The Switch Hitter (GxG)

Chapter 6

I gawked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, shocked at what I saw. My nose, though it had finally stopped swelling, was still almost twice its normal size. The area around it was a nasty purple and yellow mixture, and I had a slight black ring around my left eye. But it was barely noticeable compared to the misshapen lump in the middle of my face. I reached up to touch it gently, and winced as pain shot through my face. I shrugged philosophically. That ache had become a familiar sensation to me lately; I had been breathing out of my mouth since Monday night.

Anna walked into the bathroom from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "You still going out tonight?"

I nodded. "I'm not spending my Friday night stuck in the house because of my damn nose," I said, somewhat nasally.

"I really don't think that's a good idea. You could hurt it worse, or--" 

I sighed, interrupting her. "Anna stop mothering me. It's just a party. I'll be fine."

She looked unconvinced still, so I added, "I'm serious. I'll be extra careful, just for you."

Rolling her eyes, she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Fine. But I'm not paying any hospital bills."

"You won't have to," I said. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," she replied, a hint of a smile on her face as she walked out. 

I examined my face once more, then went back into my bedroom to change out of the clothes I'd worn to school. Since it was the beginning of October, I pulled out what Anna called my "excessively ripped" pair of black jeans and a grey hoodie. I threw my favorite flannel, a black and red checkered one, over top.

I stood now in front of my full length bedroom mirror, fidgeting with the outfit. Alyssa had invited me over to her house for her birthday party, which was supposed to be a big deal. I knew she had invited almost all of the junior and senior class. I played with my hair, which I had decided to leave down tonight, letting it reach the middle of my back. I took a deep breath to calm myself a little. I don't know why I was so nervous, it's not like this was my first high school party. 

But I knew Ari would be there. And that was enough to get my heart pumping wildly. 

The tension I felt between us was crazy, and had only heightened since Monday. But I had no idea if she felt it too. Hell, I wasn't even sure what it meant. I knew that I was still probably overthinking. Yet for some reason, I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stop thinking about how close we had been, and that strange pull that I had felt. I couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to kiss her lips.

Maybe it wasn't that I couldn't. Maybe I didn't want to stop thinking about Ari.

Jesus, I need to get it together.

I shook my head to clear the thought and walked out to the kitchen. Anna looked up at the sound of my footsteps. "You leaving?"

"Yeah," I said. "Thanks for letting me borrow your car."

I was still pissed that I couldn't drive my truck, which was still at my dad's house with no immediate plan for extraction. I smiled grimly at my word choice. It was going to be really difficult for me to go back there and go get it, and I didn't know if I could survive the rest of my life without my car.

But I could sure as hell try.

"Of course." Anna's words brought me back to the present. She tossed me her keys, and I pulled on my vans before walking out to the garage. I climbed in the car, put my key in the ignition, and started it. As I pulled out into the street, I remembered when I first got my truck, on my 16th birthday.