Growing Pains

Chapter Twenty-One

Courtney

While I was comforting a crying Gwen in the bathroom, I heard the heavy thrum of the bass cut out and loud shouts. I stood up from my crouched position next to her and said, "I'll be right back, I promise." She didn't stop me on my way out, just blew into her tissue.

I raced out of the bathroom to see a swarm of people chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" My heart started to race, so I ducked through the crowd, murmuring apologies along the way. I crawled to the front of the crowd and felt my stomach flip at the sight.

Duncan was on top of Justin, beating the shit out of him.

"Holy shit," was all I said before trying to break up a fight with two boys I cared about.

Two hours before

Dakota has been getting on my nerves all night. The first thing she said to me was how "last season" my dress was. My dress was actually not even released to the public eye, courtesy a designer my mom was friends with, and this whiney brat has the audacity to say such a thing. The worse part was that Duncan said absolutely nothing.

When they disappeared into the crowd the second we entered the party, I was relieved to watch them go. Well, I was relieved to watch her go, but I didn't like seeing her claws in him. He could do so much better, but that wasn't my problem.

I told the group that I was going to go find Justin and left them at the front of the house, entering the swelling group of teenagers who were all dancing to a thrumming rap song with too much bass. I turned a corner and found Justin immediately. He was standing with a group of guys, a beer in hand, and was laughing about something.

He caught my eye and waved me over. I smiled and walked over, feeling a little nervous. We had gone on four dates now and we called each other almost nightly, but we still weren't official. I kept wondering when he was going to ask, but each time I thought he might, he didn't.

"Hey, beautiful," He smiled as he greeted me.

I giggled, feeling my cheeks heat, and said, "Hey."

He gestured to me and said, "Boys, this is Courtney." I recognized a couple of faces, but I couldn't place the names of a few. "Courtney, this is Alejandro, Scott, Lightning, Topher, and Brick." I knew two of the five, so I smiled and waved. They all said a variety of hellos, but that was pretty much it.

Justin flashed me a bright smile, "Let's go get you a drink." I ignored the chuckles from his friends, wondering what was amusing.

"Okay," I smiled meekly back, before being dragged away from his friends.

The kitchen was bustling with kids, all getting drinks of different sizes and colors. There was a plate of Jell-O shots sitting on a counter, and the thought of having one of those made me squirm. I hated green jelly.

Justin rifled through a large white cooler for a moment, and then, he handed me an unopened beer. I shook my head at the offer, responding with, "I don't drink."

He frowned at me, "Come on, we're at a party. Loosen up."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm fine," I said more adamantly.

He scowled and dropped the beer back into the cooler, muttering something to himself. He fished out a water bottle and handed it to me with enough force that the condensation speckled my dress with water droplets. "Happy?" He asked, his words a little irritated.

I furrowed my brows, "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" My tone was irritated, not apologetic in the slightest.

His eyes scanned my face for a second, before melting back to the charming expression I knew. He shook his head with a chuckle, "No, you didn't. I'm sorry, I'm being an idiot." He gestured vaguely behind me, "My friends were just making comments on how you're some goody-goody, and I wanted to prove them wrong. I'm being ridiculous."

The comment prickled my nerves. I couldn't believe his friends said such things about me. I hoped he defended me. It seemed like he might've. Why would it have matter anyways? I wasn't some goody two-shoes. I was just cautious, a rule follower. That's what smart people did, right?

I eyed the water in my hand, suddenly determined to prove his annoying friends wrong. I handed it back to him, "Give me a beer."

He frowned, "Courtney, you don't—"

"Give me a beer," I demanded. He eyed me hesitantly, but traded my water for a beer nonetheless. I popped it open on the edge of the counter like I saw in a few movies. I took a swig of the bitter liquid and almost gagged. I swallowed it, and then said to him with a smile, "See? I can be fun."

He laughed, "You're very fun."

I felt my ears start to burn and took another sip, still not getting over the nasty taste. I grabbed his arm, "Let's go have some fun." His answering smile made my stomach flip.