Page 102 of Hot As Ice

“You’re drinking?” she sputters.

“Yes.”

“Well, well, well.”

I shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Okay, Miss Lemonade.”

The beer tastes disgusting, but I gulp half of it down as fast as I can. I need to feel a buzz. Becca grabs my hand and drags me to the dance floor. I gulp down the rest of the beer and put the plastic cup away. We dance to a couple of hip-hop songs, but I’m not drunk enough to really let loose.

“I want tequila,” I tell Becca. “Or vodka.”

She looks at me like she’s never seen me before. “Who are you right now?” But she leads me toward the kitchen where there are bottles of different liquor on the counter.

“Shots, shots, shots!” she yells.

The guys standing in the kitchen are quick to oblige her. We click our plastic cups and take the shots. I immediately ask for another. There’s no time to second-guess what I’m doing. I know it’s a bad idea. But I really want to quiet my mind and pretend life is better than it really is.

Only 15 minutes later, I’m really feeling the effects of the alcohol. Becca and I are back on the dance floor, alternatively jumping around or grinding on each other. We’re surrounded by guys cheering us on and I feel carefree and a little reckless.

One of the guys near us grabs me by the waist and spins me around. He starts dancing with me and I let him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He holds me tight, his hands skimming my back. I throw my head back and close my eyes. I don’t even care what he does to me. My head is spinning but I like the way the alcohol is dulling everything. So, this is why people get drunk, isn’t it? I totally get it now, because I feel like nothing could possibly hurt me.

“You look hot,” the guy dancing with me says.

“Thanks.”

“Do you wanna go upstairs?”

“What’s upstairs?” I ask, blinking up at him. His face is kind of blurry.

“My room,” he says, grinning.

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“Come on,” he insists. His hands roam down my back, and he grabs my ass. “It’ll be fun.”

“I need another beer.”

“Sure thing.” He disappears but is back a minute later with a plastic cup filled to the brim. I take it from him and down it as fast as I can. I look for Becca in the crowd but can’t find her. The music is pounding into my brain and I think maybe I do want to go upstairs.

“Where’s your room?” I ask my dance partner.

He smiles. “I’ll show you.”

I follow him up some stairs and into a room that’s a little messy but not too bad. There’s a lamp on in the corner, casting a dim glow over everything. His bed is unmade. He backs me up against the door and starts kissing my neck. It feels…okay.

I close my eyes and Hunter’s face appears in my mind.

I miss him so much.

I push the guy kissing me away and go sit on his bed. My head is spinning like crazy. “I need a second,” I say. He comes and sits down next to me. His arm comes around me. He tries to kiss me, but I move my head away at the last second, so he goes back to kissing my neck.

I wish it was Hunter kissing me instead.

“Stop,” I tell him.

He pushes me down onto the bed and lifts my shirt. Sloppy kisses pepper my stomach. I try to push him off me. “Please stop.”