When we unload in the parking lot, he ushers me toward the gym. “You okay hanging with my friends?” He gives an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle. “Or were you wanting me to yourself this evening?”
Oh, god. I hadn’t thought about friends, but if the alternative is leaving him with the impression I want to be alone with him, they’re the lesser of two evils. “We can hang out with your friends.”
We slip through the door into the gloom of the gym and he pulls me over to the corner near the locker rooms.
“Tyler and Cameron,” he says, pointing to a pair of guys hovering there in the shadows. “They’re on the team too.”
I follow half a step behind as he heads their direction. “Guys, this is Lilah. Lilah, the guys.”
The larger of the two, with deep set eyes and what appears to be a perpetual frown, nudges his chin at me. I look from him to Puppy Dog Jon and wonder how they’re even friends. The other one, a wiry guy with a bad haircut, reaches into his sock and pulls out a flask, offering it to me. “Tyler.”
Jon takes my hand and pulls me behind them to the corner. I take the flask and smell. Whatever it is smells nasty. I take a quick sip and hand it back, trying not to make a face. Each of the guys take a long swig.
“Here you guys are!” a girl’s voice squeals over the music. I turn and find two girls coming toward us from the dance floor, sweaty, out of breath, and holding hands.
The rounder of the two, with short dark hair and huge boobs, takes the flask from Jon’s hand and chugs, then hands it to the pretty Asian girl she’s with. She’s a little shyer about it, only taking a small sip.
Tyler grabs her long black hair and tips the end of the flask higher. “C’mon, Amy. Live a little.”
A dribble spills down her chin and Tyler licks it off then kisses her. He backs her into the shadows at the side of the bleachers and pins her against the wall. Her fingers weave into his hair and they don’t look like they’re planning to come up for air for a while.
Jon’s arm slips around my waist. “So, that’s Amy, Tyler’s girlfriend, and this is Melissa. She’s with Cameron.”
Cameron already has his hand possessively on her ass. “Hey,” she says with a wave.
“This is Lilah. She’s new.” He tugs me closer and shoves Cameron’s shoulder. “I scooped her up before any you assholes could fuck with her.”
“A regular fucking Clark Kent,” Cameron mutters. He goes over and grabs the flask from Tyler’s hand. Once his hand is free, Tyler instantly starts groping the front of Amy’s shirt. Cameron hands the flask to Melissa. “Wanna get out of here?”
She takes another drink and nods.
“What about you guys?” he asks Jon.
Jon looks at me. “Want to go party?”
I shrug. “Sure.”
Cameron shoves Tyler. “Come on, asshole. We’re heading up to Lover’s Leap.”
We all file out of the gym and are warned by the Leadership kids manning the door that there’s no re-entry.
Jon knuckle bumps one of them, a cute blond girl. “See you at home, sis.”
I glance over my shoulder at her as we pass and see the family resemblance. “What year is she?”
“Senior,” he answers with a squeeze of my waist.
“What about you?”
He looks at me. “Sophomore, same as you…right?”
I shake my head. “Junior.”
His eyes widen. “Thought everyone in algebra two was a sophomore.”
“I missed some school, so I’m a little behind on math.”
His mouth pulls into that exaggerated grin. “You just got so much hotter.”
I roll my eyes and let him load me back in his car. We follow two other cars up a long winding road into the mountains. There’s barely a moon tonight, so it’s pitch black when we get to a clearing and everyone cuts their lights. We pile out of our cars and Jon leads me to a path that winds out to a rocky outcropping. Everyone finds a seat and Jon settles against my side.
Tyler’s flask has been replaced by a full bottle of Johnnie Walker, and everyone takes their turn. When it comes to me, I take a swallow and it burns all the way down.
The guys shoot the shit about the game and their girls talk about some other girls that I don’t know. I tip my head back and stare up at the ocean of stars overhead. I’m just getting dizzy when I feel warm wet lips on my neck. I lift my head and realize the chatter has stopped. Tyler and Amy aren’t anywhere to be seen, but Cameron has Melissa flat on her back with his hand down the front of her shorts.
I look at Jon and he raises his eyebrows at me. “If you want to.”
I shrug. “Sure, why not.”
He closes the few inches between us and his mouth finds mine. His kiss is wet and sloppy, his tongue lapping at mine like a Labrador Retriever. So, now at least I know what breed he is.
We kiss for a while, and his hands never leave my waist. I close my eyes and wait for something to happen—a buzz in my chest or an ache or tingle or anything. All I feel is a wet tongue in my mouth that’s not mine.
When Cameron and Melissa start getting loud, Jon stands and pulls me up by the hand. “Let’s take a walk.”