Sanity || j.d

15

After dancing a little while, we stopped to get a drink. He offered me a swig of his beer, but after politely declining, I picked up a coke and put some ice in on top.

He’d been making small moves on me all night, dancing close to me, resting his hands lightly on my hips while guiding me over to the drinks table, sitting close enough that our arms were brushing against each others, his leg touching mine while we were sitting, hands lightly brushing over mine and then guiding me across the party with his hand pressing on my lower back. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he was being a complete gentleman toward me, but he had his intentions just as I had mine; he was just waiting for the right time to say something.

“Guys, you all know Sarah, right? From school?” He introduced me to his mates and I quickly recognised almost all of them. Allen, Sam, Tristan, Brooks, Chase and Trish. Trish was in my English class - we were in advanced English together, but I doubt these guys all knew (or wanted to for that matter), Allen and Sam did Phys Ed with me, but wouldn’t know me from a bar of soap, Tristan was in my photography class and he was a definite looker, but Brooks and Chase weren’t in any of my classes. That didn’t mean that they didn’t already have a reputation burnt into my mind.

“Since when do you come to parties like these? Do you even drink?” Trish mocked, swirling a drink in her cup.

I squirmed, slightly uncomfortable being around these people. “I do drink. Just not in public.”

She laughed and sipped her drink. “Best you remember that than, Cole.” She teased.

Cole rolled his eyes and brushed her off. The group began to quieten down and break up a little, uninterested in me now. “Hey, do you wanna get a drink or something?” He offered.

I was about to remind him that we’d just had drinks, but he wanted me drunk. To be truthful I didn’t think I wanted to go home with him, no matter how attractive he was or how desperate I was, but thinking about it, I really wasn’t looking for anybody. I was just in a jealous mood.

“N-no. I’m okay for now.” I smiled, rejecting his offer.

“But I insist.” He demanded, giving me a slight push in between my shoulder blades.

“Cole, I said no.” I stated, staying where I was, not about to let him push me around.

“Sarah.” He growled, giving me a hard shove in the direction of the drinks table. With that hard shove came a horrible result. I toppled forward into a couple, both holding drinks that were now spilt all over me. As I stood up straight, realising what had happened, I turned back to Cole who had backed off a whole lot.

“You ruined my dress.” I shrieked, but could be barely heard over the booming music.

“Excuse me,” He the guy whose drink I’d just spilt tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around. I saw that the girl’s dress was covered in alcohol as well. “But you spilt mine and my girlfriend’s drink all over her.”

“I’m sorry,” I shouldn’t have loaded that with sarcasm. “But’s he’s trying to get me drunk and I’d much rather not. I cheated with my best friend whom I kissed two nights ago and now he’s going out with his friends with benefits girl to this party and we’re ignoring each other and-”

My cheek stung like shit. The guy just stood there, frustrated beyond measure. “How drunk are you?”

“Oi! Don’t you dare touch her.” The music had been shut off completely and while I stood hunched over clutching at my cheek, someone was playing saviour, and next thing I knew I was being pushed away and then there was what sounded like a fight in the background.

Even when I was in the most trouble I could probably have and even when we were on the brink of falling apart, we’d still be each other’s friend in need.