and he looked from me to the sound of the voice. His arrogant smirk turned into a wide smile as he brushed past me without a second glance, already speaking to whoever had called him.

I took the opportunity—and made a run for it. I headed straight towards a door I kept seeing people come in and out of, breathing out a sigh of relief as I passed the threshold.

The kitchen. It was overwhelming and I was beyond grateful I was no longer sober—the amount of people in one room didn't affect me the way it normally would've. Still I focused on the countertops instead of the crowd, finally spotting liquor bottles. My heart raced as I pushed past a few groups of people, apologizing quietly and trying to ignore the curious stares that followed my path.