*Exclusive sneak peek of my novel SHAMELESS.*
Every student at Shame U has their secrets, and Henley Brooks is no exception. Struggling to pay for college and maintain her perfect reputation has become overwhelming. When her friend Gigi Oxford offe...
I had found my way to the center of the dance floor, stumbling over my own feet as I shook my hips to the thudding beat. It was amazing how my fingers could produce music so effortlessly, but my body failed to cooperate when it came to staying in time.
"This is so much fun," Gigi screamed, and I couldn't hold back my giggling.
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"It's not so bad." I shrugged, trying to move my hips to the rhythm. I am sure I looked like I was having some sort of seizure next to Gigi, but thanks to the alcohol coursing through my veins I didn't care. I spun around, putting my back against her as we moved our bodies together. I glanced over at the bar and my eyes locked on to Lucas. I bit my lip tucking my hair behind my ear as I struggled to look seductive. He grinned back at me, oblivious to the girl that was whispering in his ear and rubbing her hand across his muscular chest.
Suddenly, the wind escaped my lungs as I was shoved forcefully across the floor. Two guys had begun arguing, and the one pushed the other, sending him flying directly into me. My drink spilled over the front of my shirt, completely soaking me and sobering me up instantaneously. "What the hell," I yelled, my vernacular becoming more like Gigi's the inebriated I became.
"You ruined my new sneakers, you bitch," he spat back angrily, towering over me.
"Holy shit, Henley! Are you okay?" Gigi asked as the larger of the men who'd come in with Lucas rammed into another, sending him falling backward into someone else. All hell broke loose.
Out of nowhere, Lucas was on the other side of me. He grabbed the man who'd ran into me by his collar. Holding him back at arm's length, he swung full force. His inked fist collided with the guy's jaw, sending him falling to the dance floor with a busted and bloodied lip that matched his newly bruised ego. "Now you got blood on your trainers."
Others around us joined in, and the room was suddenly chaos, fists flying without caring where they connected.
"Let's go," Gigi yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the way. The crowd was pushing all around us. Some were trying to escape while others wanted a better view of the fight. Gigi's hand lost its grip, and soon several people stood between us and I began to panic.
"Gigi," I called over the music and the screaming of the crowd. Lucas glanced back at me, and I stared at him, unable to move for fear of being hit by someone else.
The front doors pushed open, allowing the street light to flood the darkened room and over the music I could hear the faint sound of sirens wailing in the distance. The crowd rushed the doors, and I put up my arms, worried that I was going to be trampled.
"Gigi," I screamed again as the crowd moved her further and further from me. The guy she had been hanging out with all night pulled her toward the exit, as I stood frozen.
"Let's go," Lucas commanded, as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me toward the back of the bar, away from the main exit. I searched the crowd, but Gigi was being ushered out of the front of the building. We pushed through a door labeled employees only. After we had snaked through a small corridor, we were outside where the night air now felt cool, and I struggled to steady my breathing.
