New Year's Ring

Chapter One - New Year's Ring

Emma P.O.V.

I, Emma Peterson, couldn't believe that I let Darcy talk me into attending my first real party. If I had to say who my best friend was, it would definitely be Darcy Jones. Darcy was a cool chick who didn't take shit from anyone. I would definitely rather have her in my corner, with her fiery temper to match her curly, fiery red hair. Her petite stature was deceiving, though, let me tell you. As for any other friends, I couldn't really pinpoint them. I had always been semi-popular, but didn't belong to a defined click. I think mostly because I was captain of the volleyball and basketball teams. I didn't really hang with the "cool" kids though. I socialized with just about everybody, except maybe one person.

Darren Eldridge was the guy that every girl wanted and every guy wanted to be. He was gorgeous, if you like messy brown hair, smoldering chocolate brown eyes, and a cocky smirk. Ok, so he was in shape and prided himself on his abs, which I had to admit the two times I had seen them they were pretty spectacular. He was the most popular guy in school and captain of the guy's basketball team. He was a kick ass basketball player, I'd give him that. For some reason he and I had never gotten along.

I think it may have started in the first grade when Darren put a worm in my hair. I had never been the girliest of girls, but come on. I was six years old and had a gunky worm in my hair! There had been bad blood between us ever since. Darcy tried to tell me that it was because we secretly loved each other. What a bunch of Bologna!

Anyway, so here I was, attending my first real party. I was seventeen years old, it was New Year's Eve, and I would be graduating in May. I had my future mapped out. I had received a full-ride scholarship to play volleyball at Kansas University. I didn't need to be attending some stupid keg party where people would do and say stupid things they'd regret in the morning. That wasn't my thing, so I asked myself again, what the hell was I doing here?

Darcy was currently blitzed and hanging off one of Darren's best friends, Evan Colter. Evan was almost as good looking as Darren, but was taller, with less muscle, and had blond hair. They were making oogily eyes at each other that told me things were about to go in a direction that I knew Darcy would regret in the morning. I was about to intervene when someone grabbed a microphone and announced that it was time for the New Year's Ring.

"What the hell is a New Year's Ring?" I asked.

Darcy jumped up, off Evan's lap, excitedly, "It's a silly game that is played every year. Come on, let's play."

As Darcy dragged me away, I could hear Evan growling in frustration. He was probably pissed that whatever this stupid game was had interrupted what would have undoubtably been a happy ending for him. I knew that Darcy knew her way around a naked man. She had told me, in disgusting detail, about her sexcapades. I, however, didn't see any reason to give myself to someone that I wasn't completely in love with. Besides, there were too many teen mom reality television shows as it was. I'd been on dates before, but they'd never gotten past second base with me.

"Alright folks, you know the drill. Guys form a circle and girls form another circle around the guys." The bossy voice in the microphone told us, which I finally located to be Victoria Styles. Vicky was blond, beautiful, and bitchy. She thought the world owed her everything. She was the head cheerleader and she acted like she owned Hayden High School. I think I'd heard someone say this was her house.

Darcy pulled me until we had joined the circle. It seemed like every person at the party was gathered in Vicky's living room. What was so great about this stupid game that had everyone participating?

"Well if it isn't Emma Peterson! I didn't realize that you were allowed outside after dark." None other than Darren Eldridge stood smirking at me.

I glared and fired back at him, "I didn't realize you could pull yourself away from your harem of hussies for a stupid game?"

Darren's smirk simply grew wider as he said, "Oh trust me, this game is worth it and I keep telling you, Peterson, if you're jealous and would like to join my harem, all you have to do is ask."

Before I could form a response, he winked and then sauntered to the other side of the circle. I shook my head in disgust. Whatever was about to happen was worth it to Darren that he gave up drinking and whoring around long enough to participate? Not that his harem wouldn't be there when he was done, because girls seemed to be idiots where he was concerned.  I still didn't understand, though, what was so special about this New Year's Ring game?

As if she'd heard my thoughts, Vicky announced, "Dude, somebody verify that we'll have the same amount of boys verses girls? Ok good! For you losers who have never played this game before. Here is how it works. We only have about a minute until midnight. With ten seconds to go, I'll turn on some music and turn out the lights. I'll then stop the music when my clock chimes midnight, the lights will remain off, and you'll have to grab the nearest person of the opposite sex and kiss them. That's why we have made separate rings for each gender. Get it, got it, good, now walk."

With the push of a button from a devise Vicky held in her hand, the lights went out, the music started, everyone started counting down from ten, and I was propelled forward. Either I walked in line with everyone else or I would get trampled. I was panicking. What the hell was I doing? I didn't want to kiss some unknown person in the dark. Who the hell had come up with such a game?

Before I could decide to bail, the music ended, and I was awkwardly grabbed. The guy next to me had reached for me, one hand landing on my shoulder, while his other had accidently found my boob.  At least I think it was an accident, but couldn't be sure, because I knew he realized what he held, when he began to knead it slowly. I'll be damned, but I felt some traitorous tremors shiver through my body at the contact. As if sensing my mild surrender, his other hand moved upward, cupped the back of my neck, and then his lips were on mine. Fireworks, I saw them. They were exploding everywhere and I was quickly consumed by the kiss.

His moan told me that he was also enjoying himself, which made me brave enough to wrap my arms around him, run them up his back, up his neck, and into his hair. I was pretty tall, for a girl, at five foot eight, but this guy was taller. My hands in his hair seemed to spur him on, because his mouth suddenly left my lips and trailed kisses down my neck. Was this game supposed to get out of control like this, I briefly wondered before my legs turned to jelly, from the delicious kisses against my neck, and I lost my balance. We fell awkwardly together, thankfully landing on the soft sofa. He quickly regained control and flipped our positions, situating me onto his lap.

I was now straddling who knows who, but couldn't bring myself to worry about that when his lips found mine again. He gently nibbled on my bottom lip, until I opened for him and his tongue slipped inside. His hands moved down and cupped my butt, pulling me more firmly against what I now realized was a growing erection. On instinct, I ground myself against it and he growled in response. His lips once again left mine and trailed down my neck. The shirt that Darcy had forced me into had a deep v-neck, so his lips now grazed my cleavage. I wasn't overly endowed, but had a full B cup, that I was comfortable with. He didn't seemed to mind their small size, as one of his hands was back to kneading my left breast. His other hand trailed up my right arm, until he hooked his fingers under the spaghetti straps of shirt and bra, pushing them off my shoulder. It was when his lips were sucking on my bared shoulder that I became aware of the hooting, hollering, and catcalls.

My eyes flew open and then I cringed to realize the lights had been turned back on. Vicky had failed to mention that we'd actually have to face the person we'd kissed. Everyone was laughing and cheering because I'd been caught in the most intense make out session of my life. I finally blinked into focus the guy who I still straddled and who was staring at me as if I'd grown two heads.

"Darren?!"  I gasped.