The Boy in the Jersey ✔️

18

Chapter 18

I felt my stomach twist when I heard her voice. I needed to get away from here before something happened. And I knew something was going to happen.

"Kelly I'm talking to you!" Trina screeches as she yanks me back by my arm.

I turn around to face her with my head bowed.

"Why are you here? How did you find out about this party?"

"I got invited." I mumble

"Really? By who?" She scoffs.

"You don't have any friends, everyone that you loves dies, you're a walking disaster. You don't have anybody. You are a loser"

My stomach dropped, I felt sick. I didn't want to deal with this today, I didn't know she would be here.

"Are you gonna answer me? Or are you stupid?" Trina taunts.

Tears pricked the corner of my eyes. This was a disaster.

"Back off Trina." A voice says.

Relief floods through me. Someone came to save me.

"Yeah or what?" Trina sneers

"Or everybody in school will know how you got the head cheer position. Little miss perfect's reputation will be ruined."

Trina's face pales and her hands drop to her sides. She hesitates before giving me a glare and shoulder checking me as she walks away. I take a deep breath and turn around to face Ezra.

"Thank you" I mumble.

Ezra smiles at me and lifts his hands to wipe the tears off my face.

"Anytime Kel." He says in a low voice.

I sniffle and take a step back.

"What are you doing here Ez?"

"Josh invited the whole team, even Logan. He wanted it to be a small gathering, just the team and a few of his friends."

I glance around the house. This was a few of his friends? People were crammed into every room like sardines.

Ezra chuckles.

"Yeah, it's a crowd. Trina invited all these other people. Josh is doing damage and crowd control in the living room right now."

My confrontation with Tina rattled me, and now Josh was to busy. I needed some air before I had a panic attack.

"Ez can you bring me outside? I need some air"

Ezra smiles at me and places his palm on my lower back before leading me through the house and into the back yard.

As soon as my feet hit the grass my body relaxes. Ezra brings me farther from the house and by the shed in the back past the pool, which was also occupied with people.

"That better?" Ezra asks me, removing his hand from my back.

I nod my head and take deep breaths.

"How long has it been since you had a panic attack?"

"A few months"

I close my eyes and lean over, clutching my stomach.

"Do you need me to call Logan?"

"No!" I shout

Ezra raises an eyebrow at me.

"He doesn't know I'm here, he'd kill me. Please don't call him."

Ezra nods his head and leans against the shed. My fingers instinctively find their way to my necklace and latch on. I close my eyes and try my best to tune out the noise from the party.

A shout from the pool captures my attention.

"Hey asshole!" Josh shouts at a kid from my bio class

The kid, whose name I think is Greg, is surrounded by a bunch of our classmates and their all drinking from a bottle of clear liquid.

Josh storms over to them and yanks the bottle out of Greg's hands.

"Get out!" He shouts

"Chill man, we're just having some fun."

"Fun time is over you need to leave now."

Greg wasn't moving. Josh tosses the bottle somewhere behind him and steps closer to Greg.

"Shit. I'll be right back, will you be okay?" Ezra asks me

I nod my head, not being able to take my attention off of Josh. I had never seen him so angry.

Ezra jogs over to they boys and puts his hand on Josh's shoulder. I could see his mouth moving but I couldn't pick up what he was saying. Josh's shoulders tense up and his head whips in my direction. His face softens as soon as his eyes land on me.

He starts walking over to me as Ezra escorts Greg and his friends out of the house.

"Hey, you made it" he says once he gets to me.

His hair was ruffled and his jaw was clenched. His eyes were dark and his face was shaven. He looked so handsome, even in this state.

"Yeah, I did"

He smiles at me and some of the tension melts away from his body as he does.

"How long have you been here?" He asks shoving his hands into his jean pockets.

"A few minutes. I needed some air, there's a lot going on in there."

"Yeah, I don't even know half of the people here. Trina invited everyone and I had no idea until my house was packed."

"You invited Trina?"

Jealously coursed through my veins and settled in the pit of my stomach.

"I didn't really have a choice, not only is she my neighbor, but my dad is good friends with hers and he told me I had to invite her. Said it would be good for my image" he says with a scoff accompanied by an eye roll.

"I've learned through the years to pick my battles with him. And now I have to deal with the aftermath of a bunch of immature teenagers getting in to his liquor cabinet"

"I'm sorry. Sounds like a sucky birthday"

Josh shrugs his shoulders.

"Not the worst one I've had but I've had better. I'm just glad you're here now. It made my night."

A blush creeps up my cheeks.

I can't help the smile on my face at his words. I step closer to him and put my hand on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat quicken when I touched him. I never knew I could have this effect on anyone.

He slips his hand out of his pocket and puts it on my waist. His thumb brushes the small space of skin causing goosebumps to appear. My body was hot with his touch. It ignited something in me and awoke my body.

I tilt my head up and press my lips to his. He kisses me back with force, not to much, but just enough to make me want more. His lips moved perfectly in sync with mine and then his pushes my lips open and teases me with his tongue.

My hands had worked their way around his neck and into his hair. I couldn't help it, I tugged at his hair and pushed my body into his.

A deep groan sounds in the back of his throat as he kisses me harder. His hands had moved to cup my face and tangle in my hair.

His kisses were intoxicating, I couldn't get enough, I didn't want to stop. I was addicted to him.

I will myself to pull away and break the kiss. He leans his forehead against mine and our breath mingles together. I found myself breathing in his familiar scent of pine and spice.

He was my safe haven. Whenever I was afraid he was there. Whenever I was sad he was there. He was always there in my mind, and he had taken up the empty space in my heart that had been there for so long.

When I looked into his now bright green eyes, I knew I would be ok. I knew that I was home.