Page 38 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

“What a buzzkill. Whatever, let’s just use Mami’s tumblers she takes to the gym.”

Tallulah’s jaw dropped. “Fuck yeah! That’ll fit like five or six bottles!”

“Shhhhh!” I shushed her. “Language. I know, I’m kind of a genius.” I smiled extra big for her.

We grabbed a couple of cases from the fridge and hid out in the pantry to pour our handful of bottled drinks into our tumblers. By the time we met with everyone in the party, the sun had fully set.

The first hour of the party was just weird. Mami and Papi stayed inside and out of sight, per Gustav’s instructions. Most of the cheerleaders were in the pool making out with their crushes, and a couple of them were making out with each other. I shook my tumbler; half of it was already gone, and my toes felt fuzzy inside my heels. I tried stretching my eyes open so I wouldn't feel as tired.

At some point, Gustav tumbled onto the stage that he thought was just for him to make speeches, and declared Panic at the Disco was really here, and they would be playing a few of their songs. When I tell you the entire crowd erupted with noisy cheers, it did, and the ground shook for a wobbly moment.

“Tallulah!” I yelled for her as she left to go to the front of the stage.

I followed after her, stumbling on the cobblestone floor Papi installed. My heel snagged a rock, and I tumbled forward into something hard.

Instantly, my nose smashed into what felt like a chest, and the scent of clean laundry and sunscreen hit me as I looked up at Ro holding me in his arms.

“Jesus, you okay?” he asked, his eyebrows arched as I folded over onto him.

His eyes were so blue, like the deep end of our pool. I stared at them for a while, lost for words, my lips tingling from Mike’s Hard lemonade.

“I’m cool!” I said quickly, my face melting below my makeup. His fingers were planted on the side of my bare stomach, supporting me.

“You look like a baby deer walking around here,” he said with a smile. “Very… wobbly.”

“Thank you,” I said, clutching my tumbler. I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment, but I figured baby deer were cute. I tried to stand up, straightening my knees. My heels felt more like stilts at this point. “I like your Deftones shirt…” I said, more like a question. I didn’t know what a Deftone was, but it looked good on him.

The feedback from the amp on the stage rang through the backyard, the guitar strumming as everyone cheered.

My stomach started to swirl with an abundance of watermelon-flavored lemonade.

“We should dance,” I said abruptly, the song starting behind us. As soon as I asked, I stumbled backward.

“Whoa!” Ro lunged forward.

I tried to play it off as the cha-cha. “Oops!” I said. His hands fell onto my hips, holding me up.

“Dude… you okay?” he asked, looking me up and down.

It was so romantic. His hands on my hips. I held my tumbler up and gave him a shimmy. “Do you know how to do the Dougie?” I asked. I felt like now was a good time to show off my signature cheerleader moves. The guys loved it. They hollered for it at all the football games.

“The what?” Ro still held onto me. He couldn’t let go… but honestly, if he had, I think I would’ve fallen into the pool. “What are you doing right now?” Ro asked more seriously.

I shrugged him off. “What are… you… doing?”

“You’re acting strange?” he said, with fake concern in his voice—at least it sounded insincere. He suddenly got so close to me. I thought for a moment he was trying to kiss my lips, and I wasn’t sure if I should close my eyes or pucker my lips. I tried doing both, one at a time.

“Are you drinking?” he sniffed me.

“No…” I answered mortified, trying to slip away.

“What are you drinking?” He reached for my drink, but I wouldn't let him. I held onto that tumbler like my life depended on it.

“Why are you being such a psycho?” I raised my voice, staring daggers into his eyes.

“Why are you being a brat?”

“I’m not!” I yelled.