Saving Us [Published]

2. Beginnings

Annika nudged me, and I gave her a wry smile. "Thanks, but I think that's a lost cause. We'll see if I can put this dress to good use on someone else." I gave a little shimmy.

She laughed and the sound, always contagious, drifted up the stairs to Johnny and Sebastian. Just before Johnny disappeared in the door, he hesitated and looked back, watching Annika, her head thrown back in a laugh. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, and I knew how pretty she was normally, but when she laughed, few could compare. From where I stood, his gaze appeared calculated, assessing. He came back to the guy at the door to whisper something in his ear before heading into the house.

The frat brother scanned the crowd, lost for a moment, before he pinpointed the sound. "Ladies! Purple dress and immigrant girl. Come here." He motioned for us to move through the line to the front.

My back stiffened. Immigrant girl? Annika seemed too focused on getting to the front of the line to notice. Later, after a few drinks, she'd replay his words. I could never let comments like that slide.

When we got to him, I burst out, "Immigrant girl? What kind of racist bullshit is that? She grew up in this country. Her parents are American."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He focused on Annika. "If I offended you, I'm sorry. Johnny singled you out, but he didn't know your name." He shrugged. "Meet him in the kitchen. Fundraiser charge is waved." He motioned for us to go in.

Had the immigrant comment come out of Johnny's mouth and been repeated by the douche on the door? Better not be the case. I'd be punching the quarterback in the face the first time I met him. Maybe my kickboxing classes would come in handy after all?

"Isn't this amazing?" Annika's voice trembled. For her, meeting him was like coming face to face with a celebrity. We'd talked about him a million times, and he was more myth than man.

As we pushed through the crowd, I grabbed her arm. "Annika?" She half-turned, moving through and around more people. "Be you, okay?"

She laughed, and heads turned in our direction. "Who else would I be? Nat, seriously, sometimes you can be so dramatic." She took my hand and led us around people toward the kitchen.

We were both above average in height and in heels, we were even taller. The path to the kitchen was clear over many of the shorter girls and some of the guys. One of the things I liked most about Clay had been his height. I wasn't a tall girl who could date a short guy and not mind the height difference. The few times I'd tried it, I'd ended up feeling like a giant. Tall guys—the taller the better were my kryptonite. 

Finally, we were standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Annika was in front of me, her hand clutching mine, and there was Johnny, leaning against the counter by the sink, a beer in his hand, chatting with his friends. His broad shoulders tapered into narrow hips and even a blind person would be able to map his features and find them attractive.

I wasn't blind.

He zeroed in on Annika and pushed off the counter, sauntering over. With his hand thrust out, he grinned. God, he even had dimples. Swoon.

"Johnny." He was completely focused on Annika, it was like I didn't exist.

"Annika." A blush rose to her cheeks.

"I've seen you around." Johnny sipped his beer. "You come watch our practices sometimes, right?"

The pink in her cheeks deepened. "I do," she admitted. "My dad coaches high school football, and I'm taking Exercise and Sports Science."

"Me, too. What year?"

I removed my flask from my purse and took a swig. Great, I was a third wheel. Now what?