Teachers Pet

24: Summer Break

        "Dean!" I called out for Dean as the music blared. It was impossible to hear myself think. My voice was just lost in the music that didn't relate to me. Kids from school surrounded me as they danced and crowded each other. Couples made out in corners, a group of guys were watching two girls kiss on the porch, a girl was dancing alone and grouping guys she wanted to dance with. This was why I hated coming to these kinds of parties. I told Dean I didn't want to come. But no, he just had to drag me here because it was summer break and because we were about to be juniors. I didn't care for this kind of crowd. These were his friends. They'd been handing him drinks all night against my protest. I wouldn't put it past him if he was passed out drunk somewhere. He knew I had a curfew. Jillian did too. She's been gone for a while, looking for him just as I was. She knows if I come home late Marcus will lock me out. His house, his rules... even though we pay rent. "Dean!" I called out his name once more, hoping he was near.

      "Upstairs." I turned and saw Cassie from my Art Class on the stairs with a beer in her hand. She had her blonde hair in a side pony. She looked pretty wasted and sweaty too. I could see chewed up gum stuck to the mouth of her solo cup. I made a face at it as I got closer to her.

       "You saw him?" I asked her. She nodded and took a swig of her drink.

       "Yeah. He looked like he had to puke." I sighed. He was drunk for sure. He was supposed to be mine and Jill's designated driver. How the hell were we supposed to get home now?

       "Thanks," I told Cassie. I wondered if I would have Art Class with her again our junior year, seeing as how we both failed. One familiar face would be nice. I pushed past people to go upstairs and tripped several times on my way up. As I rounded the corner, I saw a line to the bathroom down one hall. I ignored that side. The other hallway was occupied by two guys making out. When they saw me, they pushed away from each other. Peter and Greg. I figured they were gay.

       "You guys don't have to hide you know," I told them with a smile. Greg was the tall lanky one. Peter was my height. His hair was black like mine, only shaggy. They could be the perfect couple if they weren't so ashamed.

      "Yes we do," Greg told me. His voice was low and rough. I understood them, but then I didn't. How could I possibly know what it's like to have to hide a relationship? That would suck.

       "You're probably the only one who wouldn't judge us," Peter told me shyly. I smiled sympathetically. I could never judge them. They seemed to really love each other.

       "It doesn't matter what others think of you. It matters what you think of you." They looked at each other thoughtfully and conflicted. Greg looked at me and smiled crookedly.

      "You're looking for Dean? He's in there," he told me. I looked at the closed door he was pointing at and eyed it curiously. That wasn't the bathroom. That was a bedroom. Wasn't it? "Come on," Greg told Peter. The two of them left and smiled at me as they left back downstairs. I smiled and waved. I wish those two didn't have to hide...

       "Dean?" I called out for him but there was no answer. Just as I was about to knock, I heard a girls voice say his name from inside the room. When I pushed open the door, I felt myself freeze. I couldn't move. Had the music stopped? Had everyone left? I couldn't hear anything. "Dean?" My voice broke. My heart broke. I broke. Jill was against the wall with her hands on his bare chest. Dean had his hands on her waist and was kissing her until I said his name. He looked up and eyed me. Jill stared at me with shock. I tried to process it all, but nothing made sense. It shouldn't make sense.

       "A little busy here," he told me in slurred words. Jill pushed him off of her as she came to me.

       "This is not what it looks like, Blair." I stared at her and saw nothing but a traitor. She lifted her hands to touch my arm but I shoved her back. I felt my ties with her being severed, one by one. She slowly started to mean nothing to me the more I thought about what I just saw. The image was seared into my brain. It would be there forever as a reminder of what she's done. Of what they've both done.