Stuck in the Middle

Chapter 12

It was almost a miracle that I didn't see John until the party Saturday night. Sure, I saw him when I went to the football game, but that didn't really count. Marc asked me to come watch them play and I couldn't say no. So I dragged TJ with me, saying I wanted to support the school, since I was still new and all.

But since he came with me to the game, he also came to the party with me. Marc had told me earlier that it was at the same house as the party from last week, so at least I sort of knew where I was going this time. TJ, however, didn't. He also didn't know why we were going, not that I could tell him the real reason.

"We aren't the kinds of people that go to these parties, Spencer," he was saying, for the hundredth time. "We'll stick out. People will make fun of us."

"That's not going to happen." We turned onto the street the party was being held on and I could instantly tell which house it was in, even if I didn't already know where we were going. It seemed like everyone was extra excited for this party, since our team won. "Marc said we could come. Besides, I went to the party last week and I was perfectly fine."

"From what I remember you telling me, you sat in the corner alone most of the night."

I scoffed, shaking my head. But, instead of answering him, I urged him up to the front door of the house, which was propped open. Music was already blasting and students were hanging around every corner of the house, much like last time I was here. We would have been here earlier, when the party actually started, but TJ kept dragging his feet after the game ended.

"Spencer!"

I was just barely able to hear the shout over the music. The next second, I saw Izzy heading straight for us, a drink already in her hand.

"It's about time you got here!"

I gestured over to TJ. "Someone had to keep dragging his feet. Izzy, this is my friend TJ."

We moved off to the side, towards the same corner I had originally set up camp last time. TJ and Izzy were talking, getting to know each other a bit, but I wasn't listening. I couldn't stop myself from looking for Marc.

"Hey, loverboy," Izzy said, smacking my arm. "You looking for your hot roommates again?"

I looked over at her, hoping my face wasn't turning bright red like it tended to do. "Whaaat? No." I hated that my voice got so high, that it was obvious I was lying.

Izzy laughed. "I saw John out back. Haven't seen Marc around."

I wasn't sure why I was disappointed. I wanted him to be here, but I knew we couldn't actually be together.

"Come on!" Izzy shouted, grabbing my arm. "We got to get you guys some drinks!"

She dragged me into the kitchen, with TJ on my heals. Izzy kept talking away, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. All I could focus on was the sight of Marc making out with some girl as they leaned against the fridge.

A cup appeared in front of me and I looked at Izzy, who was holding it. "Uh..." I didn't know what to say. I thought I wanted to come. I thought I'd be okay doing a non-commited thing with Marc. "I need to find a bathroom," I said quickly. "Be right back."

I hurried out of the kitchen, desperate to escape. I wanted to get the image of Marc kissing that girl out of my head, but it was the only thing I could think about.

I eventually did end up in the bathroom, which I found upstairs. I just sat on the edge of the tub, trying to calm my rapid breathing down. It was a stupid idea to suggest being causal. It was stupid to come to the party when I knew this would happen. He had his reputation on the line. It didn't matter how much he liked me. That would always come first.

At some point, someone knocked on the door. I wasn't sure how long I had been in there, but it was probably too long. There were a lot of people in this house and I wasn't sure if there was a second bathroom or not.

"Just a second," I called out.

I took a deep breath to try and compose myself. Then I opened the door, ready to just leave the party altogether. But seeing the person on the other side of the door made me freeze in my tracks.

John.

"Pipsqueak?" He sounded shocked. "Uh, Spencer. I didn't know you were here."

I shook my head. "I'm just leaving."

He put his arm on the doorframe, blocking my only way out of the bathroom. "Listen, can we talk? Please?"

There was a sudden lump in my throat, but I nodded my head anyway. I didn't know where he was planning on doing this talking, at least, not until he took a step towards me. I backed up to let him into the small bathroom with me, feeling almost as trapped as he made me feel in the bathroom yesterday, especially once he closed and locked the door. Why did we always end up in a bathroom?

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what he was going to say. We hadn't talked since he left me alone in the bathroom stall yesterday. He wasn't in the room when Marc and I finally got back last night and he wasn't there this morning when I got up. Whether or not he actually came back at all to get a few hours of sleep was beyond me.

He broke the silence first. "I'm really sorry about what I did to you yesterday. But I meant what I said. I do like you, Spencer."

Maybe it was because he looked so sincere or maybe it was because I just saw Marc kissing someone downstairs. Maybe I was just feeling a bit reckless.

Either way, I leaned up on my toes and gently pressed my lips against John's.

He placed his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him as he deepened the kiss. It was a really good kiss. I didn't want to compare it to the kisses I shared with Marc, because there was no comparison. They were both really good kissers.

Without breaking the kiss, John lifted me up and placed me on the counter next to the sink. I was closer to his height up here, which made everything easier.

I gripped his shirt tight, wanting him to get even closer to me. There wasn't any space left between us. Just our bodies pressed against each other. His tongue forced its way into my mouth and I let it.

The doorknob jiggled wildly, making us break the kiss. I was panting heavily, staring at the door. I felt like I just got caught cheating. But no one saw anything yet. Marc and I weren't exclusive. He proved that downstairs.

Then whoever was out in the hallway started banging on the door. They really wanted to get in here.

"Don't tell anyone about this," John said quietly.

I nodded my head, sliding off the counter. Guess that meant our little make out session was over.

John unlocked the door and opened it just enough for him to slide out, without anyone seeing me. "Hey, so you don't want to go in there," he said. "Someone threw up all over the place. It's gross."

I waited a few seconds after they walked away to leave. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to go back downstairs and find TJ and Izzy again.

I have now made out with both my roommates. And I couldn't tell anyone about it. Especially not the other.

What kind of mess did I put myself into?