Nineteen

Chapter Ninety-Four

"Come on," he says as he gives me a hand to help me stand. "We will go ahead and leave."
I nod and take his offer. When I stand, I'm wobbly on my feet. How much did I have to drink? Was it more than I can remember?
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks as I can barely stay on my feet.
"I don't know, I feel weird," I say.
He looks his arm under my legs and lifts me into the air. "I'm going to carry you to the car."
I use my cast to wrap around his neck and I look over his shoulder as we walk to the car. Right as we get to where we can barely hear the music from the house, I hear my name.
"Emory!"
I lift my head from Mac's shoulder and look around. I can't see far, but I know the voice.
"Emory, you're not leaving with this asshole."
He's only a few feet from us now. I can see his hair pushed back from his forehead, showing that he ran to catch us.
"She is," Mac says without stopping.
"That's funny," Collin says as he grabs Macs shoulder, and pulls him back. He almost drops me, and I gasp.
"Collin, just go!" I shout. "You have no business here! You are making my life miserable."
The words were intended to serve as venom, but he pays no mind to them.
I wiggle free until Mac places me on my feet. I don't mean these words, and I slightly feel bad for saying them aloud, but they feel right at the moment.
"Are you drunk?" He asks as he steps closer to me.
His brown eyes shine in the little light the moon and the house gives off. His curls are much shorter, but they poke out from under his hat.
"No, just tired," I say. I instantly get angry at myself for letting my wall down so fast. "Not that it's any of your business," I add, just for touch.
Mac grabs my hand and tries to coax me into walking behind him. "Let's go."
"I can take you," Collin says in a soft voice, much different than his personality plays.
My head is twisting in a million different ways. I've found myself stuck in circles with multiple people, but it always has one common factor. Him.
Why are they fighting over who takes me home?
"It's just a car ride," I say, mostly to myself. They don't seem to notice. Both of them are making remarks to each other.
"Stop!" I shout and they both freeze. "I can't handle the masculine battle."
"Collin can take me home, but only as a opportunity to end whatever friendship we think we have," I say as I motion between the two of us.
Mac's face turns into a straight line of stone. He gives me a nod.
I turn to Collin. "Let's go," I bark.
He digs in his pockets and pulls out his keys. He walks par Mac, giving him an unnecessary smirk.
I shouldn't leave with him. I should go with Mac.
Everything in me tells me to stay here. But something in me tells me to go, and I listen.
I walk to where all of the vehicles are parked and I scan for Collins truck. I hear his steps behind me and his tennis shoes smack the pavement.
"It's over there," he says as he unlocks the doors, lighting up an area.
I huff and walk to where the lights are vibrant.  I find the black vehicle hidden behind a few more.
I open the door and climb in, but not before I'm hit in the face with the waft of perfume. "Jesus," I whisper under my breath as I crack a window.
He smirks as he climb in his side. "Like the smell? Midnight rain, I believe she called it."
I set my focus outside the window and buckle my seatbelt. I could make a snide remark, but, really, what's the point?

Halfway through the trip he turns the radio on. I silently thank him, because the silence is almost unbearable.
I catch him out of the corner of my eye every now and then. He grins at me and rolls his eyes a few times. After the third time I can't handle it.
"I don't want to see you anymore after this," I say.
He smiles arms flips his turn signal on. "You don't mean that."
"I do."
"No. I'm going to go back to your dorm, spend some time with you, and we'll fall back into the circle we do."
I stare at him. "You're arrogant, selfish, and don't deserve any ounce of my time."
He laughs. He actually throws his head back and laughs.